Nazi Germany's Battleship Bismarck vs. America's Iowa Class: Who Wins?

[DemolitionMan]

by Kyle Mizokami


Despite the vast scope of the Second World War, the navies of the United States and Nazi Germany fought few, if any, direct surface engagements. By the time of America’s entry into the war the Royal Navy had already sunk or neutralized the lion’s share of Hitler’s Kriegsmarine, with only Hitler’s U-boats remaining a substantial German threat.
But what if the UK’s Royal Navy hadn’t been as successful as it was, and the U.S. was forced to hunt down the German Navy’s major surface combatants? What if the Iowa-class fast battleships had been sortied into the Atlantic to square off against their counterparts, the Bismarck-class battleships

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/nazi-germanys-battleship-bismarck-vs-americas-iowa-class-who-17172

[Joe Wooten]

This was done long before PopMech decided to do an article

http://www.combinedfleet.com/baddest.htm

The Iowa class won the big battleship hands down, and the South Dakota class the middleweight BB's.

[skeeter]

Its all about the throw weight.

Iowa put 72% more lbs into the air at the same time it would take the Bismarck, greatly enhancing the chances of drawing first blood, which almost always determines who comes out on top in these things.

[Joe Wooten]

Its all about the throw weight.

Iowa put 72% more lbs into the air at the same time it would take the Bismarck, greatly enhancing the chances of drawing first blood, which almost always determines who comes out on top in these things.

All the American battleships built during and right before the war came with a superior targeting radar and a mechanical computer that increased the accuracy of the shots. I'd bet even the S. Dakotas would have sunk the Bismarck. All the old pre WW2 battleships were retrofitted with these radars and computers as the war went on.

[skeeter]

All the American battleships built during and right before the war came with a superior targeting radar and a mechanical computer that increased the accuracy of the shots. I'd bet even the S. Dakotas would have sunk the Bismarck. All the old pre WW2 battleships were retrofitted with these radars and computers as the war went on.

Yeah there was no comparison. USS Washington sank the Kirishima in '42 (yeah, a WWI vintage BC) via a 6 minute firing program using radar only. Something like 9 salvoes.

Geez I sound like a nerd.

[Joe Wooten]

Yeah there was no comparison. The SoDak sank the Kirishima in '42 (yeah, a WWI vintage BC) via a 6 minute firing program using radar only. Something like 6 salvoes.

Geez I sound like a nerd.

You is one, and so are I.............

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Based upon the article, Japan wins.