Bismarck-class battleship

The Bismarck class was a pair of fast battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine shortly before the outbreak of World War II. The ships were the largest and most powerful warships built for the Kriegsmarine; displacing more than 41,000 metric tons normally, they were armed with a battery of eight 38 cm (15 in) guns and were capable of a top speed of 30 knots. Bismarck was laid down in July 1936 and completed in September 1940, while the keel of her sister ship, Tirpitz, was laid in October 1936 and work finished in February 1941. The ships were ordered in response to the French Richelieu-class battleships, themselves laid down in response to the Italian Littorio-class battleships. The Bismarck class was designed with the traditional role of engaging enemy battleships in home waters in mind, though the Oberkommando der Marine envisioned employing the ships as long-range commerce raiders against British shipping in the Atlantic Ocean. As such, their design represented the strategic confusion that dominated German naval construction in the 1930s.

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1939  Wikimedia, Wikidata
speed 30.8 knot, draft 9.9 metre, length 250.5 metre, beam 36 metre, 
battleship, Blohm+Voss, Kriegsmarine, Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven, Nazi Germany, 

Bismarck, Tirpitz, 

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Location: KML, Cluster Map, Maps,
2 places

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  Tirpitz ⓘ
  1939 Bismarck-class battleship

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  Bismarck ⓘ
  1939 Bismarck-class battleship

Frameless

A crewman from heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen signals to battleship Bismarck. This photo was taken some time in May 1941 prior to Rheinübung.

Bismarck in a Norwegian fjord, 21 May 1941, shortly before departing for her Atlantic sortie. Photographed from the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen.

Lot-2275-14 (26820659176)

BismarkArmorScheme

Type	Subtype	Date	Description	Notes	Source
object	watercraft		Tirpitz	Bismarck-class battleship, battleship	Wikidata
site	shipwreck		Bismarck	Bismarck-class battleship, shipwreck, battleship	Wikidata
commons	image		A crewman from heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen signals to battleship Bismarck. This photo was taken some time in May 1941 prior to Rheinübung.		Commons
commons	image		Bismarck in a Norwegian fjord, 21 May 1941, shortly before departing for her Atlantic sortie. Photographed from the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen.		Commons
commons	image		Lot-2275-14 (26820659176)		Commons
commons	image		BismarkArmorScheme		Commons