![]() When the US recieved the Prinz Eugin after the war she came with her sonar intact, it was removed before she was expended in the Bikini Atoll atomic tests. And their sonar, which included a bow mounted spherical hydrophone array, was so far superior to anything else in the world that it partially compensated for their poor surface search radar. Unlike the rest of the world the Germans equipped their heavy crusers with sonar. ![]() An estimated 44 miles away in fact (and while doing 22kts in sea state 4!). We know now from Krigsmarine records recovered in the former East Germany that Prinz Eugin had detected the approach of the British battleships when they were well over the horizon. He could of evaded Hood and Prince of Wales, even though Hood was faster than Bismarck by chasing off Norfolk with the aid of Prinz Eugin. The one thing that saves the possibility of a encounter between Bismarck and a US battleship, is Admiral Lutjins. The probability of taking serious damage, and the certainty of exhausting most of her ammo before racking up enough hits to put a Colorado out of action through cumulative damage (the same means by which Bismarck herself was done in), means that the German would use its 8kt advantage and make a hasty withdrawl to find a unescorted convoy. The only way a Colorado would meet a Bismarck is if the German came after a convoy the Colorado was escorting and somehow did not identify what it was until the American opened fire. A Colorado was pleanty fast enough to escort a convoy, which were either 10 or 15kts. A Colorado could not chase down a Bismarck, they were 8kts slower. ![]() ![]() Thing is, if they had ever met, nothing would of happened. ![]()
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