Reputation vs. Reality

It has been quite a while since I wrote something that was mostly/totally history.

Today it is May 27, 2022, the 71st anniversary of the sinking of the Bismarck–considered one of the greatest battleships in history. It is sunk by Britain’s great battleships–including the flagship, the state of the art King George V.

Bismarck’s reputation is that it was unsinkable, that it was the best, toughest battleship on the ocean. When I was a kid, I believed this. But–it wasn’t. Not close. Here’s a table:

Data from the major combatants battleship classes 1938-forward

So look at the table.

Tonnage: Bismarck is only bigger than the North Carolina. Main Guns: All major Pacific BBs had bigger guns–and more of them. KGV has smaller guns but more of them. Other guns: Bismarck’s are biggest, but the Allied BB all have more. The Iowa doesn’t have tertiary guns, filled with anti-aircraft guns instead. Belt armor: Bismarck has more than the others of comparable tonnage. Deck armor: Bismarck has less, so it would be more vulnerable at longer ranges than the others. Turret armor: Bismarck’s is more than KGV, but the Pacific battleships all have at least two more inches of armor. The Yamato’s is almost double. Speed: Bismarck’s faster than all but the Iowa. Range: Short for the Axis, all designed to operate close to home. The Brit and US designs are CLEARLY designed for cruising the Pacific. The North Carolina’s range is double that of Bismarck.

So–how again is the Bismarck better? Better press/propaganda. A dramatic story in the sinking of the Hood and its chase, but if we are drafting battleships (exclude the Yamato since it’s 20,000 tons over the others)–Bismarck’s your third choice, maybe fourth if range is a factor.

Reputation is everything. With the right story, you become legend, facts be damned. That holds true for many things in the world–Confederate military prowess compared to the Union; the work done by the SCLC compared to SNCC, CORE, etc.; evaluating presidencies (JFK is considered great BECAUSE he was killed…his actual track record is mediocre); and even small stuff like Jack Morris making it into baseball’s Hall of Fame (he doesn’t belong).