Darren, I feel the same way about the Bismarck. I don't think there is another ship which is more over-rated. It's armor scheme was outdated, IIRC the main armored deck was too low to protect all the vitals it needed to protect, it's single-purpose 5.9" battery was outdated and rather useless, it's turrets had terrible armor, and the shells weren't that great either. Furthermore, she went with 15" when most navies were planning or building ships with 16" or better. Now that's not to say she wasn't a good ship, but I find I am far less impressed with her real-world combat capabilities then I am of most other MODERN fast battleships. She was definately a very good LOOKING ship, but all things being equal, she was one of the worst designs built for WW2.
