The NavWeaps figures quoted here give Bismarck's 15-inch guns a 26-second cycle at four degrees elevation, corresponding to a range well below 10,000 meters. A well-trained crew might reduce that cycle to twenty seconds. A separate May 1941 report gives ammunition-hoist delivery of 23-25 rounds per minute across all four turrets, approximately three rounds per gun. The same evaluation recorded two serious hoist breakdowns that caused long interruptions to ammunition supply. Bismarck expended 91 rounds during roughly thirty minutes at Denmark Strait. Firing-cycle time, hoist throughput, and ammunition expenditure during a battle measure different aspects of performance.
Notable Point · 4:41:25-4:43:38
Bismarck's theoretical and battle rate of fire
Bismarck's quoted low-elevation firing cycle and ammunition-hoist capacity were much faster than its average ammunition expenditure at Denmark Strait.