Machinery Lay-out
Compartments
VII	VIII	IX	X	XI	XII	XIII	XIV

Machinery Lay-out
Codes of color explanation
	Fuel bunkers (diesel oil)		Main fuel bunkers (heating oil)		Main fuel overflow bunkers
	Port diesel motor room		Port shaft tunnel		Centre shaft alley
	Starboard shaft tunnel		Starboard diesel motor room		Electric plant No 2
	Centre turbine room		Electric plant No 1		Electric switch gear room No 2
	Port shaft alley		After A.A. and damage control room		Starboard shaft alley
	Electric switch gear room No 1		Port turbine room		Starboard turbine room
	Control platform boiler room		Port No 1 boiler room		Centre No 1 boiler room
	Starboard No 1 boiler room		Boiler auxiliary machinery room		Port No 2 boiler room
	Centre No 2 boiler room		Starboard No 2 boiler room		Electric plant No 4
	Auxiliary machinery room		Electric plant No 3

Machinery
3 sets geared turbines (Curtis type) with single reduction: in three turbine rooms (Bismarck: Blohm & Voss, Hamburg; Tirpitz: Brown, Boveri & Cie).
Turbine sets in four housings, turbines/propellers rpm:
High-pressure (HP) turbine	2,880/270
Intermediate-pressure (IP) turbine	2,880/270
Low-pressure (LP) turbine	2,430/190
High-pressure astern turbine	2,025/180
Low-pressure astern turbine	1,715/190
Cruising turbine	4,220/270
The HP astern turbine was contained with the IP ahead drum, the LP ahead and astern turbines were grouped together.*
Performance weight of entire drive	20.3 kg/hp
Main drive	Three shafts with three-bladed propellers 4.7 m in diameter
Steering assembly	Two balanced-type rudders with 8° divergence towards centreline
*There are a number of differently constructed types of turbine for differing applications, viz. the Parsons multi-stage reaction turbine; the Laval impulse turbine with one pressure and one velocity stage; the Curtis velocity-compounded impulse turbine with one pressure stage and multi-velocity stages; and the Zoelly impulse turbine with multi-pressure stages, basically similar in construction to the Curtis. Shipyards or other manufactures supplying turbines did so mainly under license. In Bismarck the individual turbine sets were grouped round the gearing. The HP reaction turbine was a Curtis wheel with 40 stages, the IP a double-flow 14 stage reaction turbine and the LP a 9 stage reaction turbine supporting the condenser slung below it, as was customary. The HP astern turbine was a single Curtis wheel, the LP astern turbine was of the divided double-flow type. No cruising turbine was fitted. In Tirpitz the individual turbines were similar to those of the Bismarck except that the ship was fitted with crusing turbines; the crusing and HP drums were both set at the after end of the main wheel; the IP and LP were simple reaction turbines; and the HP astern turbine was contained in the IP ahead drum at its forward end and the double-flow LP astern turbine was located between the LP turbine block.

Results of Dockyard Tests for Bismarck at a Displacement of 43,000 tonnes
Output (shp)	No of boilers in use	Shaft (rpm)	Speed (knots)	Fuel consumption (gm/hp/hr)
3 x 46,000	12	265	29	325
3 x 38,350	12	250		320
3 x 23,300	9	214		335
3 x 13,000	6	176		370
3 x 8,300	3	151		415
3 x 5,000	3	128		500
3 x 12,000 (astern)	12

Machinery data for Tirpitz
Output per shaft	Shaft rpm	Steam comsumption (t/hr)
22,500	98	11.5
5,400	130	21.5
11,000	166	39.0
17,500	194	59.0
25,750	220	86.5
34,150	241	114.0
42,750	258	143.3
46,000	265	165.0
16,000 (astern)	190	105.0

© John Asmussen, 2000 - 2014. All rights reserved.