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Letters
Was Voltaire, like so many AMC's, just outgunned/outranged? (See "The Voltaire Pages," Ahoy's index our articles about HMS Voltaire. Mac: I really enjoy your site. Thanks again. Do you have any information , after action report, etc., on the fight between Voltaire and Thor? Was Voltaire, like so many AMC's, just outgunned/outranged? Your colleagues in the RAN, RN, RCN and RNZN may have lacked proper weaponry, but no one could say thay lacked guts. Regards from Texas
Thanks again for your kind words. Thor had several advantages, she was a much smaller target than Voltaire, 3,144 tons versus about 12,000, she was oil fired against coal burning, a good deal faster, 17 knots to Voltaire's plodding 12 knots. Thor had the element of suprise on her side, was flying a Greek ensign when they met, she did hoist a German one when she commenced to open fire. The British AMC had old 6 inch guns dating back to 1906/1910. When Thor opened fire with more modern guns of a similar calibre, she scored a hit with her first salvo, and Voltaire hit in her steering gear started to steam round in circles. She was really doomed from the very beginning. I guess she was outgunned, and quickly out fought, the German raider also had torpedoes, and the advantage of a scout plane to spot enemy ships. Some of the Allied Armed Merchant Cruisers were little more than Iron Coffins, and in my view, Voltaire fell into that category. Hope these few comments help. Best regards, |
