The Bismarck, just the mention of this name, runs shivers down the spine of naval historians. It was indeed the largest and fastest battleship ever built. Its story is one of marvel engineering, strategic ambition, and ultimate demise. Bismarck’s journey began under the shadow of the Treaty of Versailles, which imposed severe restrictions on Germany after World War I. At the same time, German ingenuity found ways around these limitations, leading to the creation of this formidable warship.
The maiden voyage of Bismarck began in the predawn hours of May 19, 1941, as the vessel slipped into the Baltic Sea, shadowed by the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. Coded Operation Rheinübung, the mission was to intercept Allied convoys carrying essential supplies from the United States to Great Britain. It was hoped by the German high command that, once loose in the North Atlantic, the Bismarck would cut the Allied lifeline and thereby persuade Britain to capitulate.
As Bismarck and her companion, Prinz Eugen, entered the cold waters of the North Atlantic, the British Royal Navy became aware of their presence. Two ships used to intercept the Bismarck were the newly commissioned HMS Prince of Wales and the flagship of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood. Launched in 1918, the Hood was Britain’s largest battle cruiser and a showpiece for British naval power.
On May 24, British ships opened fire on the Bismarck in the Denmark Strait. The first shots came from Hood, but Bismarck’s reply was devastating. Within minutes, one of Bismarck’s armor-piercing shells struck Hood’s ammunition magazine, causing a mighty explosion that sent the battle cruiser to the bottom. Of the 1,421 crewmen on board, only three survived from HMS Hood—the largest loss of life taken by any single ship in the Royal Navy.
Though victorious, the Bismarck was not unscathed. The vessel suffered damages, particularly leakage of oil. Knowing this, Fleet Commander Admiral Günther Lütjens decided that they should head to port in Nazi-occupied France to be on the safer side. Though victorious, the loss of the Hood was too much to bear for the British. Admiral John Tovey ordered all available ships to hunt down the Bismarck.
As the Bismarck was about to pass into the sanctuary of the Luftwaffe air umbrella, British aircraft from the carrier HMS Ark Royal launched a torpedo attack in the afternoon of May 26. Antiquated Fairey Swordfish biplanes crippled the steering mechanism of the Bismarck, rendering it incapable of maneuver. And there sat the crippled battleship, a sitting duck.
The next morning, British warships closed in to deliver the coup de grâce. In 90 minutes of fierce barraging, the Bismarck received critical damage. Then, at about 10:40 a.m. on May 27, a heavy cruiser, HMS Dorsetshire, administered the final blow in the form of torpedoes. Who exactly sank the Bismarck is still debated, with some citing that it was scuttled by its crew to prevent its capture.
The career of the Bismarck had been short and eventful; it ended with its sinking. Less than ten days after its maiden voyage began, the “unsinkable” battleship lay at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. The loss of the Bismarck came as a major loss for the German navy, while on the other side, the Royal Navy took revenge on the enemy who had destroyed the Hood.
Most poignantly of all, the HMS Hood’s bell was recovered in August 2015 and currently resides in Portsmouth, England, at the National Museum of the Royal Navy. This artifact stands in remembrance of the sacrifices made by sailors on both sides during this epic confrontation at sea.