It is seventy-three years since one of the most legendary confrontations in the naval world, the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Attacking, the pride and joy of the British Royal Navy, HMS Hood, had on 24th May 1941 faced against the mighty German battleship Bismarck. The incident resulted in the tragic sinking of the “Mighty Hood,” a saga still etched in the annals of naval warfare.
HMS Hood was the largest battlecruiser in history, noted for her pre-Second World War international presence and goodwill visits. She displaced 47,430 tons fully loaded and was armed with eight 15-inch guns in four twin turrets, but her pre-Battle of Jutland design left her vulnerable to plunging shellfire, a defect that would prove fatal. But despite all her faults, such was the Royal Navy’s need to have her in service that there was no option for improvements when World War II broke out.
The Bismarck was slightly larger than Hood and was undoubtedly one of the best-protected ships ever built. Although, in principle, she carried the same main armament as Hood, Bismarck was faster and better armored. Her crew was more experienced, particularly the gunnery officers, and it was regarded that she was the more dangerous of the two ships.
The battle commenced at 0553 hours when Vice Admiral Lancelot Holland issued orders for HMS Hood and the newly commissioned HMS Prince of Wales to start the firing process. To the initial surprise of some of the Germans, Hood found her target in the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, having mistaken it for Bismarck. The German ships, under the command of Admiral Gunther Lütjens, returned fire, with Prinz Eugen hitting Hood and setting off a large fire.
At 0600 hours, Hood came round to bring her rear turrets to bear when she was hit by a salvo from Bismarck. The explosion between the “X” turret and the mainmast enveloped the vessel, and she sank in three minutes. Of 1,415 crew, only three survived: Petty Officer Ted Briggs, Seaman Bob Tilburn, and Midshipman Bill Dundas.
Briggs later described the terrifying experience: “Then she started listing to starboard. She righted herself and started going over to port. When she had gone over by about 40 degrees we realized she was not coming back.” He described being sucked under the water and then shot to the surface like a cork, witnessing the terrifying sight of Hood’s bow vertical in the sea.
The loss of Hood was, in fact, such a shattering blow that, in its first report, the Admiralty itself stated that Hood “received an unlucky hit in a magazine and blew up.” Further inquiries into the sinking turned up the same conclusion: a hit by Bismarck’s 15-inch shell penetrated one of Hood’s magazines, which exploded, causing the ship to sink quickly.
Here, however, the Bismarck had little time to exult in its success. A lucky torpedo hit, launched from a Fairey Swordfish bomber flying from HMS Ark Royal, crippled her steering on May 26. The next day, British warships—including HMS King George V and HMS Rodney, with several cruisers and destroyers—engaged Bismarck. After a very fierce confrontation, she was scuttled by her crew, taking all but 115 of her 2,200 crew to the bottom of the Atlantic.
The Battle of the Denmark Strait is a good representation of the many sacrifices sailors made during wartime. The sinking of the mighty HMS Hood with all her crew, then eventually Bismarck herself, tells a lot about the heavy toll of naval warfare. When one reflects on those battles, one realizes the full extent of bravery and sacrifice by all who served on board those mighty ships.