At 0555 hrs, after being fired upon for over 3 minutes without
a reply, the Bismarck unleashed her first salvo against the British
Battlecruiser HMS Hood. The first salvo fell short, however the
Prinz Eugen's fire scored hits along the mainmast of the Hood
that caused severe fires along her deck extending to her funnel.
At 0600, the Hood and Prince of Wales commenced a 20 degree turn
to port in order to bring their rear turrets around and place
them into action. At this time, at a range of 18,236 yards, the
fifth salvo from the Bismarck found its mark. At least one shell
found its way thru the armored belt and exploded in the Hood's
magazine. The German observers onboard the Bismarck were awestruck
by the enormity of the resulting explosion. The Hood, the Mighty
Hood, pride of the Royal Navy and for over 20 years the largest
warship in the world split in two and sank in three minutes.
Of a crew of over 1,416 men, only three survived. Immediately
after the sinking of the Hood, Bismarck turned it's attention
to the HMS Prince of Wales. Hitting the bridge of the Prince
of Wales, Bismarck was clearly at the advantage in this engagement.
At 0603, the Prince of Wales initiated a smoke screen and retreated
from combat. At 0609, the Bismarck fired its final salvo.
Due to damage from hits scored by the Prince of Wales, Bismarck
found that a significant oil leak developed that severely impacted
her ability to carry out its primary mission. The resulting damage
forced Admiral Lutzens to make a hard choice, continue the mission
or return to a friendly port for necessary repairs. Lutzens choice
of sailing to the French port of St. Nazairre led to the greatest
ship to ship engagement in World War II. For the British, "Remember
the Hood" became the battle cry of the Royal Navy. The hunt
for the Bismarck took a new and desperate tone. They had to "Sink
the Bismarck".
Available as a limited edition fine art print, each print is
signed by Burkard Baron Von Mullenheim-Rechberg, the sole surviving
officer of the Bismarck. |