On May 24, 1941, the British battleships HMS Hood and Prince of Wales intercepted the German battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen in the Denmark Strait. The British ships were at a disadvantage due to limitations imposed by interwar treaties, which had prevented them from building new battleships and had forced them to modernize old ships instead.
Despite these limitations, the Hood and Prince of Wales engaged the German ships, but the Hood's thin deck armor made it vulnerable to plunging fire. The Prince of Wales's gunnery officer realized that the Hood was targeting the wrong ship, but it was too late. The Hood opened fire, and the German ships responded, hitting the Hood with a shell that detonated an ammunition locker, causing a massive explosion that sank the ship.
The Prince of Wales continued to fight, but it was outgunned and outmaneuvered by the Bismarck. The British ship's armor belt took multiple hits, and its bridge crew was killed or wounded. Despite being damaged, the Prince of Wales managed to score a few hits on the Bismarck, but it was forced to withdraw.
Only three survivors were rescued from the Hood's crew of 1,400. The sinking of the Hood sent shockwaves through the British Admiralty, but it also sparked a determined response to sink the Bismarck. Prime Minister Churchill issued a personal order to every able ship in the Atlantic to sink the Bismarck, and a massive effort was launched to hunt down and destroy the German battleship.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. The HMS Hood and Prince of Wales were sent to intercept the German battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen.
2. The British ships were at a disadvantage due to limitations imposed by treaties after World War I, which limited the size and number of new ships.
3. The HMS Hood had a weak horizontal defense, particularly at its deck level, which made it vulnerable to long-range plunging fire.
4. The Prince of Wales was a new ship, but it had teething problems, including malfunctions in its quadruple gun turrets.
5. The German ships, including the Bismarck, were violating the treaties and had more advanced technology.
6. On May 24, 1941, the British ships intercepted the German ships in the Denmark Strait.
7. The HMS Hood targeted the wrong ship, the Prinz Eugen, and the Prince of Wales corrected the mistake and targeted the Bismarck.
8. The German ships returned fire, and the HMS Hood was hit by a shell that detonated an ammunition locker.
9. The HMS Hood sank after a massive explosion, resulting in the loss of over 1,400 lives.
10. The Prince of Wales was damaged in the battle, but it managed to escape and retreat.
11. Only three survivors were rescued from the HMS Hood.
12. The British Admiralty received the news of the Hood's sinking and responded with a personal order from Prime Minister Churchill to sink the Bismarck.
13. The order was broadcast to all British ships in the Atlantic, and a massive effort was launched to hunt down and sink the Bismarck.