Saturday, May 24
The Battle of the Denmark Straight
HMS Hood underway on the morning of May 24, 1941 (Royal Navy)
Just after midnight Admiral Holland ordered the battle ensigns to be hoisted on the HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales, along with a directive to adjust course due north. As they adjust their course, both the Germans and the tailing British cruisers remain unaware of their approach. Meanwhile, far to the south the ships of Admiral Somerville’s Force H departs Gibraltar at 0200, steaming north to reinforce convoy escorts as a contingency should the Germans breakout.
Aboard the German ships, efforts to shake the tailing British cruisers have been unsuccessful, leading to general frustration aboard. Prinz Eugen still leads the German formation, with her functioning radar, but suspicions are growing that the British equipment may be superior to that aboard Lutjens’ ships. The situation is exacerbated as the morning goes on, when an RAF PBY flying boat is spotted, although it is quickly driven off by the flak batteries aboard the German warships.
The forecastle of HMS Prince of Wales (Royal Navy)
At 0400 Admiral Holland plots his position as a mere twenty miles from the German task force, and prepares to engage. As the two ships approach at speed a transmission from one of their escorts is the the first signal to Admiral Wake-Walker’s cruisers that an operation is immanent, with no orders transmitted to them concerning Holland’s plan from the previous evening. This occurs at 0445.
“Alarm from fleet! Ships off to starboard. Course 2-4-0!”
The Hood move to engage Bismarck, as seen from Prince of Wales (Royal Navy)
At 0527 Prinz Eugen detects the approaching British battleships, but misidentifies them as cruisers. Admiral Lutjens orders the fleet to move to avoid the approaching enemy warships, in keeping with his standing orders from OKM to avoid battle with enemy surface combatants as much as is possible.
At 0535 Prince of Wales also sights the enemy, but something is amiss: despite the earlier plan to “cross the T” with the Germans, they have found themselves in a position where the Germans are in position to show their own broadside to the British ships. Holland orders flank speed to close the distance as quickly as possible, hoping to negate the great danger of plunging fire from the enemy and gain a favorable position.
Shells fired from HMS Hood land astern of Prinz Eugen (US Navy)
At 0547 Captain Brinkmann aboard Prinz Eugen again reports the approaching British battleships, and orders his cruiser’s main batteries to be loaded with high explosive shells. Aboard the Bismarck, Lutjens finally calls general quarters. Two minutes later, Holland executes another course change, signaling Prince of Wales to engage the ship on the left, which Hood has identified as Prinz Eugen. Captain Leach corrects for this mistake, training the six 14 inch guns of his battleship on the Bismarck instead. Seconds later, Hood’s 15 guns open fire on Prinz Eugen.
The main batteries of Prinz Eugen fire (US Navy)
Hood’s shells land 300 yards in front of the German cruiser, with a second volley landing just astern. Prince of Wales also fires her first salvo on Bismarck, the action immediately disabling one her new 14 inch turrets.
At 0550 Admiral Lutjens orders Prinz Eugen to reply, and she lets loose with a broadside from her eight 8 inch guns at 24,000 yards on Hood, scoring a hit on ammunition lockers near the base of her mainmast. The ensuing fire causes AA shells to detonate in the locker, adding shrapnel to the inferno. Despite the increasingly frantic requests of his gunnery officers, however, Bismarck’s guns remain silent. Around this time a possible impact is reported by crew below decks on the German battleship, although the bridge does not register any enemy hits. Meanwhile, Admiral Lutjens orders a change of course to cross the T with the oncoming enemy battleships.
Bismarck during the engagement, with guns in firing position (German Federal Archives)
At 0555, seeing what the Germans are attempting to do, Admiral Holland orders his ships to turn to offer their broadsides to the enemy, in the process exposing their silhouettes to them. This allows the Germans to finally confirm that their attackers are HMS Hood and a King George V class battleship. As this occurs, Captain Lindemann on Bismarck has finally had enough.
“I will not let my ship be shot out from under my ass!”
Bismarck fires a salvo at HMS Hood. The brightness of the muzzle flash darkens the rest of the photograph (US Navy)
Bismarck now finally opens fire with his eight 15 inch guns, firing a salvo at Hood. The forward batteries fall short, while the shells from the aft turrets land between the two attacking enemy ships. As a third salvo also overshoots, Bismarck also opens fire at the Prince of Wales with her secondary batteries, while the British reply in kind. The roar of the guns can be heard as far away as Reykjavik, some 300 miles away.
Bismarck fires a broadside at Hood (German Federal Archives)
Another broadside from Prinz Eugen hits Hood, this time detonating an ammunition locker for one of her after 4 inch secondary guns. Both of the British ships, with their main gun directors located in the turrets themselves, are having issues with sea spray obstructing their lenses. At 0559 Admiral Lutjens signals to Prinz Eugen to engage Prince of Wales, and she complies, scoring hits in her first salvo against the new British battleship.
HMS Hood explodes after being hit by Bismarck (German Federal Archives)
“She has been hit on the boat deck and there is a fire in the RU lockers.”
At 0600 the fifth broadside is fired by Bismarck, with two shells straddling the Hood, while another appears to be a dud hit. A split second later, however, a massive column of flame blasts into the sky from amidships, stretching 300 yards into the air. Then the ship’s magazine explodes with such force as to break the ship in two, sending both of her 1,500 ton aft turrets flying through the air. Within an instant the bow was hoisted high into the air, sinking fast. As she did, her forward batteries managed a final, defiant salvo, before the pride of the Royal Navy was swallowed by the sea. 1,415 British sailors went down with her, including Captain Kerr and Admiral Holland. There were only three survivors.
Prince of Wales steams past the sinking Hood (J.C. Schmitz-Westerholt, public domain)
“Hood blown up in position 63⁰ 21’N., 31⁰ 50’ W”
At 0603 Captain Leach ordered the helm of Prince of Wales hard over to avoid the sinking hulk of the flagship, as Prinz Eugen closes to engage the battleship with torpedoes. This is not to be, however, as the German cruiser is forced to take evasive action after spotting two torpedoes fired from Hood moments before she was destroyed. Having suffered damage and with some of her guns still out of action, Prince of Wales moves to break off the engagement, as the cruiser HMS Suffolk moves up to cover her retreat.
Crews man a turret aboard HMS Suffolk (Royal Navy)
The Germans move to pursue the stricken battleship, pummeling her with shellfire. One shell strikes the bridge, killing all but Captain Leach. They are not out of the fight, however, as the British manage to score hits on the Germans at 0605, with one shell deflecting off the main armor belt, another hitting the aircraft catapult, and a third punching through her bow and out the other side into the sea.
At 0613 Prince of Wales makes smoke and moves away, her last functioning 14 inch turret jamming in place as she does so. Admiral Lutjens orders his ships to disengage, and resume their course southward.
Bismarck down in the bow after breaking off engagement with Prince of Wales (US Navy)
On the bridge of Bismarck a fierce debate rages, as Captain Lindeman argues furiously with the Fleet Commander that the Prince of Wales should be pursued and destroyed while crippled, but Lutjens remains unmoved. The Germans continue toward the open ocean, as the battered Prince of Wales joins the cruisers Norfolk and Suffolk, with Admiral Wake-Walker taking command following the death of Admiral Holland aboard the Hood.
“Battlecruiser, probably Hood, sunk. Another battleship, King George V or Renown turned away damaged. Two heavy cruisers maintain contact.”
At 0615 Admiral Lutjens transmits a report of the destruction of Hood to OKM via headquarters in Paris, having moved into their jurisdiction as he passed through the straight. Receiving no acknowledgement, he continue to repeat the signal, causing Captain Brinkmann of Prinz Eugen to note with consternation in his log the Admiral’s poor radio silence.
At 0801 Lutjens sends a damage report to headquarters; the shell from Prince of Wales had flooded a forward compartment and ruptured fuel lines, cutting off a substantial portion in the forward tanks as well as leaving a large oil slick behind the flagship. Prinz Eugen also reports she is down in the bow. Receiving these reports, Hitler demands of Raeder why they did not pursue and destroy the Prince of Wales or attempt to escape in the confusion. No answer is available.
Bismarck as seen following Prinz Eugen after the Battle of the Denmark Straight (US Navy)
“I have received two heavy hits. One in sections XIII-XIV. Thereby loss of electrical station 4, port boiler room is taking on water, which we can ctonrol. Second hit Section XX-XXI in forecastle. Shell entered port, exited starboard above armored deck. Third hit on a boat, of no concern. Otherwise I am well. 5 lightly wounded.”
During the twenty minute battle, Bismarck had expended 93 shells for his main batteries, while Prinz Eugen had fired 179 from hers. Attempts by damage control teams aboard Bismarck are met with limited success. They are not able to transfer fuel from the forward tanks, and patches to the openings in the bow are only partially successful. Bismarck’s top speed is reduced to 28 knots.
At 1010 Lutjens orders Prinz Eugen to fall astern to assess the oil slick. She does so, and then returns to her lead position, having observed a large slick following the battleship. Despite this, a stroke of good fortune comes at 1100, as rain squalls and fog set in and again obscure the German task force, leaving the pursuing British ships to again rely on their radar.
The loss of Hood sent shockwaves through the British Empire and the world. The battlecruiser had been the symbol of British naval power during the interwar period, and her loss seemed to show that the Germans were still ascendant in the war. A burning desire to avenge the Hood took hold, and the Royal Navy began to marshal all of its forces to destroy the Bismarck. The battleships HMS Rodney and HMS Ramillies were ordered to detach from the convoys they were escorting and move to join the hunt for Bismarck, as was the battleship HMS Revenge who was ordered to sortie from Halifax. Three cruisers were ordered to block the routes back around Iceland to cut off a potential German retreat, while another, HMS Edinburgh, is ordered to reinforce Admiral Wake-Walker.
Boats aboard Bismarck near her funnel. One of Prince of Wales’ shells hit this area, although it is believed to be of no consequence (German Federal Archives)
At 1400 Admiral Lutjens again transmits to Paris, reporting that he intends to shake his pursuers after nightfall, and then make for the occupied French port of St. Nazaire. The only facility in France with a sufficient drydock to service Bismarck, Admiral Lutjens requests assistance from Admiral Donitz, who is to deploy his U-boats to form a screen along the projected route. Donitz responds by ordering ten submarines to take positions to cover the approach of the battleship, along both the route and at the mouth of the Bay of Biscay. This is followed twenty minutes later by orders to Prinz Eugen: as she is undamaged, she is to break off from Bismarck later in the evening to bunker fuel before proceeding to raid convoys alone.
The US Coast Guard Cutter Modoc (US Navy)
At 1515 another signal is received aboard Bismarck, this time announcing the presence of a neutral ship in the vicinity: the American Coast Guard Cutter USCGC Modoc. This tiny ship had been patrolling the area for convoy survivors and ice flows, and was steaming closer to the German warships, seemingly unaware of their presence.
At 1540 the code signal “Hood” is sent from Bismarck, ordering the Prinz Eugen to break off while the flagship turned to engage the following British ships to cover the movement. It is successful, and the heavy cruiser breaks away from the battleship, escaping into the fog and disappearing from British radar screens. At 1847 Prince of Wales replies to the earlier fire, but scores no hits. Two guns break down in the process.
Swordfish aboard HMS Victorious (Royal Navy)
At 1711 Prince of Wales finally had most of her guns operational again, and Admiral Wake-Walker ordered the battleship to take the lead in their formation, ready to engage the Bismarck should the opportunity present itself. Concurrently, in Tovey’s Home Fleet, the few Swordfish torpedo bombers available on the carrier HMS Victorious were taking off to attempt a strike on the German ships. Admiral Wake-Walker received word from Tovey at 2030 to expect an imminent air attack from the carrier, and soon nine Swordfish were in the air, with all but the three flight leaders on their first ever mission.
As the planes take off at 2300, Admiral Lutjens finally receives an updated intelligence report on the state of the Home Fleet. Only now does the German Fleet Commander learn that the anchorage is basically empty, and that he can expect the entire Home Fleet to be steaming to engage him. The race is on to reach friendly air cover off of France before the British are able to being him to battle.
At 2330 the crew of the American Coast Guard ship detect aircraft imbound, and quickly unfurl a large American flag on the decks to aid their identification as a neutral ship. The Victorious’ swordfish break from the cloud on approach to the cutter, but quickly veer off and change course to engage the battleship.
Bismarck in the distance as viewed from a swordfish (Royal Navy)
The British aircraft descend to just above wavetop height, on rapid approach to the battleship in three groups of three. The AA gunners on Bismarck immediately opened fire, with the main batteries also joining in, firing shells into the water to create massive geysers that would destroy any swordfish that flew through one. As the battleship takes evasive action the crude patches on the hull breaches from the morning’s engagement with Prince of Wales, causing the ship to take on yet more water. The problem is exacerbated by the shockwaves from the main batteries firing causes the damaged bulkheads to buckle.
Of the nine torpedoes launched at the Bismarck, only one finds its mark, exploding against the anti-torpedo bulkhead and killing Stabsfeldwebel (Chief Petty Officer) Kurt Kirchberg, who becomes the first casualty aboard the German battleship. At 2338 Admiral Lutjens again breaks radio silence to report the attack to OKM, although he provides no informaton aside from that it took place. As the 24th of May fraws to a close the crew of Bismarck are treated to extra rations of chocolate and cigarettes in celebration of the destruction of Hood, as they continue to sail toward France with the British on their heels.
The Germans meet the Hood and Prince of Wales at 0535. Hood is destroyed at 0600
Bismarck continues southward, now bound for France
Wake-Walker’s force continues to dog Bismarck
USCGC Modoc is positioned close to the Bismarck
Prinz Eugen breaks off and heads for a German tanker south of Greenland
The Home Fleet moves to engage Bismarck, sending an airstrike from the carrier Victorious
HMS Rodney breaks off from the convoy she was escorting to move north and join the hunt for Bismarck
Force H continues to steam northward (much farther south than this map shows)
German U-boats move to screen Bismarck’s approach to France