05/24/2004 Entry: "Gotta Sink The Bismarck"
Posted by Maynard @ 05:33 PM MST

Gotta Sink The Bismarck

Sixty years ago today, the Bismarck, pride of the Nazi German Navy, unleashed a salvo against the HMS Hood. Hood lost, badly. So badly, in fact, that only 3 of her almost 1500 crew survived. It is suggested that the salvo hit the magazine, but that detail is in debate between the ocean explorers and the historians.

PBS tells the Hood Story
May, 1941: The Naval War
The Hood Society

Bismarck would be shadowed throughout the next 3 days, at times being seen, then lost, then recovered again. Ironically, Bismarck's hunting and destruction would serve as a portent of Naval Warfare for the next sixty years (at least), as well as a clear warning to America: naval reliance on battleship strategy was obsolete and would be replaced by carrier based strategy. Bismarck was chased across the Atlantic in her run for repairs in France, when she was stricken by biplanes launched from Ark Royal. They did not deliver the fatal blow, but instead jammed her rudder and allowed the rest of the Royal Navy to close and pummel Bismarck to death. It served as an indicator that old technology, when applied in a new way, could deliver unexpected results.

Add A New Comment

Name

E-Mail (optional)

Homepage (optional)

Comments