Bismarck was the first of two Bismarck class battleships built for the
German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down in Hamburg in July
1936 and launched nearly three years later in April 1939. Work was completed in
August 1940, when she was commissioned into the German fleet. Along with her
sister Tirpitz, Bismarck was the largest battleship ever built by
Germany, and the heaviest built by any European power.
Bismarck conducted
only one offensive operation; she, along with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen,
were to break out into the Atlantic Ocean and raid Allied shipping from North
America to Great Britain. The two ships were detected several times off
Scandinavia, however, and British naval units were deployed to block their
route. At the Battle of Denmark Strait, Bismarck engaged and destroyed
the battlecruiser HMS Hood, and forced the battleship HMS Prince of Wales to
retreat with heavy damage, although in the end Bismarck herself was hit
three times and suffered an oil leak from a ruptured tank following the hits.
The destruction of HMS Hood spurred a relentless pursuit by the
Royal Navy by dozens of warships. Two days later, while steaming for the
relative safety of occupied France, Bismarck was attacked by Swordfish
torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal; one hit was scored
that jammed the battleship's steering gear and rendered her unable to manoeuvre.
The following morning, Bismarck was destroyed by a pair of
British battleships. The cause of her sinking is disputed: some in the Royal
Navy claim that torpedoes fired by the cruiser HMS Dorsetshire administered the
fatal blow, while German survivors argue that they scuttled the ship. In June 1989 the location of the wreck was
discovered.
6 x 4 ins PHOTO