The
weather in the North Atlantic could not have been more favourable to surface
raiders. Only in the immediate vicinity of the pack ice ringing Greenland was
the visibility good, elsewhere thick mist, heavy rain and snow squalls made
the hunters job desperately difficult. In the evening of 23rd May 1941, HMS
Suffolk of Wake-Walker's 1st Cruiser Squadron was closing the ice near the British
minefield in the Denmark Strait, as ordered.
The report by 1st Cruiser Squadron gave Bismarck's and Prinz Eugen's positions to all ships and to the Admiralty. Eleven convoys were in the North Atlantic, including one of five troopships bound for the Middle East, escorted by HMS Exeter and HMS Cairo with five destroyers. To protect this convoy, Somerville, who on his own initiative had brought Force H to short notice, was ordered to sail from Gibraltar. Within an hour and ten minutes he was steaming west at 25 knots with his flag in the battle-cruiser HMS Renown, the carrier HMS Ark Royal, the cruiser HMS Sheffield and six destroyers. Meanwhile HMS Suffolk and HMS Norfolk shadowed the enemy. Only Suffolk had radar.
At 04:45am on 24th May, Vice-Admiral Holland steered at high speed to engage the enemy. Both HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales were taking water 'green' over the bows as they smashed into high seas. Spray blinded their main range-finders. HMS Prince of Wales's gunnery radar was jammed by her own high-power radio transmitting the enemy movement reports to the Admiralty. Holland manoeuvred his ship to close the range as quickly as possible the present the smallest possible target.
The Admiral decided to command from the Compass Platform, rather than the Admiral's bridge. The Captain was fighting the ship from the compass platform. The Admiral intended HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Hood to take on Bismarck, and the two cruisers HMS Norfolk and HMS Suffolk to engage Prinz Eugen. The six destroyers to leave fifty miles behind would carry out torpedo attacks, when they arrived. HMS Hood fired about six salvos before the Bismarck replied, the Bismarck's gunnery was extremely accurate, the shells made a noise like an express train going through a tunnel. Everybody on the bridge of HMS Hood was very calm. The Bismarck's fifth salvo hit HMS Hood at the base of the mast, the ship shuddered, and the most of the crew was thrown off there feet.
Just as HMS Hood was altering course and the next salvo from Bismarck hit. There was a big explosion as a gigantic sheet of flame which shot round the front of the compass platform. HMS Hood started listing to starboard (right hand side). She'd gone about ten degrees, when she righted herself and started going over to port (left hand side), and carried on going over. A 15-inch shell penetrated her side below the armoured belt on a submerged trajectory. The shell caused an explosion in a 4-inch magazine, blowing out the bulkhead into the engine room inflicting massive structural failure. HMS Hood then gave one last puff of smoke up her funnel before she broke in half, it didn't take very long before she sank completely out of sight.
Admiral Holland, HMS Hood's Captain, and more than 1,400 of the ships company went to the bottom with the ship. There were three survivors, which were picked up by HMS Electra.