The sinking of the Bismarck

27th May 1941

Just after the Bismarck had sunk HMS Hood, HMS Prince of Wales had hit the Bismarck with two 14-inch shells. One holed her near the bow, ruptured a forward fuel tank leaving a long slick astern, allowed in 2,000 tons of water, and damaged the forward oil pumped to the boilers. The other put one engine out of action. This combined with the need to counterflood to level her trim reduced Bismarck's speed to 28 knots. At 09:00am Lütjens decided to detach Prinz Eugen to attack convoys, and head for St Nazaire in Bismarck.

Wake-Walker hung on to Bismarck's coat tails. The Admiralty meanwhile sent a signal to ask him for his 'intentions' as regards re-engaging with HMS Prince of Wales. Wake-Walker, a cool, brave sea officer, decided to keep in touch with the possibility that they might fail to do so, though with HMS Prince of Wales in support there was no fear of being driven off. Afterwards, Pound, probably egged on by Phillips, demanded that Tovey court martial Wake-Walker and Leach, the Captain of HMS Prince of Wales, for not engaging Bismarck. Tovey refused, saying that he would act as Prisoner's Friend. No more was heard on this subject.

Though the early part of the night 24/25th May Wake Walker shadowed Bismarck. By then a total of four battleships, two battle-cruisers, two aircraft-carriers, twelve cruisers and dozens of destroyers were moving from almost all points of the compass and from hundreds of miles away to attempt to intercept Bismarck. By now Tovey had detached HMS Victorious ahead with an escort of four cruisers of 2nd Cruiser Squadron in the hope that a strike by her aircraft would slow Bismarck down sufficiently to enable him to catch up with her the next morning. At 10:00pm, still 120 miles from Bismarck, HMS Victorious launched nine Swordfish under Lieutenant-Commander Eugene Esmonde RN, with four Fulmars as a reconnaissance force.

The weather was showery, with squall;s , and a fresh north-westerly wind which sent streamer of spray across the heaving flight deck as HMS Victorious ploughed into wind to lunch aircraft. With great determination Esmonds's crew pressed home their attack on Bismarck under a massive weight of fire from her flak batteries. Amazingly no Swordfish were hit, probably because Bismarck was twisting and turning violently to avoid the torpedoes. One hit was observed, but the torpedo had run shallow, despite being set for 31 feet. It detonated on the armoured belt, causing no damage.

At 03:06am on 25th May HMS Suffolk lost contact with Bismarck. For the rest of that day Tovey, believing that she was headed back for the Denmark Strait, steered in that direction. He was not helped in his assessments of Bismarck's course by a series of muddled signals from the Admiralty. Not until the evening did he turn back on the correct track, by which time he was 150 miles astern of his quarry. Early on 26th May, Somerville's Force H coming up from the south launched a search of ten Swordfish from HMS Ark Royal, in appalling weather. They all returned safely, but had seen nothing.

Then, at 10:30am on the 26th May, a Catalina of Coastal Command sighted Bismarck 690 north-west of Brest. The Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Coastal Command had decided to push his reconnaissance further south than the Admiralty had though necessary, in case estimates of Bismarck's track were incorrect. Later that day, thanks to the Catalina's report, Swordfish from HMS Ark Royal in Force H also found and shadowed her. Bismarck, heading for Brest, soon to be under land-based air cover, could use up all her fuel to get there. Tovey, who had now been joined by the battleship HMS Rodney, was not only well astern, but his ships were running short of fuel, and had a long voyage home.

Tovey, 130 miles behind, and having reduced speed to conserve fuel, would have to slow Bismarck down, or lose the race. Somerville was now about forty miles north-east of Bismarck. The Admiralty, dreading that somerville's flagship, the lightly armoured HMS Renown, might go the same way as HMS Hood, had. Somerville detached the cruiser HMS Sheffield to shadow Bismarck and ordered HMS Ark Royal to launch a Swordfish strike armed with torpedoes. After almost an hour of flight, the first aircraft moved in for the kill. One after another, torpedoes fell away from the bellies of the Swordfish. It was only after eleven had been dropped that the pilots began to realise something had gone horribly wrong. Their target was not firing back at them. It was the wrong ship. Lady Luck, however, was smiling on HMS Sheffield that day. A new design of magnetic detonator was being used that day. Six of the eleven torpedoes exploded on impact with the sea., and HMS Sheffield manoeuvred to avoid the remainder. Unfortunately the signal, transmitted by light, detaching HMS Sheffield had not been repeated to HMS Ark Royal, so she was unaware that the cruiser was shadowing Bismarck.

This time the aircraft were send with observers aboard. They flew toward HMS Sheffield and then they was given the bearing to fly towards Bismarck. Once they were a half a mile away, they dropped the torpedoes. There was a series of flashes, Bismarck was firing her main armament on a flat trajectory ahead of the Swordfish. The shells where hitting the sea in front, pushing up 100 foot mountains of water. They continued low and fast until they were out of range. The hit was decisive, hitting the steering rooms containing the machinery operating the rudders. Bismarck had been turning hard aport (left) taking evading action. Her twin rudders jammed in that position. After completing two circles, working parties managed to centre one rudder. But the other remained jammed. Despite all efforts to steer using her propellers, Bismarck persisted in turning head to wind, straight for her hunters.

Captain Philip Vian, in HMS Cossack, commanding 4th Destroyer Flotilla, and protecting a troop convoy, had been ordered to join Tovey, who had detached his own escorts to refuel. On hearing the Catalina's report, he acted on his own imitative and steered to close the Bismarck. All night Vian's five destroyers, HMS Cossack, Maori, Zulu, Sikh and the polish Piorum, ringed Bismarck, and closed to launch torpedoes. HMS Maori, Cossack and Sikh scored hits, but none were mortal. The next morning HMS King George V, Rodney, Dorsetshire and Norfolk closed in.

At 08:49am HMS King George V and Rodney opened fire, and Bismarck replied. HMS Norfolk opened fire four minutes later, and continued firing and flank marking for the battleships. The Bismarck's fire was ragged, and it was soon apparent that the fire from our battleships was taking effect. Bismarck appeared to be altering course aimlessly and not to be under control. At 09:06am HMS Norfolk fired four torpedoes at 16,000 yards. No hits were observed and HMS Dorsetshire opened fire on Bismarck at 09:40am. Gunfire had to be checked, and torpedo fire was withheld until 10:10am, when four torpedoes were fired a 4,000 yards. Tow possible hits were observed. At 10:24 the Commander-in-Chief's signal was received saying that HMS King George V and Rodney had to break off the action for fuel. At 10:22, as Bismarck showed no signs of sinking, Wake-Walker ordered HMS Dorsetshire to torpedo her at close range.

By now the Bismarck was a battered wreck, but still floating after taking hits from hundreds of 16-inch, 14-inch, 8-inch, 6-inch and 5.25-inch shells, a total of 2,878 were fired, but not all can have hit. At 12:05pm, the following signal was received from HMS Dorsetshire: 'I torpedoed Bismarck both sides before she sank. She had ceased firing but her colours were still flying.' There were 110 survivors. Lütjens, Lindemann and 2,090 of her ships company perished.

The wreck of Bismarck today

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