Commissioned on August 24, 1940, the German battleship Bismarck was the epitome of naval power. The great ship was 823 feet in length, had a beam of 118 feet, and a displacement of 50,000 tons. After nine months of sea trials the Bismarck embarked on its first mission accompanied by the cruiser Prinz Eugen on May 19, 1941. The Bismarck's mission was to destroy and disrupt convoys carrying war relief supplies to Britain from North America. On May 20th the Bismarck was spotted and reported to British intelligence as it passed through the narrow straits between Denmark and Sweden. The British presumed correctly that the Bismarck was headed for the North Atlantic, but by which route? Dividing its naval forces in an attempt to intercept the mighty German battleship, four ships were sent to patrol the Denmark strait, including the newly commissioned battleship Prince of Wales, and the H.M.S. Hood, a heavily armed battle cruiser, pride of the British fleet. On May 23rd the Bismarck was spotted by the H.M.S. Norfolk and the H.M.S. Suffolk. The Bismarck opened fire on the Norfolk, which was out gunned by the German ship, but fortunately was able to allude the Bismarck because of heavy fog and mist. With its position identified British Naval authorities ordered several other ships to the area including the H.M.S. Ark Royal, one of two aircraft carriers dispatched. On May 24th the Bismarck was engaged again. The H.M.S. Hood took a direct hit and exploded with the loss of all but three of its large crew. The Bismarck took two hits from the Prince of Wales during this battle, one of which had the effect of reducing the huge ships effective fuel capacity, and hence range. Later that evening a torpedo plane attack was launched at the German battleship, which sustained one hit with little damage. On May 25th the Bismarck separated from the Prinz Eugen, and set a course for the French coast in hopes of making repairs. On May 26th the Bismarck was located again by a British reconnaissance aircraft. In an attempt to prevent the ship from reaching the safety of Luftwaffe air cover, a second torpedo plane attack was launched from the Ark Royal. Utilizing Fairy Swordfish bi-plane torpedo bombers, two hits were achieved. The first was amidships and caused virtually no damage. The second hit was astern, and resulted in the jamming of the Bismarck's rudder. Unable to maneuver, the great German battleship had little choice that to continue steaming for the French coast. Four more British warships lay in its path including the H.M.S. Rodney, the H.M.S. King George V, the H.M.S. Dorsetshire, and the H.M.S. Norfolk. On the morning of May 27th an enormous sea battle took place, with the unmaneuverable Bismarck taking more than 1,000 direct hits. After losing its fire control system, the Bismarck became a defenseless target. At approximately 10:00 AM Bismarck's Captain gave the orders to scuttle the enormous ship, and about 40 minutes later the great vessel slipped quietly beneath the surface of the Atlantic.
