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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

SINK THE BISMARCK

BRITISH AVENGES HMS HOOD, GERMAN BATTLESHIP BISMARCK SUNK

London, (JFK+50)  Seventy-four years ago today, May 27, 1941, the German battleship Bismarck* was sunk by the British Navy in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Germany's most famous battleship in World War II had sunk the pride of the Royal Navy, the HMS Hood**, in the Battle of the Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland on May 24, 1941.

A German shell penetrated the deck of the Hood and exploded one of her magazines.  Only 3 of her crew survived.  The Bismarck had suffered damage to two of her oil tanks and leaking fuel headed toward Nazi occupied France.

The Bismarck was fired upon by British battleships Rodney and King George V on the morning of May 27th.  The British submarine Dorsetshire then finished off the German ship with torpedoes.  Of the Bismarck's 2200 man crew, only 115 survived.

 "The fog was gone the seventh day 
   and they saw the morning sun
 Ten hours away from homeland 
   the Bismarck made its run
 The Admiral of the British fleet said 

   turn those bows around
We found that German battleship 

   and we're gonna cut her down."

"Sink the Bismarck" by Johnny Horton


*Bismarck was launched in 1939.  She was outfitted with 8 15" guns, 12 5.9" guns, 16 4.1 guns,  & 16 anti-aircraft guns.  She weighed 50,000 tons about 40% of which was armored plate.  

**HMS Hood, was a cruiser which had been built in 1919.  She had a crew of 1419 and although faster than the Bismarck was not as well armored.


SOURCE

"The Bismarck," History Learning Site, www.historylearningsite.co.uk/