Deep Ocean Expeditions

The British had broken the German naval codes and their radio intercepts about the ships' intentions and movements provided an enormous tactical advantage. In the following surface ship action, the British navy suffered an horrendous loss when the famed battle cruiser HMS Hood was struck and blew up with the loss of all but three of her crew.

Bismarck had also suffered damage that was sufficient to require her to put into port for repairs. If she could only get into the Bay of Biscay a few hundred miles away, she would be under the protection of land based heavy aircraft and a barrier line of U-boats along the approaches to the coast. It was not to be.

RAF aircraft again detected Bismarck 700 miles west of Brest and carrier-based torpedo bombers managed to strike the stern jamming the battleship's rudder. Bismarck could no longer head for France - she had been turning when hit and was now condemned to circle while awaiting the end.

On May 27th 1941, in the Atlantic Ocean some 300 miles southwest of the southern tip of Ireland, Bismarck fought her last, one-sided battle. Pounded mercilessly by four British warships the ship soon was a flaming defenceless wreck. The Captain gave the order to scuttle her and for the crew to abandon ship.

Just before disappearing into the Atlantic depths the vessel rolled over with the bow pointing into the air. The four giant gun turrets, which were not fixed to Bismarck 's hull, dislodged and careened downwards to the ocean floor together with a significant quantity of debris. The aftermost stern section of the hull broke away and sank separately. With the main section of hull flooding, Bismarck sank slowly into the black icy depths.

Then when all the air vented from the interior, she righted herself and fell more quickly. An estimated 15-20 minutes after leaving the surface, the hull crashed into an undersea mountain setting off a huge landslide. Bismarck 's remains, along with other large pieces of wreck were carried down the slope to their final resting place. The ship was now on the bottom of the ocean at a depth of about 15,300 feet (4,670m), her hull upright and embedded in the mud.

Some 2,300 poor souls went to their deaths in the cold ocean.

She had been in commission only eight months. The ship was considered virtually unsinkable. By the time the final naval action was over, Bismarck had attracted an opposing force consisting of three battleships, two battle cruisers, two aircraft carriers, nine cruisers and eighteen destroyers. It was Germany 's last major surface ship sea battle action in WW II.

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