CATASTROPHE

H.M.S. HOOD

It is difficult today, to recover the sense of how large some things loomed in the public consciousness even 50 years ago. Today instant communications and a hysterical Public relations industry create "sensations" overnight and discard them just as readily.

But in the decades before 1941, the public mind was accustomed to long-lasting "bests and greatests". They gave the world a sense of order and an imagery that made it easier to comprehend.  High in the ranking of "greatests"  was the Battlecruiser H.M.S. HOOD.

Commissioned in 1920, she had been laid down in 1916 and launched in 1918. For the twenty years after her commissioning, she was the largest and most powerful warship in the world. She had the nickname "The Mighty Hood". In fact, she became the ultimate symbol of the power of the British Empire.

Weighing 47,000 Tons and 860 Feet long with a Beam of 104 Feet, her 144,000 SHP engines could drive her along at 32 Knots.  The concept of the Battlecruiser had evolved as a ship with the armament of a Battleship but the light armour of a cruiser - so that she could catch anything she could outgun and evade anything whose armour she could not pierce. She did have light armour but nothing to match that of a Battleship. Her deck Armour was arranged on the Upper Deck and on the two decks below it. This was quite clever, the idea being that an enemy shell would be detonated on hitting the Upper Deck and the blast would be progressively absorbed by the two decks below.  However, in the twenty years since her commissioning, the invention of time delay shells had invalidated that theory because they would pierce probably two or even all three decks before detonating with immense effect in the bowels of such a ship. In addition, in those intervening years the Heavy Guns being mounted in Battleships were much more powerful than the 8 x 15" Guns of her main armament. The new 16" guns fired heavier shells over a greater range with increased accuracy. There were plans to improve many aspects of HOOD but the outbreak of war in 1939 prevented the work from being done.

77 years ago today 0n 24th May 1941, almost a year after the seeming miracle of the Dunkirk evacuation, H.M.S.HOOD in company with the Battleship PRINCE OF WALES was in search of the German Battleship K.M.S. BISMARCK which was known to be at sea sailing in company with the Heavy Cruiser K.M.S. PRINZ EUGEN. There were to be no miracles on this occasion.

Just before dawn, at 5.37am   HOOD spotted the PRINZ EUGEN ahead of BISMARCK. At 5.52 am HOOD opened fire on PRINZ EUGEN. Three minutes later, at 5.55 am BISMARCK and PRINZ EUGEN opened fire on HOOD scoring a hit on the secondary armament ready-use ammunition on the boat deck between HOOD'S two funnels. A Massive fire ensued. Four minutes later, BISMARCK'S main armament scored a direct hit on HOOD at a range of 18,210 yards (10.35 Miles). HOOD was in the process of turning 20 degrees to Port to bring her after armament to bear.  A huge sheet of flame shot up from the area of the main mast followed by a mighty explosion of the after magazine which entirely destroyed the after part of the ship. HOOD's back was broken and her bow stood vertically before the whole of the ship disappeared beneath the sea. In 3 minutes she was gone, taking with her all but 3 of her crew of 1,416 men.

Observers on PRINCE OF WALES, PRINZ EUGEN and BISMARCK were all likewise appalled at the horrendous character of the event.

PRINCE OF WALES made a few hits on BISMARCK before disengaging due to the failure of a number of her guns. BISMARCK had sustained a hit which contaminated part of her fuel supply and caused her to head for a French port under German control.

The loss of HOOD was a severe blow to British pride and confidence from Winston Churchill to the man in the street. Early efforts to explain what happened sought to correct the official version given above. Efforts were made to say that it had been the ship's torpedoes which had blown up in an accident, or the that the magazine had blown up in an accident. A second official Inquiry found the same as the first - enemy shells had done the deed - there was to be no denying the fact. In more recent times the wreck of HOOD has been located and examined confirming the official account.

H.M.S. HOOD speed trials off Arran

The BISMARCK's fate is a story for another day.