What Sunk the Bismarck? - Historum

**tjadams** · May 7th, 2012, 09:58 AM

On 27 May 1941 the German battleship Bismarck was sunk after
an engagement with the Royal Navy and sinking the HMS Hood and
damaging the HMS Prince of Wales.

What do you think finally took down the Bismarck?
Her crew scuttling her? Or British torpedoes?

DCG2U · May 7th, 2012, 10:04 AM

Wasn't the Bismark (pride of the German navy) sunk by a crappy WW1 British torpedo aircraft? My father often joked about it.

**tjadams** · May 7th, 2012, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCG2U

Wasn't the Bismark (pride of the German navy) sunk by a crappy WW1 British torpedo aircraft? My father often joked about it.

No, I think the Bismarck was hit in the steering gear by a lucky shot from
a 1930s Swordfish bi-plane.

The plane wasn't used in WWI, it just looked old.

spectre · May 7th, 2012, 10:16 AM

After being hit by a huge number of main battery battleship guns at close range, it was torpedoes that finally sank the Bismark.

**tjadams** · May 7th, 2012, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spectre

After being hit by a huge number of main battery battleship guns at close range, it was torpedoes that finally sank the Bismark.

The German crew say they scuttled her.
The British claim they sank her.
I don't know.

AnneofGreenFables · May 7th, 2012, 10:45 AM

Sunk by the Hood. Trust me, I've seen the film

**tjadams** · May 7th, 2012, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnneofGreenFables

Sunk by the Hood. Trust me, I've seen the film

I think you have it backwards.
The Prinz Eugen and the Bismarck both blasted the Hood and she went down fast.

**Spartacuss** · May 7th, 2012, 11:09 AM

The Bismark's steering was struck by a torpedo from a Swordfish bi-plane. Her rudder was jammed allowing only a largely circular course to port. The Swordfish actually flew too slow for the Bismark's rudimentary fire control computer system giving them a better chance than one would think.

Surviving crew members of the Bismark describe how naval gunfire rendered the crippled ship a "charnnal house" with tremendous loss of life aboard. Some heard orders to abandon ship, others acted on their own or were blown off the ship by concussions. I do not recall any survivor account that makes reference to orders to scuttle, but I also cannot say that any survivor would have been in a position to hear such an order. I would have to vote RN surface ship-to-ship engagement sunk her.

**AlpinLuke** · May 7th, 2012, 11:58 AM

As for I know the plane which launched the decisive torpedo took off from a carrier called "Ark Royal" [a common name in the Royal Navy, it was also the name of the last British carrier in service].

The hit to the area of the rudder of the ship made it impossible to maneuver and so the Bismark became well vulnerable.

**SPERRO** · May 7th, 2012, 12:01 PM

According to "Camerons Bismark expedition", and a survivor veteran who went on the voyage, the ship was scuttled at the same time as the torpeado attacks.