The last battle of the German battleship Bismarck took place in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 300 nautical miles (560 km) west of Brest, France, on 26-27 May 1941. Although it was a decisive action between capital ships, it has no generally-accepted name. Combatants Royal Navy Royal Canadian Navy United States Navy Kriegsmarine Regia Marina Commanders Sir Percy Noble Sir Max K. Horton Ernest J. King Erich Raeder Karl Dönitz Casualties 30,248 merchant sailors 3,500 merchant vessels 175 warships 28,000 sailors 783 submarines The Second Battle of the Atlantic... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Image File history File links War_Ensign_of_Germany_1938-1945. ... The Kriegsmarine (or War Navy) was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945, during the Nazi regime, superseding the Reichsmarine. ... Image File history File links Naval_Ensign_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... John Cronyn Tovey, Baron Tovey of Langton Matravers, G.C.B., K.B.E., D.S.O., D.C.L. (March 7, 1885-January 12, 1971) was a British Royal Navy admiral. ... Combatants Royal Navy Royal Canadian Navy United States Navy (1941–5) Kriegsmarine Regia Marina (1940–3) Commanders Sir Percy Noble Sir Max K. Horton Percy W. Nelles Leonard W. Murray Ernest J. King Erich Raeder Karl Dönitz Casualties 30,248 merchant sailors 3,500 merchant vessels 175 warships 28... Combatants Germany United Kingdom New Zealand Commanders Hans Langsdorff Henry Harwood Strength 1 heavy cruiser 1 heavy cruiser 2 light cruisers Casualties 1 heavy cruiser damaged 36 dead 60 wounded 1 heavy cruiser heavily damaged 2 light cruisers damaged 72 dead 28 wounded For other uses, see The Battle of... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... SC-7 was a World War II convoy of 35 merchant ships which sailed eastbound from Sydney, Nova Scotia for Liverpool, England and other British ports on October 4, 1940. ... HX-84 was a World War II convoy of 38 ships which sailed eastbound from Halifax, Nova Scotia for Liverpool, England on 28 October 1940. ... Convoy HX-106 consisted of some 41 ships, eastbound from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Liverpool, England. ... Operation Berlin was the commerce raid performed by German warships KM Scharnhorst and KM Gneisenau between January and March, 1941. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Operation Cerberus (German: Zerberus after Cerberus the three-headed dog of Greek mythology who guards the gate to Hades) was the name given to the break-out during World War II of the Kriegsmarines ships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Prinz Eugen and a number of smaller ships from Brest to their... The Battle of the St. ... The Laconia incident was a 1942 incident during World War II when RMS Laconia, carrying some 80 civilians and 268 British soldiers, and about 1800 Italian POWs with 160 Polish soldiers on guard, was struck by a torpedo from a German U-boat off the coast of West Africa and... PQ-17 was a World War II convoy carrying war materiel from Britain and the USA to the USSR. PQ-17 sailed in June-July 1942 and suffered the heaviest losses of any Russia-bound (PQ) convoy, with 25 vessels out of 36 lost to enemy action. ... Combatants United Kingdom Nazi Germany Commanders Rear-Admiral Robert L. Burnett Captain Robert St. ... Combatants Nazi Germany United Kingdom Commanders Erich Bey† Bruce Fraser Strength 1 battlecruiser 5 destroyers 1 battleship 1 heavy cruiser 3 light cruisers 9 destroyers Casualties 1 battlecruiser sunk 1 battleship lightly damaged 1 heavy cruiser lightly damaged 1 light cruiser lightly damaged 1 destroyer lightly damaged In the World... The second happy time was a phase in the Second Battle of the Atlantic during which Axis submarines attacked merchant shipping along the east coast of North America. ... // 1939 September September 3, 1939 German submarine sinks the SS Athenia. ... For other uses, see Battleship (disambiguation). ... The German battleship Bismarck is one of the most famous warships of the Second World War. ... Brest is a city in Brittany, or the Bretagne région, north-west France, sous-préfecture of the Finistère département. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... The capital ships of a navy are its important warships; the ones with the heaviest firepower and armor. ...

The battle was a sequel to the Battle of the Denmark Strait, fought on 24 May 1941, in which the Bismarck had sunk the prestigious British battlecruiser HMS Hood. Following that battle, the Bismarck was pursued for more than two days by ships and aircraft of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Eventually, on the evening of 26 May, she was crippled by a torpedo bomber attack, and on the following morning she was brought to battle and sunk. No British ship was sunk during this action, but a destroyer was sunk by German bombers during the subsequent withdrawal. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... [[Image:HMS Hood and HMS Barham. ... For other ships of this name see HMS Hood (disambiguation). ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... “RAF” redirects here. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with torpedoes, but they could also carry out conventional bombings. ... The Deutsche Luftwaffe or   (German: air force, literally Air Weapon, pronounced lufft-va-fa, IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ...

Overview

In the Battle of the Denmark Strait, Bismarck's fuel tanks had been damaged and her intention was to reach the port of Brest for repair. Her companion, the Prinz Eugen, had left to continue further into the Atlantic. The action began after Bismarck, which had eluded the British forces pursuing her, was sighted by a patrolling British aircraft on the afternoon of 26 May. It consisted of four main phases. The first phase consisted of air strikes by torpedo-bombers from the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal, which disabled Bismarck by jamming her rudders. The second phase was the shadowing and harassment of Bismarck during the night by British destroyers; no ship was seriously damaged during this phase. The third phase was an attack by the British battleships King George V and Rodney, supported by cruisers, on the morning of the 27th. After about 90 minutes of fighting, Bismarck was sunk by the combined effects of shellfire, torpedo hits and deliberate scuttling measures. On the British side, Rodney was damaged by near-misses and by the blast of her own guns.^{[citation needed]} British warships rescued 111 survivors from Bismarck^[3] before being obliged to withdraw, leaving several hundred men to their fate, because of an apparent U-boat sighting. The final phase saw the withdrawing British ships attacked by aircraft of the Luftwaffe, resulting in the loss of the destroyer HMS Mashona; and also the arrival of German ships and U-boats at the scene of the sinking, resulting in the rescue of five more survivors. The Denmark Strait is a strait between Greenland and Iceland. ... Brest is a city in Brittany, or the Bretagne région, north-west France, sous-préfecture of the Finistère département. ... The German cruiser Prinz Eugen (pron. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Four aircraft carriers, (bottom-to-top) Principe de Asturias, amphibious assault carrier USS Wasp, USS Forrestal and light V/STOL carrier HMS Invincible, showing size differences of late 20th century carriers An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and in most cases recover aircraft, acting as a sea... HMS Ark Royal (91), was the third ship of the Royal Navy to carry the name and the second to be an aircraft carrier. ... The second HMS King George V was the name ship of her class of battleships. ... HMS Rodney was a Nelson-class battleship of the Royal Navy. ... U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... The Deutsche Luftwaffe or   (German: air force, literally Air Weapon, pronounced lufft-va-fa, IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... HMS Mashona (pennant number L59, later F59) was a Tribal-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War II. Categories: | | | ...

Origins

Determined to avenge the sinking of the "pride of the Navy" Hood in the Battle of the Denmark Strait, the British committed every possible unit to hunting down Bismarck. During the early evening of 24 May an attack was made by a small group of Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers of No. 825 NAS under the command of Eugene Esmonde from the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious. One hit was scored, but caused only superficial damage to the Bismarck’s armoured belt. Revenge is retaliation against a person or group in response to wrongdoing. ... For other ships of this name see HMS Hood (disambiguation). ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during World War II. Affectionately known as the Stringbag by its crews, it was outdated by 1939, but achieved some spectacular successes during the... Hs123 biplane. ... A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with torpedoes, but they could also carry out conventional bombings. ... Missing image Photo submitted by Neil Hutton Eugene Esmonde (VC, DSO) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ... Four aircraft carriers, (bottom-to-top) Principe de Asturias, amphibious assault carrier USS Wasp, USS Forrestal and light V/STOL carrier HMS Invincible, showing size differences of late 20th century carriers An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and in most cases recover aircraft, acting as a sea... HMS Victorious (R38) was the second Illustrious-class aircraft carrier ordered under the 1936 Naval Programme. ... Belt armor is armor added to the hulls of battleships. ...

For some time Bismarck remained under long-distance observation by the British. At about 03:00 on 25 May, the ship took advantage of her opponents' zig-zagging and performed an almost three-quarter clockwise turn behind her pursuers to escape towards the east and then south-east. Contact was lost for four hours; however, perhaps in awe of British radar capabilities, it appears that the Germans did not realize their good fortune. For reasons still unclear, Admiral Lütjens transmitted a half-hour radio message to HQ, which was intercepted, thereby giving the British time to work out roughly where he was heading. However, a plotting error made onboard HMS King George V, now in pursuit of the Germans, incorrectly calculated Bismarck’s position and caused the chase to veer too far to the north. Bismarck was therefore able to make good time on 25/26 May in her unhindered passage towards France and protective air cover and destroyer escort. By now, though, fuel was becoming a major concern to both sides. is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Radar (disambiguation). ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The second HMS King George V was the name ship of her class of battleships. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

HMS Renown

The British had a stroke of luck on 26 May. In mid-morning a Coastal Command Catalina reconnaissance aircraft from 209 Squadron RAF, which had flown over the Atlantic from its base on Lough Erne in Northern Ireland across a small corridor secretly provided by the Irish government,^[4] spotted Bismarck (via her oil slick) and reported her position to the Admiralty. From then on, the German ship's position was known to the British, although the enemy would have to be slowed significantly if heavy units hoped to engage it out of range of German aircraft protection. All British hopes were now pinned on Force H, whose main units were the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, the First World War era battlecruiser HMS Renown and the cruiser HMS Sheffield. This battle group, commanded by Admiral James Somerville, had been diverted north from Gibraltar. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1535x857, 765 KB) Date 24th May 1927 Author William E. Fretwell (1874 - 1958) Permission Other versions HMSRenown1_WEFretwellCollection. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1535x857, 765 KB) Date 24th May 1927 Author William E. Fretwell (1874 - 1958) Permission Other versions HMSRenown1_WEFretwellCollection. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Coastal Command was an organization within the Royal Air Force tasked with protecting the United Kingdom from naval threats. ... PBY Catalina was the United States Navy designation for an American and Canadian-built flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s. ... Location map of Lough Erne. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... Volunteers cleaning up the aftermath of the Prestige oil spill An oil spill is the release of oil (generally, petroleum) into the natural environment, usually the ocean. ... Flag of the Lord High Admiral The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ... Force H was a British naval squadron during World War II. It was formed in 1940 to replace French naval power in the western Mediterranean that had been removed by the French armistice with Nazi Germany. ... Four aircraft carriers, (bottom-to-top) Principe de Asturias, amphibious assault carrier USS Wasp, USS Forrestal and light V/STOL carrier HMS Invincible, showing size differences of late 20th century carriers An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and in most cases recover aircraft, acting as a sea... HMS Ark Royal (91), was the third ship of the Royal Navy to carry the name and the second to be an aircraft carrier. ... [[Image:HMS Hood and HMS Barham. ... HMS Renown was the lead ship of the three 26,500-ton Renown class battlecruisers of the Royal Navy; the other two were HMS Repulse and the cancelled HMS Resistance. ... USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser (really an uprated guided missile destroyer), launched in 1992. ... HMS Sheffield (24) was a Southampton class cruiser in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. ... For other uses, see Admiral (disambiguation). ... Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville, GCB GBE DSO, (17 July 1882 – 19 March 1949) was one of the most famous British Admirals of World War II. // The son of Arthur Fownes Somerville (1850-1942, who appears to have spent some time farming sheep in New Zealand), James...

Night of 26th-27th

At dusk that evening, and in atrocious weather conditions, Swordfish from Ark Royal launched an attack. The first wave mistakenly targeted the Sheffield that was by now shadowing their quarry. Although precious time was lost by this incident, it proved beneficial to the British in that the magnetic detonators on the torpedoes used against Sheffield were seen to be defective and for the following attack on Bismarck were replaced by those designed to explode on contact. In a final attack, almost in darkness at around 21.00, a hit by a single torpedo jammed Bismarck’s rudder and steering gear 15° to port. This rendered her virtually unmanoeuvrable, able only to steam in a large circle in the general direction of King George V and Rodney, two Home Fleet battleships that had been pursuing Bismarck from the west. The largest and most powerful warship yet commissioned had now been rendered a near-sitting duck by a single antiquated biplane. After extensive efforts to free the jammed rudders, the fleet commander finally acknowledged the by-now impossible position of Bismarck in several messages to naval headquarters. Lütjens promised that the ship would fight until its last shell was spent. Bismarck was still able to make way and achieve some steering by adjusting the relative speeds of the propeller shafts. The degree symbol (°) is a typographical symbol, or glyph, that is used to represent degrees of arc (see Geographic coordinate system ) or temperature. ... Two Royal Navy ships have been named HMS King George V after George V king of the United Kingdom. ... HMS Rodney was a Nelson-class battleship of the Royal Navy. ... The Home Fleet is the traditional name of the fleet of the Royal Navy that protects the United Kingdoms territorial waters. ... Sitting Ducks is a Universal Studios cartoon that premiered in Europe in September 2001. ... A propeller shaft connects a propeller to an engine. ...

Throughout that night, Bismarck was the target of incessant torpedo attacks by the Tribal class destroyers HMS Cossack, HMS Sikh, HMS Maori and HMS Zulu, and the N class destroyer ORP Piorun of the Polish Navy. Neither side scored a hit, but the constant worrying tactics of the British helped wear down the morale of the Germans and deepened the fatigue of an already exhausted crew. The Royal Navy developed two Tribal classes of destroyers: Tribal class destroyer (1905) Tribal class destroyer (1936) The Canadian Navy developed a class of destroyers in the 1970s which was to be called the Tribal class but under the current lead-ship designation convention is known as the Iroquois class. ... HMS Cossack (L-03/F-03/G-03) was a Tribal-class destroyer which became famous for the boarding of the German supply ship Altmark in Norwegian waters, and the associated rescue of sailors originally captured by the Admiral Graf Spee. ... HMS Sikh was a Tribal class destroyer of the Fourth destroyer flotilla of the Royal Navy. ... HMS Maori (L-24/F-24/G-24) was a Tribal-class destroyer laid down by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, at Govan in Scotland on 6 June 1936, launched on 2 September 1937 by Mrs. ... The second HMS Zulu of the Royal Navy was a Tribal-class destroyer. ... The N class was a class of eight destroyers of the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy launched in 1940–1941. ... ORP Piorun was an N-class destroyer used by the Polish Navy during the Second World War, ex HMS Nerissa. ...

The sinking of the Bismarck

On the morning of Tuesday 27 May 1941 Rodney and King George V drew closer to Bismarck, with their enemy well illuminated by the morning sun in the background. Rodney steered to the north so that her gunfire would work the length of Bismarck, while King George V took the side. They opened fire just before 0900. Bismarck returned fire, but her inability to steer and her list to port severely affected her shooting capacity. Her low speed of seven knots also made her an easy target and she was soon hit several times, with the heavy cruisers HMS Norfolk and Dorsetshire adding their firepower. One salvo destroyed the forward control post, killing most of the senior officers. Within half an hour, Bismarck’s guns were all but silent and she was even lower in the water. Rodney now closed to point blank range (approx 3 km) to fire into the superstructure while King George V fired from further out; her fire would strike the Bismarck from a more vertical angle and be more likely to penetrate the decks. is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... HMS Raleigh a Hawkins class cruiser around which the treaty limits for Heavy cruisers were written. ... Six ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Norfolk, from an 80-gun third-rate to todays powerful and sleek Type 23 frigate. ... HMS Dorsetshire (pennant number 40) was a heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the English county (now called Dorset). ...

Bismarck continued to fly its ensign. With no sign of surrender, despite the unequal struggle, the British were loath to leave the Bismarck. Their fuel and shell supplies were low - a demonstration of how difficult it was for a battleship to sink a similar unit in a balanced engagement. However, when it became obvious that their enemy could not reach port, Rodney, King George V and the destroyers were sent home. Norfolk had used its last torpedoes; therefore, Dorsetshire launched four torpedoes which may have hit the Bismarck at comparatively short range. Although the battleship's upper works were almost completely destroyed, her engines were still functioning and the hull appeared to be relatively sound; therefore rather than risk her being captured, Captain Lindemann gave the order to scuttle and then abandon ship. Most of the crew went into the water, but few sailors from the lower engine spaces got out alive.

The Final Battle, 27 May 1941. Surrounded by shell splashes Bismarck burns on the horizon

Bismarck went under the waves at 10.39 hours that morning. Unaware of the fate of the ship, Group West, the German command base, continued to issue signals to Bismarck for some hours, until Reuters reported news from Britain that the ship had been sunk. In Britain, the House of Commons was informed of the sinking early that afternoon. Dorsetshire and Maori stopped to rescue survivors, but a U-boat alarm caused them to leave the scene after rescuing only 110 Bismarck sailors, abandoning the majority of Bismarck’s 2,200 man crew to the mercy of the water. The next morning U-74, dispatched to try and rescue Bismarck’s logbook (and which heard sinking noises from a distance), and the German weather ship Sachsenwald picked up five survivors. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Reuters Group plc (LSE: RTR and NASDAQ: RTRSY); pron. ... Type Lower House Speaker of the House of Commons Leader of the House of Commons Michael Martin, (Non-affiliated) since October 23, 2000 Harriet Harman, QC, (Labour) since June 28, 2007 Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May, PC, (Conservative) since December 6, 2005 Members 646 Political groups... U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... Unterseeboot 74 (U-74) has been the designation of two submarines of the German Navies. ...

After the sinking, Admiral John Tovey said, "The Bismarck had put up a most gallant fight against impossible odds worthy of the old days of the Imperial German Navy, and she went down with her colours flying." John Cronyn Tovey, Baron Tovey of Langton Matravers, G.C.B., K.B.E., D.S.O., D.C.L. (March 7, 1885-January 12, 1971) was a British Royal Navy admiral. ...

Ships involved

Nearly a hundred ships of all kinds were deployed to operate with, against, or because of Bismarck: Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

Axis

• The German destroyers Hans Lody (Z-10), Friedrich Eckoldt (Z-16), and Z-23.
• The German submarines U-46, U-48, U-66, U-73, U-74, U-93, U-94, U-98, U-108, U-138, U-552, U-556, and U-557.
• The Italian submarines Barbarigo and Ghilieri.
• The German weather ships Sachsenwald, Lauenburg, and Freese.
• The German tankers Belchen, Egerland, Esso Hamburg, Friedrich Breme, Heide, Lohingen, Weisenburg, and Wollin.
• Boats of the German 5th Minesweeping Flotilla.

Allied At the outbreak of World War II, the German Navy, the Kriegsmarine had 21 destroyers (German: Zerstörer) available. ... At the outbreak of World War II, the German Navy, the Kriegsmarine had 21 destroyers (German: Zerstörer) available. ... U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... Unterseeboot 46 or U-46 has been the name of several German submarines or U-boats during the First World War and the Second World War. ... The Unterseeboot 48, or U-48 was the most successful U-boat commissioned into the Kriegsmarine during the Second World War. ... Unterseeboot 66 (usually abbreviated to U-66) was a German Type IXC U-boat built during World War II. U-66 was one of the most successful boats, succeeding in sinking over 200,000 tons of allied shipping in 9 patrols, a career lasting more than three years. ... Unterseeboot 73 or U-73 has been the name of several German submarines or U-boats during the First World War and the Second World War. ... Unterseeboot 74 (U-74) has been the designation of two submarines of the German Navies. ... Unterseeboot 93 or U-93 has been the name of several German submarines or U-boats during the First World War and the Second World War. ... Unterseeboot 94 or U-94 has been the name of several German submarines or U-boats during the First World War and the Second World War. ... Unterseeboot 98 or U-98 was a Nazi German U-Boat that operated from March of 1941 until November of 1942. ... Unterseeboot 552 (oftern shortened to U-552) was a German submarine or U-boat which was built in 1940 for opertations during the Second Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War. ... Unterseeboot 556 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Kriegsmarine. ... The Barbarigo was a World War II Italian Marcello class submarine, serving with the Regia Marina until its sinking in 1943. ... This article discusses the Lauenburg in Schleswig-Holstein. ...

• The British battleships HMS King George V, HMS Prince of Wales, HMS Ramillies, HMS Revenge, HMS Rodney, and HMS Nelson.
• The British battlecruisers Repulse and Renown
• The British aircraft carriers Victorious (800Z and 825 Naval Air Squadrons) and Ark Royal (810, 818, and 820 Naval Air Squadrons)
• The British heavy cruisers HMS Suffolk, Norfolk, Dorsetshire, and London; and Exeter, with convoy WS-8B.
• The British light cruisers HMS Kenya, Galatea, Aurora, Neptune, Hermione, Edinburgh, Manchester, Arethusa, Birmingham, and Sheffield; and Cairo, with convoy WS-8B.
• The British destroyers HMS Achates, Antelope, Anthony, Echo, Somali, Eskimo, Jupiter, Electra, Icarus, Active, Inglefield, Intrepid, Lance, Legion, Punjabi, Windsor, Mashona, Cossack, Sikh, Zulu, Maori, Tartar, Faulknor, Foresight, Forester, Foxhound,, Fury, Sherwood, and Hesperus.
• The British submarines H44, P31, Sealion, Seawolf, Tigris, Sturgeon, Severn, and Pandora.
• The Canadian destroyers HMCS Assiniboine, HMCS Saguenay, and HMCS Columbia
• The Free French submarine Minerve
• The Australian destroyer HMAS Nestor,
• The Polish destroyer Piorun

Neutral The second HMS King George V was the name ship of her class of battleships. ... HMS Prince of Wales was a King George V-class battleship of the Royal Navy, built at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, England. ... HMS Ramillies was a Revenge-class battleship of the Royal Navy, named after the battle of Ramillies. ... HMS Revenge was the name ship of the Revenge class of battleships of the Royal Navy, the ninth to bear the name. ... HMS Rodney was a Nelson-class battleship of the Royal Navy. ... HMS Nelson was a Nelson-class battleship of the Royal Navy active in World War II. She was named in honour of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, the victor at the Battle of Trafalgar. ... [[Image:HMS Hood and HMS Barham. ... HMS Repulse was a Renown-class battlecruiser, the second to last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. ... HMS Renown was the lead ship of the three 26,500-ton Renown class battlecruisers of the Royal Navy; the other two were HMS Repulse and the cancelled HMS Resistance. ... HMS Victorious (R38) was the second Illustrious-class aircraft carrier ordered under the 1936 Naval Programme. ... HMS Ark Royal (91), was the third ship of the Royal Navy to carry the name and the second to be an aircraft carrier. ... HMS Raleigh a Hawkins class cruiser around which the treaty limits for Heavy cruisers were written. ... HMS Suffolk (55) was the Kent class cruiser for the Royal Navy. ... A long absence of a Norfolk in the Royal Navy was finally ended in the commissioning of County-class heavy cruiser HMS Norfolk (78), which displaced 10,035 tons. ... HMS Dorsetshire (pennant number 40) was a heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the English county (now called Dorset). ... HMS London (C-69) was a County class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy. ... The fourth and best known of the Exeters, HMS Exeter (68), was a York class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy that served in World War II. She was laid down on 1 August 1928 at the Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, Devon. ... A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ... HMS Kenya (C14) was a Crown Colony-class cruiser of the British Royal Navy named after Kenya (at the time a British possession). ... The HMS Galatea was an Arethusa-class British light cruiser, built in Greenock by Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. ... HMS Aurora (12) was the Arethusa class cruiser for the Royal Navy. ... The HMS Neptune was a Leander class light cruiser which served with the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom during World War II. The Neptune was the fourth ship of its class and was the ninth Royal Navy vessel to carry the name Neptune. ... HMS Hermione was a Dido class cruiser of the Royal Navy. ... His Majestys Ship Edinburgh (commissioned 1936, sunk 2nd May 1942) was a [[Town-class]] light cruiser of Britains Royal Navy. ... The second HMS Manchester (15) was a Town-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. ... The seventh HMS Arethusa of the Royal Navy was the name ship of her class of light cruisers. ... HMS Birmingham was a member of the first group of five ships of the Town class of light cruisers. ... HMS Sheffield (24) was a Southampton class cruiser in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. ... HMS Cairo (D87) was a C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the Egyptian city of Cairo, was a light cruiser of the Royal Navy. ... USS McFaul underway in the Atlantic Ocean. ... HMS Achates (Lt. ... HMS Antelope (H36) was an A-class destroyer built by Hawthorn Leslie. ... HMS Somali (pennant number L33, later F33) was a Tribal-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War II. Categories: | | | ... HMS Eskimo (L-75/F-75/G-75) was a Tribal-class destroyer laid down by the High Walker Yard of Vickers Armstrong at Newcastle-on-Tyne on 5 August 1936, launched on 3 September 1937 and commissioned on 30 December 1938. ... HMS Jupiter (F85) was a J-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by the Yarrow Shipbuilding Company, Limited, at Scotstoun in Glasgow on 28 September 1937, launched on 27 October 1938 and commissioned on 25 June 1939. ... HMS Electra, which carried the pennant number H27, was launched on 15 February 1934 at the Hawthorne Leslie shipyard at Hebburn, Tyneside. ... HMS Icarus (D03) was an I-class destroyer laid down by John Brown and Company, Limited, at Clydebank in Scotland on 9 March 1936, launched on 26 November 1936 and commissioned on 1 May 1937. ... HMS Active, the tenth Active (H14), launched in 1929, was an A class destroyer. ... HMS Inglefield (D02), named for Captain John Nicholson Inglefield (1748–1828) and his son Rear-Admiral Samuel Hood Inglefield (1783–1848), was an I-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by Cammel Laird and Company at Birkenhead on 29 April 1936, launched on 15 October 1936... HMS Intrepid (D10) was an I-class destroyer laid down by J. Samuel White and Company, Limited, at Cowes on the Isle of Wight on 13 January 1936, launched on 17 December 1936 and commissioned on 29 July 1937. ... HMS Legion, a British navy L-class destroyer launched in 1939. ... HMS Punjabi was a Tribal Class destroyer of the Royal Navy in the Second World War. ... HMS Mashona (pennant number L59, later F59) was a Tribal-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War II. Categories: | | | ... HMS Cossack (L-03/F-03/G-03) was a Tribal-class destroyer which became famous for the boarding of the German supply ship Altmark in Norwegian waters, and the associated rescue of sailors originally captured by the Admiral Graf Spee. ... HMS Sikh was a Tribal class destroyer of the Fourth destroyer flotilla of the Royal Navy. ... The second HMS Zulu of the Royal Navy was a Tribal-class destroyer. ... HMS Maori (L-24/F-24/G-24) was a Tribal-class destroyer laid down by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, at Govan in Scotland on 6 June 1936, launched on 2 September 1937 by Mrs. ... HMS Tartar (pennant number L43, later F43) was a Tribal-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War II. Categories: | | | ... HMS Faulknor (H62) was a F-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by Yarrow Shipbuilders at Scotstoun in Scotland on July 31, 1933, launched on June 12, 1934 and commissioned on May 24, 1935. ... HMS Foresight was an F-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. ... The third USS Rodgers (DD-254) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy, transferred to the Royal Navy and served as HMS Sherwood (I80) during World War II. As USS John Rodgers She was named for John Rodgers (1772-1838), his son, John Rodgers (1812-1882) and... HMS Hesperus (H57) was an H-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. ... USS Virginia, a Virginia-class nuclear attack (SSN) submarine Alvin in 1978, a year after first exploring hydrothermal vents. ... HMS H44 was a British H class submarine that served in World War 2. ... HMS Uproar (P31) was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Sealion. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Seawolf. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Tigris. ... HMS Sturgeon was a British S class submarine built by HM Dockyard, Chatham. ... HMS Severn (N57) was an ocean-going type of submarine of the River Class. ... Saguenay (I) was a River class destroyer. ... The first USS Haraden (DD–183) was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I. She was later transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Columbia (I-49), as a Town class destroyer. ... Free French Forces under review during the Battle of Normandy. ... HMAS Nestor (G02) was an N-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy laid down by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, at Govan in Scotland on 26 July 1939, launched on 9 July 1940 and commissioned on 12 February 1941. ... ORP Piorun was an N-class destroyer used by the Polish Navy during the Second World War, ex HMS Nerissa. ...

• The Spanish heavy cruiser Canarias (attempted to rescue some survivors from Bismarck)

HMS Raleigh a Hawkins class cruiser around which the treaty limits for Heavy cruisers were written. ...

See also

Rheinübung the intended mission of the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen In World War II, Operation Rheinübung (Rhine Exercise) was the sortie by the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen, which left Gdynia, Poland on 12 May 1941. ...

References

• Chesnau, Roger (Ed.) Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946. Conway Maritime Press, 1980. ISBN 0-85177-146-7
• Dewar, A.D. Admiralty report BR 1736: The Chase and Sinking of the “Bismarck”. Naval Staff History (Second World War) Battle Summary No. 5, March 1950. Reproduced in facsimile in Grove, Eric (ed.), German Capital Ships and Raiders in World War II. Volume I: From “Graf Spee” to “Bismarck”, 1939-1941. Frank Cass Publishers 2002. ISBN 0-71465-208-3
• Kennedy, Ludovic. Pursuit: The sinking of the Bismarck. William Collins Sons & Co Ltd 1974. ISBN 0-00211-739-8
• Müllenheim-Rechberg, Burkard von. Battleship Bismarck: A Survivor’s Story. Triad/Granada, 1982. ISBN 0-58313-560-9.
• Schofield, B.B. Loss of the Bismarck. Ian Allan Ltd 1972. ISBN 0-71100-265-7

Notes

1. ^ Bismarck’s complement as Fleet Flagship was 2220 (2092 + 128 Fleet staff) (Chesnau, p.224). For Operation Rheinubung she embarked over 100 supernumeraries, including merchant seamen to act as prize crews, cadets in training, and a film unit (Kennedy, p.33). The number of these supernumeraries, and hence the exact number of casualties, is unknown.
2. ^ 3 aboard HMS Sheffield + 46 from HMS Mashona
3. ^ One of these survivors died of his injuries, while the remainder became Prisoners of War.
4. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/09/a2059409.shtml