In World War II, Operation Rheinübung (Rhine Exercise) was the sortie by the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen, who left from Gdynia, Poland on 12 May 1941. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (over 11 miles) into the air. ... Sortie is a term for deployment of aircraft or ships for the purposes of a specific mission. ... Bismarck was a German battleship during World War II. She was named after Otto von Bismarck and is famous for sinking HMS Hood in 1941, and for the subsequent pursuit which ended with her destruction just three days later. ... The German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen fought as part of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was named after Prince Eugene of Savoy (Prinz Eugen in German). ... Gdynia (pronounce: [:gdiɲia], Kashubian: Gdiniô, German: Gdingen ) is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodship of Poland and an important seaport at Gdansk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea. ... May 12 is the 132nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (133rd in leap years). ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Alerted by agents in the Swedish government, the British mounted an exceptional effort to sink the German flotilla. The ships took a brief refuge in Norwegian waters on 18 May, making a break for the Atlantic shipping lanes on the 22nd. May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ...

The obsolescent British battlecruiser HMS Hood and new battleship HMS Prince of Wales made contact with the Germans early on the morning of 24 May. The Hood exploded, all but three of her 1,417-man crew dying when a German shell detonated her magazines. The Prince of Wales continued to dog the Germans, reporting their position. HMS Hood (left) and HMS Barham (right), in Malta, 1937. ... HMS Hood (pennant number 51) was a battlecruiser of the Royal Navy. ... This article is about a battleship as a type of warship. ... HMS Prince of Wales was a King George V-class battleship of the Royal Navy, built at Birkenhead, England. ... May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ...

Leaking fuel and damaged by aerial torpedoes, the Bismarck made course for the French port of Ste. Nazarene (see Operation Chariot) while the undamaged Prinz Eugen began to raid the convoy lanes. This article is about the 1942 raid on St Nazaire. ...

The smaller ship reached Brest on 1 June. British forces converged on the Bismarck hitting her with naval airpower that damaged her rudder. She was sunk on 27 May by her own crew, surrounded by British ships and unable to maneuver due to damage. Location within France Brest, at the tip of Brittany Brest (population of the city: 146,000 inhabitants as of 2004 estimates; population of the metropolitan area: 303,484 inhabitants as of 1999 census) is a city in the Bretagne région, north-west France, subprefecture of the Finistère d... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ...