After sinking HMS Hood days earlier, the German battleship Bismarck was cornered by a British fleet including HMS Rodney and HMS King George V. Crippled by torpedo damage to her rudder, Bismarck could not maneuver and was reduced to a blazing hulk under sustained shelling before finally sinking, taking over 2,000 of her crew down with her.
The hunt for the Bismarck had gripped Britain since May 24, when the battleship sank the pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood, in minutes, killing all but three of her 1,418 crew. Winston Churchill ordered every available ship to find and destroy the Bismarck at any cost, triggering one of the largest naval manhunts in history across the stormy North Atlantic.
The crucial break came on May 26, when a Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bomber, launched from HMS Ark Royal despite gale-force winds, struck Bismarck's rudder, jamming it and leaving the great ship able only to steam in circles. Unable to reach safe harbor in occupied France, Bismarck was doomed. By dawn on May 27, British battleships Rodney and King George V arrived and opened fire at close range, joined by cruisers Norfolk and Dorsetshire.
For nearly two hours the ships pounded Bismarck, reducing her superstructure to twisted wreckage, yet she refused to sink from gunfire alone. Dorsetshire finally fired torpedoes into her hull, and Bismarck rolled over and sank around 10:40 am. Only 114 of her roughly 2,200-man crew survived, rescue efforts cut short when a suspected U-boat sighting forced British ships to withdraw, leaving many survivors in the frigid water.
Key people: Günther Lütjens, John Tovey