Hood–Why Such a Heavy Loss of Life? Please enter your number below. … If you subscribe to BBC History Magazine Print or Digital Editions then you can unlock 10 years’ worth of archived history material fully searchable by Topic, Location, Period and Person. All of this happened very quickly throughout the morning of May 26. Save a huge 50% off a subscription to your favourite history magazine. More than half a century ago, the British battlecruiser HMS Hood and the German battleship Bismarck fought what was arguably one of the most famous surface engagements of the Second World War. Want to be updated with more content from History Revealed? Why HMS hood sunk so quickly? Captain C. E. Morgan commanding HMS Valiant described the final moments of the Battleship: Still more men may have been injured or killed later in the battle when a 15" shells from Bismarck may have passed through the Spotting Top and lower bridge structure (these hits are unconfirmed). You're now subscribed to our newsletter. When the German battleships Bismarck and Prinz Eugen broke out into the North Atlantic in May 1941, the Hood and battleship Prince of Wales were sent to hunt them down. One fact in Hood's sinking is certain: something ultimately caused her aft 15" magazines to rapidly burn or detonate, causing the area of the ship between "Y" turret and just aft of the second funnel to be violently devastated. The sinking of H.M.S. This damage caused the stern to tilt upward and sink almost immediately- so quickly in fact, that anyone in that area who had survived the conflagration and catastrophic explosion (which was highly unlikely) would have had no time to escape. You can unsubscribe at any time. The Sinking of H.M.S. Though the very end of the stern was intact, its structure from the aft turrets forward was a mass of blasted-out plating and twisted framework. A number more may have been injured or killed when Hood's own antiaircraft ammunition and rockets began sporadically detonating in the fire. Hood played in the British pursuit of the German battleship Bismarck in May 1941. Her elegant lines and impressive appearance made her popular, so she undertook a wide range of ‘showing the flag’ voyages and visits. The fact that just three men survived is purely due to chance: they were propelled to the surface by some release of air far below the surface, perhaps from an exploding boiler or from air being forced from the rapidly imploding hull. Hood was struck early in the engagement: High explosive shells fired by Prinz Eugen struck Hood's shelter deck (aka "boat deck") somewhere near the main mast. The Bismark was able to quickly get away from danger and attack the Hood in succession. Perhaps it would be more pertinent to ask: How did anyone survive? The vital clues to the Hood‘s fate have only recently reached the surface. You have successfully linked your account! Ammunition would then be re-supplied from below deck. Did appeasement cause the Second World War? But when she sank in 1941, the Admiralty was left baffled as she went down in a matter of minutes. Hood initially split/twisted and/or collapsed into at least two main sections following the explosion. It is believed that a number of men may have made it outside, but as they did so, the sea overtook them. When the report was confirmed at 6:30, Admiral Somerville ordered Hood to steer eastward in pursuit. Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences Bismark was being led by the Heavy Cruiser Prince Eugen . At 6:20 pm, HMS Hood received a signal from the Ark Royal Swordfish crew saying that the battleship Strasbourg and five escorting destroyers had left the Mers el Kebir harbor and were heading along the coast. Updated Why did the Mighty Hood, symbol of Britain's naval power, break into two pieces and sink so fast that only three people survived? So did a sighting of the battleship by a U.S. Navy Catalina seaplane that put it a day away from the French port. They were indeed fortunate- had they been only a few feet from their respective positions, perhaps the air bubbles would not have reached them at all. accurate shellfire she was quickly subject to following Hood’s demise3. Andrew Norman favours one particular theory for the sinking of the Hood - and I must say, it really is as plausible as any I have read (except for … At 06:00 the Hood was hit and it sunk in less than 3 minutes. Conclusion The Collapse/Splitting of the Ship and the Subsequent Rapid Sinking As it did so, it fed on notable quantities of cordite propellant found in the "ready use" ammunition. As for life saving gear, survivor Ted Briggs said that he wore his life vest under his heavy Burberry cold weather gear. HMS Hood (pennant number 51) was the lead ship of her class of four battlecruisers built for the Royal Navy during World War I.Already under construction when the Battle of Jutland occurred in mid-1916, that battle revealed serious flaws in her design … This explosion caused the Hood to split into at least two sections, causing her to sink quickly. 23-Feb-2015 | History Documentary | Reel Truth History Video unavailable. She wasn’t quite the first ship to open fire on 6 June Though many of HMS Belfast’s veterans believe their ship was the first to open fire on 6 June, this wasn't the case.Lieutenant Peter Brooke Smith, who was serving on board HMS Belfast, recorded in his diary that another cruiser to the west fired first at 0523.The entry in HMS … We honour the memory of Hood's crew- especially those who died when she sank. Thank you for subscribing to HistoryExtra, you now have unlimited access. Some may have been trapped as the ship continued to tear apart. This lack of buoyancy could have been a contributing factor as to why people could not escape the suction while submerged. One fact in Hood's sinking is certain: something ultimately caused her aft 15" magazines to rapidly burn or detonate, causing the area of the ship between "Y" turret and just aft of the second funnel to be violently devastated. This The forgotten mothers of civil rights leaders, Masters of disguise: the story of the Allies’ WW2 ‘Ghost Army’. To learn more about the men who died, please visit our Roll of Honour. Note: "Ready use" ammunition was extra ammunition for the various antiaircraft and duel purpose weapons located about Hood's shelter deck. The Collapse/Splitting of the Ship and the Subsequent Rapid Sinking, Suction & The Improper Use of Life Saving Gear. Why did HMS Hood sink so quickly in 1941? When the German battleships Bismarck and Prinz Eugen broke out into the North Atlantic in May 1941, the Hood and battleship Prince of Wales were sent to hunt them down. The official website for BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed, Try 3 issues of BBC History Magazine or BBC History Revealed for only £5, HMS Hood was one of the fastest and most powerful warships in the world when she entered service in 1920. Website 3 tells a different story than all the other sites. All of this happened very quickly throughout the morning of May 26. In the aftermath of the sinking, the Admiralty held two inquiries into the sinking, but were unable to establish what had happened or why it sank so quickly. They were also very fortunate that they were rescued before freezing to death- destroyer Electra arrived just as at least two of them were starting to pass out from the effects of hypothermia. He apparently did so immediately after a shell from Bismarck passed through the compass platform and upper bridge almost killing him. D-Day: the WW2 battle through the eyes of the men who were there. Our best wishes for a productive day. Why did Singapore fall so quickly? Their luck held after reaching the surface in that each made it to 3 foot square Denton rafts that had broken free from the sinking ship- this kept them out of the freezing water (although being thoroughly wet in the first place, the wind chill must have been excruciating- nearly as bad as the cold water itself). At 9 p.m. on the twenty-sixth, an initial air strike of Fairey Swordfish torpedo planes was aborted after the strike force mistakenly attacked the light cruiser HMS … HMS Hood was loaded with 18.5 ton of 4” shells most of high explosive type for AA work, the aft magazine contained about 400 full charges of cordite SC280 for the 15” main guns each full charge was 428lb or 196kg . For more than 20 years HMS Hood upheld the pride and traditions of the Royal Navy. This gave the appearance to HMS Hood that Bismark was leading and caused Hood to target the wrong ship initially. The HMS Hood, originally launched in 1918, was Britain’s largest battle cruiser (41,200 tons)-but also capable of achieving the relatively fast speed of … The Battle Cruiser HMS Hood with the Battleship HMS Prince of Wales gave chase to the German pocket battleship the Bismark. This devastating explosion appears to have been triggered by a blast in the magazine under the mainmast. The moment when HMS Barham's magazine exploded after being torpedoed in the Mediterranean. Below you will find video footage of the Hood also of survivors of both Hood and Bismark. The battle-cruiser was launched at the close of the First World War and in the interwar years, she became the sentimental favourite of all the navy's ships. HMS Barham was a battleship built for World War I but had had an extensive refit in the 1930s. The demise of the Hood was because of a faulty radar system. This alone would account for the majority of casualties. Of 1,418 men on board, only three … According to the article, the HMS Hood was about the same size as the Titanic (860 feet long, 46,000 tons). Already have an account with us? Understand therefore, that it is not the intention of this article to be morbid, gruesome or offensive, but to provide plausible and truthful answers to the one question we are all too often asked: Why did so many men die? Hood- Thanks! So did a sighting of the battleship by a U.S. Navy Catalina seaplane that put it a day away from the French port. It is not an in-depth review of the entire operation to sink Bismarck, but is primarily focused on Hood… For … Hood on Empire Day, 24th May 1941, resulted in the single largest loss of life for the Royal Navy during World War II: 1,415 were lost. Unfortunately, the ready use lockers were numerous and very lightly protected. Did you see the article from ABC News, posted at the above site, that suggests "Titanic-type" steel was used in the Hood's construction --which contributed to the Hood's sinking? On 24th May 1941 at 05:52 the pride of the British fleet , HMS Hood, engaged the mighty German ship Bismarck in battle. If he did this, it is likely that others in the crew did the same. The Fatal Explosion The Japanese invaded the island on 8 February 1942 and completed its capture only a week later, on 15 February 1942. Hood–Why Such a Heavy Loss of Life? The photos revealed that a detonation in the rear magazine, holding the 15-inch shells and cordite propellant for those guns, sank the Hood. History TV and radio in the UK: what’s on our screens in February 2021? Sinking of hms hood Hms hood auf eBay - Günstige Preise von Hms Hood . They were then trapped under deck heads or pinned to the twisting and rapidly sinking ship by the suction. By entering your details, you are agreeing to HistoryExtra terms and conditions and privacy policy. The Hood has lain untouched and largely forgotten nearly two miles down in the cold darkness of the Irminger Basin, taking with her the mystery of why she sank so quickly. Did the Hood sink the Bismark or was it the other way around? Lady Hood launched Hood in 1918 in memory of her late husband Rear Admiral Sir Horace Hood, who was killed in his ship, HMS Invincible, at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916. He was, according to reports, temporarily knocked unconscious9. Prince of Wales continued to exchange fire with Bismarck but suffered serious malfunctions in her … This possibility is based upon the findings from the 2001 expedition to the wreck site. You will shortly receive a receipt for your purchase via email. There were no tangible traces of any crewmen, living or dead, save the three survivors, Ted Briggs, William Dundas and Bob Tilburn. HMS Hood (pennant number 51) was the lead ship of her class of four battlecruisers built for the Royal Navy during World War I.Already under construction when the Battle of Jutland occurred in mid-1916, that battle revealed serious flaws in her design despite drastic revisions before she was completed four years later. Prince of Wales was a new Battleship and was in support of Hood but still had not been fully tested ( worked up ) , before having to sail . With her recent discovery, there were bound to be a plethora of books on the subject giving rise to the age-old debate of how and why this magnificent Battle Cruiser sank so quickly. This ammunition (bullets, shells and rockets) enabled crews to quickly load the weapons and be prepared for action. Of 1,418 men on board, only three survived. This salvo started a fire which soon spread. Battle was joined on 24 May, but after only seven minutes the Hood blew up and sank almost immediately.

Petting Zoo Business For Sale, Bts Sad Songs English Lyrics, Ets 40 Round Glock Mag Blue, Dirty Penguin Urban Dictionary, Is Gary Allan Married, Pine Cone Hand Emoji, We Are Coalamode, Budgies In Florida,