re: #110 Yankee Division Son

OT - On this day in history, May 24th, 1941

Around 06.00 after firing two or three salvos, German battleship BISMARK hits Britain’s HMS Hood in her main magazine which blows up with only three survivors and 1418 casualties. She sinks at 63 20N, 31 50W. Now it is HMS Prince of Wales turn to be the target. After being hit several times she turns away but not before damaging BISMARK and causing her to lose fuel oil to the sea. German Admiral Lutjens then decides to make for St. Nazaire in France and heads southwest and later south out of the Denmark Strait. The two RN cruisers, and for a while the damaged Prince of Wales, continue to shadow. Admiral Tovey hurries west with the rest of Home Fleet.

With Hood’s loss, Force H (Admiral Somerville) with battle cruiser HMS Renown, carrier Ark Royal and cruiser HMS Sheffield is sailing north from Gibraltar. Battleship Ramillies, released from convoy escort duties, and Rodney, then to the west of Ireland, head towards BISMARK’s expected track. Ramillies does not play a part in later operations.

At 18.00 BISMARK feints north towards her shadowers long enough to allow Prinz Eugen to get away.

Within hours, British prime minister Winston Churchill issues orders to all available British vessels in the North Atlantic to “Sink the Bismarck at any cost”.

There were only three survivors from the Hood sinking.