HMS Hood

06:00 24th May 1941 63°20′N 31°50′W in the Denmark Strait, HMS Hood pride of the Royal Navy is destroyed in a catastrophic explosion whilst engaged with the German Battleship Bismarck and the Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen. She would sink rapidly taking 1,415 Officers and Men with her only 3 would survive.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
 


06:00 24th May 1941 63°20′N 31°50′W in the Denmark Strait, HMS Hood pride of the Royal Navy is destroyed in a catastrophic explosion whilst engaged with the German Battleship Bismarck and the Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen. She would sink rapidly taking 1,415 Officers and Men with her only 3 would survive.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

The story is one of the most fascinating of the early part of the war.

Bismarck and Tirpitz were both state of the art battleships but had been holed up in port as the Royal Navy would destroy them at all costs should they put to sea.

The havoc caused to Atlantic shipping by having such enormous modern enemy craft at large could have been the difference in the war at that point.

Sure enough, when The Bismarck put to sea the order came through, Sink The Bismarck!

HMS Hood, although a towering colossus herself at her launch date (1918) was a relic of an earlier era when compared to the modern Nazi pair.

Hood prevented the threat of The Bismarck from slipping into the hugeness of The Atlantic and marauding unchecked.

The loss was tragic but the mission was to track and engage The Bismarck and, even though Hood went down with so many, the mission was ultimately successful.

Ironic that a bi-plane sank The Bismarck
 
06:00 24th May 1941 63°20′N 31°50′W in the Denmark Strait, HMS Hood pride of the Royal Navy is destroyed in a catastrophic explosion whilst engaged with the German Battleship Bismarck and the Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen. She would sink rapidly taking 1,415 Officers and Men with her only 3 would survive.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Rip Hood .
 
06:00 24th May 1941 63°20′N 31°50′W in the Denmark Strait, HMS Hood pride of the Royal Navy is destroyed in a catastrophic explosion whilst engaged with the German Battleship Bismarck and the Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen. She would sink rapidly taking 1,415 Officers and Men with her only 3 would survive.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.


survived the atomic blast test in the south pacific and wasn't sunk until 1946
 
Wasn't the Hood undergoing a refit on the Clyde when she set out to sea? I believe that a number of shipyard works were still onboard when she went in to battle and they were lost along with the crew when she went down.

The Hood was fatally hit in less than 10 minutes of the commencement of the battle and went down in 3 minutes. Given the extensive explosions on the Hood that caused her rapid sinking its likely that many of the crew were probably killed as a result of them although many would still have drowned
 
The story of HMS Hood certainly captured my imagination as a boy. I'm sure I remember seeing an old film of the sinking ship, terrible loss of life.

Also, I made the best Airfix model ever. HMS Hood must have been one of the top selling models in the late 50s, early 60s, it was a great way of keeping memories alive.
 
Was listening to something about the rise of Japan up to WW2 and the thoughts behind air power at sea. The Japanese were well enthused by the British action at Taranto.
6 Italian ships lost or well damaged and 660 casualties to the loss of 2 planes and 4 men .
Made economic sense to the Japs to build aircraft carriers.
Funny thing , Germans didn't have a single aircraft carrier in Ww2.
 

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