The Bismarck was named after the Chancellor of Germany, Prince Otto von Bismarck, nicknamed the ‘Iron Chancellor’. Captain of the Bismarck, Ernst Lindemann, referred to the ship as “he”, considering it too powerful to be female.
Sea trials revealed that, when the rudders were disabled, the Bismarck did not steer well with only propellers - an Achilles heel.
Head of the Kleigsmarine (German Navy under Nazi rule) was Admiral Erich Raeder. He opposed Nazi etiquette, retaining the naval salute rather than adopting the Nazi-raised arm. He also refused to dismiss Jewish sailors and officers.
On April 2, 1941 the Bismarck received orders to join the cruiser Prinz Eugen embarking on three months raiding commercial ships in the Atlantic ‘Operation Rheinburg’.
Orders were given not to engage enemy battleships, commercial convoys being the only prey. As operation squadron leader, Admiral Lutjens was riding on the Bismark, he outranked Captain Lindermann.
On May 19, 1941 Operation Rheinburg launched into the Baltic Sea. The operation would only last nine days.
From Poland, Lutjens travelled around Iceland into the Denmark Strait to enter the North Atlantic Ocean. The operation was spotted by a Spitfire photo reconnaissance mission, triggering British Admiral Tovey into action.
To block the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen, Tovey redeployed cruisers Suffolk and Norfolk from patrolling the Denmark Strait to shadowing the Bismark.
Tovey sailed from the United Kingdom aboard King George V with aircraft carrier Victorious and battlecruiser Repulse.
Battleship Prince of Wales and battlecruiser Hood were deployed south to cover the Denmark Strait exit into the North Atlantic.
Five days later Suffolk and Norfolk sighted Bismark. Bismarck fired at Norfolk, which disappeared with Suffolk into the Arctic fog.
With the arrival of Hood under Admiral Holland, both Hood and Suffolk opened fire, mistakenly at Prinz Eugen first.
Lutjens did not want to engage but, not wanting his ship sunk, Lindermann opened fire on the Hood, sinking the pride of the British fleet eight minutes later. Of the Hood’s 1400 sailors only three survived.
The next day Prince of Wales attacked Bismarck but retreated with 13 dead and nine wounded.
The Bismarck had received three hits, resulting in its front compartments flooding, the bow down 3 degrees and listing 9 degrees to port. One thousand tonnes of fuel was cut off due to tank damage and Lutjens decided to steam for France for repairs.
Norfolk, Suffolk and Prince of Wales continued following Bismarck. Entering from the east was Tovey, in pursuit with battleship Rodney and three destroyers (Tartar, Mashona and Maori). Steaming north from the Mediterranean was Admiral Summervilles with carrier Ark Royal, battlecruiser Renown, and cruiser Sheffield.
Sixteen hours after Hood was sunk, aircraft carrier Victorious was 120 miles east with Swordfish (antiquated biplanes carrying one torpedo each) on board. At 22:30 the Swordfish were launched, with a torpedo hitting the Bismark boiler room, killing one crewman, but then the British lost contact.
The following day May 26, Royal Airforce Coastal Command sent out reconnaissance flights, locating the Bismark at 10:30.
At 14:00 Ark Royal launched a Swordfish strike, unfortunately dropping over the cruiser Sheffield but thankfully missing.
At 19:00 another attack was launched, causing rudder damage to the Bismarck. Unable to manoeuvre using only propellers, the Bismark steered away from France into the direction of Tovey. A death sentence for Bismarck.
On the ninth and final day, May 27 1941, the British came bearing down.
Tovey’s plan saw King George V, Rodney, Tartar and Mashona attack from the west, Norfolk from the north, and cruiser Dorsetshire which joined in from the south.
At 08:00 the British sighted Bismark and at 08:47 ocean battle began.
Rodney fired the first salvo from 16-inch cannons, then King George V fired her 14-inch cannons. The Bismark returned fire toward Rodney, but fell short. Norfolk and Dorsetshire fired with their 8-inch cannons.
At 08:59 Rodney hit the Bismark, knocking out two forward turrets (16-inch cannons).
Norfolk hit Bismarck’s fire-control tower, killing Adalbert Schneider (who had sunk the Hood).
Bismark lost 50 per cent of its gunnery strength in the first 15 minutes of battle, along with its viewfinder – effectively leaving it blind. In 90 minutes of battle more than 2800 shells were fired at the Bismark with more than 400 hits.
At 10:15 Tovey called a cease-fire and ordered Dorsetshire to torpedo Bismark.
Before the torpedos hit, the Bismarck turned upside down, slidding stern first into the sea. Although already sinking, the Germans opened all valves on the Bismarck and ignited the scuttling bombs.
Dorsetshire and Maori went in to save people but a reported sighting of a German U-boat saw them both sail away, leaving several hundred in the water to die.
Dorsetshire rescued 85 and Maori 25. Five more were picked up by the Germans. Of a crew of 2200 men only 114 survived. Tovey said, “The Bismarck had put up a most gallant fight against impossible odds worthy of the old days of the Imperial German Navy, and she went down with her colours flying.”
Today families of the Bismarck hold an annual service at the memorial on the Bismarck family estate.
