HMS Hood was revered as the world’s most powerful warship for more than 20 years – earning its nickname ‘The Mighty Hood’. Yet in May 1941, during the battle of the Denmark Strait in the North Atlantic, it was struck near its ammunition magazines by shells from the German battleship Bismarck. These subsequently exploded, sinking the Royal Navy’s largest vessel in just 3 minutes, with the loss of all but three of its 1,418 crew.
This catastrophic event was not only a propaganda coup for Germany, but subsequently sparked a famous pursuit of the Bismarck. Why had it been so important for HMS Hood to hunt down the Bismarck specifically, and just how was this jewel in the Royal Navy’s crown destroyed so quickly?
