Schlachtschiff Bismarck - EP2

Genre:.....................WWII Documentary
Language:.................German - No Subs
Picture:...................B&W - Colour
Runtime:..................1Hr16mins
Size:........................799Mb

On the morning of May 24, two heavy ships appeared from the southeast and at 0532 the leading vessel, the battlecruiser Hood, opened fire on Prinz Eugen at a range of 24,232 m (26500 yards). The second ship, the battleship Prince of Wales,
opened fire shortly afterwards while the German ships replied at 0535 hrs, both firing on the Hood. The Bismarck straddled her target with her third and fifth salvos, the latter achieving one or two hits. At 0601 hrs the after magazines of the British flagship exploded. She broke in two and sank in three minutes, leaving only three survivors. Fire was shifted to Prince of Wales but after about ten minutes the British ship broke off the action and retired.The German flag ship had been hit by three 14-in (355- mm) shells from the Prince of Wales - one damaged and contaminated an oil fuel tank, another hit the side armour and caused a leak which later put one boiler-room and one dynamo out of action, while the third hit did no important damage. The contaminated oil reduced the ship's endurance and the loss of one boiler-room reduced the speed by 2 knots, so it was decided to call off the operation and make for St Nazaire for repairs.