At 0537/24 the Hood and Prince of Wales were turned together, by blue pendant, 40° to starboard towards the enemy, and at 0541 the latter was stationed 080° from the Hood. At 0549, course was altered to 300° by another blue pendant turn. At 0549, the left-hand ship, the Prinz Eugen, was designated as the target by the signal G.S.B.337 L18 but this was changed to the Bismarck by the signal G.O.B. 19 just before opening fire. By 0552½ the range was down to about 25,000 yards and the Hood opened fire. The Bismarck, which replied quickly and accurately, straddled with her second or third salvo. A fire broke out in the Hood near the port after 4-in. gun which quickly spread till the whole midship part seemed to be in flames, burning with a pink glow shrouded in dense smoke. The Prince of Wales opened fire at 0553/24, the first salvo being observed over and the sixth a straddle. It is not stated when the Prinz Eugen joined in, but she was firing practically throughout the action. The Norfolk and Suffolk were too far astern to take part in the action. The Suffolk indeed fired six salvoes at 0619 mistaking for the Bismarck an R.D/F range coming in from an aircraft. She was actually out of gun range from both the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen at the time. The cruisers do not appear to have been informed of the Hood’s position or her intention to attack.
At 0555 the two ships turned two points to port together by blue pendant. This opened the Prince of Wales’ A arcs as she was firing her ninth salvo.
At 0600 Hood had a second signal “two blue” flying intending to turn another two points to port; the Bismarck had just fired her fifth salvo when the Hood was rent in two by a huge explosion rising apparently between the after funnel and mainmast. The fore part began to sink separately, bows up, whilst the after part remained shrouded in a pall of smoke. Three or four minutes later, the Hood had vanished beneath the waves leaving a vast cloud of smoke drifting away to leeward. She sank in 63° 20’ N., 31° 50’ W.
The Prince of Wales altered course to starboard to avoid the wreckage of the Hood and the Bismarck’s main and secondary armaments were quickly directed on her at about 18,000 yards. Within a very short time she was hit by four 15-in. and three smaller shells. At 0602 a large projectile wrecked the bridge, killing or wounding most of the personnel and about the same time the ship was holed under water aft. It was decided temporarily to discontinue the action and at 0613 the Prince of Wales turned away to 160° behind a smoke screen. The after turret continued firing but its shell ring jammed during the turn and the four guns of the turret are stated to have been out of action until 0825.10 When the Prince of Wales ceased firing the range was 14,500. She had fired 18 salvoes from the main armament and five from the secondary. The Bismarck, which made no attempt to follow or continue the action, had not escaped unscathed. According to survivors’ reports, she was hit three, times. One projectile entering the port side forward, blew a hole in the starboard side under water and flooded three sections. Another struck the port side further aft below water, buckling some plates and flooding one section. The third passed over the deck without exploding but carried away the bows of the pinnace. Some survivors said the Hood hit with her third salvo and some thought that hit number two was scored by the Prince of Wales.
Such was the end of the brief engagement in the morning of 24 May. The loss by one unlucky hit of the gallant Hood with Vice-Admiral Lancelot Holland, Captain Ralph Kerr and her fine ship’s company was a grievous blow, but a great concentration of forces was gathering behind the Commander-in-Chief and Admiral Somerville was speeding towards him from the South.
Signals sent from Bismarck to Group West
0552/24 Am engaging two heavy units.
0632 Battlecruiser probably Hood sunk. Another battleship King George or Renown damaged and turned off. Two heavy cruisers maintaining contact.
0705 Have sunk a battleship in approximate position 63 10N, 32 00W. Fleet Commander
Note: Prince of Wales was mistaken for King George V throughout.
8. Fire at left-hand German ship bearing 337°.
9. “Shift object one right.” There is no record as to whether the Prince of Wales’ guns were actually laid on the Prinz Eugen. The silhouettes of the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen were very similar.
10. Two guns of the four in the after turret were ready for action by 0720. (Prince of Wales’ report.)