As the King George V and Rodney turned northward they were joined by the Cossack, Sikh and Zulu and by 1600/28, eleven more had joined the screen: Heavy air attacks were expected, that day, but only four enemy planes appeared, one of which bombed the screen, while another jettisoned its bombs on being attacked by a Blenheim fighter. The destroyers Mashona and Tartar, some 100 miles to the southward, were not so fortunate. They were attacked by aircraft at 0955/28 in 52° 58’ N., 11° 36’ W., about 100 miles west of Galway, and the Mashona was hit and sank at noon with the loss of 1 officer and 45 men. The Commander-in-Chief reached Loch Ewe at 1230/29 ; Vice-Admiral Somerville and Force H were on their way back to Gibraltar. Such were the operations associated with the destruction of the Bismarck, which the Commander-in-Chief sums up as follows in his despatch :–
“Although it was no more than I expected, the cooperation, skill and understanding displayed by all forces during this prolonged chase gave me the utmost satisfaction. Flag and Commanding Officers of detached units invariably took the action I would have wished, before or without receiving instructions from me. The conduct of all officers and men of the Fleet which I have the honour to command was in accordance with the tradition of the Service. Force H was handled with conspicuous skill throughout the operation by Vice-Admiral Sir James F. Somerville, K.C.B., D.S.O., and contributed a vital share in its successful conclusion. The accuracy of the enemy information supplied by the Admiralty and the speed with which it was passed were remarkable and the balance struck between information and instructions passed to the forces out of visual touch with me, was ideal.”80
80. Commander-in-Chief despatch, paragraphs 92 and 93.