Profile n narsniHMS Hood/Battle -Cruiser 1916-1941Operational History

by R. G. Robertson, CA 50p

The technical history of HMS Hood will bepublished shortly.

COVER PHOTO:The Hood during the Spanish Civil War 1937. Note anti-torpedo bulge.

The Hood fitting out at John Brown's Yard, Clydebank, 9January 1920.

HMS HO O D/Battle-Cruiser 1916-1941by R. G. Robertson, CA

Operational HistoryFor almost 20 years she was the largest warship inthe world. Few, if any, of the others could match thebeauty of her lines, none could match her speed of30 knots, combined with a main armament of eight15in guns. In the navies of the world she was in aclass by herself and her formidable appearanceexcited the admiration of all who set eyes upon her.Such a ship was the Hood. When she was sunk by afew shells from the German battleship Bismarck inthe early hours of Empire Day 1941 it seemed tomany in Britain and the Commonwealth that theyhad lost a part of their naval heritage.As it would be impossible to do justiceto such a shipin one Profile it was decided to publish the story ofthe last 10 years of her life now, leaving a laterWarship Profile to tell of her design, her buildingand her early years in service.

Design ChangesAs a result of Jutland very extensive investigationswere carried out on the design of the Hood and it wasfound that considerable protection could be addedby accepting a deeper draught and a slightlyreduced speed.On account of the design changes an additional5000 tons of armour were worked into her hull andalthough the total weight of the armour andprotection at 13,800 tons was almost equal to one-third of her load displacement and was nearly asheavy as that of a contemporary battleship, theHood remained a battle-cruiser in conception.There is no doubt that she could have withstoodsevere punishment from torpedoes, mines or shell-firedirected against her sides. The tragedy of herotherwise superb design was her lack of sufficientdeck armour. Had this been provided when she was

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The Hood on trials in the Clyde, 5 March 1920.

built, the result of her action with the Prince of Walesagainst the Bismarck might well have been verydifferent.

THE SHIP AS COMPLETED IN 1920Laid down:Design modified:Launched:Trials completed:Commissioned:Displacement:

Length (overall):Length (waterline):Length (B.P.):Breadth (waterline):Breadth (outside bulges)Complement (1923):

31 May 1916 (original design)1 September 191622 August 19185 March 192015 May 192041,200 tons at 28ft bin draught45,200 tons at 31 ft 6in draught860ft 7in850ft81 Oft95ft at 28ft 6in draught105ft 212 in1169

Armament815in Mark 1 (1913)12 5 5in Mark I (spare guns from Chester and Birkenhead

who were taken over from Greece)44in Mark V AA43-pounders2 21 in submerged torpedo-tubes4 21 in above water torpedo-tubes

ProtectionSide midships.Side forward:Side aft:Side submerged:Barbettes:Turrets:

Conning Tower:

Director Tower:After TorpedoControl Tower:Decks:

1 2in, 7in, 5in6in, 5in6in3in1 2inFace 1 5inSide 1 2in, 11 inOuter shell 1 2inInner shell 6inCrown 5in6in

4in, 3inFo'c'sle 1'z inUpper 1 in, finMain 2in, 112inMain (over magazines) 3inLower, forward 1 f-1 inLower, aft 2in 1 in

MachineryBrown Curtis geared turbineSHP: 144,000Propellers: 4Designed speed: 31 knotsTrial speed (maximum): 3207 knotsOil fuel (maximum): 4000 tons

Searchlights4 36in on platform between funnels2 36in on After Control Position2 36in on foremast4 24in signalling (on admiral's bridge)

Boats carried2 50ft steam picket boats1 45ft admiral's barge1 35ft motor boat1 42ft sailing launch with auxiliary motor1 36ft pinnace4 32ft cutters1 32ft galley2 30ft captain's gigs227ft whalers21 6ft dinghies7 large and 2 small Carley floats

Her Early YearsAfter reaching a mean speed of 32.07 knots on hertrials held in the Clyde during February and March1920 in stormy weather, the Hood commissionedon 15 May 1920. Two visits to Scandinavia and aworld cruise were the most notable events of herearly years in service.On 17 May 1929 she paid off into Dockyardcontrol at Portsmouth to undergo the most extensiverefit since her completion, a reconstruction whichlasted two years, until 12 May 1931.

Proposed ReconstructionIn the years immediately preceding the war, planshad been drawn up for a reconstruction of the Hood.It had been intended that the work would beginwhen the Renown's major refit was completed in1939. From 'B' 1 5in turret forward to 'X' 1 5in turretaft, the Hood would have been completely refitted.The changes would have included:The complete removal of the conning tower andbridge structure.The removal of all the 5.5in guns and the above-water torpedo tubes.The removal of the 4in AA guns.

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Hood's seaplane and catapult July 1931.

June 1931.

In their place would have been fitted a modernbridge structure incorporating aircraft hangars as inthe King George V class; eight twin 5.25in dual-purpose guns in four twin mountings, to port andstarboard midships. (These guns were to proveextremely successful in the Dido class of cruiser.)A point of particular interest was the intentiongreatly to increase her deck armour. Modificationswould also have been made to her under-waterprotection. It was also intended to fit new machinerywith high-pressure boilers.It was not expected that these alterations would havegreatly increased her tonnage. About 4000 tons ofunnecessary weight-the conning tower aloneweighed over 900 tons-would have been removedand this would have allowed for the necessaryincrease in her protection, just where it was mostneeded.Had it been possible for the Hood to have beenmodernised along the lines planned she wouldindeed have been a match for any of her adversaries,German, Italian or Japanese. With the internationalsituation as it was in 1939 there was, of course, nopossibility of allowing her to be out of commissionfor the time necessary to complete such a refit. Allthat could be done when she returned to Portsmouthin February 1939 was to increase her AA armamentand fit other supplementary equipment.

Portsmouth Refit:February -August 1939The four 4in single AA mountings were removed andreplaced by four twin 4in mountings on the boatdeck between the after funnel and mainmast.Two High-Angle Directors were fitted on either sideof the signal platform on the bridge structure. TwoHigh-Angle Calculating Positions with the latestHigh-Angle calculating tables served the new 4inmountings.

June 1931.

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Portsmouth Navy Week 1931.

27June 1931.

Passing under the Forth Bridge 1934.

Passing under the Forth Bridge 1934.

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Four 40in searchlights were added, one on eitherside of the After Control Platform and one on eitherside of the after funnel.The former searchlight and control tower betweenthe funnels was replaced by a small structure with alarge wireless trunk on top and aerial spreaders at theside.One eight-barrelled pom-pom was added on aplatform on the boat deck in front of the ACP.The pom-pom director was placed at the fore end ofthe AC P.Ready-use ammunition lockers were added in thevicinity of the gun mountings on the boat deck.The two 21 in submerged torpedo tubes wereremoved.The direction-finding equipment was improvedwith a D F aerial fitted at the top of the main topmast.A wireless trunk was added between the ACP andthe after pom-pom platform.The Admiral's signal platform was extended at theafter end to carry the repositioned signal searchlightsand semaphore arms.The sides of the Admiral's bridge were extendedcompletely round the forward side of the forebridge.Plating was added between the wings of theforebridge and the compass platform extensions.A deckhouse was added between the searchlightsabaft the second funnel.

A wireless cabin was added at the rear of theAdmiral's bridge.

Last Peace - time RecommissioningOn 2 June 1939 the Hood was due to recommissionbut in view of the developments in Europe, it wasdecided to retain most of the key ratings. Afterdry-docking, engine trials followed in the EnglishChannel. The new members of her crew wereimpressed by her power and speed.Final adjustments were made on her return to thedockyard and ammunition and stores were taken onboard. When the compass trials were completed theHoodanchored in St Helen's Bay, Isle of Wight.On 13 August 1939, flying the flag of Vice-AdmiralW. J. Whitworth, she sailed north to join the HomeFleet.

First North Sea PatrolBy the end of August 1939 all the ships in the HomeFleet were moving to their war stations or wereactually on patrol. From 20 to 28 August, the Hoodwas at sea, on patrol between the North of Scotlandand Norway to watch for German warships trying tobreak out of the North Sea and raid our Atlanticcommerce. The weather was poor and warconditions were observed on board. This was to bethe first of many such patrols, patrols which did not

In dry dock following a collision with the Renown February 1935. Note damaged propellers.

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Silver Jubilee Review 1935.

The Hood during the Spanish Civil War, 1937. Note anti-torpedo bulge.

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Hood photographed from the French battleship Dunkerque

Midship section 1937. Note her two steam picket boats(Photo: P. A. Vicary)

hit the newspaper headlines but which werecarried out by the Home Fleet, year in, year out, forthe remainder of the war.The Hood now carried her wartime complement ofclose on 1400 men and there was little room to sparebelow decks with hammocks slung in every availablespace and passage-way.After refuelling at Rosyth the Hood sailed forInvergordon on 30 August 1939.

September 1939The Hood was at sea when Germany invaded Polandon 1 September 1939. Then came Sunday 3September. At sea all loudspeakers were tuned in forMr Chamberlain's speech at 1100. Signals wereexchanged between Admiral Whitworth and theCaptain of the Destroyer Flotilla : Admiral to CaptainDestroyers: 'Good luck and good hunting'. FromCaptain Destroyers to Admiral :'Yoicks, Tally-ho'.That Sunday afternoon men crowded on to the upperdeck to watch the destroyers dropping depthcharges. The alarm was a false one and the Hoodresumed her zig-zag course.

Hood after her 1939 refit.

The Hood was always wet aft in a heavy sea. Thisphotograph was taken during a Northern Patrol in 7940.

On 8 September she left Scapa Flow, accompaniedby Renown, for the patrol grounds between Icelandand the Farces. For the following weeks she wassimilarly employed on these unknown, unreportedmissions and escort duties with brief intervals atScapa for refuelling and taking on stores andammunition.

The 'Hood ' is BombedWhile providing heavy cover for the 2nd CruiserSquadron, which was escorting the damagedsubmarine Spearfish* across the North Sea, theHood and Ark Royal were bombed by severalGerman Heinkels on 26 September 1939. Onebomb caught the Hood a glancing blow on herquarter but fell harmlessly into the sea. It was on thisraid that the Germans first'sank' the Ark Royal.

'See Warship Profile 29, HMS Belfast.

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Hoisting out Admiral Somerville's barge, July 7940. Noteready- use ammunition lockers. These lockers caused a fireon the boat deck when the Prinz Eugen hit the Hood duringthe action in the Denmark Straits.

Wartime RoutineBy the end of September the crew were settlingdown to the wartime routine. Generally speaking itwas 'watch-on, watch-off', with action stations atdawn and dusk. The Captain gave periodicbroadcasts on the progress of the war. The Chaplainhad the unenviable task of being the chief censor forall the letters written by some 1300 men.

German Battleship Reported at SeaOn 8 October Coastal Command aircraft reportedthat the Gneisenau, with the heavy cruiser Ko/n anda destroyer escort were steaming out of theSkagerrak intothe North Sea. The Hood and Repulse,with a destroyer escort, immediately left Scapa topatrol off the Norwegian Coast. Unfortunately theGerman warships turned back on reaching thesouth of Norway.

'Royal Oak ' is SunkShortly after returning to Scapa Flow the Hood wasat sea again. Then came the news of the sinking ofthe Royal Oak on 14 October. Until the defences ofScapa could be improved, the main units of theHome Fleet moved to Loch Ewe on the North WestCoast of Scotland. On 23 October the Hood was atsea again. With the Nelson and Rodney, and escortedby six destroyers, she sailed as far north as theLofoten Islands, west of Narvik, to cover a Norwegianiron ore convoy. She returned to the Clyde on30 October.

Churchill Visits the'Hood'On 31 October, Winston Churchill, then First Lordof the Admiralty, and the First Sea Lord, visited theHood in the Clyde. On the following day she sailedto Plymouth and arrived at 0900 on a Saturdaymorning in Plymouth Sound. She berthed alongsideat 1800 the same day.

First Wartime LeaveThe minor repairs were completed by 24 November.The first watch had already been on seven daysleave but those on the second leave were unluckyas, after four days, telegrams were sent out recallingthem. This was at the time of the sinking of theRawalpindi by the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.

Hood's boat-deck during the action at Mers-el-Kebir inJuly 1940.

Re-ammunitioning at Gibraltar after the action at Oran.

'Hood ' Under Orders of a French AdmiralThe Home Fleet had sailed to cover every escaperoute by which the German battleships might breakout into the Atlantic. On 25 November the Hoodleft Plymouth and rendezvoused with the Frenchbattleship Dunkerque, accompanied by the cruisersGeorges-Leygues and Montcalm. As Vice-AdmiralGensoul was senior to Vice-Admiral Whitworth,the French Admiral took over the command ofthe combined force. It must have been a strangeexperience for those in the Hood to be keepingstation on the French battleship I Little could it havebeen imagined that some seven months later theHood and Dunkerque were destined to meet again-in very different circumstances.Unfortunately the German warships had come outonly to create a diversion and, after sailing north,they doubled back on their tracks and returned

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damaged by a magnetic mine on entering Loch Eweon 4 December, and the Rodney had developedcertain defects which had temporarily put her out ofcommission.

The Hood under aerial attack by Italian bombers in theMediterranean in August 1940.

Hood's Captain presents prizes after swimming races atGibraltar, August 1940.

home. The Hood arrived back at Loch Ewe on3 December.

'Hood 's' Increased DisplacementDuring the operation with the Dunkerque veryheavy weather was encountered and the FrenchAdmiral took photographs of the Hood as she almostdisappeared in the heavy seas.The wartime additions had increased her displace-ment and at somewhat less than deep load she wasnow showing a displacement of 48,360 tons. Shehad always been wet aft but now, even in a moderatesea, tons of water crashed over her quarterdeck.The strain was beginning to make itself felt, not onlyin her superstructure but also in her hull. Her topspeed was also down to 26'. knots. She was badlyin need of a refit, but could not be spared. TheNelson, flagship of the Home Fleet, had been

Covering the First Canadian Troop ConvoyOn 13 December 1939 the Hood sailed from theClyde with the Barham and six destroyers to providean escort for the first Canadian troop convoy. Shereturned to the Clyde on 15 December. On shoreleave at Greenock some of the ship's company wereentertained by Gracie Fields.

Christmas 1939The Hood was again on patrol. There were, ofcourse, no festivities but the cooks and caterersmanaged to provide an excellent menu. AdmiralWhitworth went the rounds of the Mess Decks andwished everyone the compliments of the season.The heavy seas running caused much leakage ofwater throughout the fan shafts etc. This kept the'Emergency Party' busy mopping up. Huge wavesswept over the boat deck causing considerabledamage to the picket and motor boats.

Based at GreenockDuring January and February 1940 the Hood wasbased at Greenock, but spent most of her time onpatrol. On 7 February 1940 she covered the ThirdCanadian Troop Convoy.

Return to Scapa FlowWhen the defences at Scapa Flow had beenstrengthened the Hood returned on 7 March, incompany with the battleship Valiant. She left againon 27 March and arrived at Devonport two days laterfor a long overdue refit. When Norway was invadedshe sent an expeditionary force of 250 men, mostlyRoyal Marines. All but three returned to the ship onemonth later.

Devonport Refit 29/3/40-27/5/40The 5.5in guns were removed and the two forwardopen batteries were plated over.Three twin Mark XVI 4in guns were added, one atthe end of the boat deck in front of the after pom-pomplatform and one on either side of the ACP near thedeck edge. All the 4in guns could be sighted andtrained manually, but were, of course, usuallycontrolled by the three HADTs, which were stabilisedfor roll and fitted with steel blast covers.With the removal of the 5.5in secondary armamentthe seven twin 4in mountings could also be usedagainst surface targets. The old 5.5in Gun ControlTowers (or Tops) were converted to the 4in GCTs.Each GCT was found on the flag deck forward of theDirectors and could be used if the Directors were putout of action. In each one were the Dumaresq, aVickers double-dial range clock and binoculars.They were in communication with the guns, theDirectors and the Calculating Positions. The starboardGCT was in communication with the three starboardand the after 4in mountings, the port GCT being incommunication with the three port mountings.The old and the new 4in guns were grouped forcontrol as follows:Forward groups: Nos 1 and 2 guns each side

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After group: Nos 3 and 4 gunsTwo low-angle fire-control tables were fitted besidethe high-angle tables in the Calculating Positions.Each 4in gun weighed 1 ton 44cwt, a mounting7 tons and a shell and cartridge 631b. The maximumrate of fire was 20 rounds per minute. After firing, thebreech opened and the empty cartridge case wasautomatically ejected. Loading was by hand.Five Unrifled Projectors (UPs) were fitted, four onthe boat deck and one on top of 'B' turret. UPs weredesigned as a protection against bombing attacks.The mounting fired 20 small bombs into the air;attached to each was a parachute, the idea beingthat the attacking aircraft would hit some of theparachute wires which would then explode the bomband destroy the plane. UPs were not particularlysuccessful as they could be blown off course soeasily-in one of Hood's UP practice firings onelanded on the quarter-deck ! Fortunately the bombdid not explode so no damage was done. The UPmountings were protected by plating four feet high.Ready use ammunition lockers were fitted around the4in and UP mountings. A sound power telephonesystem was fitted.A de-gaussing strip for protection against themagnetic mine was fitted round the hull.Machinery repairs were carried out including thereplacement of defective condenser tubes.Her refit at Devonport completed, the Hood,escorted by the Witch, Escort and Wolverine,headed north for Liverpool and Gladstone Dockwhere she arrived on 28 May.

'There has never been such a Convoy before'The underwater repairs and painting completed, theHood left Gladstone Dock on 12 June and put to seawith a screen of Canadian destroyers, the Skeena,Restigouche and St Laurent. Two days later theaircraft carrier Argus was sighted, along with amighty convoy of liners, the Queen Mary, Empress ofBritain, Aquitania, Mauretania, Andes and Empressof Canada. The liners were bringing the firstcontingent of New Zealand and Australian troopsto Britain. The Hood provided the heavy cover backto the Clyde. The Captain of one of the linersreported, 'In this convoy we had probably the bestships in the Mercantile Marine. I do not think therehas ever been such a convoy before'. After severalsubmarine scares the convoy arrived safely in theClyde on Sunday 16 June.

France FallsFrance fell on 17 June and the following day theHood left the Clyde for Gibraltar, rendezvousing withthe Ark Royal on 19 June. Four days later bothships arrived at'The Rock'.On 26 June it was reported that the Frenchbattleship Richelieu had left Dakar and was sailingnorth. The Hood left 'with all despatch' under ordersto escort the French ship back to Gibraltar. Laterthe same day the Ark Royal reported that theRichelieu had returned to Dakar. A few days laterthere was another report that the Richelieu was atsea but after putting out from Gibraltar once againthe report was confirmed as being a false one andthe Hood returned to Gibraltar.

IThe Resolution following the Hood during a Mediter-ranean operation, August 1940.

Deck hockey on the quarterdeck.

Force ' H' is FormedOn 30 June Vice-Admiral Sir James Somervillehoisted his flag in the Hood and on the followingday Force 'H' was formed. With the Hood,Resolution, Valiant and Ark Royal were the cruisersArethusa and Enterprise and 11 destroyers. On2 July all the Flag and Commanding Officersattended a conference in Hood and in the afternoonthe whole fleet put to sea and turned East into theMediterranean.

Mers - el-KebirEarly on 3 July, when Force 'H' was off Oran, theCommander of the Hood broadcast to the ship'scompany and told them four alternatives were to beput to Admiral Gensoul and the French fleet atMers-el-Kebir:1 Sail with Force 'H' and continue the fight.2 Sail to a British port with reduced crews.3 Sail to a French West Indian port with reducedcrews.4 Scuttle your ship within six hours.Failing the acceptance of one of these alternativesForce 'H' was under orders to prevent the Frenchfleet from falling into German or Italian hands. In theharbour at Mers-el-Kebir were the battleshipsDunkerque, Strasbourg, Bretagne and Provence, theseaplane carrier Commandante Teste and six des-troyers. This fleet, although sheltered by a largebreakwater and cliffs on either side, were mooredclosely together and so presented an easy target.

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Junior Officer's cabin.

The 'Hood ' in ActionAll through the morning and afternoon of 3 JulyForce 'H' patrolled off the Oran area. Tension wasrising as the French Fleet were seen to be raisingsteam with all despatch. In the late afternoonAdmiral Somerville received a signal from theAdmiralty stating that a French signal had beenintercepted ordering all French ships in the area toproceed to Oran and render assistance to AdmiralGensoul. The Admiralty impressed on AdmiralSomerville the necessity of reaching a solutionwithout more delay.A further signal was sent to Admiral Gensoul in theDunkerque informing him that the British shipswould open fire if no reply was received by 1730.By 1754 when no satisfactory reply had beenreceived the British ships opened fire. To quoteWinston Churchill, 'We had hoped that one or otherof the alternatives would be accepted without thenecessity of using the terrible force of a British battlesquadron'.At 1758 the French ships returned the British fire andgained two straddles on the Hood. At 1809 theBritish ships engaged the shore batteries. At 1812they ceased firing. Apart from the Strasbourg and fivedestroyers the entire French fleet had been destroyedor beached.An aircraft from the Ark Royal spotted the escape ofthe Strasbourg. The Hood gave chase and althoughshe reached a speed of over 28 knots the Frenchships were fifteen miles ahead and there was littlechance of catching them. Two torpedoes were firedat the Hood and, making an emergency turn of 180'to port, they passed just astern. At 1952 two planeswere sighted. The Hood opened fire but no bombswere dropped. When there was no hope of catching

the Strasbourg, the Hood turned eastwards towardsOran to join the remainder of Force 'H'.In the action she had fired 56 1 5in shells and about120 4in. Although her funnels were holed in manyplaces her only casualties had been a lieutenantstruck by shrapnel and one rating who received aneye injury.So ended the Hood's first large scale action of thewar. She returned to Gibraltar on 4 July. The follow-ing day Force 'H' were ordered back to Oran tobombard the French fleet again but the order wasrescinded and instead there was a torpedo-bombingattack on the Dunkerque by aircraft of the Ark Royal.Four hits were scored.

Escorting the 'Ark Royal'On 8 July the Hood and Resolution leftGibraltar to escort the Ark Royal near enough toSardinia for her aircraft to bomb the submarine andair bases on the island and so create a diversion for anaval operation being carried out at the same time inthe Eastern Mediterranean. Those in Hood had theirfirst taste of high-level bombing during this opera-tion. Although several concentrated attacks byItalian aircraft were made against the British ships nodamage was done. The Hood had been firing almostcontinuously for three hours. One plane was claimedby her gunfire. The scale of the air attacks, however,combined with the nature of the operation, led to itsbeing cancelled, and the ships returned to Gibraltaron 11 July.

A UP mishapWhen the UP control was being tested at Gibraltar on27 July, the mounting on 'B' turret went off bymistake and twenty of the charges floated down

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'Painting ship' in the Forth, September 7940. The shutters in the Admiral's quarters are closed. The scuttles are those ofthe Captain's harbour cabin.

H ood's quarterdeck.

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HMS York photographed from Hood's boat deck,September 1940.

around the area of the Mole. Although no damagewas done, three ratings were badly burned.

Hurricanes for MaltaOn the morning of 30 July the Argus mooredahead of the Ark Royal at Gibraltar. Secured on herflight deck and in her hangars were much neededHurricane fighters for the defence of Malta. Force 'H'sailed the next day to escort the Argus to a positionoff Cape Bon, near enough for the planes to be flownoff for Malta. During this operation the fleet sufferedintense high-level air attacks by Italian Savoiabombers. Several very near misses were experiencedby the Hood and at times she almost disappeared asthe bombs exploded on her port side.

Cagliari is AttackedDuring the night of 1 August the Hooddetached fromthe main fleet to escort the Ark Royal to a suitableposition for her aircraft to raid Cagliari. This missionsuccessfully accomplished and the Hurricanes safelylanded on Malta, Force 'H' returned to Gibraltar on3 August. The day before Hood had carried out a1 5in. full-charge practice shoot.

Return to ScapaAt 1740 on 4 August the Hood slipped her wires andonce again sailed eastwards into the Mediterranean.After steaming for four hours she turned about andsailed back towards the Atlantic. The following daythe ship's company were told that she had beenordered to return to Scapa Flow.Cape Wrath was sighted at 0009 on 10 Augustand at 0554 the Hood passed Hoxa Boom andentered Scapa Flow, letting go her anchor fortyminutes later. Admiral Somerville left the ship in themorning. His flag was hauled down and the flag ofVice-Admiral W J Whitworth hoisted one hour later.

New Gun fitted at RosythThe Hood sailed from Scapa to Rosyth on 16August. The following day she entered the dockyardto have the left gun of 'A' turret removed. After somedifficulty, on 24 August the old gun was replaced andthe following day the Hood returned to Scapa.On 13 September, at the height of the invasionscare, she again moved south to the Forth, this timein company with the C. in C. in the Nelson. Sheremained at her berth below the Forth Bridge until28 September when she sailed north in the hopes ofintercepting a German 8in cruiser escorting a convoy

The size of the Hood's quarterdeck can be seen in thisphotograph of a contingent of Royal Marines preparingfora route march, September 1940.

of supply ships. The operation was eventuallycancelled and the Hood returned to Scapa on30 September.

'Raise Steam for Full Speed with all Despatch'This signal was made to Hood on 23 October and sheleft Scapa in company with the Repulse, the cruisersDido and Phoebe, and three destroyers, to sail east-wards across the North Sea. The ships remained inthe 2nd degree of readiness throughout the night.In the morning it was hoped to intercept someGerman warships operating in the North Sea. Nocontact was made and the ships returned to ScapaFlow, on 24 October. Four days later the Hood wasat sea again in company with the Furious. The objectof this operation was to intercept a German cruiserand supply ships, believed to be in the area betweenIceland and the Faroes.During this sortie the Hood ran into a Force 8 galeand huge waves swept over the boat deck makingconditions extremely unpleasant in the Wardroomand the Mess Decks.This operation was eventually cancelled and theHood returned to Scapa on 31 October.

'Pocket Battleship operating 800 miles westof Orkney'The C. in C. made this signal on 6 November and onceagain the Hood left the Flow accompanied this timeby the Repulse, Dido, Naiad and Bonaventure. Thefollowing day Admiral Whitworth made a generalsignal stating that it was anticipated the pocketbattleship would make for Brest. He gave details ofthe courses for the next two days. When the fleet wasfour hundred miles west of Brest and there was nofurther news, it altered course to reach Scapa Flowon Armistice Day 1940.

Sailing through the Denmark StraitOn 23 November the Hood left Scapa to screen alarge minelaying force operating in the DenmarkStrait. The following morning the leading ships of theFirst Minelaying Squadron were sighted, escorted bythe cruiser Aurora. The Hood sailed almost to theedge of the great ice floe and the thick dark-coloured

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UN-RIFLED PROJECTILE (U.P.)

30-INCH PARACHUTE

WIRE COIL -

Y5 D cH PARACHUTE-

SPRING CLIP- --

MAIN PARACHUTE---

L,ID------ -- -- ---

FIRING LEADS- -

FINS - -

GUARD PING--

--RELEASE CORD

--ARMING PIN

-IIOMB

-- OUTEEP_ CASE

---SHOCK ABSORJ-ER

- OUTER CONTAINER

--- IGNITEER

--INNER CONTAINER

--TIME FUSE

VI NTURT

HMS HOOD 'S CONTOUR LINES

The Royal Marine band practising on the boat deck.

Fencing on the quarterdeck, Scapa Flow, October 1940.

The Admiral's barge.

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The Hood at Scapa Flow, 9 October 1940

pack-ice which skirts the northern side of theDenmark Strait could be seen. Several icebergs werespotted and it was difficult to appreciate the intensecold until the spray was seen to freeze immediately itlanded on the fo'c'sle. When the minelayers hadcompleted their operations the Hood altered courseand arrived back at Scapa on 29 November.

Christmas 1940-at SeaThe Hood was again at sea for the second Christmasof the war. The cruiser Berwick was giving chase toan 8in German cruiser and it was hoped that theHood, accompanied by the cruiser Edinburgh, wouldmake an interception. Once again she was denied theopportunity; the German warship had escaped to theWest.

New Year 1941The chimes of Big Ben were broadcast throughoutthe ship at midnight. The Junior Midshipman rang'sixteen bells' on the quarterdeck. Thus began 1941.2 January saw the Hood at sea again. She coveredanother minelaying operation which was beingcarried out to the north and the south of the Faroes.The operation successfully completed, the Hoodreturned to the Flow on 5 January.

Rosyth Refit 16/1/41-18/3/41On 10 January the Boatswain's party struck the pole-masts on both the fore and mainmast. The ship'scompany now knew that the refit at Rosyth was verynear. At 1800, however, the whole fleet at Scapawent to two hours' notice and just after midnight theHood sailed into the Pentland Firth, accompanied bythe Repulse, Edinburgh and Birmingham and sixdestroyers. Altering course westwards, the object ofthis operation was to investigate some unidentifiedwireless signals. Once again nothing transpired. On12 January the Admiral announced the Hood wasproceeding to Rosyth for a refit. She passed underthe Forth Bridge at 1540 on 13 January and afterde-ammunitioning arrived in Rosyth dockyard on16 January.Major machinery repairs were carried out and theblades in the starboard inner turbine, which werestripped when the Hood was chasing the Strasbourg,were replaced. Engineers from John Brown & Co,

Clydebank, builders of the Hood, assisted the dock-yard with this work.

RadarExtensive improvements were effected in theGunnery Control with the provision of Type 284Radar for the main armament. Air Warning Radar-Type 279-was also fitted.Many other minor repairs and improvements werecarried out including the fitting of new screens inthe after ends of the port and starboard batteries,the removal of the fore-topmast and the replacementof the two steam-picket boats by two 35ft motorboats. The propellers, rudder and the underwater hullwere inspected in dry dock.

King George VI visits'Hood'During the first leave Mr Churchill visited the Hood.He addressed the ship's company and said how sorryhe was to see her in dock and hoped that after her'insides' had been put right they would continue touphold the traditions and maintain the reputation ofthe famous ship. On 6 March 1941, King George VI,on a visit to Rosyth dockyard, inspected the ship'scompany.The Hood left the dockyard basin on 17 March. Thefollowing day she completed ammunitioning whilelying in mid-stream just above the Forth Bridge. At1650 hours she left her anchorage and, passing underthe Forth Bridge, sailed down the estuary into theNorth Sea.

Sailing to intercept the'Scharnhorst' and'Gniesenau'During the night of 19 March the Queen Elizabethand the cruiser London joined the Hood from ScapaFlow: on the following day it was learned that theships were sailing to intercept the Scharnhorst andGniesenau, a signal having been received from theRenown and Ark Royal, a thousand miles to thesouthward, that they had contacted the Germanbattlecruisers. As zero hour approached and no newswas received, the Hood set course for Scapa Flowarriving at her anchorage on 23 March. The next fewdays were spent exercising in the Flow.

Full Power Speed TrialsAt full power speed trials off the North coast of

161

Hoisting inboard a practice torpedo.

Scotland on 25 March the Hood worked up to amaximum speed of 28 . 8 knots with paravanesstreamed. This was one knot faster than the Prince ofWales had attained the previous week.

Patrolling off BrestOn 28 March the Hood was at sea again. AdmiralWhitworth made a general signal stating that theScharnhorst and Gneisenau were at Brest and theHood was to carry out a patrol off this area. On 4 AprilKing George V was sighted on her way to relieve theHood with the patrol off Brest. After spending onlyten hours at Scapa on 6 April, the Hood sailed southonce more to patrol off the Brest area.While on this patrol she received her first radar reportof an aircraft approaching. The plane was a Whitleybomber and the 279 radar had picked it up at adistance of fifteen miles.After spending Easter at sea the Hood returned toScapa on 14 April.

'Bismarck '* reported to have left KielAfter a few days exercising in the Flow, the Hoodpassed through Hoxa Gate at 1615 on 18 April. Onreaching the Pentland Firth she turned westwardsand the ship's company were informed that, oncemore, the ship was to patrol off Brest.During the middle watch on 19 April the plans weresuddenly changed and the ship altered course to060'. A signal had been received that the Bismarckand two Leipzig class cruisers had left Kiel and weresailing in a north-westerly direction. The Hoodpatrolled in northern waters.

If the 'Hood ' encounters the'Bismarck'On 20 April Admiral Whitworth made known his

* See Warship Profile No. 18, KM Bismarck

162

intentions if an 'enemy insight' report was received :the Hood would close the enemy at speed so as tobring her guns within effective range. If possible theapproach would be 'end-on' so as to present theminimum target. (The weakness of the Hood's deckarmour made it imperative that any action be foughtat as close a range as possible. The closer the rangethe flatter the trajectory of the shell and the less likelyit would be to penetrate through her decks and reachthe magazines.)As no further news of the Bismarck was received and,so as to be more conveniently placed should sheattempt to break out into the Atlantic, the Hood sailedto Hvalfiord in Iceland.

At Hvalfiord , IcelandShe remained in Icelandic waters, awaiting for newsof the Bismarck until 28 April when she left Hvalfiordand steered a south-westerly course. She escortedtwo convoys and covered them against a possiblesurface attack. Five days later, when both convoyswere past the danger zone, she returned to Hvalfiord.

Vice-Admiral Whitworth leaves the 'Hood'On Sunday morning, 4 May, the Hood left Hvalfiordand returned to Scapa Flow. On 8 May Vice-Admiral

Scapa Flow, October 1940.

October 1940. Note the U.P. mounting.

163

Scapa Flow: Pom-pom, 4in and U.P. mountings are visible. The funnel of the picket-boat can be seen hinged back in itsstowage position. October 1940

The Hood's ships company, November 7940. The Midshipman at the extreme right hand of th,Dundas, one of the Hood's three survivors.

Whitworth left the ship. Vice-Admiral L. E. Hollandjoined her on 12 May and assumed command of theBattlecruiser Squadron and second-in-command ofthe Home Fleet.

Exercising in Scapa FlowApart from carrying out a Range and InclinationExercise with the King George V in the PentlandFirth on 13 May, the Hood remained in Scapa Flow,exercising, until 16 May when she was ordered to'raise steam and proceed to sea with all despatch'. Areport had been received that the Bismarck had leftBergen. This report was later corrected and the Hoodreverted to four hours' notice for steam.On 19 May Admiral Holland confirmed the tacticsthat would be used should the Hood meet theBismarck, stressing the necessity of closing the range.

21May 1941 -'Hood' and'Prince of Wales'sail for HvalfiordOn 21 May 1941 Admiral Tovey, C. in C. Home Fleet,decided to sail the Hood and Prince of Wales toHvalfiord. With two heavy units in Iceland, the HomeFleet would be better placed to intercept theBismarck if she attempted to leave Norwegian watersand break out into the Atlantic.Little was it known that only a few hours beforeAdmiral Holland's ships had left Scapa Flow, the

nd row is Midshipman

Bismarck, in company with the heavy cruiser PrinzEugen,* had slipped out of the Norwegian fjord pastBergen to sail on a course that would take themthrough the Denmark Strait by 0600 on 24 May.

'Hood 's' Armament-May 19418 1 5in in 4twin turrets14 4in in 7 twin turrets

* See Warship Profile No. 6, KM Prinz Eugen

Scapa F/ow: Hood's boat deck. The Repulse is in thebackground.

165

Looking aft from the spotting-top.

167

3 8-barrelled pom-poms5 UP mountings2 quadruple machine guns4 above-water 21 in torpedo tubesRadar-Type 284 for the main armament

-Type 279-air warning.

'Battleship and Cruiser have left Bergen'At 1939 on 22 May Hatston Air Station intheOrkneysreported to the Commander-in-Chief of the HomeFleet,'Following received from Hatston reconnaiss-ance aircraft over Bergen. Battleship and cruiser haveleft.' Three minutes later Admiral Tovey took thefollowing action:The remaining units of the Home Fleet in Scapa wereordered to be ready for sea by 2300.The cruiser Suffolk to join the Norfolk in the DenmarkStrait.The cruiser Arethusa to join the Birmingham andManchester in the Iceland- Farces channel.The Hood and Prince of Wales were told to cover thearea to the south-west of Iceland so as to be in aposition to intercept the Bismarck should she attemptto break out into the Atlantic via the Denmark Straitor the Iceland-Faroes Channel.

'Ship bearing Green 140.Two Ships bearing Green 140.'With these, now historic, words reported at 1922 on23 May by Able Seaman Newell, the starboard afterlookout in the Suffolk, one of the most memorablenaval actions of the Second War was about tocommence. The Bismarck and Prinz Eugen had beenfound.The Norfolk and Suffolk took up their shadowingpositions and at 1939 Admiral Holland receivedone of the Suffolk's reports. The Hood, Prince ofWales with the destroyers Antelope, Achates,Anthony, Electra, Echo and Icarus were only 300miles to the south. If the enemy remained on itspresent course there was little doubt that battlewould be joined early the next morning.

' Hood ' alters course andincreases speed to interceptAt 1945 Admiral Holland signalled his force toincrease speed to 27 knots and steer a course of295', With the deteriorating weather the escortingdestroyers were having difficulty in keeping up withHood and Prince of Wales.Although Admiral Holland gave them the alternativeto 'follow at your best speed' they elected to hold onand accept some superficial damage to their boatsand gear.At 0015 on the morning of 24 May 1941 AdmiralHolland ordered his ships to 'Prepare for action'.Battle ensigns were hoisted.Meanwhile, in the Denmark Strait the Suffolk hadlost radar contact with the Bismarck during a snowstorm. The fact of receiving no signals from theSuffolk presented Admiral Holland with an extremelydifficult decision. Had the Bismarck turned back orhad she made a major alteration of course to eludethe shadowing cruisers or had she even sunk them ?If it was still her intention to break out into theAtlantic then her alteration of course could only be to

port-that is to due south or slightly east of south-owing to the Greenland pack-ice to starboard.Admiral Holland decided-wrongly as it transpired-that the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen had turned southand he altered course to due north and reduced speedto 25 knots. This, it was hoped, would have put theHood and Prince of Wales in a good interceptioncourse to bring the enemy to action in the shortestpossible time. In fact, no alteration of course hadbeen made bythe German ships.At 0210 Admiral Holland, wishing to maintain hisposition and not put his ships too far ahead of theiradversaries, made a further alteration of course-tosouth-east and ordered his escorting destroyers tocontinue searching to the north.At 0247 the welcome news was received in the Hoodthat the Suffolk had regained contact with theBismarck who was still on a course to bring her outinto the North Atlantic by 0600 on 24 May. The Hoodand Prince of Wales altered course back to due northand increased speed to 28 knots. (It is difficult tounderstand why Admiral Holland did not recall hisdestroyers when this news was received).

'Bismarck ' Twenty Miles to theNorth - East of 'Hood'At 0400 the plotting officers in the Hood estimatedthat the Bismarck was some twenty 'miles to thenorth-east and at 0500 Admiral Holland made thesignal, 'Instant readiness for action'.

The 'Hood ' and'Prince of Wales';The Bismarck ' and'Prinz Eugen'On paper Admiral Holland would seem to have hadsuperiority but it must be remembered that the Hoodwas over 21 years old and had inherited that inbornweakness of all British battle-cruisers: inadequatedeck armour. (This weakness in her design was oneof the principal reasons for the tactics adopted byAdmiral Holland in the ensuing engagement). Withregard to the Prince of Wales she was a brand newship, nowhere near being properly worked-up.Indeed, when she went into action workmen fromher contractors were still on board. In addition, adefect had been discovered in one of her four guns in'A' turret. It would only be able to fire in the first salvobefore becoming unserviceable.On the other side of the coin, we have the Bismarck,constructed with complete disregard for NavalAgreements, and modern in every respect. She hadspent months working-up in the Baltic carrying outevery manoeuvre and exercising against all eventu-alities. Being nearer 50,000 tons than the 35,000 tonsallowed by the Washington Agreement she had beengiven an armoured hull of almost impenetrablenickel-chrome steel, 14 inches thick over two-thirdsof her length.The Prinz Eugen, although classed as a heavycruiser, was of some 18,400 tons displacement, againfar in excess of the figure allowed under theWashington Treaty.These were the ships which Admiral Holland facedwhen action was joined on Empire Day 1941.The following sonnet was written by LieutenantSteegman RNVR, formerly an ordinary seaman in the

168

Hood, while he was on patrol , 500 miles north - east ofCape Farewell-over the spot where the Hood blew-up:

'We pass, alert and cautious, o'er your graveNow three years old. A thousand friendsand moreA thousand fathoms deep. I humbly craveForgiveness for my tears; my heart is sore.What blessed hopes would I not now forswear,Deny my faith, distort the desperate truth,If, by some miracle, the sounding gearCould echo up the voices of your youth.Rage on, ensanquined seas; hurl on your headsThe ancient curse of sailors yet unborn.Not all the storms in hell can rock the bedsof Hood's great company. No more I'll mournFor now I know no sailor ever dies.We pass right on. "All's well", her echo cries.'

The fo'c'sle from the Air Defence Position.

0537-24 May 1941-' Enemy in Sight . Distance 17 Miles'.When this report was made by the Prince of Wales,Admiral Holland realised that, owing to his alterationof course during the night, he had lost considerablebearing on the Bismarck.Wishing to close the range as soon as possible, at0546 the Hood and Prince of Wales altered course40' towards the Bismarck. A few minutes laterAdmiral Holland turned his ships a further 20°towards the enemy. Even with this latest alterationthe British ships were still approaching the enemy30' to port of an end-on approach. This meant that,not only were they presenting a much greater targetthan would have been the case if an end-on run-in

Air Defence Position.

Taking it green.

had been adopted, but the after turrets of both shipswere no longer able to bear. Thus, in the early stagesof the action the British ships were not able to takeadvantage of their superior fire-power.

'Hood' opens the firingWith the Hood and Prince of Wales continuing at 28knots the range was closing rapidly and at 0549 theAdmiral signalled for fire to be concentrated on theleading ship-the Prinz Eugen who had beenmistaken for the Bismarck. Three minutes later,realising his mistake, he signalled to, 'Shift targetright'-at the very moment the Hood had opened thefiring. The Prince of Wales had already decided toignore the Admiral's signal and had opened fire fromthe beginning on the Bismarck.Seconds later the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen replied,both concentrating their fire on the Hood who wassoon obscured in a forest of foam as the Germansalvoes fell all around her.The Norfolk and Suffolk, who kept out of the action,

169

r

View from fo'c'sle looking aft, April 1941.Note 279 Radar on spotting top and forwardU.P. mountings on boat deck.

170

could see that the Hood's salvoes were falling closeto the enemy and it is believed that her third salvo wasa straddle.At 0555 the Hood was hit on the boat deck near themainmast and a huge fire broke out, caused it wouldseem, by the setting-off of the ammunition in theready-use lockers. It is now known that this hit wasscored by the Prinz Eugen.At this time the Admiral made his last signal-a turn20' to port, which would have brought the HoodandPrince of Wales on a course approximately parallel totheir adversaries and thus would have opened up thearcs of the after turrets. The full weight of the com-bined salvoes of the British ships could then havebeen brought to bear.The tragedy of the whole action is that, just as theHood and Prince of Wales began to execute this

turn to port, the Hood received her death blow.

'Hood ' Blows-UpThe fourth salvo from the Bismarck fell very close tothe Hood. 'X' turret had just fired its first salvo whenthe fifth salvo from the Bismarck hit the Hood andplunged down to her 4in magazine, about 65ft abaftthe mainmast. The explosion in her 4in magazine setoff the after two 1 5in magazines. At 16,500 yards theHood had received a fatal hit. A pillar of fire soared athousand feet into the air and in the huge explosionwhich followed, her back broke, her bows lifted highout of the water and within 90 seconds there waslittle to be seen other than a dense pall of smokehovering over the foaming sea. The Hood's grave is63'20'N, 31'50'W. With her she took 1418 officersand men.

171

d at Scapa Flow, three days before she sailed to meet the Bismarck.

The Hood pictured from the Prince of Wales the daybefore meeting the Bismarck. (Central Press Photos Ltd.)

Empire Day 1941. The Hood exploding.The Author

AcknowledgmentsI am particularly indebted to the editor of Ships Monthly for permissionto reproduce many of my photographs in this Profile.

My thanks also go to Mr D. G. WELDON for his valued assistance withinformation on the Hood and also for his kindness in allowing me touse certain of his photographs.

BibliographyJanes Fighting Ships 1939.The Mighty Hood by ERNLE BRADFORD, Hodder.

Warship Series Editor: JOHN WINGATE, DSC

172

Warship°"`seriesThe most ambitious series so far conceived and produced by Profile Publications Limited. This new inter-national series will span the era of the modern fighting ship from the launching of the Dreadnought in 1906up to the present day ship -a complex offloating electronics, weaponry and technology. Profile have createda team of international experts in naval history backed by a first rate group of researchers and consultants.This new series will continue to reflect the high standard of the Profile series already published. Present-ation will follow the format which has proved so popular with the other series with first rate text,supported by many superb black and white illustrations and, of course, the famous Profile colour centrespread which will show complete side and plan views of each warship and, where applicable, additionalinformation such as ships' badges, camouflage schemes, cross sections and details of ships' fittings.

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Next 12 titles areSpecial Announcement

One of the most dramatic encounters in WorldWar II, HMS Hood's and Prince of Wales's engage-ment with KM Bismark and Prinz Eugen has beenrecorded in Warship Profiles Numbers 18 and 19which are both being issued during May, 1972.This important publishing achievement is beingmarked by the provision of a `double-double' pagegate-fold centre-spread in colour of each protag-onist.The author of HMS Hood is R. G. Robertson, CA,who was the last man to leave the ship when shesailed from Scapa Flow for her final sortie. Fregatt-enkapitan a.D. Paul Schmalenbach, who was PrinzEugen's Gunnery Officer during the action, is theauthor of KM Bismark; he also wrote WarshipProfile No. 6, KM Prinz Eugen.

18. KM BismarckWith Tirpitz, Germany's other battleship, Bismarck,was the pride of the German fleet. `Big Brother' toPrinz Eugen, she forayed into the Atlantic in May1941, where, after sinking HMS Hood, she washunted and eventually destroyed by units of theRoyal Navy: by Fregattenkapitan Paul Schmalen-bach, author of Warship Profile Ao. 6, Prinz Eugen,whose Gunnery Officer he was for the duration ofWorld War II.

19. HMS HoodThe `Mighty Hood', the most graceful warship ofher time, held pride of place in the hearts of theBritish public. A superb battle cruiser, she bore aninherent defect in design which was to lead toterrible disaster: by R. G. Robertson, the lastman to leave Hood at Scapa Flow when she sailedfor the Atlantic and her encounter with Bismarck.

20. HMS HesperusThe ex-Brazilian `H'-class destroyer who, as

leader of Commander Donald Macintyre's Escort

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Battle of the Atlantic. Macintyre in Hesperus

brilliantly fought one of the five critical convoy

actions against massive opposition that forced

Admiral Doenitz to admit defeat and withdraw his

U-Boats from the Atlantic. By Captain Peter

Dickens, DSO, MBE, DSC, RN.

21. USS Tennessee (BB 43)This famous battleship was built during the super-Dreadnought era of World War I and served in theUSN until placed in reserve after World War II.Receiving only minor damage during the Japaneseattack at Pearl Harbour, Tennessee was expensivelyrebuilt in 1942 and rejoined the Pacific Fleet forits attack on Japan. Ironically, it was Tennessee andher `old contemporaries', salvaged off the bottomof Pearl Harbour, who were destined to fight thelast battleship-to-battleship engagement in history,vice the big, new super battleships: by CommanderW. H. Cracknell, USN.

22. IJN Yukikaze23. HMS Furious24. HMS Furious25. SMS Emden26. FF. S/M Rubis27. SMS Torpedoboat B. 11028. USS Indianapolis (CA 33)29. HMS Belfast (Published and available)

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VOLUME 1 WARSHIPS IN PROFILEGeneral Editor: John Wingate DSC

Exciting launch to impressive series devoted to the famous and infamous surface and underseavessels of the world's navies. Superbly detailed plan and side views; full-colour two-pageplates by Profile artists. Vol. 1 : 12 titles, approximately 7000 words each, with 420 photos plusarchitectural drawingsWarships included are: HMS Dreadnought; HMS Cossack; USS Hornet (CV8) ; K.M. GrafSpee; HMS Campbeltown; Kreigsmarine Prinz Eugen; HM Motor Torpedo Boats;Kriegsmarine U-107; USS Charles Ausburne; HMS Illustrious: Parts 1 and 2; IJN Kongo.

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Profile Publications Ltd, Coburg House , Sheet Street , Windsor, Berks . SL41 EBWarship Profile and its contents are copyright © Profile Publications Limited, Coburg House, Sheet Street, Windsor, Berkshire, EnglandPrinted in England by Chichester Press Limited, Chichester, Sussex May 1972