Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Did HMS Rodney torpedo the Bismark?
In May 1941 while commanded by Captain Dalrymple-Hamilton, Rodney and two destroyers were escorting the troop ship Britannic to Canada; the Britannic was taking civilians over to Canada, and would be bringing Canadian troops back to Britain. It was during this run on 24 May that she was called to join in the pursuit of the German battleship Bismarck. On 26 May, she joined up with King George V; Admiral Sir John Tovey sent the destroyers home because they were low on fuel, and had Rodney fall in behind King George V for the battle against the Bismarck the next day. On the early morning of 27 May 1941, along with the battleship King George V and the cruisers Norfolk, and Dorsetshire, she engaged the Bismarck, which had had its rudder machinery damaged by a torpedo the day before. After Bismarck's guns were knocked out, Rodney closed with Bismarck until she was firing essentially a flat trajectory, and spotters could actually follow the shells to the target. One 16 inch shell was tracked from the gun to where it hit the face of Bismarck's #2 gunhouse (turret Bertha) and exploded, blowing out the back of the gunhouse. She later broke off action and was ordered home because of her low fuel status, though not before firing torpedoes into both sides of the stricken German battleship. This is believed to be the only naval battle in history of one battleship torpedoing another battleship.
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