SHIPWRECKS: THE BISMARCK

the bismarck was an eight-mounted german battleship with 15-inch guns and a top speed of 30 knots— it was sighted by a british RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT off the coast of norway in may, 1941. the entire british home fleet was immediately sent to intercept it. two cruisers made contact off the coast of iceland, while 2 other british ships soon engaged it. after destroying the hood of the ship with a shell that exploded, the bismark headed into open sea, attempting to reach german-occupied france. 30 hours later, it was sighted by british aircraft. hit by a torpedo that crippled the steering gear, the ship was quickly bombarded by battleships.

on the morning of may 27th, the king goerge v and the rodney engaged in an hour-long attack where they finally incapacitated the german vessel. it sank shortly after being hit by three torpedoes the from the cruiser dorsetshire. an american oceanographer by the name of robert ballard led an expedition to find the ship in 1989. they found it lying upright at a depth of more than 15,000 feet.