German Battleship Bismarck: Story And Merchandise

First of the two sister warships to be built, construction on the Bismarck began in July 1936 at the Blohm and Voss shipyard located in Hamburg, Germany, and was completed in September 1940. It's sister, the Tirpitz, was constructed shortly after in October 1936, and later finished in February of 1941.

The ship was named after famous German statesmen Otto Von Bismarck, and was later christened by his granddaughter. Fully loaded the Bismarck weighed 50,300 tons and had an overall length of 251 meters. This massive warship was a spectacle of Nazi Germany engineering. Producing 150,170 shaft horsepower, the Bismarck was powered by three massive geared steam turbines in conjunction with twelve oil-fired boilers. These power plants propelled the floating fortress to speeds of up to 30 knots or roughly 34.5 MPH. Fully stocked, the impressive Bismarck had a range of 8,870 nautical miles at 19 knots.

Armed with eight 15 inch, twelve 6 inch cannons, and unprecedented strong armor, it was the most deadly battleship in Atlantic.

While the Bismarck was the newfound pride and joy of the German Kriegsmarine, her career was relatively short lived. During the life span of the vessel, the Bismarck only conducted one offensive mission, operation Rheinübung. The mission instructed the Bismarck along with the Prinz Eugen, a heavy German to cruiser, to effectively cut off the merchant ships in the Atlantic from supplying Britain. This lifeline was imperative to Britain, as it supplied the country with food and essential materials, and such occupied the interest of both Germany and Britain
On May 19th, the Bismarck was deployed for the first time for active duty. Setting its sites for the Atlantic via the Denmark Strait, she was reinforced by three other destroyers, five escort vehicles, and U boats. However, the following day the fleet of ships were spotted by Swedish reconnaissance planes, and ultimately the Swedish boat, the HMS, Gotland was ordered to shadow the fleet. The information eventually made its way to British intelligence.

While the fleet ultimately made it safely to the Norwegian coast, they had lost the element of surprise. The British were aware of their presence and intent, reconnaissance missions were ordered by the British to locate the fleet, and ultimately proved successful. The British navy ordered the deployment of the HMS Hood battle cruiser as well as the HMS Price of Wales. Sixe other destroyers accompanied the two warships in order to defend the Denmark Strait.

The ensuing battle was an important landmark for the war, and the defining moment for the ships fate. On May 24th in the early morning, the British war ships Hood and Prince of Wales, engaged the Bismarck along with the Prinz Eugun. After only 8 minutes of battle, the iconic Bismarck had scored a huge hit on the Hood. A 38cm armor-piercing round penetrated the structure of the Hood and hit a supply room containing explosive cordite. The end result was drastic, the Hood was sunken, and the Prince of Wales retreated behind a smoke screen badly damaged. While the Germans won the fight, they hadn't won the war quite yet. The British wanted revenge, and launched a full-fledged search and destroy mission.

While the Bismarck was the acclaimed victor, the success wasn't with its consequences. During the fight, the Bismarck was hit several times, and damaged. It set course for St. Nazaire for repairs, as it was leaking oil and taking on water. However, the Suffolk, Norfolk, and prince of whales followed closely behind. The Royal Navy sent orders to all warships in the surrounding are to join the chase, the hunt was on.
Strategic position of the British HMS Victorious aircraft carrier allowed an attack on the Bismarck via torpedo-equipped bombers. While the attack was successful in the fact all 15 planes returned safely, it was equally as ineffective as no real damage was dealt to the battleship. The chase continued to intensify as the Bismarck reached the open seas of the North Atlantic. British ships avoided slight line courses in fear of German U-boats. As a result they lagged far enough behind the Bismarck that it was able to escape radar contact. They strategically used this to their advantage to elude the British forces.

Left scratching their heads, Britain's search effort continued to strengthen. Eventually a US Navy pilot was able to locate the vessel, however only one British vessel was in range, the Ark Royal aircraft carrier. A second attack was made with more torpedo-equipped plans, and proved successful in damaging the rudders. The infamous Bismarck was left dead in the water, as the rudder was now locked in place, she could only helplessly maneuver in circles. This provided ample grounds for an all out assault by the British Navy. The Bismarck was ultimately sunk, riddled with holes from the British warships.

The German Bismarck is finally an astounding reminder of the destructive nature of war. From it's launch on May 19th, to it's destruction on May 27th, the massive battleship which took four years to construct, served Nazi Germany for only 8 days of active duty.

The wreck of Bismarck was discovered in 1989 by Dr. Robert Ballard, the oceanographer also responsible for finding the Titanic. Bismarck rests upright at a depth of approximately 4,791 m (17,500 ft),[119] about 650 km (400 mi) west of Brest.