Battleship Bismarck and Tirpitz

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Battleship Bismarck

Sir James Somerville
Nationality	British
Rank	Admiral
Born	1882
Died	1949
Career
July 1940	Mediterranean, Operation "Catapult" Naval battle at Punta Stilo, Calabria (including Force H, with HMS Hood etc.)
November 1940	Mediterranean, Operation "White" (Force H) Operation "Collar" (naval battle at cap teulada, Sardinia)
January 1941	Mediterranean, Operation "Excess" (reinforcing Malta)
Jan. - Feb. 1941	Mediterranean, operation against Sardinia and Henoa
May 1941	Action against Bismarck Gibraltar Squadron, Force H with the flagship Renown, aircraft carrier Ark Royal and cruiser Sheffield
May 1941	Mediterranean, Operation "Splice"
September 1941	Mediterranean, Operation "Halberd" (supplying Malta)
Oct. - Nov. 1941	Force H operation Carrier Ark Royal (U-331/Tiesenhausen)
April 1942	Indian Ocean Japanese Ceylon operation Action of the British Eastern Fleet
Jan. - Feb. 1944	The British Eastern Fleet is strengthened
March - April 1944	Operation "Cocos Islands", Trincolamee, Ceylon
April 1944	Operation "Cockpit"
May 1944	Operation "Transom"
July 1944	Operation "Grimson"
8 Aug. 1944	Change in the leadership of the British Eastern Fleet Admiral Fraser replaces Admiral Somerville

On the morning of 27 May Admiral Tovey manoeuvred his squadron so that it would approach from the west and have the target silhouetted by the morning light. The battleships, King George V and Rodney, sailed in line abreast about 550 meter (600 yards) apart toward the last reported position of the enemy. Steering on a meandering course at 7 knots, finally came into view to the south-east at about 0843 and at a range of about 23,000 meters (25,000 yards). As soon as the enemy was sighted, the Rodney peeled off to port and headed on a more easterly course to engage separately as prearranged.

At 0847, the final battle began as the Rodney opened fire. King George V opened fire at 0848. The distance was about 20,000 meters (22,000 yards). At 0849, the Bismarck opened fire against the Rodney.

At 0854, the heavy cruiser Norfolk opened fire. At 0902, the Battleship Bismarck was hit for the first time.

At 0904, the heavy cruiser Dorsetshire opened fire.

At 0908, the forward range finder and turrets A (Anton) and B (Bruno) were put out of action. Therefore, on board the fire control was shifted to the after command post, until this station was also put out of action at about 0913.

At 0913, the Bismarck's after command post went out of action.

At 0931, fired her last salvo. At 0912 - 1016, the Battleship Bismarck received multiple hits at point blank range between 2,500 (2,700 yards) and 4,000 meters (4,400 yards), but was still afloat. By 0920, the range had come down to 14,000 meter (15,000 yards) for the King George V and 9,000 meter (10,000 yards) for the Rodney. At 0921, turret D (Dora) was put out of action after one of its own shells exploded inside the right barrel. At 0927, turret A (Anton) and B (Bruno) surprisingly fired one last salvo. At 0931 turret C (Caesar) fired its last salvo.

battleship, battlecruiser, cruiser, pocket-battleship and other ships of the german Kriegsmarine like

Battleship Bismarck, Bismark, Tirpitz,

Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Admiral Scheer, Graf Spee, Luetzow, Prinz Eugen, Admiral Hipper, Bluecher, Seydlitz