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At 0900hrs on the 27th.May 1941, H.M.S. Dorsetshire came out of the mist, proudly streaming her battle ensign from the foremast, and sighted the 'Bismarck'. I suspect we were nearer to her than had been expected but it was the moment Captain Benjamin Martin had been impatiently waiting for. The weather was still bad with a heavy sea running but it was of no consequence, looking through my binoculars I could only gasp at the sight of the powerful German battleship. Her elegant lines were truly beautiful but frightening. An ambient grace belied the destructive capability of this vessel, deservedly called the pride of the Kriegsmarine. Built by Blohm and Voss in Hamburg, Bismark was laid down in 1936, launched on the 14th.February 1939 and finally commissioned in August 1940. She was a floating fortress with every modern aid that German technology could provide. With a displacement of 45,900 tons, this was increased to 50,960 tons when fully loaded, 'Bismark' had an overall speed in excess of 30 knots produced from banks of turbines. It made her one of the fastest battleships afloat. The main armament consisted of eight 15" (380mm) guns, twin mounted in four turrets. The secondary weaponry was made up of twelve 5.9" (150mm) and sixteen 4" (105mm) guns. The secondary armament could support the sixteen 1.5mm and eighteen quick firing guns against enemy air attack. For reconnaissance and spotting, 'Bismark' carried four single engined 196 Arado aircraft. The ships' compliment of 2200 men enjoyed the up to date living accommodation that this vessel 823ft (251metres) long, with a beam of 118ft. (36 metres) could provide.
'Dorsetshire' with her 8" guns must have looked a very puny adversary from the bridge of a ship that was aptly named after the famous Iron Chancellor who united the peoples of Germany. Prince Otto von Bismark would have been proud of the ship that carried his name, as it stood alone fighting overwhelming odds. It surprised the other ships in the vicinity when ‘Dorsetshire’ came into view making straight for Bismarck. That our arrival was unexpected was soon made evident with a sudden and very unwelcome greeting from one of our own capital ships. Like the sound of a thousand 'banshees' shells whistled overhead and erupted in the sea off our port quarter. The direction of the salvos caused fears that one of the British battleships had mistaken Dorsetshire for the 'Prinz Eugen'. The German battle cruiser had been accompanying Bismarck earlier but had slipped through the net to Brest. Frantic signals made ‘Dorsetshire's’ identity clear to everyone, it was one thing to be fired at by the Germans but not what was expected from friends. H.M.S. Rodney and H.M.S. King George V were already engaging 'Bismark' but showing cautious respect by firing from a great distance. It was recorded that although damage was extensively done to the upper part of the enemy ship, no shells from 'Rodney' or King George V had penetrated the armoured deck of 'Bismark'. The booming of the big guns rumbled like thunder as the British battleships kept up their barrage in reply to the enemy's fire. On the 26/27th Captain Vian, of 'Altmark' fame, led his destroyer flotilla of 'Cossack', 'Maori', 'Sikh' and 'Zulu' in repeated attacks on Bismarck. The daring attempts to torpedo the battleship were repulsed with fierce gunfire, forcing them to withdraw.
At 0910 hrs Bismarck came within range of our guns and Captain Martin gave the order to open fire. The response was immediate with the turrets sending deadly missiles towards their target. The procedures for reloading were instantaneous and efficiently carried out as the gun crews sweated to save every second. The big shells and the cordite moved smoothly in a continuous stream, from deep below in the Shell Rooms, up through the hoists and into the gun Turrets. Hydraulic rams finished the job of pushing the long steel cylinders and the charges into the breeches of the hot guns. The language from the Turret 'captains' was as powerful as the recoiling guns with seasoned gunners like, Petty Officer Braden and Petty Officer Cottrell driving their men to greater effort. The Gunhouse crews were oblivious to the heat and the intensified smell of sweat, oil and cordite. They were far too busy with the important task of loading and firing the guns in the shortest time possible. A, B, and Y Turrets are traditionally manned by the seaman branch but X Turret was the domain of the Royal Marines, now the 'bootnecks' were showing the Gunnery Officer why they were recognised the world over for their gunnery skills. With every crash and crack of the main armament Dorsetshire was wreathed in bellowing smoke and flashes of orange flame. As the guns recoiled the ship was pushed beam down into the water which was a natural shock absorber to take the aftermath of the broadsides. As the guns settled back the breech-blocks swung open for reloading. Above the noise the cry 'Interceptor closed' indicated that the whole procedure for reloading had been completed and the guns were ready to be fired again.
The morale on board the cruiser was very high, born from the confidence the men had in their captain and their respect for his ability. After the action, Captain Martin was told by a German from Bismarck's gunnery department that the second salvo from ‘Dorsetshire’ had put the fire control out of use, it was a comment that established our accurate firepower. As our ship veered slightly it was possible to bring all guns to bear at the same time and fire broadsides. Hits were soon recorded on Bismarck's Control Top, encouraging our Rangetakers, their sights were properly set to produce results. 'Dorsetshire' was now firing at the reported rate of a broadside every fourteen to twenty seconds which was exceptional. Survivors from the 'Bismark' remarked afterwards that 'Dorsetshire's' rate of fire and its destructive effect had been grossly underestimated until it was too late. The Germans gave the ship far more credit for her role in the sinking of the 'Bismark' than was acknowledged by the British senior staff. Loud gunfire continued to thunder as both sides exchanged shots with the greater volume coming from the British ships. The rumbling of the guns sounded continuously as broadside after broadside from the Allied ships sent the ear-splitting missiles raining down on the doomed German ship. It was a one sided fight with the Bismarck battling on against impossible odds although the two big ships of the Royal Navy, Rodney and King George V, were still keeping a discreet distance.
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Sinking the Bismarck |
