Did the Bismarck actually put the fatal shot on the Hood?Sorry to bring up such an issue but it has been a question that has been in my head for a long time.I have read conflicting reports that it was actually the Prinz Eugen that might have put the fatal shot into the Hood.If i am wrong please correct me but i believe the fatal shot on the Hood was through the thin 3" (76mm)deck near X turrent which penetrate to the ammo room below.The 8" guns of Prinz Eugen is capable of doin that at that range during the battle and i believe the heavy cruiser can fire at a faster rate as well(3-4 rounds a min)compared to the Bismarcks 1-2 rounds per gun.I have also read that just a few seconds before the fatal hit,the salvos from the Bismarck was seen to fall a little short of the Hood but with the salvo fired by the Prinze Eugen just after the Bismarck,no splashes were seen and suddenly the Hood blew up.It all happen so suddenly that the Germans were stunned as well and presumed Bismarck had made the kill.To the Royal navy it was a shock lost but to loose the pride and joy of the Royal Navy to a heavy cruiser was a little hard to swallow and therefore Bismarck was credited as the culprit so as to show the Hood sank in a fight against a tougher opponent.I could be wrong in this but could someone please enlighten me as it has been a question in my head for decades.Thank you.
Interesting question. I have no answer to give other than logic. It is impossible to say certitude why the HOOD suddenly exploded. While speculation and best guess based on expert opinion are all well and good, they are, after all, just speculation. It is impossible to examine and evidence or question the ship's Engineer.
Welcome to the Forums, fleaman - and yes, that is a good question. My own opinion ( having read a good number of books, and also taken in a various TV documentaries/reconstructions ) is that a heavy-calibre shell would be needed to do this. I believe penetration to a considerable depth of the ship was needed in order to explode the magazine and an 8" shell would have lost momentum / exploded before reaching the vital area. But that's only my opinion.....
Welcome to the forum Fleaman and thank you for posing such a good question. I would have to agree with Martin on this one but would also say to do some more research. You may find many more interesting facts to share with us. Happy posting
While there is no definitive answer to this question, the overwhelming evidence leads to the conclusion that Bismarck fired the fatal round. There was an article in Warship International some years ago that was fairly convencing on this. First, at the ranges Bismarck and Prinz Eugen were at the 8" guns of Prinz Eugen were incapable of penetration of either Hood's deck or belt. Thus, it is extremely unlikely she could have scored the fatal hit. Next, the times of salvos place the fatal one as Bismarck's. The fatal salvo struck Hood a little less than a minute before she exploded. This is consistant with a magazine hit were a fire begins followed by an explosion after gasses build to a point where they cannot be contained. Found the article on line! INRO Bismarck v Hood article Note, it is in four parts and rather lenghty. While not definitive as the author notes, it is likely the most detailed in publication.
Thinking further on my earlier reply, 3" of armour ( although thin by battleship standards ) still takes some punching through, therefore an a/p shell would seem to have been the effective round. A/P shells carry a limited amount of explosive, so once again, I would incline to the larger-calibre shell as having the necessary effectiveness in this case.
Ahh thx Martin and i think u are right and thx for the info Gardner.I now can be assured that a 15" round did cause the explosion.
