Which infamous German battlecruiser, along with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, sank Britain's battlecruiser HMS Hood during the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941 before being hunted down and sunk by the Royal Navy?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Bismarck
- Step 1: On 24 May 1941, the German battleship Bismarck detonated the aft magazine of HMS Hood in the Denmark Strait, sinking the pride of the Royal Navy in minutes with only three survivors.
- Step 2: Prime Minister Winston Churchill issued the famous order 'Sink the Bismarck!'; after obsolete Fairey Swordfish biplanes jammed its steering rudder with a torpedo, British battleships hammered and scuttled it on 27 May 1941.
Answer
Bismarck
Why not the others: 'Tirpitz' Tirpitz was Bismarck's sister battleship, stationed in Norwegian fjords until being sunk by RAF 12,000-pound Tallboy bombs in 1944; 'Graf Spee' Admiral Graf Spee was a pocket battleship scuttled by its captain in the Río de la Plata in December 1939; 'Scharnhorst' Scharnhorst was a German battlecruiser sunk by HMS Duke of York during the Battle of the North Cape in December 1943.
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