Writing in 1979, the naval historian, The ship was blown up by her own guns. H.M.S. It was divided into an empty outer compartment and an inner compartment filled with five rows of water-tight "crushing tubes" intended to absorb and distribute the force of an explosion. HMS Hood, HMS Repulse, HMS Furious, HMS Somali, HMS Eskimo, HMS Mashona, HMS Punjabi and . [85], The evidence of the wreck refutes Goodall's theory of a torpedo explosion, while the eyewitness evidence of venting from the 4-inch magazine prior to the main explosion conflicts with the theory that the Hood was blown up by her own guns. The Royal Navy's HMS Hood will forever be linked with the German Kriegsmarine battleship KMS Bismarck, as the former vessel was sunk on May 24, 1941 during the Battle of the Denmark Strait. The exact cause of the loss of Hood remains a subject of debate. According to Goodall's theory, the ship's torpedoes could have been detonated either by the fire raging on the boat deck or, more probably, by a direct hit from. At the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 HMS Queen Mary , HMS Indefatigable, and the unfortunately named HMS Invincible. The British opened fire at 05:52 with Hood engaging Prinz Eugen, the lead ship in the German formation, and the Germans returned fire at 05:55, both ships concentrating on Hood. Three ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Hood after several members of the Hood family, who were notable naval officers: HMS Hood (1859), a 91-gun second-rate ship of the line, originally laid down as HMS Edgar, but renamed in 1848 and launched in 1859. Her secondary and antiaircraft fire-control directors were rearranged during another quick refit between 1 August and 5 September 1934. [34] However, the US continued with their established design direction, the slower, but well-protected, South Dakota-class battleship and the fast and lightly armoured Lexington-class battlecruiser, both of which were later cancelled in accordance with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. She was above all the proud steel ambassador of the whole Royal Navy and of the country. HMS HOOD - 15in gun Battlecruiserincluding Convoy Escort Movements. [36] To add to the confusion, Royal Navy documents of the period often describe any battleship with a maximum speed over 24 knots (44km/h; 28mph) as a battlecruiser, regardless of the amount of protective armour. Categories . Before being installed on the battlecruiser, the bell was inscribed around its base with the words: "This bell was preserved from HMS Hood battleship 18911914 by the late Rear Admiral, The Honourable Sir Horace Hood KCB, DSO, MVO killed at Jutland on 31st May 1916. Bertie Jack Tomlinson TELEGRAPHIST CLASS A Served from 1943 - 1946 Served in HMS Royal Arthur Paul Graham Duddle L/COOK Served from 1970 - 1979 Served in HMS Royal Arthur Nicholas Sparey LEADING HAND Served from 1990 - 2002 Served in HMS Royal Arthur Lawrence Johnson This is a public FB page for the H.M.S. . Crew Lost During the Sinking of Hood, 24th May 1941, Crew & Dockyard Workers Lost Prior to the Sinking (Sept 1916 - May 1941). Hood was the first of four Admiral-class ships planned to be built during World War I. On May 24, 1941, the fifth salvo of the German battleship Bismarck sank the British battlecruiser HMS Hood. For this reason, she was the only ship of her class to be completed, as the Admiralty decided it would be better to start with a clean design on succeeding battlecruisers, leading to the never-built G-3 class. [93] Bill Jurens points out that there was no magazine of any kind at the location of the break and that the location of the break just forward of the forward transverse armoured bulkhead suggests that the ship's structure failed there as a result of stresses inflicted when the bow was lifted into the vertical position by the sinking stern section. He joined HMS Copra on the 7th of November 1943 and was lent three times to HMS Dundonald. Captain Thomas Tower replaced Captain Binney on 30 August 1933. [26], The gun turrets and barbettes were protected by 11 to 15 inches (279 to 381mm) of KC armour, except for the turret roofs, which were 5 inches thick. As a result, the greater part of the infomation that we have brought together in this database has come from the service records of individual men. [35], Influences from Hood showed on subsequent Lexington designs, with the reduction of the main armour belt, the change to "sloped armour", and the addition of four above-water torpedo tubes to the four underwater tubes of the original design. Hood was straddled during the engagement by Dunkerque; shell splinters wounded two men. She embarked a Fairey IIIF from No. [40] In addition, she was grossly overweight compared to her original design, making her a wet ship with a highly stressed structure. Just eight days after the French surrender, the British Admiralty issued an ultimatum that the French fleet at Oran intern its ships in a British or neutral port to ensure they would not fall into Axis hands. Two years later, the "pom-pom" directors were moved to the rear corners of the bridge to get them out of the funnel gases. List of crew killed in action aboard HMS Prince of Wales on December 10, 1941. As a battlecruiser, Hood was similar in size and had the offensive capability of. Hood Roll of Honour List (24th May 1941), You can also try searching our database for a particular name This work is still very much in development but we have about one-third of the people who died already listed. The captains of both ships were court-martialled, as was the squadron commander, Rear Admiral Sidney Bailey. On 24 May 1941, early in the Battle of the Denmark Strait, Hood was struck by several German shells, exploded, and sank with the loss of all but 3 of her crew of 1,418. The U-boat War in World War Two (Kriegsmarine, 1939-1945) and World War One (Kaiserliche Marine, 1914-1918) and the Allied efforts to counter the threat. Only Hood was completed, because the ships were very expensive and required labour and material that could be put to better use building merchant ships needed to replace those lost to the German U-boat campaign. What is presented below is therefore necessarily incomplete in respect of Royal Navy ratings and Royal Marines. On May 24, 1941, HMS Hood engaged the German Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen and the battleship Bismarck. The first, held soon after the ship's loss, concluded that Hood's aft magazine had exploded after one of Bismarck's shells penetrated the ship's armour. [97][98], The expedition also took the opportunity to re-film the wreck and survey her using techniques unavailable in 2001. HMS Hood: Crew, History, Status. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. On the other hand, the 12-inch belt could have been penetrated if Hood had progressed sufficiently far into her final turn.[84]. A look at the often overlooked members of Hood's crew, Miscellaneous Crew Photos Alternative routes for admission of flame could have been the ventilation or venting arrangements of the magazines or, as Ted Briggs suggested, through the floor of a 15-inch gunhouse. Whatever caused the explosion, it proved fatal for the ship and most of her crew. Hood Association Archives and various family sources. Hood's wreck lies on the seabed in pieces among two debris fields at a depth of about 2,800 metres (9,200 feet). [72], Both boards of enquiry exonerated Vice-Admiral Holland from any blame regarding the loss of Hood. In January 1941 Janus assisted with convoy operations between Malta and Piraeus. [48], Hood was given a major refit from 1 May 1929 to 10 March 1931, and afterwards resumed her role as flagship of the battlecruiser squadron under the command of Captain Julian Patterson. 19 rare photos of HMS Hood - the Royal Navy's final battlecruiser First launched more than 100 years ago, HMS Hood was one of the greatest warships ever built by the Royal Navy. She displaced 42,670 long tons (43,350t) at load and 46,680 long tons (47,430t) at deep load, over 13,000 long tons (13,210t) more than the older ships. This change increased the ship's vulnerability to plunging (high-trajectory) shells, as it exposed more of the vulnerable deck armour. Their sacrifices were not in vain: Though they were lost, the action in the Denmark Strait did end Bismarck's sortie. The stern of the Hood was located, with the rudder still in place, and it was found that this was set to port at the time of the explosion. [94], The forward section lies on its port side, with the amidships section keel up. [32], She was launched on 22 August 1918 by the widow of Rear Admiral Sir Horace Hood, a great-great-grandson of Admiral Samuel Hood, after whom the ship was named. ENGINEER Served from 1941 - 1943 Served in HMS Rodney. [96], In 2012, the British government gave permission for Mearns to return to the site of Hood's final resting place to retrieve one of her two ship's bells which were lying in a small open debris field some way from the wreck herself. For other ships of the same name, see, According to the testimony of Captain Leach, "between one and two seconds after I formed that impression [of a hit on, Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 14:06, destruction of the French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir, destruction of the French fleet at Mers-el-Kbir, National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth, "ADM 220/76: Reports of Performance in H.M.S. The amidships section, the biggest part of the wreck to survive the explosions, lies inverted south of the eastern debris field in a large impact crater. [23], The armour scheme of the Admirals was originally based on that of the battlecruiser Tiger with an 8-inch (203mm) waterline belt. David Hunt. [29], Hood was initially fitted with flying-off platforms mounted on top of 'B' and 'X' turrets, from which Fairey Flycatchers could launch. When the Battle of Jutland broke out in mid-1916, that battle revealed serious flaws in its design, before it ended four years later. . HMS Hood was a battlecruiser not a battleship, a flawed concept from the Edwardian age that sacrificed armour for speed in the mistaken belief the latter would protect her when under fire from 'heavy' opponents. While Type 279 used two aerials, a transmitter and a receiver, the Type 279M used only a single transceiver aerial. [92] This damage, ahead of the armoured bulkhead, could have been implosion damage suffered while Hood sank, as a torpedo room that had been removed during one of her last refits approximates the site of the break. The objective of the cruise was to remind the dominions of their dependence on British sea power and encourage them to support it with money, ships, and facilities. The Royal Navy were fully aware that the ship's protection flaws still remained, even in her revised design, so Hood was intended for the duties of a battlecruiser and she served in the battlecruiser squadrons through most of her career. Late in her career, Hood was outclassed by the armour and protective arrangement of Second World War-era fast battleships, but few of the RN's available "big gun" vessels could match Bismarck's speed. Terms & Conditions! [91] Other researchers have claimed that the final salvo fired by Hood was not a salvo at all, but flame from the forward magazine explosion, which gave the illusion of Hood firing for the last time. Hood was well known as a top sporting ship. The complement of "The Mighty Hood", as she was affectionately known, was 1,421. Hood and several light cruisers gave chase, but gave up after two hours; Hood had dodged a salvo of torpedoes from a French sloop and had damaged a turbine reaching 28 knots (52km/h; 32mph). To compensate for the additional weight, the 4 midships above water torpedo tubes and the armour for the rear torpedo warheads were removed, and the armour for the aft torpedo-control tower was reduced in thickness from 6 to 1.5 inches (38mm). To request a crew list to view in the reading room, please . The principal theories include the following causes: At the second board, expert witnesses suggested that what was observed was the venting, through the engine-room ventilators, of a violentbut not instantaneousexplosion or deflagration in the 4-inch shell magazines. The ship was laid down on 1st September 1916 and was launched on 22nd August 1918 as the 3rd RN ship to carry this, introduced in 1859 and previously used in 1891 for a battleship sunk as a blockship in 1918. No hits were scored, but the submarine crash-dived and retreated. . The Admiral-class, HMS Hood, 1941 is a rank V British battlecruiser with a battle rating of 7.0 (AB/RB/SB). HMS Repulse was one of two Renown -class battlecruisers built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. [47] The battlecruiser squadron visited Lisbon in January 1925 to participate in the Vasco da Gama celebrations before continuing on to the Mediterranean for exercises. It is estimated that as many as 15,000 men may have served in her from 19201941. Victor Noel White HMS Copra . While dry-docked for repairs, Renown had fragments of this propeller removed from her bilge section. A Queen Elizabeth -class battleship, Warspite was completed in 1915 and fought at Jutland the following year. With the backing of the HMS Hood Association, Mearns planned to return the bell to Portsmouth where it would form part of the first official and permanent memorial to the sacrifice of her last crew at the newly refitted National Museum of the Royal Navy. HMS Hood was 44,600 tons, had a crew of 1,419 and was faster than the Bismarck with a maximum speed of 32 knots. The ship had a metacentric height of 4.2 feet (1.3m) at deep load, which minimised her roll and made her a steady gun platform. After the sinking of Hood, seven large caliber shells hit Prince of Wales forcing the battleship to disengaged under a smokescreen and joined HMS Suffolk and HMS Norfolk. [46], While in Australia in April 1924, the squadron escorted the battlecruiser HMASAustralia out to sea, where she was scuttled in compliance with the Washington Naval Treaty. H.M.S. [28] As completed, Hood remained susceptible to plunging shells and bombs. [64], Just before 06:00, while Hood was turning 20 to port to unmask her rear turrets, she was hit again on the boat deck by one or more shells from Bismarck's fifth salvo, fired from a range of approximately 16,650 metres (18,210yd). The fleet was spotted by the Germans and attacked by aircraft from the KG 26 and KG 30 bomber wings. [4], The main battery of the Admiral-class ships consisted of eight BL 15-inch (381mm) Mk I guns in hydraulically powered twin gun turrets. HMS Hood destroyer out at sea during World War II Loaded Progress 0:00 / 0:25 Video Quality 576p 540p 360p 270p more videos Watch video Moment hockey fan gets socked in the face at game after. The HMS Hood, originally launched in 1918, . Crew lists from Ships hit by U-boats. Hood Crew List Updated 11-Apr-2022 Background It is estimated that as many as 18,000 men, perhaps more, served aboard the "Mighty Hood" during the operational portion of her 21 year career. HMS Hood broke in two and sank in a mere matter of minutes. Hood reported an accuracy of 3 degrees with her 279M set. Her 5-inch upper-armour strake would have been removed and her deck armour reinforced. Hood was nothing without the many men it took to design, built and operate her. [12], The Ascension Island guns saw action only once, on 9 December 1941, when they fired on the German submarineU-124,[105] as it approached Georgetown on the surface to shell the cable station or sink any ships at anchor. [41] After her sea trials, she was commissioned on 15 May 1920, under Captain Wilfred Tompkinson. The results of Hood's fire are not known exactly, but she damaged the French battleshipDunkerque, which was hit by four fifteen-inch shells and was forced to beach herself. Transferred to the Home Fleet shortly afterwards, Hood was dispatched to Scapa Flow, and operated in the area as a convoy escort and later as a defence against a potential German invasion fleet. This theory was ultimately adopted by the board. RN men were needed to fully crew ships such as HMS Hood, HMS Prince Of Wales etc. [54], Hood was due to be modernised in 1941 to bring her up to a standard similar to that of other modernised First World War-era capital ships. (7) 30 May 1940 The troopships Antonia (British, 13867 GRT, built 1921) and Duchess of Richmond (British, 22022 GRT, built 1928) departed Liverpool for Halifax. Propulsion: 4 shafts, Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines, 24 Yarrow water-tube boilers Speed: 31 knots (1920), 28 knots (1940) Range: 5,332 miles at 20 knots Complement: 1,169-1,418 men HMS Hood - Armament (1941): Guns [32], Construction of Hood began at the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland, as yard number 460 on 1 September 1916.