80 Years Ago Today, Wavy Navy Pilots Flying Stringbags Cripple the Mighty Bismarck

On the evening of May 26, 1941, eighty years ago today, a squadron of obsolete biplanes flown by volunteer pilots succeeded in crippling the Bismarck, the mightiest battleship in the German Kriegsmarine. A revised repost. The Bismarck was about to … Continue reading

TBT — World War II Combat Footage: Sinking of the Bismarck

On Throw-Back-Thursday, here is footage of the sinking of the German battleship Bismark, 79 years ago yesterday, by the Royal Navy in a three-day running battle in which the Bismark sank the British battlecruiser HMS Hood.  Ultimately, the German battleship … Continue reading

HMS Hood’s Bell Rings Again, 75 Years After Being Sunk by the Bismark

On May 24, 1941, the battlecruiser HMS Hood  exploded after being struck by several shells from the German battleship Bismark during the Battle of Denmark Strait. The Hood sank within three minutes with the loss of 1,415 sailors, all but three of her crew; … Continue reading

British Navy Borrowing a Billionaire’s Octopus to Find A Battlecruiser’s Bell

Billionaire and philanthropist, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is loaning his 126 metre superyacht Octopus to the British Royal Navy to mount an expedition to locate and raise the bell from the battle cruiser HMS Hood (51) sunk by the German battleship Bismark in the Denmark … Continue reading