The Bismark
...he Baltic Sea as was planned because a sunken ore ship was blocking the canal through which it had to travel and the thick ice caused by the harsh whether was preventing any possible salvage work. Things began to move forward though, when Admiral Günther Lütjens was placed in charge of Operation "Rheinübung" ("Exercise Rhine"). This happened just in time for Adolf Hitler’s surprise visit (see gallery, picture number three). There was much talk during this visit about the Operation that was about to be carried out, but no date was specified. Finally, on May 16, 1941, Admiral Lütjens informed his superiors that his men were ready for operational deployment, and permission was given for him to proceed. During her lifespan, The Bismarck had a few victories. On the morning of May 24, while on her way to the Atlantic, the Germans encountered the British battleships Hood and Prince of Wales. The conflict that resulted between the two british ships and Bismarck would come to be called The Battle of the Denmark Strait, during which Hood blew up and sank. Prince of Wales was seriously damaged also. During this battle, Bismarck received hits that contaminated some of her fuel. Bismarck had received three hits altogether. One caused a bit of flooding and another penetrated two oil tanks. This hit not only let sea-water into the oil tanks and released oil into the sea, but also cut off the engines from a large amount of oil. This initial victory was short lived, however. Bismarck was damaged enough to force her to abort her mission. British aircrafts and ships continued to follow the ship while she was on her way to France, to a shipyard there that would repair her. The British intercepted her and proceeded to attack. After a few minor blows, the Ship was worn out. The only hope of destroying the Bismarck was to slow her down sufficiently enough f...