The sinking of the German battleship Bismarck was a most significant event of WWII for, at that time, Britain was suffering a shortage of supplies caused by the destruction of Atlantic convoys.  Though losses resulted mainly from U-Boats, an Atlantic raid by the German cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau sank 30 merchant ships.  A successful breakout by the Bismarck could inflict further heavy convoy losses and seriously degrade Britain’s ability to sustain her defences.

The Bismarck, 42,000 tons displacement, was built in Hamburg by the Blohm and Voss shipyard.  It was launched February 14, 1940 and was commissioned in August.  Sea trials showed her to have a top speed of 30.8 knots but also a serious fault; an inability to steer well with propellers alone and this was to contribute to her downfall later.  On May 17, 1941 Bismarck began her maiden voyage on Exercise ‘Rhine’ – a breakout to raid Atlantic convoys – accompanied by the cruiser Prinz Eugen.  During a fuel stop in Bergen, Norway on May 21, she was photographed by a Coastal Command Spitfire and the hunt was on.

The Bismarck and Prinz Eugen were detected in the Denmark Strait by two Royal Navy cruisers.  Two battleships, HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales, intercepted the Bismarck.  In the ensuing battle, Bismarck sank the Hood and damaged the Prince of Wales.  The Bismarck also sustained damage, however, and was forced to seek a port – Brest being the choice.  The two British cruisers, using radar, continued shadowing the Bismarck while other elements of the British Fleet were directed onto her but without success.  On May 25th, the cruisers lost contact and Prince Eugen escaped to raid the Atlantic convoys.  On May 26th, Catalina ‘Z’ of 209 Squadron located Bismarck and radioed her position to Coastal Command before losing contact again.  Contact was regained by Catalina ‘M’ of 240 Squadron who then shadowed her for five hours, regularly reporting her position.  That evening, a torpedo dropped from a Swordfish flown off of HMS Ark Royal crippled Bismarck’s rudders and put her at the mercy of the British Fleet which began firing on her at 8:49 AM May 27, 1941.  The Bismarck sank at 10:39 AM that day.

The painting shows Bismarck firing on ‘M’ 240 on one of three occasions.  It is a companion to the portrait of F/L G. Williams and was gifted to the Greenwood Art Association by the artist, Don Connolly.​​