Read Online The Sinking of the Bismarck by William L. Shirer - Free Book Online
Authors: William L. Shirer
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King George V Admiral Tovey received a radio message from Vice-Admiral Somerville advising that his Swordfish had taken off at 3:00 P.M. for a torpedo attack on the Bismarck . This was welcome news to the Commander in Chief. He knew that everything depended on the success of the planes in slowing up the enemy.
Shortly after three o’clock he was further heartened by the appearance of the Rodney on the horizon off the King George V ’s port beam. By 6:00 P.M. they joined up. The older ship could make only twenty-two knots in the heavy seas andshe signaled this to Tovey, who had the speed of his flagship reduced accordingly. But after a few minutes the Rodney signaled: “I am afraid your twenty-two knots is a bit faster than ours.” Tovey remarked with a chuckle that one could almost hear the old Rodney panting for breath as she tried to keep up. His ship reduced speed slightly.
At such a slow pace, Sir John was reducing his chances of overtaking the Bismarck . In fact, he now realized he had no chance at all—unless the Ark Royal ’s Swordfish pressed home their torpedo attack and scored enough hits to bring down the Bismarck ’s speed by half. No planes had ever succeeded in doing that, he knew, to a battleship.
It was natural, then, that Admiral Tovey should be impatient for news from the Ark Royal as the crucial afternoon waned. The Swordfish should have reached their target, he calculated, by 3:30 P.M. But 4:00 P.M. came and 5:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M. —and there was no news. The silence became almost unbearable.
It was broken at 6:30 P.M. by shattering news. Sir James Somerville radioed that his planes hadfailed to score any hits. Sir James did not say why. Admiral Tovey concluded that they must have been held off by the powerful anti-aircraft guns of the German battleship or handicapped by poor visibility in the storm or both. But these were not the reasons at all.
Another terrible but human error had occurred in the high-seas drama.
Because the weather was so foul and getting worse, Vice-Admiral Somerville had begun to worry that his shadowing aircraft might lose sight of the Bismarck . He had therefore decided to send on his cruiser Sheffield to establish surface contact with the enemy. She could not only shadow the Bismarck but also direct his planes to the exact target. So at 1:30 P.M. the Sheffield left Force H and made at high speed toward the German battleship.
Watchers on the Ark Royal , busy landing then-scouting planes and preparing for the big take-off at 2:50 P.M. , did not notice the cruiser slipping away. Somerville radioed the carrier of this action, and the coded message was received. But it was not immediately deciphered. The cipher staff onthe Ark Royal was too busy at the moment decoding a stream of radio messages from the carrier’s own planes shadowing the Bismarck .
In the meantime the Swordfish, flying blind through cloud and mist, had spotted a ship on their radars in the approximate position of the Bismarck . Since they had been told that the German battleship would be alone and that no British vessels were in the immediate vicinity, they dived to the attack. Roaring down out of the clouds, they clearly sighted their target and closed in. Perhaps they should have recognized that it was the Sheffield . For months they had been making dummy attacks on her during training in the Mediterranean. But in the heat of impending battle and in the bad visibility they did not recognize her. They began skimming over the waves toward her to launch their torpedoes.
At that precise moment, back on the Ark Royal , a signal officer was racing as fast as his legs would carry him on a lurching ship to the cabin of Captain Maund. The message from the Vice-Admiral about the Sheffield had just been decoded.
The Captain hurriedly read it. There was not a moment to lose. Desperate, dangerous measures were called for. No matter if Admiral Luetjens on the Bismarck heard his signals! Captain Maund immediately
Shortly after three o’clock he was further heartened by the appearance of the Rodney on the horizon off the King George V ’s port beam. By 6:00 P.M. they joined up. The older ship could make only twenty-two knots in the heavy seas andshe signaled this to Tovey, who had the speed of his flagship reduced accordingly. But after a few minutes the Rodney signaled: “I am afraid your twenty-two knots is a bit faster than ours.” Tovey remarked with a chuckle that one could almost hear the old Rodney panting for breath as she tried to keep up. His ship reduced speed slightly.
At such a slow pace, Sir John was reducing his chances of overtaking the Bismarck . In fact, he now realized he had no chance at all—unless the Ark Royal ’s Swordfish pressed home their torpedo attack and scored enough hits to bring down the Bismarck ’s speed by half. No planes had ever succeeded in doing that, he knew, to a battleship.
It was natural, then, that Admiral Tovey should be impatient for news from the Ark Royal as the crucial afternoon waned. The Swordfish should have reached their target, he calculated, by 3:30 P.M. But 4:00 P.M. came and 5:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M. —and there was no news. The silence became almost unbearable.
It was broken at 6:30 P.M. by shattering news. Sir James Somerville radioed that his planes hadfailed to score any hits. Sir James did not say why. Admiral Tovey concluded that they must have been held off by the powerful anti-aircraft guns of the German battleship or handicapped by poor visibility in the storm or both. But these were not the reasons at all.
Another terrible but human error had occurred in the high-seas drama.
Because the weather was so foul and getting worse, Vice-Admiral Somerville had begun to worry that his shadowing aircraft might lose sight of the Bismarck . He had therefore decided to send on his cruiser Sheffield to establish surface contact with the enemy. She could not only shadow the Bismarck but also direct his planes to the exact target. So at 1:30 P.M. the Sheffield left Force H and made at high speed toward the German battleship.
Watchers on the Ark Royal , busy landing then-scouting planes and preparing for the big take-off at 2:50 P.M. , did not notice the cruiser slipping away. Somerville radioed the carrier of this action, and the coded message was received. But it was not immediately deciphered. The cipher staff onthe Ark Royal was too busy at the moment decoding a stream of radio messages from the carrier’s own planes shadowing the Bismarck .
In the meantime the Swordfish, flying blind through cloud and mist, had spotted a ship on their radars in the approximate position of the Bismarck . Since they had been told that the German battleship would be alone and that no British vessels were in the immediate vicinity, they dived to the attack. Roaring down out of the clouds, they clearly sighted their target and closed in. Perhaps they should have recognized that it was the Sheffield . For months they had been making dummy attacks on her during training in the Mediterranean. But in the heat of impending battle and in the bad visibility they did not recognize her. They began skimming over the waves toward her to launch their torpedoes.
At that precise moment, back on the Ark Royal , a signal officer was racing as fast as his legs would carry him on a lurching ship to the cabin of Captain Maund. The message from the Vice-Admiral about the Sheffield had just been decoded.
The Captain hurriedly read it. There was not a moment to lose. Desperate, dangerous measures were called for. No matter if Admiral Luetjens on the Bismarck heard his signals! Captain Maund immediately
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