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Authors: William L. Shirer
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cast caution to the winds. He sent out an open urgent radio message in clear, un-coded English to his fliers: “WATCH OUT FOR THE SHEFFIELD! WATCH OUT FOR THE SHEFFIELD!”
It was too late.
Torpedoes from the Swordfish were already churning through the water toward the Sheffield . Captain Larcom on the cruiser had received the signal that the Swordfish had flown off the carrier at 3:00 P.M. He was therefore expecting to see them as they flew over. He had not quite got within sight of the Bismarck , but he knew she was just over the horizon. He could direct the planes right on to the nearby target.
But to his amazement the British planes, when he got his first sight of them, were diving straight down at him. Giving the command for full speed and a zigzag course to avoid torpedoes, he ordered his anti-aircraft guns not to fire. In this way, he was sure, he would make it plain to thepilots that they were mistakenly attacking one of their own ships.
The planes, however, kept coming in and launching their torpedoes. Six or seven came dangerously close. But most of the torpedoes, Captain Larcom noticed, exploded harmlessly on hitting the water. This discovery, ironically, was to play a vital role in the drama before the long day was over.
Finally the last three planes recognized their mistake and swerved off without dropping their torpedoes. One of them flew over the cruiser and signaled: “Sorry for the kipper!”
It was a despondent crew of pilots that brought their Swordfish back to the Ark Royal that afternoon. The seas were even higher than they had been when the aircraft took off. Three planes crashed on the pitching flight deck as they attempted to land. This only added to a miserable failure. Knowing that the fate of the whole enterprise depended on their crippling the Bismarck , the pilots had taken off full of determination. They had been told she was the only target in the vicinity. They had attacked her. But thetarget had turned out to be the wrong ship—one of their own.
Captain Maund had not been aware of what was happening until the plane crews returned and reported to him. He told them to forget it, that it was not really their fault. After advising them to get some hot food for their chilled bodies, he promised they would be given another chance before dark.
***
At 6:30 that evening Admiral Tovey heard that the Ark Royal ’s planes had failed to hit the Bismarck . The report plunged him into gloom. He had no inkling that the Swordfish had attacked the wrong ship. He assumed that they had valiantly tried to get at the German battleship but had been driven off by her flak guns or had found the visibility too bad to get in close enough for their torpedoes to take effect.
Vice-Admiral Somerville had promised a second attack before dark, but the Commander in Chief by this time was somewhat skeptical of carrier planes being of any use against battleships. He had had some disillusioning experiences in thatregard during the last couple of days and was convinced that he could count no longer on the planes of the Ark Royal . Captain Vian’s five destroyers would be reaching the Bismarck shortly before midnight. But Admiral Tovey’s experience was that destroyer attacks at night seldom succeeded. He had exhausted his opportunities. He might as well face it: he had lost the race.
To complicate the situation his two battleships were running low on fuel. The oil tanks on the King George V were down to thirty-two per cent of capacity and those of the Rodney were even lower. In fact, the Rodney had just signaled that she would have to turn home not later than eight o’clock the next morning to refuel. The two big ships would also have to reduce speed if they hoped to get home on the oil they had. This meant that there would be increased danger from submarine and air attack.
Sir John Tovey was a realist. In addition to facing the abandonment of the chase for the Bismarck , galling as that was, he had to consider
It was too late.
Torpedoes from the Swordfish were already churning through the water toward the Sheffield . Captain Larcom on the cruiser had received the signal that the Swordfish had flown off the carrier at 3:00 P.M. He was therefore expecting to see them as they flew over. He had not quite got within sight of the Bismarck , but he knew she was just over the horizon. He could direct the planes right on to the nearby target.
But to his amazement the British planes, when he got his first sight of them, were diving straight down at him. Giving the command for full speed and a zigzag course to avoid torpedoes, he ordered his anti-aircraft guns not to fire. In this way, he was sure, he would make it plain to thepilots that they were mistakenly attacking one of their own ships.
The planes, however, kept coming in and launching their torpedoes. Six or seven came dangerously close. But most of the torpedoes, Captain Larcom noticed, exploded harmlessly on hitting the water. This discovery, ironically, was to play a vital role in the drama before the long day was over.
Finally the last three planes recognized their mistake and swerved off without dropping their torpedoes. One of them flew over the cruiser and signaled: “Sorry for the kipper!”
It was a despondent crew of pilots that brought their Swordfish back to the Ark Royal that afternoon. The seas were even higher than they had been when the aircraft took off. Three planes crashed on the pitching flight deck as they attempted to land. This only added to a miserable failure. Knowing that the fate of the whole enterprise depended on their crippling the Bismarck , the pilots had taken off full of determination. They had been told she was the only target in the vicinity. They had attacked her. But thetarget had turned out to be the wrong ship—one of their own.
Captain Maund had not been aware of what was happening until the plane crews returned and reported to him. He told them to forget it, that it was not really their fault. After advising them to get some hot food for their chilled bodies, he promised they would be given another chance before dark.
***
At 6:30 that evening Admiral Tovey heard that the Ark Royal ’s planes had failed to hit the Bismarck . The report plunged him into gloom. He had no inkling that the Swordfish had attacked the wrong ship. He assumed that they had valiantly tried to get at the German battleship but had been driven off by her flak guns or had found the visibility too bad to get in close enough for their torpedoes to take effect.
Vice-Admiral Somerville had promised a second attack before dark, but the Commander in Chief by this time was somewhat skeptical of carrier planes being of any use against battleships. He had had some disillusioning experiences in thatregard during the last couple of days and was convinced that he could count no longer on the planes of the Ark Royal . Captain Vian’s five destroyers would be reaching the Bismarck shortly before midnight. But Admiral Tovey’s experience was that destroyer attacks at night seldom succeeded. He had exhausted his opportunities. He might as well face it: he had lost the race.
To complicate the situation his two battleships were running low on fuel. The oil tanks on the King George V were down to thirty-two per cent of capacity and those of the Rodney were even lower. In fact, the Rodney had just signaled that she would have to turn home not later than eight o’clock the next morning to refuel. The two big ships would also have to reduce speed if they hoped to get home on the oil they had. This meant that there would be increased danger from submarine and air attack.
Sir John Tovey was a realist. In addition to facing the abandonment of the chase for the Bismarck , galling as that was, he had to consider
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