Did the British sink the Bismarck, or was she scuttled?? ?

Question

Did the Royal Navy destroy the jewel in Hitlers crown, or did the Germans steal our glory????

Answer 1

Bit of an irrelevant question.

The Bismarck sunk as a result of British action.

either

a) the Royal Navy Sank it

or

b) The Royal Navy damaged it so badly that the crew decided to scuttle it.

either way the destruction of the ship was a consequence of British action, if the RN didn't destroy it.

Answer 2

the Bismarck was scuttled to evade capture.

Answer 3

the royal navy destroyed it with multiple destroyers

Answer 4

she was sank by the RN but only after being disabled when  a torpedo fired from a seaplane struck her rudder.

Edit: the revenge theory seems true as the RN abandoned  the survivors on the pretext of U-boat threat.

Answer 5

The British sank the Bismarck!

Answer 6

According to the 115 survivors orders were given to abandon ship and scuttle the bismark- also stated salt water was entering the boilers and there was fear of an explosion. I dont see what difference it makes if the RN sank the ship or bismark was scuttled  when its  destruction was inevitable anyway - Lindeman saved the Navy some torpedoes!  Contrary to above Hood was NOT navys largest battleship - it was a first world war battlecruiser with inadequate armour v modern bships.

Answer 7

This is an interesting question.  The popular story is that the Bismark was sunk by the battleship King George and others.

Newspaper pictures from that time show the Bismark going down in flames.

However since the wreck has been found and photographed in an UPRIGHT POSITION on the seabed, it encourages the thought that she was scuttled.  Bearing in mind too, the fact that her armor was up to 18 inches thick in places it seems unlikely that this would have been penetrated by any shells.  Even the torpedo that crippled her steering gear could not sink her.

We may never know the truth.

Answer 8

Bismark was destroyed by the Royal Navy, her sister ship Tirpitz by the Royal Air Force.  It was the Heavy Cruiser Graf Spee that was scuttled to avoid capture.  

Answer 9

Both answers are true.  The Royal Navy destroyed the Bismark's rutter with a air dropped torpedo.  It was stuck going in a wide circle.  The Royal Navy then moved in with surface ships and attacked.  The Germans fought as well as the could, but soon all the guns where knocked out and the ship was on fire.  The Germans then scuttled her, but it was not necessary because she would have sunk anyway.  They just did not want the British to get a hold of the ship.

Answer 10

It was sank not scuttled.

Are you mixing this up with the scuttling of the Graf Spee?

Answer 11

The Bismark was severely damaged by shellfire from the battleships HMS Rodney and HMS King George V. The final blow was delivered by HMS Dorsetshire who launched three 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes, which may have hit Bismarck at comparatively short range. Bismark rolled over and sunk at 10.39am on 27th May 1941.

The sea valves were opened and scuttling charges set. the charges exploded in the turbine room about 10.00am but it was the torpedoes from the Dorsetshire that actually sent the Bismark to the bottom at 10;39am.

Answer 12

http://www.chuckhawks.com/who_sank_bisma...

Explains that the Bismarck was so badly damaged by torpedo's it would have sunk anyway, so the question is really irrelevant, i think you are referring to this story about there being no damage.

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europ...

Answer 13

Bismarck - this computer generated b&w film about Bismarck [sunk by the Royal Navy in 1941] helps explain what happened.

Bismarck we must remember successfully sank HMS Hood, the Royal Navy's largest Battleship.

What followed was really massive revenge taken by the RN on the less able Kriegesmarine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CsZONf54...

Bismarck vs Hood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdZqQ5C7p...

Sinking of the Bismarck from Persuit by Ludovik Kennedy a BBC Correspondent and former Royal Navy officer.

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v23/n08/hogb01_.htm...

Answer 14

The royal Navy sank the Bismarck. It was the Graf Spey that was scuttled in the harbour of Motevideo. Incidentally, I was in the royal signals in the late 50s, and one of our instructers was the signal opreator who actually intercepted the Bismarck's signals and from that he was able to track its position, This information was passed onto the Royal Navy who were able to locate it and sink it.