The Battle of the Denmark Strait was a naval engagement on 24 May 1941 in the Second World War, between ships of the Royal Navy and the German Kriegsmarine.
The British battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser HMS Hood fought the German battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, which were attempting to break out into the North Atlantic to attack Allied merchant shipping (Operation Rheinübung).
Less than 10 minutes after the British opened fire, a shell from Bismarck struck Hood near her aft ammunition magazines.
Soon afterwards, Hood exploded and sank within three minutes, with the loss of all but three of her crew.
Prince of Wales continued to exchange fire with Bismarck but suffered serious malfunctions in her main armament.The British battleship had only just been completed in late March 1941, and used new quadruple gun turrets that were unreliable. Therefore, the Prince of Wales soon broke off the engagement.
The destroyer HMS ELECTRA rescued the only three survivors out of a total complement of over 1,418 on board, including 162 Royal Marines killed.
These deaths constituted the Royal Navy's greatest single ship loss of the Second World War.
Bismarck firing at HMS Prince of Wales shortly after sinking HMS Hood in the Denmark Strait
The British public were shocked that their most emblematic warship and more than 1,400 of her crew had been destroyed so suddenly. The Admiralty mobilised every available warship in the Atlantic to hunt down and destroy Bismarck.
The Royal Navy forces pursued and brought Bismarck to battle. The German battleship was sunk on the morning of 27 May.
Royal Marines killed:
ABBOTT, Frederick, Marine, PO/X 4821: ABLETT, Wallace A, Marine, PO/X 328: ADAMS, Frank P, Musician, RMB/X 546: ADAMS, Keith H, Corporal, RM, PO/X 2029: ALLEN, John G, Marine, PO/X 2182: ALLOTT, George, Marine, PO/22532: AMBRIDGE, Walter C, Sergeant, RM, PO/22128: BAILEY, Frederick W, Marine, PO/18832: BARRINGER, William H, Marine,PO/X 4223: BASSTONE, Jack, Marine, PO/X 100574: BATES, Leonard A, Marine, PO/X 1561: BEARD, Alan, Marine, PO/X3360: BENNETT, Ernest, Marine, PO/X 3432: BOCUTT, Alfred A, Marine, PO/21632: BONEHAM, Norman, Marine, PO/X4228: BRAND, William H, Corporal, RM, PO/X 1776: BRITTON, Clarence V, Marine, PO/X 100335:
BROOKS, Terrence L, Marine, PO/X 4275: BROWN, Arthur, Marine, PO/21742: BULLOCK, Henry W, Marine, PO/X 546: BURKIN, Robert H, Marine, CH/X 692: CANN, Herbert R, Marine, PO/22722: CAPSTICK, Arthur J, Marine, PO/X 3816: CARPENTER, Robert S, Marine, PO/X 3508: CARTER, Robert J W, Marine, PO/X 4247: CARTWRIGHT, Thomas D, Captain, RM: CHAMBERLAIN, Henry S, Ty/Corporal, RM, PO/X 3393: CLARK, Leonard A, Marine, PO/X 100046: CLARK, Robert G, Marine, PO/X 3361: COLE, George D, Marine, PO/X 100756: COLE, William G, Marine, PO/X 1844~: COLEMAN, Dennis J, Marine, PO/X 101102:
COOGER, Thomas E, Marine, PO/21115: COOMBES, Gerald E, Sergeant, RM, PO/X 22638: COOPER, John, Marine, PO/X 3432: COULSON, John, Musician, RMB/X 60: CRAWTE, Alfred E J, Musician, RMB/X1037: CRESSWELL, Henry R, Marine, PO/X 1856: CUTHBERT, Albert T, Corporal, RM, PO/X 1848: DAVIES, Horace D, Lieutenant, RM: DAVIES, Kenneth J, Boy Bugler, PO/X 4687: DAVIS, Herbert A, Marine, PO/19475: DAY, Frederick J, Marine, PO/X 4017: DEAR, Nelson L, Musician, RMB/3013: DISCOMBE, Archie A J, Musician, RMB/X 528: DUNNELL, Graham G, Marine, PO/X 3868: EASTWOOD, Walter C, Marine, PO/22420: EDWARDS, Melville, Marine, PO/X 4154: EMERY, Lawrence A, Musician, RMB/3064: FARRAR, Clifford, Marine, PO/X 3163: FENNER, Henry J, Marine, PO/X 3495: FOTHERINGHAM, George, Marine, PO/X 1639: FOWLER, Robert H, Musician, RMB/X 313: GIBSON, Thomas, Marine, PO/X 1764: GILLAN, Joseph, Marine, PO/X 3429: GLEDHILL, James E, Corporal, RM, PO/X 1814: GOMER, Harry, Marine, PO/216871: GOOD, Bernard E C, Marine, PO/X 1852: GOUGH, John M, Colour Sergeant, RM, PO/216779: GREEN, Benjamin L, Marine, PO/X 3394: GREGORY, John, Marine, PO/X 3365: GRIFFIN, Charles A, Marine, PO/X 3811: GROVES, Stedman B, Musician, RMB/X 505: GUEST, Alan, Band Boy, RMB/X 1108: HAEGER, Edward G, Sergeant, RM, PO/21804: HALL, Thomas, Marine, PO/X 2844: HARRIS, Desmond S R Harris, Lieutenant RM
HARRIS, James H, Marine, PO/X 428: HATHERILL, William H, Marine, PO/21992: HENDRY, William, Marine, PO/X 4894: HERMON, Eric D, Marine, PO/X 100265,: HEROD, Maurice H E, Band Master 1c, RMB/2826: HIBBS, Francis H F, Ty/Corporal, RM, PO/X 205: HILL, Eric J R, Marine, PO/X 3870: HISCOCK, Frederick J, Marine, PO/X 1849: HOLLAND, Charles, Marine, PO/22490: HOWIE, Robert G W, Marine, PO/X 3503, (served as Robert G Watson): HOWS, Gordon, Marine, PO/X 3426: HUGHES, William F, Marine, PO/X 1816: HUMPHREYS, William, Marine, PO/X 3815: HUNNS, John A C, Marine, PO/X 3363: HUNTINGTON, Ernest S, Ty/Sergeant, RM, PO/X 1288: JACKSON, George S, Marine, PO/X 3337: JOHN, Thomas, Marine, PO/X 3481: JULIER, Alfred E, Marine, CH/22942: KEITH, Arthur W, Marine, PO/X 3863: KERSLEY, Albert S, Marine, PO/22368: KIRK, Russell G, Marine, PO/X 3421: LAYCOCK, Henry, Marine, PO/X 22631: LAYTON, Sidney G, Marine, PO/X 3392: LEVACK, John S L, Marine, PO/X 4826: LOCK, Robert H, Marine, PO/X 4804: LONDON, Reginald J C, Sergeant, RM, PO/X 911: LONG, George H, Musician, RMB/X 975: LUMLEY, Heaton, Major, RM: MANSER, Richard A, Marine, PO/X 100888: MARSH, Percy G, Marine, PO/22660: MCFADYEN, Walter E, Ty/Sergeant, RM, PO/X 859: MCQUADE, Ernest G, Marine, PO/X 3494: MILES, Ronald S, Marine, PO/X 3074: MILLS, Montague D, Marine, PO/X 3424: MORGAN, Albert H, Marine, PO/X 3391: MORGAN, Ronald, Marine, PO/X 3386: MURRAY, Frederick C, Marine, PO/X 3864: NEALE, Robert S, Marine, PO/22454: NOBLE, Alexander, Marine, PO/X 3496: ORRELL, Walter J, Marine, PO/X 100578: PALMER, James A, Marine, PO/X 3487: PALMER, Reginald W, Ty/Sergeant, RM, PO/X 1063: PEACE, Denzil S, 77 Marine, PO/X 3427: PERKINS, William G, Marine, PO/X 3390: PERRY, Leonard, Marine, PO/21963: PIERCE, Robert D, Marine, PO/X 4141: PIKE, William A, Musician, RMB/X 738: PLANT, Edwin, Marine, PO/X 1788: POAR, Reginald J, Marine, PO/215898: PORTER, Frederick A, Marine, PO/19699: PORTER, Reginald J, Musician, RMB/3040: PRATT, Albert W C, Marine, PO/X 1400: RANDALL, Stanley R, Marine, PO/X 3871: REED, Hector L, Corporal, RM, PO/1682: RODLEY, Samuel J, Marine, PO/X 3967: ROSENTHAL, Henry C, Marine, PO/X 4273: ROWE, Stanley G S, Marine, PO/X 4837: ROWLANDS, Daniel J, Marine, PO/X 3490: RUNDLE, Arthur F, Marine, PO/X 3358: RUNNACLES, Frederick E, Marine, PO/X 3420: RUSSELL, David L, Musician, RMB/X 1450: SADLER, Edward R, Marine, PO/X 3890: SAUNDERS, Albert, Ty/Corporal, RM, PO/X 1501: SCOTT, Robert C, Marine, PO/X 1245: SEWELL, Gilbert W, Marine, PO/22568; SHADBOLT, Maurice H, Marine, PO/X 3800: SMITH, Benjamin T, Marine, PO/X 1564: SNOOK, George A, Marine, PO/X 2073: SOUTHGATE, Thomas E, Marine, PO/X 3799: SPARKES, Ernest, Marine, PO/X 3911: STEPTOE, John H, Marine, PO/X 4879: STODDARD, George H P, Marine, PO/X 1276: STUBBINGS, Douglas H, Marine, PO/X 100028: TAPSELL, Albert E, Marine, PO/X 3874: TAWNEY, David R, Musician, RMB/X 568: TAYLOR, Lewis J, Marine, PO/X 541: TAYLOR, Reginald L, Musician, RMB/3087: TELFORD, Charles, Marine, PO/X 3647: THORPE, Joseph, Marine, PO/X 3187: TOOGOOD, Leslie B, Marine, PO/X 4878: VINEY, Albert E, Marine, PO/21511: WALLIS, Michael H S J, Marine, PO/X 4834: WALTON, Clifford, Marine, PO/22215: WARREN, Donald, Marine, PO/X 100275: WEARN, Arthur, Marine, PO/X 1941: WEARNE, Harry E, Able Seaman, P/JX 133821: WEAVER, Henry E, Marine, PO/X 3923: WELCH, Sidney C T, Marine, PO/X 3501: WELLS, Philip J, Corporal, RM, PO/X 1645: WHITE, Harry, Ty/Marine, PO/X 4215: WHITEHEAD, Reginald C, Sergeant, RM, PO/X 1038: WILLIS, Herbert, Marine, PO/X 4881: WISHART, Jack E, Marine, PO/X 3489: WORSFOLD, Sydney G, Band Corporal, RMB/2854: WYATT, Jeffrey A F, Marine, PO/X 2560: YOUNG, Percy A, Boy Bugler, PO/X 3413: YOUNGER, Albert, Marine, PO/X 3813.
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