The Bismarck was a German battleship, the largest and most powerful capital ship in the Kriegsmarine. For all its weaponry and armour, the ship was involved in only one major operation which, after the sinking of the British battlecruiser Hood, ended in the Bismarck's destruction in the North Atlantic by a large British force on 27 May 1941.
More about: Battleship BismarckDefinition
Timeline
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1 Jul 1936Work begins on the German battleship Bismarck in Hamburg at the Blohm and Voss shipyard.
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14 Feb 1939Official launch of the hull of the German battleship Bismarck.
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24 Aug 1940The German battleship Bismarck enters service.
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19 May 1941The German battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen set off for the Atlantic on Operation Rheinübung.
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23 May 1941The German ships Prinz Eugen and battleship Bismarck encounter the British heavy cruisers Suffolk and Norfolk.
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24 May 1941The British battle cruiser Hood and battleship Prince of Wales attack the German battleship Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. Bismarck sinks Hood.
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25 May 1941The German battleship Bismarck eludes British ships and sails for St. Nazaire, France.
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26 May 1941Swordfish planes from the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal hit the German battleship Bismarck with torpedoes damaging its steering.
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27 May 1941Four British ships attack the stricken German battleship Bismarck, which sinks with great loss of life.
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Jun 1989The wreck of the German battleship Bismarck is discovered by an expedition led by Robert D. Ballard.
