Bismarck (1940) | Timeline

Bismarck was the first of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched in February 1939. Work was completed in August 1940, when she was commissioned into the German fleet. Bismarck and her sister ship Tirpitz were the largest battleships ever built by Germany, and two of the largest built by any European power. (Intro from Wikipedia)

November 16, 1935 - Battleship "Bismarck" is ordered

July 1, 1937 - Hamburg, Germany - "Bismarck" is laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard

February 14, 1939 - Hamburg - "Bismarck" is launched and christened, with Adolf Hitler in attendance

June 23, 1940 - Hamburg - Drydocked for installation of the propellers

July 14, 1940 - Hamburg - Undocked

August 24, 1940 - Hamburg - "Bismarck" is commissioned, with Käpitan zur See Ernst Lindemann in command =(START)

September 15, 1940 - Hamburg - "Bismarck" departs Hamburg for sea trials in Kiel Bay

September 17, 1940 - Kiel - Arrives in Kiel

September 28, 1940 - Gotenhafen (today Gdynia, Poland) - Escorted to Gotenhafen, via Cape Arkona (Island of Rügen) for trials in the Gulf of Danzig

December 5, 1940 - Gotenhafen - Grand Admiral Raeder visits the "Bismarck"

December 9, 1940 - Hamburg - Returns to Hamburg, via Kiel Canal

March 9, 1941 - Kiel - "Bismarck" reaches Kiel. A coat of "dazzle paint" is applied to camouflage her

Bismarck, March 9th, 1941

March 12, 1941 - Kiel - British bombers attack Kiel harbour without success

March 17, 1941 - Gotenhafen - Battleship "Schlesien" escorts "Bismarck" to Gotenhafen

May 5, 1941 - Gotenhafen - Hitler and Wilhelm Keitel visit the "Bismarck" and the "Tirpitz" in Gotenhafen

May 19, 1941 - Gotenhafen - "Bismarck" leaves Gotenhafen, bound for the North Atlantic. She is joined by the cruiser "Prinz Eugen" and three destroyers

May 20, 1941 - Kattegat (between Denmark and Sweden) - "Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" are shadowed by swedish cruiser "HSwMS Gotland"

May 21, 1941 - Bergen, Norway - "Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" reach Bergen and anchor at Grimstadfjord

May 22, 1941 - Off Trondheim, Norway - The three escorting destroyers return to Germany, while "Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" turn to the Denmark Strait to attempt the break-out into the open Atlantic

May 23, 1941 - Denmark Strait - "Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" reach the Denmark Strait

May 24, 1941 - SW of Denmark Strait - Battle of the Denmark Strait. "HMS Hood" is sunk, following a catastrophic explosion when hit by the "Bismarck". 1,415 officers and men are killed. Only three men survive. Before the end of the day, "Bismarck" and the "HMS rince of Wales" engage in a brief artillery duel, but neither score a hit. Swordfish torpedo-bombers from the aircraft carrier "HMS Victorious" attack "Bismarck", but only one of nine torpedoes hit the german battleship, slowing her down for a few hours. "Prinz Eugen" receives orders to detach from "Bismarck"

May 25, 1941 - SW of Iceland - Lütjens increases speed and manoeuvers "Bismarck" to the west and then north. About an hour later, the german battleship turns to the SE and sails to Saint-Nazaire behind her persuers, who loose contact with "Bismarck"

May 26, 1941 - 690 nmi NW of Brest - "Bismarck" is spotted by a US Navy Catalina, some 690 nmi (1,280 km; 790 mi) NW of Brest. The only option for the british was the use of Swordfish torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier "HMS Ark Royal". Two air attacks are launched. On the second, a torpedo strikes "Bismarck" in her stern on the port side, near the port rudder shaft. With the port rudder jammed, Lütjens reports that the ship is unmanoeuvrable

May 27, 1941 - SW of Ireland and NW of Spain - "Bismarck" is attacked by the british battleships "HMS King George V" and "HMS Rodney" and heavy cruisers "HMS Dorsetshire" and "HMS Norfolk". The german battleship manages to hit some of his attackers but begins suffering heavy damage, including a direct hit on the command superstructure that might have killed Lindemann and Lütjens among hundreds of sailors. The battleship is devastated but the hull is virtually undamaged under the waterline. The germans abandon the ship, open the ship's watertight doors and prepare demolition charges so that the british would not board the battleship. When the charges detonate, "Bismarck" capsizes slowly and sinks by the stern, being also hit by a torpedo from "HMS Dorsetshire". 115 of a 2,221-man crew survive =(END)