Battleship Bismarck (75 page)

Authors: Burkard Baron Von Mullenheim-Rechberg

BOOK: Battleship Bismarck

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a. If the steamer is radioing before the ship gets within firing range, the message must be interrupted by the sending of a prepared radio message (in the English language) or a radio weather report. As soon as the steamer is in effective range, open fire. Whenever possible take the
bridge superstructure
under fire. (On most steamers the radio room is behind or below the bridge.)

b. If the steamer is radioing within the effective range of the heavy flak, open fire immediately and destroy her radio installation as in paragraph a.

So that tankers and valuable ships come into our hands as intact as possible, do not fire any longer than is necessary to prevent the transmission of signals. Establish good connections between the radio room and the bridge.

Approach a steamer so that one side is to leeward, quickly bring the ship to a stop, and lower a boat immediately.

The boarding party will take over all important points (bridge, charthouse, radio room, engine room) and have the crew of the steamer assemble immediately on the upper deck.

British Forces Deployed Against the
Bismarck
During Exercise Rhine

Note: The right-hand column shows where the ships were before the pursuit of the
Bismarck
began.

H OME F LEET AND S HIPS A TTACHED
Battleship	King George V	Scapa Flow
Battleship	Prince of Wales	Scapa Flow
Battleship	Rodney	En route from Clyde to Boston with the troop transport Britannic
Battle Cruiser	Repulse	Clyde, assigned to troop convoy WS-8B
Battle Cruiser	Hood	Scapa Flow
Aircraft Carrier	Victorious	Scapa Flow, assigned to troop convoy WS-8B
Cruiser	Norfolk	Denmark Strait, on patrol
Cruiser	Suffolk	Refueling at Reykjavik, Iceland
Cruiser	Galatea	Scapa Flow
Cruiser	Aurora	Scapa Flow
Cruiser	Kenya	Scapa Flow
Cruiser	Neptune	Scapa Flow
Cruiser	Arethusa	En route to Reykjavik, Iceland
Cruiser	Edinburgh	Off the Azores, on patrol
Cruiser	Manchester	Faeroe Islands passage, on patrol
Cruiser	Birmingham	Faeroe Islands passage, on patrol
Destroyer	Inglefield	En route to Scapa Flow
Destroyer	Intrepid	En route to Scapa Flow
Destroyer	Active	Scapa Flow
Destroyer	Antelope	Scapa Flow
Destroyer	Achates	Scapa Flow
Destroyer	Anthony	Scapa Flow
Destroyer	Electra	Scapa Flow
Destroyer	Echo	Scapa Flow
Destroyer	Somali	At sea with Rodney and Britannic
Destroyer	Tartar	At sea with Rodney and Britannic
Destroyer	Mashona	At sea with Rodney and Britannic
Destroyer	Eskimo	At sea with Rodney and Britannic
Destroyer	Punjabi	Scapa Flow
Destroyer	Icarus	Scapa Flow
Destroyer	Nestor	Scapa Flow
Destroyer	Jupiter	Londonderry
W ESTERN A PPROACHES C OMMAND
Cruiser	Hermione	En route to Scapa Flow
Destroyer	Lance	Scapa Flow
Destroyer	Legion	Clyde, with battle cruiser Repulse
Destroyer	Saguenay	Clyde, with battle cruiser Repulse
Destroyer	Assiniboine	Clyde, with battle cruiser Repulse
Destroyer	Columbia	Londonderry
P LYMOUTH C OMMAND , 4 TH D ESTROYER F LOTILLA
Destroyer	Cossack	Clyde, assigned to troop convoy WS-8B
Destroyer	Sikh	Clyde, assigned to troop convoy WS-8B
Destroyer	Zulu	Clyde, assigned to troop convoy WS-8B
Destroyer	Maori	Clyde, assigned to troop convoy WS-8B
Destroyer	Piorun	Clyde, assigned to troop convoy WS-8B
N ORE C OMMAND
Destroyer	Windsor	Scapa Flow
F ORCE H
Battle Cruiser	Renown	Gibraltar
Aircraft Carrier	Ark Royal	Gibraltar
Cruiser	Sheffield	Gibraltar
Destroyer	Faulknor	Gibraltar
Destroyer	Foiesight	Gibraltar
Destroyer	Foiester	Gibraltar
Destroyer	Foxhound	Gibraltar
Destroyer	Fury	Gibraltar
Destroyer	Hesperus	Gibraltar
A MERICA AND W EST I NDIES S TATION
Battleship	Ramillies	At sea, escorting convoy HX-127
Battleship	Revenge	Halifax, Nova Scotia
S OUTH A TLANTIC C OMMAND
Cruiser	Dorsetshire	At sea, escorting convoy SL-74
The following submarines were also deployed:
	Minerva	On patrol off southwestern Norway
	P-31	Scapa Flow
	Sealion	English Channel
	Seawolf	English Channel
	Sturgeon	English Channel
	Pandora	En route from Gibraltar to Great Britain
	Tigris	Clyde
	H-44	Rothesay

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