The allies had already lost many ships in the Atlantic to German U-boats and wolf-packs. So when it was reported that the battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser the Prinz Eugen were their leaving their port for the Atlantic the allies were concerned. The British admiralty went all out to sink the Bismarck.
The admiralty sent the Suffolk and Norfolk a pair of cruisers and two battle ships, the Prince of Wales a new battleship just out of the shipyard and the venerable HMS Hood. The Hood had equal firepower of the Bismarck, but lacked sufficient armor and was hit by a shell from the Bismarck exploding its ammunition magazine blowing the HMS Hood to bits.
There is some conversely about what or who sank the Bismarck, but after the sinking of the HMS Hood it was all out war against the Kriegsmarine and especially the Bismarck. Several warships were dispatched by the admiralty; one the HMS Ark Royal had fifteen antiquated biplanes on-board. One of the biplanes was able to ram the Bismarck’s rudder crippling the Bismarck and forcing her into large turning circle, one in which she could not escape.
