HOOD HMS battlecruiser

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Built as a battlecruiser under yard No 460 by J.Brown & Co., Clydebank for the Royal Navy.
07 April 1916 ordered.
31 May 1916 keel laid down.
22 August 1918 launched as HMS HOOD (51) one of Admiral Class, christened by Ellen, Lady Hood widow of Rear-Admiral Sir Horace Hood.
Displacement 42,670 standard, 45,900 full load. Dim. 262.31 x 31.75 x 10.08m., (draught).
Powered by four geared Brown Curtis steam turbines. 144,000 hp, four shafts, speed 31 knots.
Range by a speed of 20 knots, 5330 mile.
Armament: 8 – 15 inch, 12 – 5.5 inch, 8 – 4 inch AA, and 4 – 21 inch torpedo tubes.
Crew 1.341 men in World War II.
05 March 1920 completed.
15 May 1920 commissioned under command of Capt. Wilfred Tomkinson.

After commissioned was she the flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Roger Keyes of the Battle Cruiser Squadron Atlantic Fleet.
1922 She visited Rio de Janeiro.
Between 27 November 1923 and 29 September 1924 she made a voyage around the world.
During the Spanish Civil War in 1936 she assisted in the protection of British merchant shipping off the Spanish coast.
1939 – 1940 Under refit, between 1929 and 1941 her second class guns were 5 times modernized and at 1941 consisted out of 24 – 2drs. pom poms, 16 – 0.5 inch guns, 5 – 20 anti aircraft rocket launchers.

At the outbreak of WW II was she the flagship of the Home Fleet Battle Cruiser Squadron at Scapa Flow under Rear-Admiral W. J. Whitworth.
28 June 1940 she became Vice Admiral Sir James Somerville’s flagship of Force H based at Gibraltar.
Force H sailed out for Mers-el-Kebir to destroy the French fleet based there and to prevent that she were falling into the hands of the enemy.
The next March the HOOD was given another refit, radar installation was added.

In May 1941 HOOD was the flagship of Vice-Admiral L.E. Holland, and she was commanded by Capt. R. Kerr.
On the 22nd of the month the German battleship BISMARCK accompanied by the cruiser PRINZ EUGEN put to sea from her base in Norway.
Dispositions were at ounce made by the Royal navy to prevent the enemy ships from escaping in the North Atlantic and harrying the convoys.
21 May the HOOD received orders to sail from her base at Scapa Flow, together with the battleship PRINCE OF WALES and 6 destroyers to intercept the two German ships.
In the morning of the 24th the enemy was sighted and the HOOD and PRINCE OF WALES opened fire. The BISMARK replied. Some shots of the British ships hit the BISMARK with good effects, it was seen that fires broke out.
Shortly after this the BISMARK hit the HOOD at 05.59 a.m. directly at an extreme range (approximately 23,000 yards). The HOOD must have been hit in a vital spot, most probably in or near the magazine, for she blew up with a tremendous explosion. Parts of masts, funnels and other portions of her superstructure were hurled upwards, and the ship disappeared, going down by the stern first at 06.01 a.m. M.E.T.
Of her complement of 1.418 officers and men only one midshipman and two ratings were picked up by HMS ELECTRA one of the escorting British destroyers.

Bequia 1985 15c sg?, scot186
Gibraltar 1967 4d sg205, scott . 1993 24p sg MS694 scott630a
Marshall Islands 1991 50c sg 367 scott 279
Montserrat 1990 $3.50 sg812, scott 734
Fiji 2005 83c sg?, scott?
Mozambique 2011 16.00MT sg?, scott?
St Tome et Principe 2008 20000 DB sg?, scott?

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Hood_(51) and other web-sites.

[aukepalmhof]

Marshall Islands 1990 25c sg329, scott255. (BRETAGNE is the lowest ship, while HMS HOOD is depict above her.)