Royal Navy Forces (RN)
Home Fleet
Adm. Sir John Tovey
King George V (F)
Capt. Wilfred Patterson
Repulse
Capt. William G. Tennant
Victorious
Capt. Henry C. Bovell
825 Squadron, 9 Swordfish
Lt. Cmdr. Eugene Esmonde
800Z Squadron, 6 Fulmars
Lt. Bruce Straton McEwen (sick and could not fly)
48 Hurricanes (crated
and destined for Malta) were off-loaded prior to sailing
Cruiser Squadron 2
Rear-Adm Alban T.B. Curteiss
Galatea (F)
Capt. Edward W. B. Sim
Hermione
Capt. Geoffrey N. Oliver
Kenya
Capt. Michael M. Denny
Aurora
Capt. William C. Agnew
Neptune
Capt. Rory C. O’Conor
3rd Destroyer Flotilla
Inglefield (F)
Capt. Percy Todd
Intrepid
Cmdr. Roderick C. Gordon
Active
Lt. Cmdr. Michael W. Tomkinson
Punjabi
Cmdr. Stuart A. Buss
Windsor
Lt. Cmdr. J.M.G. Waldegrave
Lance
Lt. Cmdr. Ralph W. F. Northcott
Hood Force (BC1)
Vice-Adm. Lance Holland
Hood * (F)
Capt. Ralph Kerr - 1,415 killed (3 survivors)
Prince of Wales
Capt. John C. Leach - 14 killed
Destroyers
Electra
Lt. Cmdr. Cecil W. May
Anthony
Lt. Cmdr. John M. Hodges
Echo
Lt. Cmdr. Cecil H. de B. Newby
Icarus
Lt. Cmdr. Colin D. Maund
Achates
Lt. Cmdr. Viscount Jocelyn
Antelope
Lt. Cmdr. Roger B. N. Hicks
(Anthony and Antelope were detached for
refueling 1400 23 May)
Force H
Vice-Adm. James Somerville
Renown (F)
Capt. Rhoderick R. McGriggor
Ark Royal
Capt. Loben Maund
807 Squadron, 11 Fulmars
Lt. Cmdr. James Sholto Douglas
808 Squadron, 12 Fulmars
Lt. Cmdr. Rupert Claude Tillard
810 Squadron, 9 Swordfish
Lt. Cmdr. Mervyn Johnstone
818 Squadron, 9 Swordfish
Lt. Cmdr. Trevenen Penrose Coode
820 Squadron, 9 Swordfish
Lt. Cmdr. James Andrew Stewart-Moore
(plus 3 Swordfish in
some state of disassembly)
Cruiser
Sheffield
Capt. Charles Larcom
Eighth Destroyer Flotilla
Faulknor (F) Capt.
A.F. de Salis
Foresight
Lt. Cmdr. J.S.C. Salter
Forester
Lt. Cmdr. E.B. Tancock
Foxhound
Cmdr. G.H. Peters
Fury
Lt. Cmdr. T.C. Robinson
Hesperus
Lt. Cmdr. A.A. Tait
(Destroyers were detached
for refueling 24 May)
Denmark Straits Patrol
Cruiser Squadron 1
Adm. Wake-Walker
Norfolk (F)
Capt. Alfred Phillips
Suffolk
Capt. Robert Ellis
Iceland-Faeroes Passage Patrol
Manchester
Capt. Herbert A. Packer
Birmingham
Capt. Alexander C. G. Madden
Arethusa
Capt. Alex C. Chapman
(on route to Reykjavik,
Iceland)
Plus five trawlers
Various Warships on Convoy Escort Duties
Escorting Convoy SL-74
Dorsetshire Capt.
Benjamin Martin
Escorting Britannic
Rodney
Capt. Frederick H. G. Dalrymple-Hamilton
Sixth Destroyer Flotilla
Tartar
Cmdr. Lionel P. Skipwith
Mashona *
Cmdr. William H. Selby - 46 killed
Eskimo
Cmdr. E.G. Le Geyt
(detached to escort
Britannic to USA)
Somali
Capt. Clifford Caslon
(detached to refuel
24 May)
Escorting Troop Convoy WS-8B
Fourth Destroyer Flotilla
Cossack (F) Capt.
Phillip L. Vian
Maori
Cmdr. Harold T. Armstrong - 1 killed
Zulu
Cmdr. Harry R. Graham - 1 killed
Sikh
Cmdr. Graham H. Stokes - 1 killed
Piorun (Polish) Cmdr. E. Plawski
Escorting Convoy HX-127
Ramillies Capt. Arthur D. Read
North-west of the Azores
18th Cruiser Squadron
Commodore Charles M.
Blackman
Edinburgh (F) Commodore Charles M. Blackman
London Capt. Reginald M. Servaes
At Londonderry
Jupiter
Lt. Cmdr. Norman V. J. T. Thew
Submarines
Off South-western Norway
Minerva (French)
Lt. de Vaisseau P.M. Sommeville
P31
Lt. John B. de B. Kershaw
(sortied from Scapa
Flow 24 May. This boat was later named "Uproar" in 1943)
Between Brest and St. Nazire
Sealion
Cmdr. B. Bryant
Seawolf
Lt. P.L. Field
Sturgeon
Lt. Cmdr. D. St. Clair For
Pandora
Lt. Cmdr. J. W. Linton
Tigris
Cmdr. H.F. Bone
H-44
Lt. W.N.R. Knox
Aerial-Strike Forces
No. 22 Squadron
5 Beauforts at Kaldadarnes
2 Beauforts at Wick
No. 42 Squadron
8 Beauforts at Wick
8 Beauforts at Leuchars
No. 217 Squadron
10 Beauforts at St. Eval
30 Hampdens
No. 612 Squadron
6 Whitleys
No. 828 Squadron
7 Albacores
Aerial-Search Forces
No. 201 Squadron at Reykjavik
Sunderlands
No. 210 Squadron at Reykjavik
Catalinas
No. 220 Squadron
Hudsons
No. 269 Squadron at Kaldadarnes
Hudsons
No. 771 Squadron at Hatston, Orkneys
Marylands
* Sunk
German Naval Forces
Bismarck (F) *
Kpt. Ernst Lindemann - 2,211 killed
Prinz Eugen
Kpt. Helmuth Brinkman
Escorting Destroyers
Hans Lody Z10
K.Kpt. Pfeiffer
Friedrich Eckoldt Z16 K.Kpt. Schemmel
Z23
K.Kpt. Bhöme
(all three detached to Trondheim on 22
May)
Sperrbrecher 31(?) Escorted ships out of Gotenhafen
U-Boats ordered to assist Bismarck after she was crippled by Ark Royal
U-48
Kptlt. Herbert Schultz
U-74
Kptlt. Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat
U-97
Kptlt. Udo Heilmann
U-98
Kptlt. Robert Gysae
U-108
Korvkpt. Klaus Scholtz
U-552
Kptlt. Erich Topp
U-556
K.Kpt. Herbert Wohlfarth
Of these, only U-74 and U-556 were close enough to assist prior to Bismarck's sinking but U-556 had already fired all of her torpedoes and U-74 had been damaged and had limited maneuverability.
Supply (S), Tanker (T) and Reconnaissance (R) Ships
Located at Kalvanes, Norway
Wollin (T)
Located in the Arctic Ocean
Weissenburg (T) located at 70'N, 1'W (Punkt
"Hans")
Heide (T)
Located south of Greenland
Belchen (T)
[sunk by Aurora and Kenya 3 June]
Lotheringen (T)
[captured by Eagle and Dunedin 15 June]
Gonzenheim (R)
[sunk by Neptune 4 June]
Kota Penang (R)
These last two ships also carried prize
crews and each had accommodations for 300 prisoners.
Located between the Azores and Antilles
Egerland (S)
[sunk by London 5 June]
Esso Hamburg (T)
[sunk by London 4 June]
Friedrich Breme (T)
[sunk by Sheffield 12 June]
Ermland (T)
Spichern (T)
Sources:
1. 'Pursuit' by Ludovic Kennedy
2. 'Verdammte See’ by Cajus Bekker
3. ‘German Capital Ships of WWII' by W.J.
Whitley
4. 'King George Class Battleships' by
V.E. Tarrant
5. 'Battleship Bismarck" A Survivor's
Story (revised edition)' by Burkard Baron von Müllenheim-Rechberg
6. ADM234/509, "Official Dispatch of Admiral
J Tovey, Commander-in-Chief, Home
Fleet - Pursuit of the 'Bismarck'
"
7. ADM116/4351-1941, "Loss of HMS Hood
in action with German Battleship - Boards of Inquiry"
8. U-boat net at http://uboat.net/
9. Original research by Mark E. Horan