churchillhouse
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Joined: 2/10/2001
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My Uncle David, a captain in the Royal Marines, was stationed aboard the Norfolk and was there for both the Hood and Bismarck sinkings. This is the text of a letter he wrote his mother shortly after the events:
“My dear Mother,
Just a line to let you know that I am OK after our memorable week’s chase.
You probably heard the news accounts of the two actions, both of which Norfolk took part in so I will just give you a brief resume for the present.
It was last Friday that we learnt the Bismarck and the Prince Eugene had put to sea when we were up in the Denmark Strait, between Iceland and Greenland. Then at 8 o’clock that evening we sighted them and they opened fire on us for a short time. Owing to the fact that Bismarck was a battleship we fled for our lives and then shadowed them. Suffolk was with us at the time, and it proved a most difficult task owing to the weather and visibility. It meant “nipping” in to almost point blank range, get sight of her, and then flee for our lives again out of it.
We did this for the whole of Friday/Saturday night, whilst the “Prince of Wales” and “Hood” came out. It was about 0600 on Saturday morning that we were steaming along with Bismarck just in sight on our Starboard Bow that we sighted our Battle Squadron approaching on the Port Bow. We then had absolute grandstand seats for a very short but most intense engagement that ensued. We were fired on but for a very short time only. I saw perhaps a grand sight though at the same time a very sad one, the greatest pyrotechnic display given when the “Hood” went up. Since we had to make sure of sinking the Bismarck and the odds were now even, we did not want to risk any such lucky hits on the “Prince of Wales”, so more shadowing took place. Visibility was again bad, but during the day we kept contact. It proved a most boring job, punctuated by periods of intense excitement when we had short sharp engagements.
We held her all that day but unluckily lost her that night. By the time “King George V” and “Rodney” were making to intercept. It was then that the Fleet Air Arm came in and “did its stuff” and she was located a long way from us.
We then went up to full speed and caught her up the following morning. By this time the Prince Eugene had made good her escape and Bismarck had had her speed reduced by torpedoes.
We caught up with her and engaged her for a while on our own. This was the worst time we had as her 15 inch guns were then firing at us. However, things worked out all right. I can’t go beyond this yet because the news broadcasts stopped here.
We were the only ship to have been involved in the chase from start to finish. It went on for over 3 days, a distance of 1700 miles in all. Norfolk, as you can guess, was the only ship that was in every engagement, in fact we were the first to engage her (in the Denmark Strait) and the last to fire guns at her, although “Dorsetshire”, our only real sister ship, fired torpedoes into her later.
I must add that it’s a story of a gallant foe who fought right to the very end although the odds were always against her. As the waves closed over her, her Nazi ensign was still fluttering from the Jack-staff. It was a very sad sight to see such a beautiful ship battered to pieces.
However, the full story when it can be told will be a very stirring one. Since the action, of course, Jerry has been bothering us a bit with aircraft but it’s not been at all bad as yet.
I’m writing this whilst we are still at sea, steaming for home quite fast through a most terrible storm. My cabin is simply rocking about all over the place, so I hope you will be able to decipher this terrible scrawl.
I’ve managed to obtain as a souvenir a piece of shrapnel from a 15 inch shell from the Bismarck which landed all too close to us. It was on that first Friday night, the 23rd, which brings up rather a coincidence.
I have also as a souvenir a piece of shrapnel (from a French 75mm) which actually fell on me at Boulogne last year. The date was May 23rd. I wonder where I shall be on the same date next year.
Must stop now, I really can’t cope much longer with this rolling and pitching. Thank goodness I am not one of these poor fellows who are seasick from the time we almost put to sea till we get back.
Will write again when we get in, but I want this to catch the first post.
Am looking forward to letters from you tomorrow.
Love to all,
David."
< Message edited by churchillhouse -- 9/14/2014 12:01:23 AM >
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