Launched on 22 August 1918, HMS Hood was the 13th and final British battlecruiser ... Five months later, Bismarck's design was complete. She was launched on 14 February 1939.

When the British learned of Germany's deployment of the Bismarck and Prince Eugen to disrupt Atlantic shipping, they urgently planned an interception. On May 24, 1941, HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Hood ...