HMS Hood
Hood was to have been the first of four such ships, but was the only one completed. Her engines developed 144,000hp, and range was 7600km (4000 miles) at 10 knots. Despite these advantages, whilst engaging the German battleship Bismarck and the cruiser Prinz Eugen on 21 May 1941, her upper armour was breached by a shell, blowing her in two. Only three survived; 1338 were lost.
Reklam
Arizona was one of four US battleships to be sunk at Pearl Harbor, a fifth was beached and three more were damaged. Today her remains still lie in the shallow waters of the harbour where she is now preserved as a war grave
HMS Invincible was the world's first battlecruiser, and so was the first of an entirely new type of warship.
Bretagne was blown up and capsized with the loss of 1012 lives. This attack on the French fleet was one of the most tragic, melancholy operations ever undertaken by the Royal Navy, but was seen as a grim necessity. It emphasized Britain's determination to fight a merciless war, no matter what the cost. The destruction of the Bretagne caused enormous bitterness in France, and led to much anti-British sentiment among certain factions.
And the poor young man hid his face in his hands, and many times afterward in his life he shuddered, seeing how much inhumanity there is in man, how much savage brutality lies hidden under refined, cultured politeness, and, my God! Even in a man whom the world accepts as a gentleman and a man of honor
Reklam