Bismarck Battleship Timeline

(14 February 1939 – 27 May 1941)

The Bismarck was Nazi Germany's largest and most powerful battleship, launched in February 1939. In May 1941, on her first Atlantic raid (Operation Rheinübung), she sank the British battlecruiser HMS Hood before being crippled by British forces and sunk on 27 May 1941. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Design and Construction

Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935 signed

Jun 18, 1935

Laid down after the signing of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935, Bismarck and her sister Tirpitz were nominally within the 35,000-long-ton (36,000 t) limit imposed by the Washington Naval Treaty that governed battleship construction in the interwar period.

Image source: Anglo-German Naval Agreement

Ships secretly exceed treaty displacement limits

1936 - 1940

The ships secretly exceeded the nominal displacement figure by a wide margin, though before either vessel was completed, the international treaty system had fallen apart following Japan's withdrawal in 1937, allowing signatories to invoke an "escalator clause" that permitted displacements as high as 45,000 long tons (46,000 t).

Image source: Bismarck-class battleship

Contract awarded to Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg

1936

The contract for building Bismarck was awarded to the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, where construction of the new German battleship was soon to begin.

Image source: Blohm+Voss

Bismarck named after Otto von Bismarck

Jul 1936

The battleship was named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the 19th-century statesman who unified Germany; his granddaughter Dorothee von Löwenfeld performed the christening at the launch ceremony in February 1939.

Image source: Otto von Bismarck

Keel of Bismarck laid down at Hamburg

Jul 1, 1936

Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the ship's keel was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg on 1 July 1936 at Helgen IX.

Japan withdraws from naval treaties

1937

The international treaty system fell apart following Japan's withdrawal in 1937, allowing signatories to invoke an "escalator clause" that permitted battleship displacements as high as 45,000 long tons (46,000 t), removing constraints on the Bismarck class's true size.

Image source: Second London Naval Treaty

Bismarck launched and christened by Dorothee von Löwenfeld

Feb 14, 1939

The ship was launched on 14 February 1939 and during the elaborate ceremonies was christened by Dorothee von Löwenfeld, granddaughter of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the ship's namesake.

FuMO 23 Seetakt radar installed on fire-control cupolas

Mar 1941

On top of each fire-control station a rangefinder was mounted in a rotating cupola, and a FuMO 23 Seetakt radar set was installed by March 1941 on the front of all three cupolas, giving the ship modern gunnery radar capability.

Foretop anti-aircraft guns upgraded to quadruple mounts

Apr 1941

In April 1941 two of the single 2 cm guns mounted on the searchlight platform on the foretop were replaced by two quadruple 2 cm C/38 guns, strengthening Bismarck's close-range anti-aircraft defenses shortly before her first operation.

Commissioning and Trials

Sea trials conducted in the Baltic

Aug 1940 - Sep 1940

Following commissioning, Bismarck began sea trials, which were conducted in the Baltic Sea to test the ship's machinery, handling, and armament systems.

Bismarck commissioned into the German fleet

Aug 24, 1940

Work on the battleship was completed in August 1940, and Bismarck was commissioned into the fleet on 24 August 1940, marking her formal entry into service with the Kriegsmarine.

Bismarck leaves Hamburg to begin trials in Kiel Bay

Sep 15, 1940

On 15 September 1940, three weeks after commissioning, Bismarck left Hamburg to begin sea trials in Kiel Bay, continuing her workup program.

Return to Kiel delayed by sunken merchant vessel

Jan 24, 1941

The ship was scheduled to return to Kiel on 24 January 1941, but a merchant vessel had been sunk in the Kiel Canal, preventing use of the waterway and delaying the planned transit.

Image source: Kiel Canal

Wartime Operations

Operation Rheinübung initially scheduled for late April

Apr 26, 1941

Bismarck's sortie was initially scheduled for around 26 April 1941, when a new moon period would make conditions more favourable for breaking out into the Atlantic.

Image source: Operation Rheinübung

Hitler visits Bismarck at Gotenhafen

May 5, 1941

On 5 May 1941, Hitler and Wehrmacht High Command Chief Wilhelm Keitel, with a large entourage, arrived to view Bismarck in Gotenhafen, touring the battleship shortly before she departed on her sole offensive mission.

Operation Rheinübung: Bismarck's only offensive operation

May 18, 1941 - May 27, 1941

In the course of the warship's eight-month career, Bismarck conducted only one offensive operation, codenamed Rheinübung. The eight-day sortie in May 1941 aimed to break out into the Atlantic and attack Allied convoys.

British code-breakers decrypt signals revealing course to Brest

May 25, 1941

British code-breakers were able to decrypt some of the German signals, including an order to the Luftwaffe to provide support for Bismarck making for Brest, decrypted by Jane Fawcett on 25 May 1941, helping the Royal Navy track the fleeing battleship.

Image source: Jane Fawcett

Sinking Aftermath

Prinz Eugen torpedo damage foreshadows Bismarck stern failure

1942

While no one onboard Bismarck when it sank could confirm or deny claims about how her stern failed, Prinz Eugen's stern collapsed after it was similarly torpedoed in the stern in 1942, lending weight to theories about structural weakness in that area.

Image source: German cruiser Prinz Eugen

Discovery and Exploration

Robert Ballard discovers wreck of Bismarck

Jun 8, 1989

The wreck of Bismarck was discovered on 8 June 1989 by Robert Ballard, the oceanographer responsible for finding RMS Titanic, located some 600 kilometres west of Brest at a depth of about 4,790 metres.

Image source: Last battle of Bismarck

Deep Ocean Expeditions investigates wreck

Jun 2001

In June 2001, Deep Ocean Expeditions, partnered with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, conducted another investigation of the wreck, bringing paying visitors and researchers to the site.

Anglo-American TV-funded expedition surveys wreck

Jul 2001

An Anglo-American expedition in July 2001 was funded by a British TV channel, surveying the wreck and examining evidence related to the battleship's final moments.

Further expeditions continue surveying the wreck

2002

Since its discovery by Robert Ballard in June 1989, the wreck has been further surveyed by several other expeditions, deepening understanding of the ship's final battle and structural condition.

James Cameron films Expedition: Bismarck documentary

May 2002 - Jun 2002

The 2002 documentary Expedition: Bismarck, directed by James Cameron and filmed in May–June 2002 using smaller and more agile Mir submersibles, reconstructed the events leading to the sinking of the battleship.

Image source: Expedition: Bismarck

James Cameron films Expedition: Bismarck documentary

Key Facts

The Bismarck was launched on 14 February 1939 and was the largest warship Germany had built up to that time.
On 24 May 1941, during the Battle of the Denmark Strait, Bismarck sank the British battlecruiser HMS Hood, killing over 1,400 sailors.
After being torpedoed by Swordfish biplanes from HMS Ark Royal on 26 May 1941, Bismarck's rudder was jammed, preventing her escape.
Bismarck was sunk on 27 May 1941 by British naval forces; only around 114 of her crew of over 2,200 survived.
The wreck of the Bismarck was discovered in June 1989 by oceanographer Robert Ballard, about 600 km off the coast of France.

Source

This Bismarck Battleship timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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