Conceived during WW1 as a battlecruiser (a large, fast cruiser hull equipped with battleship calibre guns) HMS Hood was sunk in action against the German Kriegsmarine raiding squadron of battleship Bismarck and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. Engaging the German ships in the Denmark Strait of Iceland on 24th May 1941 HMS Hood exploded following hits from the German guns around the aft magazine.
Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Hood was built at the Clydebank shipyard in Scotland by John Brown & Co. Ltd. Laid down in September 1916, launched in August 1918, and commissioned in May 1920.
Planned as one of four battlecruisers of the Admiral class, only Hood was completed, at the time the heaviest and most powerful warship in the world and pride of the British fleet.
HMS Hood spent the winter of 1940-41 patrolling the northern waters of the Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland, watching over any attempted breakout by German heavy units to attack Atlantic convoys bringing vital supplies to Britain from the USA.
The pride of Germany's Kriegsmarine the Bismarck, in company with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, encountered Hood and the brand new Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales west of Iceland. On 24th May 1941 at 05.52, at a range of 22,000 yards, Hood opened fire. As Hood and Prince of Wales were steering towards Bismarck to close the range, Bismarck replied with accuracy. On the third salvo Hood was hit close to the main mast, starting a fire. At 05.55 the British ships began to turn broadside to the German ships to enable all guns to engage. As they did so the fifth salvo from Bismarck struck Hood's magazine. The catastrophic explosion tore Hood apart, destroying the central portion of the ship, the remaining in two sections sinking within 3 minutes.
There were only three survivors from Hood's crew of 1,418 men, the Royal Navy's greatest single loss of the Second World War.
To avenge the loss of Hood, the order was given 'Sink the Bismarck'. More than 2,000 Kriegsmarine sailors perished when Bismarck sank on 27th May 1941. The wrecks of Hood and Bismarck were located in 2001 and is designated a war grave.
HMS HOOD Royal Navy Battle Cruiser
Plastic Model Warship Kit
- Scale : 1:200
- Length : 1318mm / 51.88in.
- Beam : 163mm / 6.4in.
- Total Parts : 1490+
- Metal Parts : Propeller shafts. Anchor chain.
- Photo Etched Parts : 7 pcs.
- Total Sprues : 20 sprues, hull, decks and superstructure.
- Paint Schemes : HMS Hood 1941
Features
- One-piece hull made from two-directional slide molds
- Deck pattern finely rendered.
- Accurately detailed guns
- 7 pieces of photo etched frets for handrails, ladders, radar parts etc.
- Contains display stand