Why Hood drew Bismarck's attention

Why did Bismarck's crew focus on Hood?

Hood was one of the ships most capable of catching and threatening Bismarck, though the response does not treat her as the sole intended target.

The response cautions against assuming the German crew intended to fight Hood to the exclusion of every other British ship. A raider's immediate concern was which opponents could catch it and inflict serious damage. Hood combined the speed to overhaul Bismarck with eight 15-inch guns that could threaten it once in range. That made her an especially important tactical danger even without proving that she was the Germans' sole chosen target.