Q&A ยท 2:54:55-2:58:37

How a Second World War carrier group might fight Bismarck

A carrier force facing Bismarck would use scouts, cruisers, destroyers, and every available aircraft to delay and overload her.

Question

What would a Second World War British carrier group do if Bismarck appeared nearby?

Short answer

It would launch aircraft, use cruisers and destroyers to delay her from several directions, and try to overload her while the carrier withdraws.

Notes

British carriers were early adopters of air- and surface-search radar and normally kept scouting aircraft aloft, reducing the chance of a sudden close-range encounter. They also operated with cruisers and destroyers, and often with a battleship or battlecruiser, rather than sailing as an isolated flight deck. If Bismarck nevertheless appeared nearby, the escorts would attack from multiple bearings in a River Plate-style effort to divide her fire and buy the carrier time to withdraw. The carrier would launch everything available, including torpedo bombers and fighters, while destroyers and cruisers pressed torpedo attacks to overload the battleship's defences.