Cruiser contact exposed Bismarck and disabled her own search radar

Norfolk and Suffolk found the German ships among the ice and withdrew after Bismarck and Prinz Eugen opened fire. The cruisers remained within radar range and continued reporting the German position. Shock from Bismarck's own heavy guns disabled her search radar, forcing Prinz Eugen to lead. During the change of station, Bismarck's electric steering jammed and nearly drove the battleship into the cruiser before Brinkmann maneuvered clear. A later attempt to surprise the shadowers inside a rain squall failed because their radar detected the turn. Lütjens interpreted that failure as evidence of a far more powerful British radar system than the cruisers actually possessed.