In the hypothetical encounter, the heavy ship would engage at range while destroyers tried to close Bismarck. Their movement would divide attention and hinder the use of her secondary and main guns. Possible approaches include line ahead or a line-abreast counter-turn, allowing the destroyers to launch and continue inward behind their torpedoes. A release at about 3,000-4,000 yards would give the German ship less room to avoid the attack. The formation remains a proposed option rather than a fixed prediction of how the action would unfold.
Notable Point · 3:30:23-3:32:01
Closing Bismarck for a destroyer torpedo attack
Destroyers would try to disrupt Bismarck's gunnery while closing to roughly 3,000-4,000 yards for torpedo release.