The 4th Destroyer Flotilla hunts Bismarck

The fast Tribals had often escorted capital ships such as Hood and Repulse because they could keep pace with them. When Bismarck was trying to reach home after Hood's loss, Captain Philip Vian used the latitude available to him to take the 4th Destroyer Flotilla away from convoy escort and race across the Atlantic without specific orders. He left the convoy with a C-class anti-aircraft cruiser, judging that ship sufficient for the immediate risk. The flotilla's arrival maintained contact as the shadowing cruisers ran low on fuel and prepared to break off. The destroyers repeatedly charged Bismarck, launched torpedoes, and withdrew throughout the night. The attached Polish destroyer ORP Piorun stayed out of the closest fighting because it had not operated alongside the Royal Navy long enough to follow the flotilla's tactics. The 21-inch weapons posed a real threat despite the enormous difference in ship size, while the attacks denied Bismarck's crew any rest before the final battle.