Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:52:30-1:54:01

A Hood machinery failure could bring King George V into the chase

An early catastrophic failure would remove Hood from the pursuit and could delay Prince of Wales until the worked-up King George V arrived.

Battle Of The Denmark StraitGerman Battleship BismarckHMS HoodHMS King George VHMS Prince Of WalesNaval Engineering
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Question

What if Hood suffered a catastrophic engine failure before fighting Bismarck?

Short answer

An early failure could keep Hood out and bring King George V alongside Prince of Wales, replacing the historical battle with a two-battleship pursuit.

Notes

The consequences depend on when Hood loses machinery. A failure during the battle forces immediate withdrawal, while an earlier breakdown would require a major refit and change the force dispatched against Bismarck. Prince of Wales would probably not be sent ahead alone if the problem emerged soon enough. King George V could join her instead, producing a two-fast-battleship engagement with an already worked-up flagship.