What Hood's secondary guns could do to Bismarck

How useful would Hood's 5.5-inch guns and Prince of Wales's 5.25-inch guns have been against Bismarck?

They could damage or clear exposed deck positions, but they lacked the armor penetration to inflict decisive internal damage.

The British secondary batteries could clear Bismarck's decks and make exposed positions dangerous. Their shells lacked the penetration needed to reach protected machinery or magazines. Damage to exposed fittings and personnel was different from damage to the armored ship's vital structure. High volume of fire therefore did not substitute for the heavy weapons required to disable the German battleship decisively.