Dalrymple-Hamilton took command of Rodney in November 1939 and used repair opportunities to improve a battleship whose hull could sustain more speed than its reputation suggested. Rodney served as Home Fleet flagship and stood ready to attack a German invasion fleet if Germany launched Operation Sea Lion. Off Norway, a 500-kilogram bomb broke up after striking a ready-use ammunition box, then started a galley fire below. Three men were wounded, and fifteen suffered electrical burns when firefighting water entered a junction box. In March 1941 Rodney surprised Gneisenau while the German ship was rescuing survivors, but the faster German ship escaped. Rodney held her fire while Gneisenau remained close to the merchant ship, then rescued survivors and returned to the convoy she was covering.
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Making HMS Rodney faster than expected
The Royal Navy pairs its noted speed enthusiast with slow HMS Rodney, which repeatedly hunts German surface ships and nearly catches Gneisenau.