74 years on, HMS Hoods bell.

[Frederick Lacey]

74 years on, HMS Hood bell lifted from seabed. (in Daily Mail today 10-08-2015)

The bell of British battlecruiser HMS Hood has finally been recovered from the depths of the Atlantic after more than 70 years.
It will be put on display to help commemorate the ship, which sank in battle in 1941, leading to the deaths of 1,415 navy
personnel- the biggest loss of life ever suffered by a single British warship.
After a year-long conservation program to help repair the damage caused by sea water, it will be shown at the National Museum of
the Royal Navy in Portsmouth. The expedition to extract the bell was led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
A submersible craft was custom built to reach the artefact, which lay near the wreck of the battlecruiser at a depth of 2,800m (9,200ft)
It followed an unsuccessful attempt in 2012, also aided by Mr Allen in which a British party located the bell but was unable to lift it out
of the water due to strong currents and bad weather at the site between Iceland and Greenland.
HMS Hood sank on May 24th,1941 after being hit by several shells fired by German battleship the Bismarck during the battle of
Denmark Strait, one of the fiercest naval encounters of the war.
Launched in 1918, she had come to symbolise the power of the British Empire and was well-known to the public as "The Mighty Hood".
The loss of the ship- which had a reputation for being invincible - had a deep effect on wartime moral, and the precise cause of the
sinking remained a matter of controversy for some years.
After the recovery operation, Mr Allen said; "This year marks the 70th anniversary of the conclusion of World War 2, and this effort
commemorates the hundreds of brave sailors who were lost at sea.
"It is a true honour to to undertake the expedition to recover the bell from "The Mighty Hood". First Sea Lord Admiral Sir George Zambellas
said "{HMS Hoods] story, her sacrifice, continues to inspire the Royal Navy today.
"The recovery of the ships bell will help ensure the 1,415 men lost, and the name Hood, will always be remembered by a grateful nation".

[John Albert Evans]

On my first deep sea trip in 1957 on the oil tanker San Fernando I was Galley Boy. The Cook Jack ?? on that ship lost his father on HMS Hood. Hope he reads this post.

John.

[Frederick Lacey]

Hi John, for info there were only three survivors.

Ordinary Signalman....Ted Briggs.
Midshipman...............William Dundas.
Able Seaman.............Bob Tilburn.

They were picked up a couple of hours or so later by the destroyer HMS Electra.
There's plenty of interesting info if you Google it

F.

[Keith Tindell]

I read the book some years ago, she had civilians onboard as well, when they realised that the Bismark had sailed, hood was not full ready for sea and in port, and the civilians went with her that were still working on her. It was a very unlucky shell strike that went through her decking at a vulnerable point, and into the magazine. A real tragedy KT

[David Edes]

My uncle , Harry Edes lost his life on the Hood

[Chris Allman]

It has been said that it was the lack of amour deck plating that allowed the shell to pierce the deck from which it ultimately penetrated the magazine and exploded.