Sink The Bismarck! Stringbags vs Bismarck (Part 2)

Summary

We Have Ways of Making You Talk

Sink The Bismarck! Stringbags vs Bismarck (Part 2)

Podcast Date: January 29, 2026
Hosts: Al Murray (comedian), James Holland (historian)

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Episode Overview

This gripping episode is the second installment of Al and James’s deep dive into the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck. The hosts reconstruct, with expertise and banter, the crucial day when Royal Navy aircraft—old-fashioned Swordfish biplanes, “stringbags”—attempt to cripple Bismarck before she can reach safety in France. Emphasizing the fog of war, chains of command, and narrow chances, Al and James bring alive the near-mythical chase, missteps, and eventual fateful torpedo strike that sealed Bismarck's fate.
Theme: The high-stakes hunt for Bismarck and the extraordinary role of British naval aviation.

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Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recap and the Search for Bismarck

• Royal Navy’s Cat-and-Mouse: The RN sends almost every available ship—including those from the Mediterranean—on a relentless chase.
  • “It's cats and mouse really... sending absolutely every piece of heavy metal it can possibly get its hands on...” (Al, 02:17)
• Coordination Challenges: British Admiralty, Coastal Command, and RAF struggle with the logistics and complexity of finding a single ship in a huge ocean.
• Importance of Air Patrolling: The pressing need for eyes—“the Mark 1 eyeball”—to spot the Bismarck and maintain contact (02:27).

2. Decisions and Instincts of Command

• RAF Coastal Command Input: Air Marshal Sir Frederick Bowhill, with vast sea experience, doubts the “logical” route and recommends an additional patrol toward northern Spain—a pivotal decision.
  • “Would Bismarck do the logical thing?... a direct route is unlikely because it's just so obvious.” — James (05:13)
  • Bowhill’s maritime instincts reinforce the challenges of wartime decision-making under uncertainty.

3. The Catalina Sighting

• The Crew: Spotlight on American Ensign Leonard ‘Tuck’ Smith, flying with the British—his American perspective highlighted by his chief’s ominous prediction:
  • “Boys, we're going to war soon with Germany and Japan, but we haven't fixed the date yet. So we want you to go over there and learn all you can about it.” (Al, 06:26)
• Perils of Flying Boats: Catalinas fly cramped, cold, long-range patrols—sometimes for 28 hours at a time.
  • “You do a three-hour watch as you toddle around, sort of loitering looking for stuff...” (Al, 08:15)
• Contact! The Catalina spots the Bismarck (09:09 - 10:04). Under fire, the crews keep cool and transmit an exact report, a moment of triumph for the Allies.
  • “One battleship bearing 240 degrees five miles. Course 150 degrees. My position 49, 33 North 2147 West. Time of origin 1030 26.” — James (09:57)

4. The Net Closes

• Narrow Misses: British destroyers had inadvertently passed within miles of Bismarck days earlier.
  • “Rodney and her destroyers have missed Bismarck the day before by only 50 miles.” (Al, 10:16)
• A Surge of Action: Once Bismarck’s position is confirmed, all Allied ships dash to cut her off, executing bold maneuvers without waiting for orders—exemplifying Nelson’s aggressive spirit.
  • “No captain can do very wrong if he lays his ship alongside that of an enemy.” (James, 12:07)

5. The Role of Force H and Admiral Somerville

• Somerville’s Leadership: Celebrated for his unorthodox, enthusiastic command style.
  • “A youthful zest and sense of fun... the unorthodox admiral...” (James, 13:12)
• Ark Royal’s Swordfish: Facing atrocious weather, 50mph winds, and a 60ft-drenched, pitching deck, Swordfish planes nevertheless manage to launch for their first attempt.
  • “You have to wait for the bow to start rising, gun the throttle and hope that you get off before the bow pitches again and you basically fly into the sea.” (Al, 15:09)

6. Friendly Fire Debacle

• Sheffield Mistakenly Attacked: Due to miscommunication, Swordfish attack HMS Sheffield instead of Bismarck, but Sheffield’s captain avoids disaster.
  • “He [Sheffield’s Captain] immediately orders his gun crew not to open fire. Opens up to full speed as the first torpedo is dropped, then turns wheel hard to avoid it..." (James, 23:53)
• Humor Amidst Danger: A Swordfish pilot signals Sheffield, “Sorry for the kipper,” after realizing the mistake (Al & James, 24:50).
  • "Sorry for the kipper. That's got to be a T-shirt, hasn't it?" (Al, 24:53)

7. Preparations for Second Attack

• Switching Tactics: Now knowing the magnetic pistols are faulty, Swordfish rearm with contact pistols.
• The Sky-Naval Chess Game: Both sides make desperate moves—German High Command sends U-boats and calls for Luftwaffe air support, but these gestures are ultimately symbolic, not decisive (Al, 26:40–27:54).

8. The Decisive Swordfish Attack

• Difficult Conditions: Cloud cover, rough weather, and miscommunication continue to complicate coordination.
• Sheffield Guides the Attack: Sheffield signals the Swordfish the Bismarck’s position; no more friendly fire.
• Sheer Bravery: Swordfish descend through cloud cover into withering anti-aircraft fire. “The fate of the Atlantic war, and the entire war, is dependent on you slowing down the Bismarck. So don't cock it up, don't fuck it up.” — Al (30:32)
• Notable Moment: Lieutenant Tony Beale gets close, executes a daring low-level attack, and scores the fateful hit:
  • “Beale turns and makes a long upwind attack at 50ft off the water dropping his torpedo... Bismarck doesn't fire... only once they've turned away again does Bismarck's flak open up...” (James, 33:16)

9. Aftermath: The Lucky Hit

• Rudder Disabled: The hit jams Bismarck’s rudder, rendering her unmaneuverable.
  • “A torpedo has struck the steering gear compartments and flooded them... The rudder is jammed at 15 degrees and leaning severely to starboard.” — James (36:36)
• Desperation on Bismarck: Attempts at repair are futile; the Bismarck circles, defenseless. Captain Lindemann and Admiral Lütjens send grim signals to Berlin:
  • “Ship unmaneuverable. We fight to the last shell. Long live Zephyrer.” (James, 38:20)
• Allied Forces Converge: Destroyers close in, cementing Bismarck’s fate as dawn approaches.
• Tovey's Message to the Fleet:
  • “The sinking of the Bismarck may have an effect on the war as a whole out of all proportion to the loss to the enemy of one battleship. May God be with you and grant you victory.” (James, quoting Tovey, 41:20)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On finding a ship in the Atlantic:
  • “All are struck by the tininess of even very large ships in the enormity of the ocean.” (James, 03:18)
• On American involvement before Pearl Harbor:
  • “We’re going to go to war soon with Germany and Japan but we haven’t fixed the date yet.” (Al, 06:26)
• On Swordfish pilots’ courage:
  • “The guts of these Fleet Air Arm guys... defies belief.” (Al, 42:32)
• On the lucky hit:
  • “The hundred and thousand to one shot has happened. Talk about a lucky hit that destroys Hood. This is a lucky glancing blow.” (James, 37:52)
• On repartee and Royal Navy style:
  • “Sorry for the kipper.” (Al/James, 24:50)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:34 | Dramatic excerpt from Ludovic Kennedy’s Pursuit describing an attack run on Bismarck | | 05:31 | Bowhill’s strategic hunch changes RAF patrol routes | | 09:09 | Catalina Sighting: The tense moment the Bismarck is spotted and signal is sent | | 12:07 | “Nelsonian” spirit—commanders take initiative | | 13:54 | Ark Royal Swordfish struggle to get airborne in a North Atlantic storm | | 16:46 | First Swordfish “Search”—mistaken identity and abortive attack on Sheffield | | 23:50 | Friendly fire; Swordfish attack the HMS Sheffield by mistake | | 24:50 | “Sorry for the kipper” moment | | 28:51 | Second, coordinated Swordfish attack launched | | 33:16 | Tony Beale’s daring upwind torpedo run—the hit that changes history | | 36:36 | The aftermath—Bismarck’s rudder jammed, fate sealed | | 41:20 | Admiral Tovey’s stirring address to the fleet | | 42:32 | Reflection on Swordfish crews’ courage and anticipation before the final battle |

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Tone & Style

The episode blends detailed operational storytelling with British humor and irreverence. Al brings levity (“Sorry for the kipper!”), while James offers sharp tactical analysis and historical context. Their exchanges ground the immense drama of the Bismarck chase in moments of humanity, blunders, and bravery—making complex history both compelling and accessible.

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Conclusion

Part 2 concludes with Bismarck crippled, the Allies closing in, and the sense of imminent climax. The episode is a masterclass in turning a well-known naval saga into a suspenseful, human-centered narrative, rich in technical detail, historical color, and the occasional, unforgettable T-shirt-worthy quip.

To discover Bismarck’s ultimate fate, tune in to Part 3...

Transcript

[Al Murray]

Thank you for listening to we have ways of making you talk. Sign up to our Patreon to receive bonus content, live streams and our weekly newsletter with money off books and museum visits as well plus early access to all live show tickets. That's patreon.com we haveways.

[James Holland]

KUD and his four planes dropped out of the cloud on Bismarck's port beam, leveled out, pointed their noses ahead of the enemy's bow to give the necessary deflection. The whole of Bismarck's port side anti aircraft armaments burst into life. Tracer bullets like billiard balls red, green, orange, white came towards them in long slow arcs. Small caliber shells exploded all around them. They tried to remember the simple rules for attack they had heard at training school. Drop torpedoes at a speed of 90 knots at a height of 90ft at a distance of 900 yards. But in this inferno of fire it was hard to think of anything. Sub Lieutenant Dickson Charles plane was hit by splinters but kept going, turned away to port downwind. The observer of the plane from number three sub flight attacking a little after the others thought he saw a column of water shoot up abaft Bismarck's funnel but couldn't be sure. Edmund Carver observer of Cood's plane which had reached a position on Bismarck's port bow saw nothing. He and Cood hung around some time in the low cloud and rain, saw no other attacks, assumed they were the only ones to find the target. Made to Ark Royal before turning for home. Estimate no hits. The signal that was passed on to Tovey and that was Ludovic Kennedy writing in his superb book Pursuit about the the whole battle.

[Al Murray]

Incomparable book.

[James Holland]

Incomparable book. Just absolutely, just splendid.

[Al Murray]

Welcome to we have ways of making you talk with me Al Murray and James Holland for part two of Sink the Bismarck. Exclamation mark.

[James Holland]

Yes.

[Al Murray]

Make no mistake, that's what what we're.

[James Holland]

Here to do and we're all hoping it'll happen.

[Al Murray]

In our last episode we saw the game of cat and mouse except it's cats and mouse really with the Royal Navy mob handed sending absolutely every piece of heavy metal it can possibly get its hands on essentially in the western hemisphere apart from ships in the Med.

[James Holland]

Well it's also including ships in the Med because Force H are on and they're based in Gibraltar.

[Al Murray]

Yes. Yeah, well they're kind of. They're half in half out, aren't they? But this is what's amazing, isn't it is that this is the trap that the Germans in a way have laid for themselves yes. And we got to the point where Bismarck is steaming for Brest at reduced speed and the Admiralty has finally made up its mind. That's where Bismarck is headed. Ships of different kinds are in pursuit, although not in contact. So what's absolutely needed is eyeballs the Mark 1 eyeball to clock the Bismar. Yep. And we left the last episode with the catalina, the beautiful, graceful flying boat, sort of strange, bulbous eyes of the Catalina heading out towards the Bismarck and the crew in the Bismarck. Lutchen's on the Bismarck Lindemann thinking, well, maybe we've got away with this. We've got 400 miles to go.

[James Holland]

But the reason they're there, of course, and they're going on the course they're going is, is because of decisions made the previous afternoon. So the Admiralty operations staff are planning air patrols for the following day because there's this, this harmony between RAF Coastal Command and the Admiralty. And they're working very much in tandem and working very well. And the deal is the RAF Coastal Command stays RAF and does its own thing. But decisions on targets is made by the admiralty. So it's 12 hours at the point that they're making this decision since losing contact with the Bismarck and everyone's really worried that they're losing her for good. And all are struck by the tininess of even very large ships in the enormity of the ocean, of course. So they draw up plans which are then passed to Captain Charles Manel rn, who is the liaison officer at RAF Coastal Command headquarters. And Manel then takes makes these plans, these suggestions to Air Marshal Sir Frederick Bohill, who is the commander in chief of RAF Coastal Command. Now Bohill's a really interesting guy because he reckons that navy suggestions are logical should Bismarck be heading to France. But would Bismarck do the logical thing? Bohill's an old sailor. He spent 22 years in the Merchant Navy and then in the Royal Navy he'd sailed around the Cape Horn under sail. You know, anyone who's watched Master and Commander will know in a sailing boat that that's not an easy undertaking. And in the First World War he's commanded a seaplane carrier, the HMS Empress. And his gut instinct, a bit like Wake Walker's gut instinct in the previous episode, tells him that a direct route is unlikely because it's just so obvious.

[Al Murray]

Yeah.

[James Holland]

And it's also too close to the British airfields. So he's thinking, God, what would I do if I was a German admiral? I mean, you know, he is dealing with Lutchens, he's Not the best, as we said. But anyway, he's thinking, well, I would steer more towards northern Spain and then turn east to France. So he suggests to me that they add an extra patrol to cover this course.

[Al Murray]

Right.

[James Holland]

And Mainel telephones this suggestion to the admiralty. And the Admiralty go, yep, okay, fine, as long as it doesn't interfere with the other planned patrols. And Bohill goes, no, no, we can do this because 209 Squadron's got a number of Catalinas and not least Catalina Zed, which is given the. The instructions to fly on this slightly different course. And Catalina Zed has quite an interesting crew, doesn't it, Al?

[Al Murray]

Yeah, well, along board is Ensign Leonard Tuck Smith, who's an American and a farmer's son from Higginsville, Missouri, and he's trained as a pilot in the U. S. Naval reserve in 1938. By 1939, he's the second pilot and navigator in a squadron of Catalinas based in Seattle.

[James Holland]

Yes.

[Al Murray]

And in early 1941, the US government asks for volunteers to train Brits on Catalinas. Smith volunteers, he's sent to Washington.

[James Holland]

PBY.

[Al Murray]

He volunteers, he's sent to Washington with 16 others. And the chief of Naval ops tells them, boys, we're going to war soon with Germany and Japan, but we haven't fixed the date yet. So we want you to go over there and learn all you can about it. That's straight out of a movie. We haven't fixed the date. Oh, it's fantastic, isn't it?

[James Holland]

Yeah, it's just great. Why is it that American commanders always speaking cliches?

[Al Murray]

Maybe they go cliche course, but it's fantastic, isn't it? Unless you guys are talking turkey and cliche, there ain't no point in none of it. So the first, the first three of this cadre, including Tuck Smith, they fly to Bermuda, they pick up Catalinas and they fly onto the UK. They land on the Clyde at Greenock on 5 May, the same day that Hitler has inspected the Bismarck. Danke. From there he's posted to lock. He's. From there he's posted to Loch Ern in Northern Ireland to join Coastal Commander Special observers. Yeah, riding shotgun, basically. Smith's posted as a co pilot to Catalina Z in 209 Squadron alongside Flying Officer Dennis Briggs, who's the first pilot. These planes are extraordinary, aren't they? Because they carry so much fuel.

[James Holland]

Have you ever seen one fly?

[Al Murray]

I have, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I saw one fly over the Chalk Valley.

[James Holland]

Of course. Of course, it looks like a sort.

[Al Murray]

Of dragon fly in motion.

[James Holland]

Yes they do a bit.

[Al Murray]

They do look like they shouldn't be able to get off the ground. Sometimes you see an airplane and think there's no way that should fly. I think the catalina kind of has that quality. They have extraordinary range don't they? This is the, this is absolutely amazing. They do 1750 gallons of fuel so they can fly for 28 hours.

[James Holland]

I mean what.

[Al Murray]

Yeah that's extraordinary isn't it? And so the crew would double up. They'd take food and drink with them and a primer stove and they'd take shifts and it's cramped and noisy and horrible and you do a three hour watch as you toddled around sort of.

[James Holland]

Loitering looking for stuff and you absolutely need a pilot and co pilot for that reason.

[Al Murray]

So they take off three hours. They fly steadily southwest. Dawn breaks. Those who are on watch have some breakfast. Eggs and bacon.

[James Holland]

Yeah. Because they've taken off at 2am haven't they?

[Al Murray]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[James Holland]

They're not very hopeful. I don't think there's much chance of finding it.

[Al Murray]

No. And there's a bet in the crew, a pack of 20 fags that. Oh yeah that she won't find Bismarck. And at 9:45 they're in the area of the planned search the grid they're going to do. Smith moves into Priggs seat. Briggs takes over second pilot. It's hazy. It's a rough sea, low visibility and half an hour later Smith's flying low at 500ft under the cloud base because they've got to try and get eyes on one way or another haven't they? So even when there's low cloud they've got to get in under it. Briggs spots something up ahead. What's that?

[James Holland]

Gee what's that? Hold on.

[Al Murray]

Do you see something? Ice. What's that?

[James Holland]

Holy moly.

[Al Murray]

They see about eight miles away, a dull dark shape and Smith banks and his idea is he'll come out the stern of the ship. The clouds part at 2,000ft and there she is only 500 yards away.

[James Holland]

Bismarck opens fire. Of course it does. A sort of clatter of shrapnel on the side of the Catalina and Smith pulls up and banks violently. One crewman falls out of the bunk, another in the galley drops two plates of eggs and bacon and Briggs is frantically trying to send messages before being shot down. But they get away and Briggs does send the signal and the signal is this One battleship bearing 240 degrees five miles. Course 150 degrees. My position 49, 33 North 2147 West. Time of origin 1030 26.

[Al Murray]

Amazing.

[James Holland]

That's about as specific as you can be isn't it?

[Al Murray]

That'll do it.

[James Holland]

Yep. And both the Germans and the British decode this in minutes. So Bismarck is now 690 miles from.

[Al Murray]

Brest and obviously there's some fuss and Russell at the Admiralty because this means Rodney and her destroyers have missed Bismarck the day before by only 50 miles.

[James Holland]

Darn it.

[Al Murray]

The Edinburgh, HMS Edinburgh by only 45 miles. Vines destroyers have crossed her wake that morning by only 30 miles. And so on. HMS Tartar which is one of the Tribal class destroyers. The news is received with relief and regret. And George Wally who we had in our previous episode notes that the captain Commander Lionel Peyton Skipwith.

[James Holland]

I mean come on that's a name isn't it? Odd I know I want to serve under him.

[Al Murray]

The names of the ships are like one, one slice of another time. So the names of the captains Peyton Skipwith had predicted Bismarck taking the very route it had. All disappointment was forgotten now says George Wally the net was closing rapidly but it was an anxious afternoon while we waited for the air reports.

[James Holland]

Yeah so suddenly everyone's sort of geed up. There's this. But when you can just imagine it can't you on all the crews everyone's sort of feeling a little bit kind of ah darn it. Have we missed the boat? We kind of missed our chance and then suddenly no it's on again and everyone's thinking, everyone's doing their mental calculations aren't they and they're thinking okay what if it's there and we're here we've got some catching up to do. We can do this but fuel's running low. It's going to be nip and tuck but, but you know if we, if we play a blinder we can just about do it you know. Come on boys let's really focus, really concentrate. And what we really need to do more than anything else is somehow slow down the Bismarck to give us the chance to catch up because King George V is 135 miles to the north. Rodney's 125 miles to the northeast. You know they're probably not going to be able to catch so let's try and sew her down. Now Captain Vian in his tribal classes, racist class destroyers and Vian immediately alters course without orders as soon as he hears the message. He doesn't wait for any orders because he's Nelsonian and so he just goes for it and heads for the interception. 600 miles to the south was the cruiser Dorsetshire. Captain Ben Martin also had eight torpedoes on his cruiser and he abandons the merchant cruiser he's escorting also without permission and just goes for it, you know. And they're clearly both remembering their Nelson line, which is no captain can do very wrong if he lays his ship alongside that of an enemy. In other words, be aggressive, go for it, take the initiative. You know, it is so the opposite of the British army generals, isn't it at this time of the war? Yes, but there's no question that the best means of slowing down the Bismarck is Admiral Somerville's Force H and especially HMS Ark Royal, which is the carry he's got with him. And Somerville is quite the man. We've mentioned him a few times in the past. He's hugely experienced and there's a great line about him in his, in his biography which says a schoolboyish approach to all things, a youthful zest and sense of fun combining with an uninhibited simplicity of expression, an unconscious urge to be at the center of the stage and act the unorthodox admiral at all levels. These were important ingredients in his makeup as a leader and brought him enemies as well as friends. I mean if that's not Nelsonian, I don't know what is.

[Al Murray]

I love him. It sounds fantastic.

[James Holland]

I mean you could be describing Nelson that, couldn't he? Yeah, but it underlines that these guys are really good. Yeah, I mean, you know, the commanders are all hugely experienced. They've got to where they've got to on merit. You've got the cream of some of the cream of the world's navies here all homing in on Bismarck and now they know where it is. Okay, so Bismarck's out of range of some of the battleships. We need to slow it down and you can bet your bottom dollar they're somehow going to do it.

[Al Murray]

So on the night of the 25th, 26th May, Somerville orders his first patrol of Swordfish from Ark Royal for dawn. But they're sailing into a very, very strong headwind. This is a rotten late spring, early summer patch of weather, isn't it? At 11:15pm they have to reduce to 23 knots, 1140 to 21 knots. By dawn they're only doing 17 because the weather is absolutely diabolical. And Ark Royal's getting on, isn't she? She's not had a refit for her 100,000 nautical miles. And dawn breaks on on Force H to reveal this. Absolutely. It's a storm, it's a storm tossed sea. It's white caps, four story high waves. She's sailing into the wind. She's rolling as well. The wind speed over the deck is 50 miles an hour. Absolutely extraordinary.

[James Holland]

Yeah. And the other thing is the deck is 60ft above the waterline but it's still being drenched. I mean that is something, isn't it? The carrot itself is rolling so going like this up to 30 degrees.

[Al Murray]

Yeah.

[James Holland]

They're struggling to keep the swordfish on the deck, let alone take off from it.

[Al Murray]

But thank God you've got swordfish in this situation and not some seafires or whatever. You know, you need something that can.

[James Holland]

Get airborne in this insane weather conditions.

[Al Murray]

Yeah, well it's thanks to the Air Ministry being crap during the 1930s that we've ended up with an airplane that can deal with these situations. And it's bad. At 8:45 that morning, the 26th Captain Maund of the Arkmore, he reduces speed to 10 knots, turns the ship directly into the wind. Now the rolling gives way to the pitching because the wind's almost hurricane force. And on Renown Somerville has his binoculars trained on the flight deck. If you're taking off these conditions you have to wait for the bow to start rising, gun the throttle and hope that you get off before the bow pitches again and you basically fly into the sea which when we talked about North Atlantic convoy that happened, aircraft would, would mistime it and go into the drink. So yep, off goes one aircraft just as a wave sweeps past, amazingly gets airborne and clear and one by one the others follow despite most skimming the water as they clearly end the ship.

[James Holland]

I mean, I know, I know, I know, just it's, it is absolutely mind boggling, isn't it?

[Al Murray]

And in the movie if people have seen sink the Bismarck, the swordfish are depicted but obviously they can' reproduce these conditions in the film that like how absolutely diabolic it was getting off. Royal Maund obviously thinks well we've set them on their way but don't know how we'll ever get them back on board ever again. And then they're probably not coming back anyway. You know, it's extraordinary. So off goes the Swordfish patrol. So Force H hears of the sighting of Bismarck 90 minutes later. The aircraft are immediately recalled to be armed with torpedoes. Although two of them, 2H and 2F are ordered to look for the Bismarck. So Sub Lieutenant Hartley in 2H so.

[James Holland]

When they're taking off that morning they're taking off on a patrol, on a search patrol. So Swordfish 2H and 2F, they're looking. This is Sub Lieutenant Hartley in 2H found Bismarck first but reported it to be the Prinz eugen. No. Then seven minutes later Sub Lieutenant Callander in 2F also spots her but reports her to be a battleship. So which is it? It's vital to know because obviously a cruiser has a shallower depth settings for torpedoes. Anyway, Somerville decides to send two more Swordfish with long range tanks to take off and relieve 2H and 2F and hopefully confirm the sighting. Yeah, which one is it? So Art Royal is now steaming at high speed on a parallel course to Bismar and only 50 miles to the south on a converging course.

[Al Murray]

Wow.

[James Holland]

I mean is that amazing?

[Al Murray]

Although the last thing Art Royal wants to do is get within range of her guns so she can't get too close.

[James Holland]

No, exactly. So the R then turns northwest to allow the returning Swordfish to land. And despite the carrier still pitching, all the returning Swordfish make it. Only one gets smashed up on landing, but the crew are all unhurt. I mean it's a miracle, isn't it, in those conditions.

[Al Murray]

I don't think you're overdoing it using that word. I really don't.

[James Holland]

The Admiralty now orders Somerville the cruiser Renown not to engage the Bismarck unless the King George V and the Rodney are already doing so. But it doesn't mention the Sheffield who is part of Force h. So at 1:15 that Monday 26th May, Somerville orders the Sheffield to steer for Bismarck, now only 40 miles away. Somerville then does inform Toby and the Admiralty and also Art Royal. But the signal is not immediately deciphered on the Ark Royal. So the Swordfish are about to take off. A Bismarck don't know that Sheffield is on the way to intercept Bismarck. And I don't know about you, but I can sense that something might go wrong.

[Al Murray]

Well, what could possibly go wrong, Jim?

[James Holland]

Well, should we take a break first?

[Al Murray]

Yes, let's take a break. We'll see you after this break to tell you what is going to happen next. Fantastic. Welcome back to we have Ways of Making youg Talk with Me, Al Murray and James Hollander. We left you on a self inflicted cliffhanger there. We decided. Actually no, we're gonna, we're gonna take a break there because Sheffield is intercepting on her way to intercept Bismarck. Art Royal doesn't know Art Royal is dispatching her Swordfish to attack Bismarck. And mere moments ago in the story Sub Lieutenant Hartley misidentified the Bismarck as the Prinz Eugen. Right. So these pilots may Be extremely brave. But they can't necessarily identify ships in these conditions so wow they all look.

[James Holland]

The same don't they?

[Al Murray]

Particularly the distance and particularly if they painted their swastikas out. Bismarck has made sure she's less identifiable. So at 2:15 the swordfish start coming up in the lifts onto the deck of the Ark Royal. They're really not sure if it's Bismarck or not. So their torpedoes are set to run at 30 not 34ft and they're fitted with magnetic pistols designed to trigger explosions under the enemy's hull.

[James Holland]

Yes and this is important not the.

[Al Murray]

Duplex double strike thing that they used at Taranto where if it's a strike or a magnetic signal at 2:40 they start their engines. At 2:50 Lieutenant Commander Stuart Moore in Swordfish 4A takes off. 14 others follow. The weather is slightly better isn't it? It's not as ghastly as the morning's patrol. So an hour passes and imagine what these hours are like on board aircraft carriers. You know I'm sure many of the listeners remember I counted them all out, I counted them back in that from the Falklands War, that sense of anticipation, your heart and your mouth just not knowing at all how, how it might have turned out and what the odds are when they get there and all that sort of stuff. Captain Morden, Commander Trail who's the flight ops commander. They wait for news. Then the signal officer appears waving a decoded signal about. Sheffield Mourned of course is imperturbable such is the style of the Royal Navy. Turns to the signal officer and says look out for Sheffield. There's no now, no, there's no time to cipher it, make it in plain language, make it now.

[James Holland]

Meanwhile, meanwhile, I mean all morning and early afternoon Toby and his force are clearly slowly but surely catching up because of the slow speed of the Bismarck. You know when they're thinking they're not going to be able to catch her it's because they, they don't know that Bismarck's only doing about 22 knots. So in 24 hours time Bismarck would be within range of the enemy shore based aircraft and the King George V would have to turn for fuel. So the clock is ticking inexorably but they are getting closer. But will they get close enough? That's the key thing. And this is why there's so much emphasis on the Swordfish striking the Bismarck and slowing her down.

[Al Murray]

Yeah.

[James Holland]

Anyway meanwhile Catalina M of 240 Squadron Coastal Command has also now found the Bismarck thanks to Briggs's signal and has kept in contact with a German battleship all that afternoon. And you know every time they get a little bit too close and there's a bit of anti aircraft fire from the Bismarck. But this is also, this is really good for kind of damaging the morale of the crew of the Bismarck because they know they're being shadowed, they know that they've got their number. And on board is a second US Navy pilot Jimmy Johnson with Flying Officer Goulden. You know they have to return eventually. And at 6pm they turn for home. But by then long range Swordfish had taken over. So the Bismarck is now in their size all the time and no one's letting it go. And that same evening the King George V and Rodney meet up and decide to continue together. They're now only 90 miles from Bismarck and Force H but they have no news of the Swordfish strike from ark Royal. And 90 miles is still considered far too far to overhaul. And Tovey is getting a little bit impatient. He wants News. And at 6:21pm Tovey signals to the Admiralty and to Somerville saying that unless Bismarck's speed can be reduced by midnight then he will have to return to harbour for fuel. Rodney on the other hand can continue until 8am on the 27th of May. But that's it. So the time pressure is really on now.

[Al Murray]

Yeah.

[James Holland]

And then 10 minutes pass and at 6:31pm the hammer blow arrives. A ter signal comes from Somerville from Flag Officer Force H to C and C Home Fleet estimate no hits.

[Al Murray]

Well yes.

[James Holland]

Can it really be? Now we're going to recap and explain what did happen to the Swordfish because they've taken off at 2:50pm Several are now equipped with radar. You know can it be really true that Fairey Swordfish biplanes could be a tip with radar? I mean talk about kind of contrast. But anyway they, they are on this radar. They pick up the ship sooner than they're expecting. But what they don't realize is they picked up Sheffield not Bismarck.

[Al Murray]

Yeah, yeah.

[James Holland]

And Captain Charles Larcombe is on the bridge of, of the Sheffield and sees them. He'd been expecting them but then realizes they're about to attack. So he thinks no, you can't do this. Immediately orders his gun crew not to open fire. Opens up to full speed as the first torpedo is dropped, then turns wheel hard to avoid it and he does. And the second Swordfish then comes into attack by torpedo but the torpedo explodes the moment it hits the water. So does the third. So clearly something is up with the magnetic pistols. On these torpedoes and five to six more are launched successfully and Sheffield manages to dodge every single one of them. And only three of the Swordfish realize Sheffield is not the Bismarck. And another sees what they've done after they've dropped drop the torpedo and signals down to the Sheffield, sorry for the kipper by lamp. And then disappears off towards the Art Royal. I mean, isn't that amazing?

[Al Murray]

I think every blunder I make from now on will be referred to as a kipper. I think that's some. Yeah.

[James Holland]

Sorry for the kipper.

[Al Murray]

Sorry for the kipper.

[James Holland]

No, that's got to be a T shirt, hasn't it?

[Al Murray]

That's got to be a T shirt. Sorry for the kipper. And extraordinary, they all return to Art Royal. The three who haven't attacked the shiny chef, their digital torpedoes. And they're despondent. But actually what this means is a.

[James Holland]

Bit of a blessing.

[Al Murray]

They realize that the magnetic pistols aren't any good so they're going to switch to contact pistols With a depth setting of 22ft. They all now know exactly what the Sheffield looks like as well. I think there's also that to bear in mind.

[James Holland]

Yes.

[Al Murray]

Maund then signals Somerville he's going to send another strike force. Going to go around, go around again because they're not that far away is the thing. They can actually do this. It's not such a journey, is it? Somerville signals this to the Admiralty and to Toby but Toby's not much cheered about that and he doesn't know about.

[James Holland]

Well he just thinks, well they've already done one strike.

[Al Murray]

Yeah.

[James Holland]

So he doesn't know that they've tried to attack the Sheffield.

[Al Murray]

Yeah, probably best not to.

[James Holland]

So he just thinks this hasn't worked because what he's got is a signal that says no estimate, no hit. So he thinks we're in an first time, why would they hit a second time?

[Al Murray]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're very gloomy on the Bismarck because they know they've been spotted, they know they're being shadowed but because nothing's happened they sort of think well, you know, maybe we will get away with it. I mean there's a lot of wishful thinking going on.

[James Holland]

Darkness will fall. They're getting further south so darkness is coming quickly.

[Al Murray]

The last torpedo attack they suffered didn't do them too much harm as we explained in the last episode.

[James Holland]

Well and they've got this huge waist armor, haven't they? Belt armor which is, you know, designed to be interpretable to torpedoes.

[Al Murray]

Yeah, yeah. And at Brest they're going absolutely Crazy. Getting ready for the Bismarck. Goering of course has ordered maximum air assistance which obviously as experienced going watchers will know that might mean something happens, it might mean something doesn't happen. I mean it could mean literally anything, can't it?

[James Holland]

Yeah.

[Al Murray]

Donitz orders his U boats also to give the Bismarck every help. Although U boats doing what, five knots above water on the surface, two knots below, they're not going to be able to steam radically quickly to any situation, are they?

[James Holland]

Yep, is the truth.

[Al Murray]

So there we go. There's two symbolic gestures from the, from the Nazi high command. Luftwaffe Condors have spotted the Rodney and three destroyers 200 miles north of the Bismarck in the afternoon. So they think well maybe there aren't ships that are going to catch her first.

[James Holland]

And just to remind people Condors are.

[Al Murray]

The Focke Wulfs four engine airliner thing. Yeah. And in fact actually incredibly effective when used properly because long range aircraft that can spot stuff. But the decision to use them effectively has to be made. In the late afternoon reports come in of a shadowing cruiser. Lutyens knows this must be from Force H and the Ark Royal and Renown have to be closing in. He suspects that Art Royal is waiting for the fading light to attack because the days are slightly getting shorter now the further south. This means high speed maneuvering and they don't have the fuel for high speed maneuvering and fuel is a big problem. They remember they didn't refuel when they had the opportunity. They didn't re oil, did they?

[James Holland]

Two opportunities. Two opportunities they re oil. Lutchen's decision again.

[Al Murray]

Yeah, yeah. And he's thinking maybe a tanker can meet us. So he signals to Kriegsmarine Group west fuel situation urgent. When can I expect fuel?

[James Holland]

Hurry up.

[Al Murray]

It's hopeless isn't it?

[James Holland]

And literally he's only just sent this signal off and suddenly the alarm rings out over the whole ship. Federica. Federica. Federica. And this is attack by enemy aircraft imminent. That's what that Frederica means. So there's problems with the Ark rolls engines. The lack of servicing is coming back to haunt them a little bit.

[Al Murray]

Yeah.

[James Holland]

So lubricating oil from the main circulator is caught on fire. So salt water hoses dousing the flames and red hot parts are covered in olive oil.

[Al Murray]

Wow.

[James Holland]

Can you believe it? Talk about make do amend. And somehow it does the trick and our Royal is able to continue making 25 knots which is obviously going some for a ship of that size. But it then has to slow down for the Swordfish to take off. But it's now 7:10pm and they are now 100 miles northwest of Bismarck.

[Al Murray]

Right.

[James Holland]

So the 15 Swordfish are led by Lieutenant Commander Tim Cood. And you'll remember that we had that extract at the beginning of this episode with Stuart Moore as second in command. And the weather is still pretty rough. Cloud base only 600ft. Angry seas, frequent rainstorms. They form up once they're airborne in line astern in six subflights of twos and threes and this time they're briefed to make for Sheffield then get from her Bismarck's precise position. So they pick up Sheffield at 8pm and then lose her and then pick her up again at 8:35pm and Captain Larcombe then signals to Coode the enemy is 12 miles dead ahead. So they now know where they've got to go. No more friendly fire. Everything's sorted. Should be plain sailing. Right.

[Al Murray]

Well you'd think over Sheffield the weather's good. Cloud base is 2,000ft. It's rising to 5,000. But over Bismarck incredibly she's hidden by a wall of cloud that rises from the surface to 10,000ft.

[James Holland]

So drat.

[Al Murray]

The desired attack is a coordinated attack from lots of different angles but there's no chance of that because they can't see.

[James Holland]

No.

[Al Murray]

So they simply attack down through the cloud. And I think again the the guts of these Fleet Air Arm guys. The first sub flight going plus another that's latched onto them and they emerge at 700ft astern of the Bismarck with her four miles ahead. They can't attack upwind so they bank to port, they climb back into the cloud and try again. So it's interesting isn't it they're not just going to go in willy nilly. They want to get it right and they've got the time and the fuel to be considered about this.

[James Holland]

Well and they've all been told of the importance of this mission. I don't want to understate it men but the fate of the Atlantic war and entire war is dependent on you slowing down the Bismarck.

[Al Murray]

So don't cock it up, don't fuck it up. Chance on Sheffield's bridge. Larcombe and his officers they see the first stabs from Bismarck's guns at 8:53pm PM. That's when Bismarck first gets under attack. Art Royal has actually in the meantime had a lucky escape. She's gone straight over U556. We were saying a moment ago you know what can U boats do in this Situation. Well not a lot if they haven't got any torpedoes. Even if they do find one of these capital ships on the King George V. Tovey continues to exude calm and confidence. His officers in the plotting room are waiting patiently for news. Eventually the buzzer from the radio officer rings as signals passed on from the leader of the striking force. Estimate no hits. Toby takes this well though doesn't he? I mean this is interesting.

[James Holland]

Well you know he's immerbable of course he does. Maybe just a slight twitch of a cheek muscle.

[Al Murray]

Yeah. And on Rodney here's another captain who's been sent to us direct from central casting. Captain Dalrymple Hamilton decides to address the Kuro over the Tannai. I am very sorry to tell you that we've just received a signal that the second Swordfish attack on the Bismarck has been completed and there have been no hits. As a result we have lost our chance of slowing down the enemy and bringing him to action. But despite this they steam on. There's another signal from Sheffield. Enemy's course 340 degrees.

[James Holland]

What? Why? This makes no sense. 340 degrees means it's heading almost north. Makes no sense. Why would it be? Yeah, so Tovey is completely dumbfounded. It means the Bismarck is now selling directly towards it makes absolutely no sense. So he assumes that Larcombe must have made a reciprocal mistake. But then another signal revised reporting that Bismarck has been steering due north. You know what's going on here. But by this point the second signal there could be absolutely no doubt about it. So something very seriously wrong with Bismarck. And so having all hope been lost suddenly hope is reignited. And what's happened is that after Cood's failed attack the rest of the Swordfish also attack. And number two Seb Fl is left by Lieutenant Feather Godfrey Fawcett and they attack and thought they'd hit. And then number three and number four subflights also come out of the cloud astern of Bismarck. One plane is absolutely spattered and pilot and the air gunner are wounded but they keep on flying. All drop their torpedoes but claim no hits. But Tony Beale meanwhile has emerged out of the clouds, spotted Bismarck, retreated again and worked round to the battleship's port side. So Beale turns and makes a long upwind attack at 50ft off the water dropping his torpedo not at 900 yards but at 800 yards. And Bismarck doesn't fire. Attention's all on the starboard side of course because that's where it's mainly being attacked. So they haven't seen him come around the back entrance. And only once they've turned away again does Bismarck's flak open up against her and the decks seem alive with fire. And Beale's observer was Sub Lieutenant Friend and watched for an explosion while leading Airman Pimlet hammered away on his mg. I mean obviously he's not going to do anything but it's kind of more a sense of taking the attack to the enemy without any real hope of hitting. But then Friends spots a pume of water rise on the port side amidships and all three crew see this hit. So they have got a hit. And then Lieutenant Owen Smith of number five subflight thought he saw a strike rise up on Bismarck's starboard side right aft just as Godfrey, Fawcett and Patterson were withdrawing. So no strikes at all were seen from number five and number six subflights. So presumably they're also unsuccessful. So the attack which has begun just before 9pm is all over half an hour later and the Swordfish fly back over Sheffield and waggle their wings. The crew cheers and you know the early mistake has been forgiven. But then this is the amazing thing because the last Swordfish has hardly got clear when suddenly Bismarck is seen emerging from a patch of mist and turning to port.

[Al Murray]

And then there's a burst of black smoke. She's firing a salvo towards Sheffield but it falls a mile short. Sheffield then makes drastic alterations as Bismarck opens fire again. A gun crew are hit, 12 men are wounded, five seriously. Larkin wheels away again, orders smoke and full speed. Sheffield heads west to increase range but still has the bead on Bismarck. So sent first signal of Bismarck's baffling position. Then the second signal. After that she loses sight of Bismarck as the enemy steers north on this peculiar course. And a splinter has damaged Sheffield's radar. So they then lose contact. With the fall of darkness the last shadowing Swordfish also returns for home. But something is up on board Bismarck. Bismarck has been struck and figuring this out is going to be the order of the day.

[James Holland]

But darkness is falling, it's dark.

[Al Murray]

Yeah.

[James Holland]

And gotta kind of try and make sense of it.

[Al Murray]

Yeah. So Larcombe is fearing that Bismarck is going to get away when suddenly who's this coming up over the hill? It's Vian and his destroyers. Where is the enemy signals vine to signal? He's wanted to send his whole life.

[James Holland]

I love this guy.

[Al Murray]

Yeah. Larkham says well roughly over there destroys sweep on. 40 minutes later the Polish destroyed Pyrrhun signals enemy in sight. And in the meantime all 15 swordfish are back on the Ark Royal even though the massive swell and in the darkness Lieutenant Swanton's String Bag 4C has 175 holes in it. Even the air gun are both wounded. But you know, whatever. It's absolutely incredible.

[James Holland]

Yeah.

[Al Murray]

And then Toby and Somerville get the signal they want mourned. After the debrief signals a new message which says estimate one hit amidship's possible second hit on starboard quarter.

[James Holland]

And of course it's the second hit that's the key one.

[Al Murray]

So what's happened to the Bismarck Gym? What have they done?

[James Holland]

Well, Morne's signal is absolutely spot on. The strike amidships has wounded a few men but caused little damage because it's straight into their waist armor, you know, so that's, it's designed to withhold that. But the second strike is hit just as Cap 10Z Lindemann is turning to port at high speed and Lindemann ordered the wheel to be centered but then it refuses to answer and it becomes quickly clear. The rudder is jammed at 15 degrees and leaning severely to starboard. So Lindemann orders reduction of speed which allows her to settle to a more even keel because obviously the faster you're going as you're turning the more you're going to be tilting. And then the report comes in and it's at this point that they're firing at Sheffield. The report comes in of the damage. A torpedo has struck the steering gear compartments and flooded them. The three propellers, they're okay, but it's the rudder that is jammed at 15 degrees to port and water is also entering from where the hydrophones have been destroyed and into the port engine room up the shaft tunnel that led to the props. An ordinary seaman Bloom, he remembers the training in the Baltic when the Leutnant had said such a hit was 100,000 to one against. Do you remember we were talking about that when we were doing the Hood versus Bismarck series?

[Al Murray]

Yeah.

[James Holland]

Ah, don't worry about it. It's 100 to 1,000 to 1 against anything happening. But anyway what they've got to do clearly is the hundred and thousand to one shot has happened. I mean talk about a lucky hit that destroys Hood. This is a lucky glancing blow that strikes the rudder of the Bismarck just as it's turning so it just clips it at the end. They've got to try and unjam the rudders and this means slow almost to a standstill and then sending down divers, I mean you send down the divers internally in the internal part of the ship. But before this Work is undertaken. Lutjens decides to signal Berlin Ship unmaneuverable. We fight to the last shell. Long live Zephyrer. So another bit of cheer from Lutjens. I mean Jesus, he's a.

[Al Murray]

Well imagine being the signaller he's not.

[James Holland]

A bundle of fun is he?

[Al Murray]

Or the signaller being handed that. So you set the wheels on the thing and the D D D D D D D Exactly.

[James Holland]

So quickly the work's carried out, the leak is fixed very quickly but it's absolutely clear that no divers are going to get anywhere near the rudder. No way. So several volunteers to go and blow off the rudders in an act of self sacrifice. They could then steer with the props alone but the explosion of course would damage the prop. So this is a terrible idea and it's not going to happen. So the only chance is to try and steer with the prop. So you would go sort of, you know, half ahead port, stop center starboard, repeat, et cetera. But it doesn't work. The bow would keep moving but then you know, so the bow would move around and then the bows would then gradually swing back again into the wind and towards the northwest. And of course that way leads danger.

[Al Murray]

Yes.

[James Holland]

And then the news arrives that they're surrounded by Royal Navy destroyers. So the hunting dogs from Zambia are closing in on them. So you know they now know they're in a really, really sticky situation. So the plan to slow down the Bismarck has worked. And how, I mean just incredible.

[Al Murray]

Well she can only steer around in circles and is running out of fuel. And as an admiral who's going to fight to the last shell. So there's no suggestion they're going to surrender or anything either. He's not going. Well you know what, ship's unsustainable.

[James Holland]

Get everyone into lifeboats. I'll sink the ship. We'll scuttle the ship but not until everyone's got out.

[Al Murray]

Yeah, he's not going to do that. He will fight to the last shell.

[James Holland]

Why? Why wouldn't you do that? Why wouldn't you do that Jim?

[Al Murray]

I don't know.

[James Holland]

It's because he's a terrible despicable human being.

[Al Murray]

Yeah. Anyway, I think that's the answer. So Tovey orders that KG5 and Rodney to head straight for the Bismarck. It's a rotten weather again so they know they're not going to be able to strike her as soon as possible. But that doesn't matter because she can't get away. Vian's destroyers are in contact and Toby's Trusting him to keep Bismarck in sight.

[James Holland]

If anyone can do it, Vian can.

[Al Murray]

Yeah exactly. There's the risk of losing Bismarck again but it's mitigated isn't it? They. No, no where she's roughly likely to be. Andy orders Somerville to take Force 820 miles south of the Bismarck to keep out of the way the main squadron approach. I mean thanks very much. I'll deal with this. Toby's done your work.

[James Holland]

I still think it's quite a big, big decision when you know you've got him quarter you don't know what his damage is. Still quite a big decision to, to kind of hold off I suppose.

[Al Murray]

But the plan is to attack at dawn with the advantage of sunrise and the wind. And then Tovey goes to his cabin and writes a message for the entire ship's company which I think Jim you should read.

[James Holland]

Decay G5. The sinking of the Bismarck may have an effect on the war as a whole out of all proportion to the loss to the enemy of one battleship. May God be with you and Grant you victory. JT 2641. Pretty bullish isn't it? It's pretty, I mean amazing.

[Al Murray]

Yeah.

[James Holland]

Meanwhile on the rest of the naval forces are closing in and excitement and apprehension is building. They all know they're closing in on the Bismarck and whether on a battleship, carrier, cruiser or destroyer you know they know that action is going to happen the following morning that they're probably going to be involved. And George Walley writes on from HMS Tata we were closing her rapidly and the dawn would see the action. What a tale of twists and turns Al. It's just amazing isn't it?

[Al Murray]

It's absolutely incredible and I think at the core of it this Royal Navy thing of like get your ship alongside the enemies, get him in your sights and smash him. The Nelsonian thing and then the guts courage of the lads in the fleet Air army defies belief. It really really does.

[James Holland]

Those, those air crew, it's absolutely amazing. But just imagine in that late in the evening of 26th of May. I mean just think what the mood would be like, the tension, the kind of, the anticipation of the, of the battle that they know is gonna be joined the following morning. To find out what happens join us in the next episode of Sink the.

[Al Murray]

Bismarck.

[James Holland]

It might have happened.

[Al Murray]

If you want to find out what happens next pronto then subscribe to our Patreon or our officer class Apple podcast channel. We will see you very soon. Thanks for listening. Cheerio.