Product Description

Tieing into the sixtieth anniversary of the battle between the Bismarck and the HMS Hood, this book will be a mixture of history and adventure and will include interviews with survivors of both ships. It will be illustrated throughout with state-of-the-art underwater photography of the wrecks, computer graphics and sonar scans as well as archive paintings and photographs showing this dramatic battle.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #388475 in Books
• Published on: 2001-11-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Review
In May 1941 a dramatic confrontation occurred between an elderly but well-regarded British battle-cruiser, the Hood, and the pride of the new German navy, the Bismarck. The duel resulted in the sinking of the British ship with the loss of all hands apart from three men. In consequence, the British navy unleashed its air and sea forces in an all-out mission to destroy the Bismarck, which was running for the French coast. After a two-hour battle, the Bismarck was under the water, with a loss of close to 2100 sailors. 60 years later, the authors are making a Channel 4 documentary about the ships and the 3500 dead men. The mystery they are trying to solve is that of how the two ships came to sink. Was the Hood so quick to sink because her deck armour was too thin, offering no resistance to the Bismarck's deadly fire? Was it torpedoes that sank the Bismarck, or was the battleship already dying? The investigations are carried out on land by consultation with eminent naval historians and warship experts, and at sea by mounting expeditions to the sites of the two wrecks. The book includes several undersea photographs, documenting the way ordinary subjects are transmuted, as Shakespeare has it, 'into something rich and strange' by the processes of time and ocean currents. Most of the photos are a gloomy green colour, with blurred shapes emerging from the all-encompassing medium of the water, but perhaps the most moving is a shot of a leather jacket and leather boots lying on the ocean floor, like the ghosts of a former owner whose skeleton has long since vanished. This book will most satisfy the reader eager for the details of military engagements at sea, as it is full of specialised knowledge. However, general readers too will find themselves caught up in the distant drama of this epic conflict. (Kirkus UK)

Customer Reviews

well written with excellent photographs
Based on the channel 4 documentary, this book describes the original events following the Bismarks break out and subsequent pursuit. Historical information is mixed well with the modern day story of the hunt for the wrecks of both ships. The underwater photographs of the wrecks are truely breath taking and help convey the majesty of the ships and the tragedy of their destruction. Although there are much more detailed books regarding these events, this book is an excellent starting point and is highly recommended.

An interesting account of the expedition
A must have for anyone interested in the subject.
I was very interested in the expeditions findings and this book has probably raised more questions than it answered.
Don't expect a book on the lines of Dr Ballards as this books lacks the illustrations and photo coverage of "The discovery of the Bismarck".

Well written but visually lacking
This account of the long overdue expedition to explore HMS Hood, with the re-visit to Bismarck has begun the process of providing some valuable answers to the the many questions surrounding those fateful days in May 1941. Some misconceptions about both ships can safely be put to rest, providing the ongoing analysis of the footage and data collected is supportive.

My only disappointment is with the illustrations. Although the photgraphs - especially of Bismarck- are excellent, the lack of artist-generated images of Hood's wreck, as Dr. Ballard provided for Bismarck in his book, is unfortunate. Even if producing them had delayed the book's launch it would have been worth the wait. Side-scan sonar images and diagrams do not do much for the untrained reader.

The text is easily readable, wisely concise in its account of the sea chase which has been covered so many times before, and obviously heart-felt. The authors have suceeded in maintaining the human face to the tragedy of both vessels.

"Hood And Bismarck" is a must-have for anyone keenly interested in the subject. I look forward to the further publications on the expedition's findings.