Product Description

A new examination of the history and sinking of the seemingly invincible epitome of British naval power, the HMS "Hood", which was attacked and destroyed by the" Bismarck" and the "Prince Eugen" in may 1941. The sinking of the "Hood" was a severe blow to Britain's maritime reputation.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #791617 in Books
• Published on: 2002-02-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

Customer Reviews

Perhaps it was not the Bismarck after all.
Having found the last resting place of the Titanic and Bismarck, it was only a matter of time before someone would find the "Hood." This ship was indeed the pride of the Royal Navy and fondly regarded as the most beautiful ship wherever she went. With her recent discovery, there were bound to be a plethora of books on the subject giving rise to the age-old debate of how and why this magnificent Battle Cruiser sank so quickly.

Andrew Norman favours one particular theory for the sinking of the Hood - and I must say, it really is as plausible as any I have read (except for the "Built from the same faulty batch of steel as the Titanic" theory.). His description of the "Concept of the Immune Zone" is easily understandable - and something of which I was previously unaware. His conclusions that an 8 inch shell from the Prinz Eugen sank the Hood is, therefore, as sound as any. That said, it is the job of any good author to write his book in such a way as to lead the reader to that same conclusion.

HMS Hood - Pride of the Royal Navy is hardback, measuring 9¼ in x 6 in and contains over 150 pages of information and dialogue presented in an easy-to-read style. There is also a liberal sprinkling of very relevant b & w photographs throughout. Altogether, a very competent piece of work, where the author sets the scene by telling us all about the ship through the recollections of a variety of very different people who served on board at different times. This gives the reader a good "feel" for the ship before arriving at the events of May 1941 - which are described in even closer detail. As the jacket states "In these pages you will meet" and then lists 5 of those individuals - two of whom had the great fortune to be amongst the three survivors on that fateful day.

Doubtless, those who subscribe to a different "reason" as to why the Hood sank so quickly, will knock this book in order to place their own favoured theory at the top of the pile. Personally, I don't know because I wasn't there - but I do believe this book should be read alongside all other theories in order to provide a balanced view. Unlike many, it is a very good read.

NM

Why bother?
The author's potential contribution to the study of HMS Hood lay in recording the memories of her crewmen. Surprisingly though, the "recollections" section takes up a mere 40 pages--published separately as a booklet, this might have been worth a modest price. Here I will discuss the remaining 100+ pages with their focus on technical/historical material: warship design, naval combat, and battle history, none of which Norman understands. From a vast list of errors, I have selected a few representative examples.
NORMAN on warship design: Regarding deck protection, "Hood's armor was not plate, but of the cemented type...." This is pure gibberish. Hood did have British C armor ("C" for "cemented") in thicknesses up to 15-inch, but not on her decks, which instead had lesser steel with no individual plate more than about 2-inch. No mere detail, this bears directly on the cause of Hood's loss, and the author cannot even correctly parrot the fundamentals.
NORMAN on battle history: "Most, if not all [of Bismarck's shells], failed to explode or did so only partially." In reality, German shells indeed underachieved, but it was Prinz Eugen's ammunition that gave a demonstrably poor performance, not Bismarck's. Norman says that, if Bismarck hit Hood with a shell, "chances were that it had not exploded"--opening the door for his theory that Eugen fired the fatal shell. Norman's theory depends on ignorance of the basic facts.
NORMAN on naval combat: When sunk, Hood was "well within" her immune zone, "defined as a range no closer than 12,000 yards, and the outer limit beyond 25,000 to 30,000 yards." The concept of an immune zone--the area where both the belt armor and the deck armor are likely to resist the armor-piercing shells--did not apply in this instance for the simple reason that Hood had no immune zone. Quite the contrary, through much of Norman's specified zone, neither Hood's belt nor her deck would suffice to keep out Bismarck's shells. She was doubly vulnerable! But Norman again is steering us toward his Eugen theory, puzzling though it is--if Hood was immune to Bismarck's 800kg armor-piercing shells, what could Eugen achieve with shells that were 122kg and not armor-piercing? Norman claims Eugen's shells could by-pass Hood's armor, plummeting straight down Hood's funnel, though he offers no explanation how the shells could achieve the great heights necessary for this trajectory. In fact, Eugen's shells were descending from an angle only about 20 degrees above the horizontal; so unless the Germans managed a bank shot off a low-flying billiards table, this theorized hit was physically impossible.
Given the availability of many fine books on Hood and Denmark Strait, this one earns little regard. The final word on Norman's research appears on page 82 with a photo captioned "Hood at speed"--a dramatic photo which, unfortunately, depicts the battleship Royal Oak, a ship four years older than Hood and from an entirely different class.

So that's what all the fuss is about
Living close to Boldre, Hampshire where the official memorial of HMS Hood resides I have been at a bit of a loss to understand why all the fuss about the sinking of one ship in WWII. Obviously many lives were lost but this book clearly explains why this was so much more than just a hugely tragic event, 1,418 men lost. As one who had not lived through this period of history the book provides a clear guide to the importance of the Mighty Hood. It shows how she was the focus of the pride of the Royal Navy and why her sinking was such a setback to Naval hopes in the midst of the war.

There is an excellent combination of hard facts and personal memories, as well as a concise guide to the theories surrounding her sinking and why a definitive cause will never be found. There may be other places where deeper analysis is provided but for a clear introduction to the importance of this ship and the events that led to her loss I would highly recommend this book.

The author clearly has a personal connection to both the people involved and the story itself. The book gives a real feel for the characters involved from Commanders to Signalmen. The many photos and diagrams are good and highly helpful. There is much to stimulate thoughts as the Navy once more invests in a few hugely powerful and expensive warships. But the main gift that the author gives is a highly readable and fascinating introduction to significance of HMS Hood and her demise at a time when national hopes and fears were so intense.