Free Final Voyage by Jonathan Eyers

weather, running out of food and water, chased by the relentless English who would not let the Armada either rest or escape, the Spanish numbers dwindled. One ship, the
Girona
, rescued survivors of another lost ship, only for all 1,300 to die – leaving only nine survivors – when the
Girona
also foundered off the Irish coast. Those who made it to shore were hunted down by English soldiers. Few escaped alive.
    Up until this point in history, many of the battles between European powers ended not in the annihilation of one side or the other but in the restoration of the status quo, give or take a disputed territory or two. The defeat of the Spanish Armada marked a change in direction thatwould reach its bloody culmination in the tactics of total war adopted during the world wars. Victory now had to be absolute, with no prospect of recovery and retaliation. Thousands would lose their lives in the Battles of Jutland (1916) and Midway (1942), but even these death tolls would be surpassed by the worst maritime disasters caused by war at sea.
    The deadliest sinking of the First World War is not, as commonly thought, that of the RMS
Lusitania
, on which 1,198 lost their lives when the ship was sunk by a U-boat torpedo in May 1915. In June 1916 another U-boat sank the
Principe Umberto
, an Italian transport ship carrying 2,000. Up to 1,750 died. During the Second World War, especially in the latter stages, such death tolls became almost standard.
Birth of a Nazi superweapon
    In 1940, the Royal Air Force having won the Battle of Britain, secured control of the British skies and delayed a German invasion, the Kriegsmarine refocused its tactics. Now the aim for much of Hitler’s navy was not to seek out enemy vessels and engage them in strategically risky sea battles, but to deliberately target shipping between the United States and the United Kingdom. Cut off Britain’s supply lines and Churchill would soon run out of the near endless supply of American munitions that had helped the British keep the Nazis back thus far.
    Their armament would include eight 15in (38cm) guns, which could fire 1-ton shells at targets 24 miles (40km) away.
    The German warships that would carry out such attacks were already being built as early as 1936, when the Britishpublic and their government still wanted to believe that Hitler desired peace, and the few figures who drew attention to his rearmament found themselves at best ignored and at worst ostracised. In July 1936 the first ship in a new class of battleship was laid down, to be launched in February 1939 and be ready to enter service in August 1940, before the Battle of Britain was even lost. The ships in this class would be the largest, heaviest and most powerful warships ever built in Europe, displacing over 50,000 tons at full load. Crewed by over 2,000, they would be 823ft (251m) long, 118ft (36m) across the beam, have a range of over 10,000 miles (16,000km) and a speed in excess of 30 knots. They would be protected by armour nearly 5in (127mm) thick on the main deck and 13in (320mm) around the belt, and their armament would include eight 15in (38cm) guns, which could fire 1-ton shells at targets 24 miles (40km) away. The first ship in this class was named for the chancellor held largely responsible for the unification of Germany in 1871 – Otto von Bismarck.
    The
Bismarck
only ever took part in a single operation, but in the course of that week-long mission she acquired the reputation that has maintained her infamy to this day.
    The
Bismarck
only ever took part in a single operation, but in the course of that week-long mission she acquired the reputation that has maintained her infamy to this day. Between leaving the port at Gotenhafen (now Gdynia), in occupied Poland, on 19th May 1941 and receiving the final, fatal blow from HMS
Dorsetshire
on the 27th, the
Bismarck
claimed over 5,000 lives. Despite the worst other Royal Navy ships could throw at her during that time,