Why did the British sink the Bismarck?

Question

apart from the sinking of the HMS Hood

Answer 1

It was the biggest battleship in the Atlantic. It destroyes the HMS Hood with a couple of shots killing all but three of her crew. She patrolled an area crucial to supply from the Americas and also far too near British ports. Good question, here's your star.

Answer 2

The sinking of HMS Hood really had nothing to do with the reason why the Bismarck was attacked. Hood happened to be one of the pursuing British ships and was sunk during the course of the action at Denmark Strait - the Bismarck would have been targetted irrespective of whether the Hood had been sunk or not, although the British may have decided to sink it rather than merely cripple it as revenge for the Hood.

None of your answers have really hit the nail on the head. The Bismarck was sent out into the Atlantic to disrupt the vital cargo convoys that were running from the USA to Britain. These supplies were keeping the Allied war effort alive, without which Britain would have quickly starved and munitions would have run out. It was critical to prevent the Bismarck decimating these convoys.

Answer 3

The British sank the Bismarck because they feared that with her powerful guns and armament, that the Bismarck would be used to destroy allied shipping which was crucial for Britain.
As an island nation, it was vital for Britain to receive supplies such as food and armaments from Europe and from her Empire. To cut these supplies off from Britain would stave her and force her to surrender.

It was feared that Bismarck, if she joined up with her sister ship TIrpitz and other German battleships and the massive u-boat fleet, that Britain had no possible other battleship that could defend Britain's supply ships.

The sinking of the HMS Hood, the pride of the British fleet and one of the last of the WW1 Dreadnoughts still in service, gave the British and anyone else who doubted Bismarcks powerful guns a good demonstration.

That the British had to hunt Bismarck down with other large battleships and finally sink her using torpedos is testament of Bismarcks power.

Answer 4

Wow, you know a great resource for history data is Wikipedia. Here is their answer:
"The German battleship Bismarck is one of the most famous warships of the Second World War. The lead ship of her class, she was named after the 19th-century German chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck's fame came from the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941 (in which the battlecruiser HMS Hood, flagship and pride of the British Royal Navy, was sunk), from Churchill's subsequent order to "Sink the Bismarck" [1], and from the relentless pursuit by the Royal Navy that ended with her loss only three days later."

There is tons more data on the website including battles fought, references, sinking, etc... See the link attached.

Answer 5

The Bismark was not only a symbol of Nazi Germany's industrial capability and the pride of its Navy but it was actually a very fearsome weapon. Britain needed to maintain naval superiority in order to fend off an assault on the British Isles. For all those reasons it was a very high priority to sink it.

Answer 6

Um, it was war. The Bismarck was a ship belonging to the enemy, therefore a target. Plain and simple.

Answer 7

It was a threat to the UK and any ship trying to fight the Nazis.It was powerful and fast.They had to sink it at all cost.Good show lads.

Answer 8

Because England and Germany were enemies during WW2??

Answer 9

well for one they didnt have chemical weapons fitted in the ships so they couldntve captured it & well it was the largest ship in WW1 so it scared off the axis forces from building larger ships