Admiral class

2023-02-01 -

HMS HOOD

Perhaps the most iconic Royal Navy warship of the 20th Century, HMS Hood was the only ship of the planned four of her class to be constructed. The Battle of Jutland highlighted potential flaws in the ship’s design during her build and the remainder of the class were cancelled. Dubbed the 'Mighty Hood', on completion she was the largest warship in existence and remained so for a further two decades. Such was Hood’s standing within the fleet that she was regularly employed to show the flag on prestigious foreign visits and often designated flagship of the squadrons into which she was incorporated.

The ship’s motto, ventis secundis (with favourable winds), was adopted from her namesake Admiral Samuel Hood and she was launched from the John Brown and Company shipyard on the Clyde near Glasgow and, after sea trials, was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 15 May 1920.

HMS Hood joined the Battle Cruiser Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet as flagship with Rear Admiral Sir Roger Keyes embarked spending the next two years in the Mediterranean. Hood, in company with HMS Repulse and Danae class destroyers conducted the Empire Cruise from late 1923 until September 1924 and, after further Mediterranean service, commenced a two year refit in May 1929. On recommissioning Hood resumed flagship duties of the Battle Cruiser Squadron, shortly after which, her crew participated in the Invergordon Mutiny of 1931, initiated by the savage cuts to naval pay by the government.

The ship transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet once more where she continued to serve sporadically throughout the 1930s and engaged in intervention patrols during the Spanish Civil War, at one point escorting three British merchant vessels into Bilbao harbour, undeterred by the presence of the nationalist blockading vessel Almirante Cervera.

Towards the end of the decade it became apparent that Hood’s almost continuous service had left the pride of the Royal Navy in a dilapidated condition and a major refit was planned which envisaged replacement boilers and turbines, reinforced deck armour and a more modern secondary and anti-aircraft weapons fit.

The onset of WWII made the prospect of a prolonged refit unfeasible and Hood was unwisely returned to the Atlantic Fleet after only minor repairs.

Hood was tasked with patrolling the Icelandic gap hunting for German blockade breakers, but in late September was involved in overseeing the recovery of the British submarine HMS Spearfish, which had been severely damaged in an encounter with surface vessels of the Kriegsmarine. During the action Hood sustained damage from a 550lb bomb dropped by a Junkers 88 in a Luftwaffe attempt to intervene in the rescue operation.

By this time Hood was in desperate need of repair, her speed had dropped to 26 knots and her condensers were no longer functioning, necessitating a short refit beginning in April 1940 until June. On completion Hood was deployed to the Mediterranean Fleet, joining Force H on 18 June and taking part in the destruction of the French Fleet at Mersel-Kébir in July, and bombarding Vichy French vessels at Oran a week later, damaging the Dunkerque.

Relieved as Force H flagship by HMS Renown, Hood rendezvoused at Rosyth with Rodney and Nelson in preparation for the impending German invasion of Britain. In June 1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union instead and Hitler postponed Operation Sea Lion, enabling the Admiralty to redeploy Hood, first to convoy escort