74 years on, HMS Hood bell lifted from seabed
THE bell of British battlecruiser HMS Hood has finally been recovered from the depths of the Atlantic after more than 70 years.
It will be put on display to help commemorate the ship, which sank in battle in 1941, leading to the deaths of 1,415 navy personnel – the biggest loss of life ever suffered by a single British warship.
After a year-long conservation program to help repair the damage caused by sea water, it will be shown at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth.
The expedition to extract the bell was led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
A submersible craft was custombuilt to reach the artefact, which lay near the wreck of the battlecruiser at a depth of 2,800m (9,200ft). It followed an unsuccessful attempt in 2012, also aided by Mr Allen – said to be worth around £11.5billion, in which a British party located the bell but was unable to lift it out of the water due to strong currents and bad weather at the site between Iceland and Greenland.
HMS Hood sank on May 24, 1941 after being hit by several shells fired by German battleship the Bismarck during the Battle of Denmark Strait, one of the fiercest naval encounters of the war.
Launched in 1918, she had come to symbolise the power of the British Empire and was well-known to the public as ‘The Mighty Hood’. The loss of the ship – which had a reputation for being ‘invincible’ – had a deep effect on wartime morale, and the precise cause of the sinking remained a matter of controversy for some years.
After the recovery operation, Mr Allen said: ‘This year marks the 70th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II, and this effort commemorates the hundreds of brave sailors who were lost at sea.
‘It is a true honour to undertake the expedition to recover the bell from “The Mighty Hood”.’
First Sea Lord Admiral Sir George Zambellas said: ‘[HMS Hood’s] story, her sacrifice, continues to inspire the Royal Navy today.
‘The recovery of the ship’s bell will help ensure the 1,415 men lost, and the name Hood, will always be remembered by a grateful nation’.