returning to friendly waters where U-boats and air cover will make it impossible to attack, so he plans to intercept and attack the German vessel before it reaches safety. Shepard commits a disproportionately large force to the search, and his wager proves correct when Bismarck is located steaming toward the French coast. British forces have a narrow time window in which to destroy or slow their prey before German support and their own diminishing fuel supplies can preclude further attacks. Swordfish torpedo planes from HMS Ark Royal have two chances. The first fails when the pilots misidentify as Bismarck, but thankfully their new magnetic torpedo detonators are faulty, with most exploding as soon as they hit the sea. Returning to the carrier and changing to conventional contact exploders, their second attack, this time on the "real" Bismarck, is successful. One torpedo causes only minor damage; but a catastrophic second hit detonates near the stern, jamming the German battleship's rudder, drastically slowing her down. Unable to repair its rudder, Bismarck steams in circles. During the night the German battleship is attacked by two British destroyers. They fire torpedoes, and one hits; but Bismarck returns fire, sinking the destroyer HMS Solent. The main force of British ships (including battleships and ) find Bismarck the next day and rain shells upon her. Lütjens in his final moments insists that German forces will arrive to save them, but he dies when a shell destroys Bismarcks bridge. Shortly afterwards, the remaining bridge officers are killed, and the crew abandon their sinking ship. On board King George V, Admiral John Tovey orders the newly joined cruiser to finish off Bismarck. The cruiser fires six torpedoes at the severely damaged German battleship. Four torpedoes strike home, causing the vessel to sink faster than its crew can escape. The captain of King George V, Wilfrid Patterson, lowers his head as Bismarck rolls over and disappears beneath the waves. Admiral Tovey orders Dorsetshire to pick up survivors, finally saying tersely: "Well, gentlemen, let's go home." Cast Ashore Kenneth More as Captain Jonathan Shepard (More had served as a Royal Navy lieutenant on HMS Victorious during the war.) Dana Wynter as Women's Royal Naval Service Second Officer (WRNS) Anne Davis Laurence Naismith as First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Dudley Pound. (Naismith served in the Royal Artillery in the war.) Geoffrey Keen as Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (A.C.N.S.) Michael