 Hood and the aircraft carrier Ark Royal were ordered to Gibraltar to join Force H on 18 June where Hood would become the flagship . As such , she took part in the destruction of the French Fleet at Mers @-@ el @-@ Kebir in July 1940 . Just eight days after the French surrender , the British Admiralty had issued an ultimatum to the French Fleet at Oran to ensure they would not fall into German or Italian hands . The terms were rejected and the Royal Navy opened fire on the French ships berthed there . The results of Hood 's fire are not known exactly , but she damaged the French battleship Dunkerque , which was hit by four fifteen @-@ inch shells and was forced to beach herself . Hood was straddled during the engagement by Dunkerque ; shell splinters wounded two men . Dunkerque 's sister ship Strasbourg managed to escape from the harbour and Hood with several light cruisers gave chase , but gave up after two hours after Hood had dodged a salvo of torpedoes from the a French sloop and she had stripped a turbine reaching 28 knots ( 52 km / h ; 32 mph ) . 
