 In June 1939 , she was assigned to the Home Fleet ’ s Battlecruiser Squadron while still refitting ; when war broke out later that year , she was employed principally in patrolling the vicinity of Iceland and the Faroe Islands to protect convoys and intercept German raiders attempting to break out into the Atlantic . In September 1939 , she was hit by a 250 kg ( 550 lb ) aircraft bomb with minor damage . By early 1940 Hood 's machinery was in dire shape and limited her best speed to 26 @.@ 5 knots ( 49 @.@ 1 km / h ; 30 @.@ 5 mph ) ; she was refitted between 4 April and 12 June . 
