 The next day Bismarck , in company with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen , was reported heading south @-@ westward in the Denmark Strait . At 20 : 00 Vice @-@ Admiral Lancelot Holland , in his flagship Hood , ordered the force to steam at 27 knots , which it did most of the night . His battle plan called for Prince of Wales and Hood to concentrate on Bismarck , while the cruisers Norfolk and Suffolk would handle Prinz Eugen . However the two cruisers were not informed of this plan because of strict radio silence . At 02 : 00 , on 24 May , the destroyers were sent as a screen to search for the German ships to the north , and at 02 : 47 Hood and Prince of Wales increased speed to 28 knots and changed course slightly to obtain a better target angle on the German ships . The weather improved , with ten @-@ mile ( 16 km ) visibility , and crews were at action stations by 05 : 10 . 
