Force H

So the Admiralty made the decision to peel her away from that convoy, along with most of the escorting destroyers under Captain Vian, and add them to Tovey's force.

One remaining force was down in Gibraltar, Vice Admiral Somerville's Force H. based at Gibraltar, which could have needed Sail North to intervene.

Given the circumstances and the scale of the catastrophe they have experienced with the loss of Hood, this is the appropriate response.

That there is a bigger picture here and that bigger picture is the political picture.

They calculated Bismarck's speed and bearing and realised that within less than a day, Bismarck would be safely back under the protective air umbrella of of Luftwaffe aircraft from Brest.

That meant that most of the Royal Navy ships in the Atlantic had no chance of catching her.

But the Navy did have one card left to play, Force H.

So Force H is an interesting beast and it's a really classic example of how you have to improvise in wartime.

Back at the Admiralty in London, with the constant information about the position of the Bismarck, many different forces were arranged in various areas to try and account for all possible movements by the German ships.

From Force H at Gibraltar, the battlecruiser Renown, carrier Ark Royal, and light cruiser Sheffield would be dispatched to head north and move into an intercept position with the goal of the Ark Royal launching a strike on the battleship.

Meanwhile, three cruisers that were refueling at Iceland were moving into position to block any attempt by the German forces to return to Germany.

The old battleship Ramelis, which was at the time escorting the convoy HX-127, was ordered to leave the convoy and head to an area that the Bismarck was expected to move into if it decided to try and escape into the North Atlantic instead of continuing south and east.

For these tasks, there were three forces available.

The 1st Battlecruiser Squadron near Iceland, Tuvvy's Home Fleet, and Force H commanded by Vice Admiral Somerville.

The 1st Battlecruiser Squadron, made up of Hood and Prince of Wales, was best positioned to intercept the Bismarck, and it would be tasked with doing so at the earliest possible moment.

They would increase their speed to 26 knots, which was basically the top sustainable speed of the Prince of Wales, given the conditions that they were moving through.

That seems like a reasonable precaution.

Admiral Tuvvy, with King George V, the battlecruiser Repulse, and the carrier Victorious, and a collection of cruisers and destroyers, was southeast of the Bismarck's position, and they would steam west towards an intercept course, although it would take them longer to arrive than the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron.

Force H, based out of Gibraltar, would be tasked with moving into position to protect some convoys instead of actively trying to intercept the Bismarck directly.

Force H was also the primary group responsible for intercepting the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau if they left Brest.