The HMS Hood was quite close to landing shells on the Bismarck before it was hit and sunk during the Battle of the Denmark Strait on May 24, 1941. The battle between the two ships, along with the HMS Prince of Wales, took place in the North Atlantic, and the engagement was relatively brief but intense.
Proximity and Engagement:
The two battleships were engaged at a range of about 25,000 yards (approximately 14.2 miles or 22.9 kilometers) when the action began.
The Hood, being the larger and more heavily armed ship, was initially able to fire its guns at the Bismarck, and it was able to engage the German battleship with some accuracy.
The Hood's first salvo was fired at the Bismarck, and there was a belief that the shells were close to striking, as it seemed the shots were within the right range, but the Bismarck's superior gunnery began to land hits on the Hood before it could score a direct hit on the Bismarck.
The Critical Moment:
The crucial moment occurred when the Bismarck managed to land a devastating shell that struck the Hood's ammunition magazine. This caused a catastrophic explosion that split the Hood in half, sinking it almost instantly.
HMS Hood's final moments happened just minutes after the first shells from the Bismarck hit. The Bismarck's salvos started landing at around 14:00, and by 14:03, the Hood was destroyed. This was just after the British ship had taken several hits from the Bismarck's 15-inch guns.