The "Broken" Battleship That Destroyed Bismarck | HMS Rodney

#falklands #royalnavy #navalhistory The "Broken" Battleship That Destroyed Bismarck | HMS Rodney On the 27th of May, 1941, the German battleship Bismarck was finally cornered 400 miles off the French coast. But the ship that broke her back was never supposed to be in the fight. HMS Rodney was crippled by years of deferred maintenance, leaking in heavy seas, steering on fragile rudders, and bound for Boston with a cargo of spare parts, military passengers, and Bank of England gold. Built under the strict displacement compromises of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty, the Nelson-class "Cherry Trees" were widely considered by naval architects to be Britain’s most compromised capital ships—plagued by flawed 16-inch guns, jammed shell hoists, and severe structural vibration. 00:00 - The Duel: 27 May 1941 02:15 - A Ship That Wasn't Supposed to Be There 05:30 - The Washington Naval Treaty & The "Cherry Trees" 09:10 - The Flawed 16-Inch Mark I Guns 12:45 - The Chase: Disobeying Orders to Catch Bismarck 15:30 - Demolition at Point-Blank Range 17:45 - Normandy & Bombarding Alderney 19:15 - The Verdict on HMS Rodney #battleship #bismarck #navalhistory #royalnavy #ww2 #militaryhistory #worldwar2 #hms