Hello,
welcome aboard !
I also don't know why this pops up again and again - i have read some books on that, and for me she was scuttled - she had no chance left anyway.
The Bismarck was on a wide turn to reach the french coast, knowing british battle ships were after her after the first encounter.
Due to its thick armour and sealed compartment structure the Bismarck was virtually unsinkable, torpedoes did not cause much damage. The Bismarck had certainly been damaged before during her fight against the "Hood" and others, and her bow was a bit low in the water.
The Bismarck's radar was a bit better than the british ones, and since she was still fast with more than 27 knots she had a good chance to escape, but only until she was sighted by a PBY Catalina reconnaisssance plane. During the following attack of Swordfish biplanes (launched from carrier Ark Royal) one of the torpedoes struck the stern, damaging the rudders.
Trying to manoeuver with the propellors alone the speed fell drastically, and attempts to repair the rudders failed. After a while she was only able to circle. That is when the first british warship came into firing range.
After most guns were damaged and seeing there was no chance it was the hybris or whatever of the captain who sent this last telegram " ... will fight to the death ... " instead of raising a white flag and give at least his crew a chance to get off the ship in time, and then go down with his ship.
Instead he gave the order to fight on and finally scuttle the ship with the crew aboard. According to witnesses the british warships did not stop firing until there was nothing left to see. Being afraid of U-boats the british ships turned away and no attempt was made to help some 100 surviving shipwrecked sailors.
U-boats that were ordered to the Bismarck's last known position came much too late, and did not find one living person (as far as i read ?). The only boat that was still able to see the Bismarck and her adversaries had run out of torpedoes.
This is certainly not the irrevocably truth, but the quintessence of what i have read on this theme.
Greetings,
Catfish
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