One month after Z1 sank, Bismarck, Tirpitz, and Heavy Cruiser Blucher encounter 3 ships en route to escort convoy PQ-1.
The British ships first spotted the Germans 30 minutes earlier, and, under the cover of smoke screens, went in to investigate. Lutjens gives the order to fire.
Immediately the ASW Corvette Acanthus is hit by two 15inch shells that over penetrate and go right through the ship.
The escorts retreat to the west, at about 35 knots. Lutjens fires another salvo, which hit Acanthus, blew her up, and sank her in 30 seconds.
The Battleships Gneisenau, Scharnhorst and a heavy cruiser are about 20 miles away. The remaining escorts are not seen for 15 days.
