The German battleship Bismarck was the pride of the Kriegsmarine, Nazi Germany’s naval service. Construction began in 1936, and the ship was commissioned in April 1940.

Sleek, fast, and heavily armed, Bismarck was the newest battleship of the German Navy. She carried eight 15-inch main guns in four main turrets, two forward and two aft.

A displacement of 35,000 tons was the limit at the time of the Bismarck's construction. With the final rivet in place in 1941, the Bismarck clocked in at 41,700 tons and 797 feet long.

Minutes into the battle, one of Bismarck's 15-inch shells hit one of Hood's magazines. An enormous column of fire erupted from the battlecruiser, followed by a massive explosion that tore it in two.

Meanwhile Kinkaid’s navy, composed mostly of small craft, roams the Bismarck Sea at will, bears down with flaming guns to silence Jap shore batteries. Even PTs serve prominently in such activities.

Bismarck German battleship Bismarck off of Kiel, Germany, September 1940. Sobotta/ullstein bild via Getty Images As soon as the war started, the Kriegsmarine set out to attack Allied shipping lanes.