Fearless Leader
Donor
When the HMS Prince of Wales pulled into Rosyth for repairs following the Battle of the Denmark Strait repair crews discovered a 15 inch undetonated shell that had penetrated the armor below the waterline and had embedded itself deep within the vessel. In addition during the battle an 8 inch shell punctured the round manipulation chamber of the aft 5.25 inch guns. Both shells failed to detonate, but WI they had?
Obviously this wouldn't be enough to result in a similar Hood-esque explosion, but they would have seriously impeded the vessel's combat ability and provided the Germans with an excellent opportunity to sink her.
This doesn't change anything about the Bismarck's ultimate fate. But I think it might butterfly away Force Z given the paucity of battleships available. How would a lack of Force Z affect the Pacific War or operations elsewhere?
Obviously this wouldn't be enough to result in a similar Hood-esque explosion, but they would have seriously impeded the vessel's combat ability and provided the Germans with an excellent opportunity to sink her.
This doesn't change anything about the Bismarck's ultimate fate. But I think it might butterfly away Force Z given the paucity of battleships available. How would a lack of Force Z affect the Pacific War or operations elsewhere?