Bell of HMS Hood being recouped by ROV
AUGUST 11, 2015– A study group led by UNITED STATE benefactor and also business owner Paul G. Allen efficiently recouped the bell of the battlecruiser HMS Hood on August 7 in theDenmark Strait The HMS Hood was sunk in 1941 throughout World War II throughout a sea fight with theBismarck Some 1,415 males were shed when the HMS Hood was sunk.
Once the bell is recovered, it will certainly be placed on display screen at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth, U.K.
Allen’s group led the procedure utilizing his private yacht M/Y Octopus, which is outfitted with a cutting edge from another location run lorry (ROV). Allen, best called the founder of Microsoft with Bill Gates, is a billionaire benefactor and also proprietor of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and also the NBA’sPortland Trailblazers He recouped the bell at no charge to the Ministry of Defence or the Royal Navy.
“This year marks the 70th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II, and this effort commemorates the hundreds of brave sailors who were lost at sea,” statesAllen “It is a true honor to undertake the expedition to recover the bell from ‘The Mighty Hood’.”
The bell was very first uncovered and also photographed in July 2001. The bell was located resting on the seabed faraway from the components of the battlecruiser’s hull. A 2012 Allen- led exploration to recoup the bell was interfered with by dominating weather and also technological troubles.
Both procedures were sustained by Blue Water Recoveries Ltd., which concentrates on the search and also examination of shipwrecks.
The bell remains in excellent problem however will certainly need a year-long specialist preservation and also repair initiative due to the fact that it has actually invested as long in deep salt water.
Immersed for 74 years
Blue Water Recoveries Director David Mearns states that he was “extremely pleased” to recoup the ship’s bell to accomplish among the last desires of Ted Briggs, among just 3 survivors of Hood’s team of 1,418 males.
“Despite 74 years of immersion in the hostile depths of Denmark Strait, the bell is in very good condition,” statesMearns “The inscriptions decorating its surface clearly indicate that the bell was preserved for use on the battlecruiser Hood after first being used as the bell of the Battleship Hood from 1891 to 1914. This bell has therefore seen action in two Capital ships of the Royal Navy spanning a period of 50 years. An engraving on the bell also records the wishes of Lady Hood who launched the ship in memory of her late husband Rear Admiral Sir Horace Hood KCB DSO MVO who was killed in the battle of Jutland. The bell we recovered is a unique historical artifact, which shows just how important Hood was as flagship of the British Battlecruiser Squadron. This was clearly a special bell for a special ship and it will forever serve as a fitting memorial to the Mighty Hood and a reminder of the service and sacrifice of her men.”
First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir George Zambellas, states: “A magnificent symbol of the power of the Royal Navy in the inter-war years, ‘The Mighty Hood’ is one of the greatest fighting ships in our nation’s long and glorious maritime history. That she was lost with her guns thundering in defense of the convoys that formed Britain’s lifeline is a tragic reminder of the high price that our island nation paid for survival, and for the freedom and prosperity we enjoy today. Her story, her sacrifice, continues to inspire the Royal Navy today.”
HMS Hood is the biggest Royal Navy vessel to have actually been sunk, triggering the biggest death endured by any kind of solitary British battleship and also the healing is totally sustained by the HMS Hood Association whose participants consist of professionals that offered in the ship prior to her last goal in 1941, and also family members of those shed with her.
President of the Association is Rear Admiral Philip Wilcocks, whose uncle was amongst those that passed away aboard HMSHood Admiral Wilcocks states: “The HMS Hood Association is exceptionally happy to Paul Allen, David Mearns and also the team of M/Y Octopus for their significant initiatives and also professionalism and trust in recouping the bell of HMS Hood from the dark midsts of theDenmark Strait In certain, Paul Allen’s assistance has actually been exceptional and also we praise his individual dedication to the healing procedure.
“There is no headstone among the flowers for those who perish at sea. For the 1,415 officers and men who lost their lives in HMS Hood on May 24, 1941, the recovery of her bell and its subsequent place of honor in the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth will mean that future generations will be able to gaze upon her bell and remember with gratitude and thanks the heroism, courage and personal sacrifice of Hood’s ship’s company who died in the service of their country.”
Once preservation of the bell is full, it will certainly be placed on display screen by the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) and also will certainly develop a significant attribute of the brand-new event committed to the 20 th and also 21 st century Navy, which opened up at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard in 2014. It is a suitable area as HMS Hood was based in Portsmouth.
Displayed at National Museum of the Royal Navy
Professor Dominic Tweddle, Director General of the National Museum of the Royal Navy states the bell will certainly be presented in the gallery’s brand-new galleries that “recall and commemorate the heroism, duty and sacrifice of the people of the Royal Navy in the 20 th and 21st centuries. HMS Hood‘s bell encapsulates the whole of that story as no other single object could. We already have the bell of HMS Prince of Wales which together with the HMS Hood engaged the Bismarck on May 24, 1941, and it will be splendid to reunite the two ships at least in spirit.”
The wreckage of HMS Hood is assigned under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. As well as giving a memorial, the healing has actually avoided it from being taken by any kind of prohibited procedure for individual gain.
