H.M.S. Hood. Ship's bell recovered.

The first attempt in September 2012 failed. On August 7th another attempt by Paul G Allen was successful. Congratulations to all involved.

 

Any Plans for it. ?
Would be nice for it to re mounted be rung at least once a year to remember the 1000+ people taken down with her and also the similar no lost on Bismark.

 

It will take twelve months or so of conservation in order to stabilise the artefact after such a prolonged period of submersion in sea water. Then it goes on display in Plymouth. The item is in good condition but as for making it fit to ring again, I do not know enough about how successful the conservation will be. It would be an appropriate memorial to those lost. The whole fatal engagement and the loss of so many lives may well have been avoided if the updating of HMS Hood had not been victim of bean counters. People who are going to pay no price due to the outcome of their decisions. Lutjens had already had a lucky escape from HMS Rodney. The final engagement was very messy to put it mildly. Even the R.C. Ship's Chaplain on board the post-treaty battleship knew that the outcome was inevitable. He went out hunting for shrapnel souvenirs in the middle of the engagement. The German navy had some good people in it. They were naval men, not Nazis. They were sons of families much like our own. We should ring the bell for them too if this proves to be possible.

 

I'm surprised this has occurred. Surely the wreck is a war grave and as such, be left undisturbed?

 

Not quite as straightforward as that...

Source

Hood is a 'Protected Place' & in this instance HMG/MoD have given licence for the bell to be recovered.

2012 article on gov.uk website

 

Interesting...thanks

 

I understand the desire to recover this artifact, but if the decision was just mine alone, it would stay with the rest of the ship and not removed from the site, that said if you really want to see some original parts of Hood there are two 5.5 inch guns removed during the ships last refit in 1935 or so still in existence; the were later reused as static defenses on Ascension Island where they remain to this day.




Picture Source:http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_55-50_mk1.htm

 

I feel the removal of the bell is an ok thing to do.

In years to come and as all those who had any connection with anyone involved in that entire episode leave us, it will be a very good piece of one of the ships to put on display so that the lives lost can be remembered with a physical artefact viewable. To help remember not just the British lost, but those on the Bismarck too: I fully agree with the comments made on that above by class8Mikado.

 

IFIRC it was the last (of the 3 surviving) member of the crew who expressed a wish for it to be brought up before he passed on...