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At 0555 hours, believing that he was likely out of the danger zone for plunging fire (or believing he was within acceptable gunnery range), VADM Holland ordered the flag signal 'Blue 2' (20° turn to port) to be hoisted. The ships turned to port in an attempt to 'open A arcs' (i.e. allow the rear turrets to be brought into action). This turn was executed sometime between 0559-0600. Sometime during the first moments of the execution of this turn, Hood was dealt her death blow- Bismarck's 5th salvo had straddled, with one or two shells likely striking Hood somewhere around the main mast, or possibly through a narrow weak zone in her side (possibly even underwater). Aboard Prince of Wales, Captain Leach happened to be looking at Hood: "...at the moment when a salvo arrived and it appeared to be across the ship somewhere about the mainmast. In that salvo there were, I think, two shots short and one over, but it may have been the other way round. But I formed the impression at the time that something had arrived on board Hood in a position just before the mainmast and slightly starboard. It was not a very definite impression that I had, but it was sufficiently definite to make me look at Hood for a further period. In fact I wondered what the result was going to be, and between one and two seconds after I formed that impression, an explosion took place in the Hood, which appeared to me to come from very much the same position in the ship. There was a very fierce upward rush of flame the shape of a funnel, rather a thin funnel, and almost instantaneously the ship was enveloped in smoke from one end to the other."
24th May 1941 - Hood was gone.
Out of her crew of 1,418 men, only three, Midshipman William Dundas, Able Seaman Robert Tilburn and Signalman Ted Briggs remained: Midshipman Dundas had escaped the Compass Platform by kicking out one of the starboard windows. He squeezed through to safety just as the sea reached him. Moments earlier, Ted Briggs had exited the Compass Platform by the starboard side door. As Ted reached the door, the Squadron Navigator, Commander John Warrand, smiled and selflessly moved aside and gestured for him to leave first. Though he was sure that Commanders Warrand and Gregson had also made it outside, he was never to see either of them again. As Ted climbed down the ladder ways, the sea overtook him. He came to the surface a short time later. Meanwhile, on Hood's port forward shelter deck, Able Seaman Bob Tilburn escaped by climbing down onto the forecastle deck and diving into the sea. He narrowly missed being fatally trapped by Hood's plunging superstructure. After being dragged down some distance, he freed himself and reached the surface.
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