|
HMS HOOD
A model of the ultimate battlecruiser
HMS
Hood was the ultimate, biggest, and
boldest of all battlecruisers. Completed in 1920, she
was the forerunner of all the World War II fast
warships and had a dramatic influence on the
subsequent capital ship designs of all nations.
The completed ship was quite impressive- very fast,
very large and very beautiful.
Due
to her extreme size, superb speed, large calibre
armament and somewhat "larger than life" legend, she
is often referred to (by modern day historians amd
enthusiasts) as being not the last British battle
cruiser, but the world's first true modern "fast
battleship." Her reputation was also a key factor.
She was widely feared the world over.
HMS Hood was involved
in a number of showing the flag exercises between
her commissioning in 1920 and the outbreak of war in
1939, including training exercises in the
Mediterranean Sea and a circumnavigation of the
globe with the Special Service Squadron in 1923 and
1924. She was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet
following the outbreak of the Second Italo-Abyssinian
War.
When the Spanish Civil War broke out,
HMS Hood was
officially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet until
she had to return to Britain in 1939 for an
overhaul. By this time, advances in naval gunnery
had reduced Hood's usefulness. She was scheduled to
undergo a major rebuild in 1941 to correct these
issues, but the outbreak of World War II in
September 1939 forced the ship into service without
the upgrades.
When war with
Germany was declared HMS Hood was operating in the area
around Iceland, and she spent the next several
months hunting between Iceland and the Norwegian Sea
for German commerce raiders and blockade runners.
In May
1941, she and the battleship Prince of Wales were
ordered to intercept the German battleship Bismarck
and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen which was en route
to the Atlantic where she was to attack convoys. On
24 May 1941, early in the Battle of the Denmark
Strait, Hood was struck by several German shells and
exploded; the loss had a profound effect on the
British people. Prime Minister Winston Churchill
ordered the Royal Navy to "sink the Bismarck!", and
they fulfilled his command on 26–27 May.
The Royal Navy
conducted two inquiries into the reasons for the
ship's quick demise. The first, held very quickly
after the ship's loss, concluded that Hood's aft
magazine had exploded after one of Bismarck's shells
penetrated the ship's armor. A second inquiry was
held after complaints were received that the first
board had failed to consider alternative
explanations, such as an explosion of the ship's
torpedoes. The discovery of the ship's wreck in 2001
confirmed the conclusion of both boards, although
the exact reason why the magazines detonated will
forever be a mystery as that area of the ship was
entirely destroyed in the explosion.
This primarily wood HMS Hood model
is 29.5"
long
x 9" tall x 5" wide
$2,950
Shipping
and insurance in the contiguous USA included. Other
places: $300 flat rate. This
model is in stock and can be shipped within 5
business days.
For a
grand
58"
long model of the Hood, please click here:
HMS Hood battlecruise.
"HMS Hood was considered one of the most beautiful
warships ever built, and you've captured that beauty in
you amazing model. She looks amazing!...I have never
been been let down by MSM. You
guys get it right everything (and I've bought or commissioned many
ships) Thanks again and again, Al"
ModelShipMaster.com
builds the most accurate and beautiful models of
historic battlecruisers and battleships. Check out
another battlecruiser model here:
Indefatigable.
Learn more
about the HMS Hood here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Hood
|
