HMS HOOD

NOW CLOSED TO DIVERS

I'm almost too embarrassed to list this wreck amongst the wrecks I have dived as it could have been the wreck I missed. I had been informed you just can't miss if you release the air from your stab jacket when above Hood you land right on top. I missed it and had a good dive around Portland Harbour. Lucky there were other foul days so I could get on the wreck.

When war against Germany broke out in August 1914, there was concern that ships of the Royal Navy that were at anchor in Portland Harbour would be vulnerable to U-boat attack through the southern entrance into the harbour. This is the most exposed from seaward and it was decided that, rather than rely on the boom net across the entrance, it would be better to use one of its old battleships to form a blockade. The late-Victorian battleship HMS Hood was chosen for this purpose.

HMS Hood was Named after the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Arthur Hood, she was laid down in 1889 and launched in 1891 then commissioned in June 1893, Hood was one of the last low freeboard battleships built for the Royal Navy. She served chiefly with the Mediterranean Fleet until 1911, when she was placed on the disposal list. since her launch the 14,150 ton armoured monster had become known throughout the fleet as a good looker, but a lousy sailor.

Hood In a somewhat dilapidated state, with her armament removed and only one of her two side-by-side funnels standing, but still with her topmasts, she arrived at Portland and was sunk across the southern entrance of the harbour on the 3rd November 1914. She didn't go quietly. The sea cocks were opened so that she would sink gracefully in an upright position. This took to long that explosives were used to make a hole in Hoods hull. It had taken longer than planes and the tide had turned and Hood started to pull her out of place. Instead of settling upright across the entrance, she turned turtle.

Below is a photo showing what HMS Hood looked like when it was positioned on the southern entrance of Portland Harbour

The second HMS Hood which most people are aware of was the battle cruiser sunk by the German battleship Bismarck on 19th May 1941. The Bismarck's fifth salvo had hit the Hood amidships penetrating the secondary armament magazine. The detonation spread to the main magazine resulting in a catastrophic explosion which tore the ship in half. Only three of her 1418 crew survived.