by Bruce Taylor
Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2008. Pp. 256.
Illus., diagr., tables, append., chron., notes, biblio., index . $85.00. ISBN:186176216X
This is the life story of what was until her brief and fatal encounter with the German battleship
Bismarck
on
May 24, 1941
, the largest and most famous warship in the world
Profusely
illustrated, the book naturally focuses on the interwar years, for although initially designed during World War I, Hood spent all but the final 624 days of her life in peace.
The first six chapters cover the rational and inception of the Hood, originally intended to be the lead ship of a class of four, as well as her construction, general physical characteristics, daily life and service routine, and her movements during the inter-war period. One chapter is devoted to the final years of peace in the late 1930s. The final two chapters cover the Hood's operations during the first 20 months of the war, culminating in a very detailed account of the pursuit of the
Bismarck
,
and the loss of the Hood.
A good read for anyone interested in navies or the Second World War at sea.
