The North Atlantic and nemesis Lancelot Holland

holland s next assignment in command of battlecruiser squadron. britain had 3 of these ships. capital ships carried heavy guns, sacrificed armour protection speed. concept of admiral john fisher before first world war. conventional naval thinking in 1920s , 1930s battlecruiser designed hunt , overtake fast commerce raiders, such pocket battleship or battlecruiser, ship powerful cruiser destroy , fast battleship catch. hms hood last battlecruiser built royal navy.

until kgv class, @ 28 knots, no british battleship fast enough catch new german battleship bismarck. mission evade action , make open seas attack convoys. hood needed stop her. navy recognized hood needed rebuilt strengthen decks protect vulnerable magazines 1938, war threatening, admiralty felt not risk taking out of commission. britain had 3 battlecruisers match 3 german pocket battleships.

in may 1941, new german battleship bismarck attempted break out north atlantic, accompanied heavy cruiser prinz eugen. mission attack allied convoys. holland flew flag aboard hood, accompanied new battleship hms prince of wales, mounted ten 14 guns opposed 8 15 on hood , bismarck. on 22 may, after midnight, electra, achates, antelope, anthony, echo, , icarus, escorting hood , prince of wales, sailed cover northern approaches. prince of wales had not had time complete training of new crew, , pressed service builders representatives still aboard. intention force refuel in hvalfjord, iceland, , sail again watch denmark strait. on evening of 23 may, weather deteriorated. @ 20:55, admiral holland aboard hood signalled destroyers if unable maintain speed have go on without you. should follow @ best speed. @ 02:15 on morning of 24 may, destroyers ordered spread out @ 15 mile intervals search north.

at 05:35, german forces sighted hood and, shortly afterwards, germans sighted british ships. in ensuing battle of denmark strait hood suffered catastrophic magazine explosion @ 06:01 broke ship in half; admiral , 3 of crew of 1,418 lost. 1 of survivors, ted briggs, later stated last saw holland sitting in admiral s chair, making no attempt escape sinking wreck.

prince of wales made escape damage, including hit on bridge killed many of officers. 1 of salvos prince of wales damaged bismarck s fuel tanks, , prompted make occupied france.

holland posthumously mentioned in despatches.