HMS Hood

[Anton_Berg]

That's pretty much the case. The Swordfish were torpedo bombers and flying so slowly that Bismarck's range finder couldn't lock on to them, and so low that the AA guns couldn't be depressed enough.

Even so, only two torpedoes hit, one did no damage, and the other was a lucky hit on the rudder that caused Bismarck to be unsteerable.

By such luck are battles won and lost.

and but for that I might never have existed!

 

[Billyzin]

One theory us that the flash doors, ( a seal on the lift between the guns and the magazine), were wedged open, therefore bypassing a vital safety feature.
Apparently, a common practice at the time.
We'll most probably never know the real reason behind such a tragic loss of life.