I wish I hadn't said that.....however!!
The B747 freighter was operated by mainly European crew. (I know this the military section of PPrune, but I did my bit, so bear with me.) The crew consisted of Captain, First Officer and Flight Engineer. Hans (not his real name) was GERMAN, myself, and the Flt Eng, Brits.
The aircraft was one of the stretched upper deck types, converted to freighter, and we had 6 very comfortable business class seats behind the flight-deck.
The problem was that there was no water available on board. Not in the toilet, nor in the galley for hot drinks. And the company had previously planned for all of the seats to be used by DT crew for the next two sectors. But being a freighter operation, plans change and the DT crews didn’t turn up, BUT dozens and dozens of bottles of Evian water were loaded on board to cater for the number of bodies supposedly onboard for the next several hours.
I stand just aft of the flight-deck and marvel at the stack of water bottles piled up against the bulk-head. The Eng. is at his panel fiddling with paperwork and, as it is Hans sector, he is head down fiddling with the FMC or whatever.
I make a general comment into the flight-deck. ” There is enough bl**dy water here to sink the Bismark”. At which, the Eng. rapidly turns his head and stares at me, and I immediately realise maybe I might have put my foot in it. Both of us then look at Hans who has stopped doing whatever, but after about 5 seconds continues fiddling with the FMC etc.
So during that sector the conversation somehow covers a part of WWII, concerning a certain German battleship and how it took NEARLY the WHOLE of the RN to eventually sink it, AND the Brits back in the 1950s or so, made a movie about it called “Sink the Bismark”. Myself and the Eng. were never sure if Hans had even heard of the circumstances of the Bismark sinking, but we did our best to enlighten him, GENTLY.
Anyhow, a couple of weeks, later during a conversation with another couple of crewmembers who flew with Hans and who had picked up a full load of DT crew, who would be onboard for two long sectors. Hans was heard to say “Ah! Ve now hav enough crew meals on board to sink the Bismark” Good lad!