Scottish pilot who helped sink the Bismarck dies

[golfbananajam]

RIP, a true hero

A Scottish veteran pilot who helped to sink the Bismarck during World War Two has died at the age of 97.
Lt Cdr John "Jock" Moffat was credited with launching the torpedo that crippled the German warship in 1941

full article on BBC website at Scottish pilot who helped sink the Bismarck dies - BBC News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-38297099)

[lansen]

However, the Bismarck wasn't sunk by the British. It was detonated by the own crew from within.

[bobward]

Lansen,
Are you sure you're not confusing this with Graf Spee?

AFAIK Bismark was on the receiving end of a lot of heavy iron thrown at it by several large ships from the Royal Navy.....

[ExDubai]

Lansen,
Are you sure you're not confusing this with Graf Spee?

AFAIK Bismark was on the receiving end of a lot of heavy iron thrown at it by several large ships from the Royal Navy.....
Nope, he's right.

[Heathrow Harry]

well it sure as hell wasn't going to go anywhere once it was surrounded............... we'd have just kept on pumping metal into her until she rolled over

[pumpkin53]

The debate on the Bismark scuttling vs torpedo hole as the singular cause for sinking continues.
It is clear that the disabling of the twin rudder system was a critical, early blow.
Several deck shots from the British eventually disabled all the big guns.
There was not underwater evidence of holes below the waterline due to torpedoes, although a complete hull survey was not done. However, the stern section, known to be fairly weak in this series of ship, did detach from the major section of the hull causing seas to be taken on. Also, there was bow damage a day or two earlier in the first engagement, that caused some listing and pumping action.
So, there may not have been a singular cause for sinking. What few crew that were saved, in the know about scuttling, did report that was in process too, at the end.

[Loose rivets]

Wing Commander Percy Hatfield. Not wanting them to know we knew.

The Bismarck [Archive] - PPRuNe Forums (http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-483222.html)

[golfbananajam]

This man, in his string bag, with his crew, launched a torpedo that effectively crippled the biggest threat to the shipping lanes in the Atlantic and who knows where else. He has sadly died and this thread is to remember him, people like him, the work they did and the sacrifice many of them made so that we can live our lives in freedom.

God rest his soul

[Loose rivets]

We could all nod respectfully, or we could fill the story of that astonishing act with a little colour. Further, it occurs to me that without the likes of Percy Hatfield, he may not have known where the ship was.

[Democritus]

Sad to hear of Jock's passing. About 10 years ago together with forumite FD2 I was idling some time away as a visitor to Perth (UK) airfield. Jock was still an active pilot at that time and we were fortunate to spend a while in his company before he took to the skies. A very brave man.

[piperboy84]

Here's a vid of Jock at a ceremony the Scottish Aero Club threw for him last year.

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AsUqLYgbkd8ekzicnAcew67rrS1B

[expurser]

AFAIK Bismark was on the receiving end of a lot of heavy iron thrown at it by several large ships from the Royal Navy.....

It certainly was, my uncle was on HMS Rodney during the battle. They were the first British Battleship to engage Bismark. He could have attested to the amount of iron and HE they were sending at her