"Bell of Sunken WWII Battlecruiser HMS Hood Recovered" Topic

In May 1941, the British battlecruiser HMS Hood chased down the German battleship Bismarck in an attempt to protect the flow of American supplies to Great Britain. Within 15 minutes of firing its first shot, Hood was hit, exploded and sank to the bottom of the Denmark Strait, taking with it 1,415 of its 1,418 crew members.

On Friday, after sitting on the ocean floor for 74 years, Hood's bell was recovered by a research team led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

The team retrieved the bell on Aug. 7 using a remotely operated vehicle from Allen's yacht, M/Y Octopus, giving the Ministry of Defence and Royal Navy the gift of a memorial for the fallen sailors' families…

link

I hope they place a replica bell in honor of the fallen crewmen where the original bell had been, as a token of remembrance.

An interesting point old wolfman but:

"There is no headstone among the flowers for those who perish at sea. For the 1,415 officers and men who lost their lives in HMS Hood on 24 May 1941, the recovery of her bell and its subsequent place of honour in the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth will mean that future generations will be able to gaze upon her bell and remember with gratitude and thanks the heroism, courage and personal sacrifice of Hood's ship's company who died in the service of their country," Rear Admiral Philip Wilcocks, who serves as president of the the HMS Hood Association and whose uncle died on the ship, said in a statement

He makes a valid point too.

John T

Grave Robbers – the bell belongs to the ship and not in some collection

Grave Robbers – the bell belongs to the ship and not in some collection

Well, that's certain a view. But, as the relative of one of the crew of the Hood (my great uncle), and as the keeper of a few family mementoes of his career in the Royal Navy, being able at some point in the near future to see such a plangent link with my family's past just across the water in Portsmouth will mean something very special indeed.

Ian
Fighting 15s

Although no relative in HMS Hood one of my family was lost in the Titanic. I don't have any issue with them lifting items from that wreck. I'm fairly sure the Royal Navy will create a fitting national memorial to those lost in the Hood.

The Royal Navy Museum is perhaps rather more than just 'some collection.'

The Bell was in many ways the soul of the ship to the extent that it was use as a Christening font for Baptisms In theod days it was the clock and heart of the ship calling men to their duties and the time of day

Somehow I see that if there are any spirits of Hoods dead they are still responding to their bell and it should stay with them

Toronto48 – I think you are on to a good Idea for a horror movie.

On the same line of thinking, however, bring the bell into the Royal Navy Museum would be like calling the crew home.

Either a ship is a war grave or it is not The Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 (1986 c. 35) is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom which provides protection for the wreckage of military aircraft and designated military vessels

The order that is currently in force, since February 2010, designates 55 wrecks as protected places. HMS Hood is on that list The Act makes it an offence to interfere with a protected place, to disturb the site or to remove anything from the site. Divers may visit the site but the rule is look, don't touch and don't penetrate. The law concerning protected places applies anywhere in the world, but in practice, outside the UK, the sanctions can only be enforced against UK citizens, UK flagged ships, or vessels landing in the UK I guess Paul Allen and Microsoft have evaded the law

Toronto48, if you had actually read the whole news story using the link provided by Bill, you would have discovered:

The bell was first discovered and photographed in 2001, lying away from the rest of the ship's hull. Allen led an expedition to recover it in 2012 but was hindered by weather and technical difficulties. The ship wreckage is protected under the Military Remains Act of 1986, but the bell was allowed to be salvaged to serve as a memorial ashore and to protect it from being taken illegally.

And

HMS Hood was the largest British ship to be sunk and caused the largest loss of life suffered by any single ship. Only three crew members survived the explosion and sinking. The last remaining survivor died in 2008 and requested that the bell be made into a memorial for his shipmates.

Thank Ian for the clarification it looks like events have combined to see that the Bell will be saved It is OK to be wrong when something good comes out of it

My grand-dad helped build her.

Which may explain why she blew up.