Last Resting Place - Martin Lawrence

Last Resting Place looks at the loss of each of the ten capital ships of the Royal Navy that were sunk during the Second World War. The stories of some of the sinkings are well known and have become deemed simply part of the fortunes of war. Naval war involves battles, and in sea battles, sooner or later, protagonists are sunk.But for some of the capital ship losses the stories of how disaster struck are not quite as straightforward. The sinking of HMS Hood, for instance, has led to questioning the verdict of the official enquiry over many years, even up to the present day. It was concluded at the time that Hood was lost to a lucky hit from Bismarck that drove through the ship and caused a magazine at the stern to catch fire. The inquiry did go through various possibilities in detail but this was the best fit of three alternatives considered and has been left to stand. Yet Hood’s record of numerous dockings for repairs before her last sortie – some of which were heavy – was never even brought up, a surprising omission and the more so since close to the outbreak of war the First Sea Lord had commented: ‘she [Hood] needs a complete and total change of machinery as hers is twenty years old,’ and ‘the likelihood of her being able to steam at speed for any distance must be considered remote.’ Why was mechanical breakdown overlooked? The author’s detective work has brought to light some radical new conclusions.Some other ships s
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