Recovery of the Historical Bell from HMS Hood

摘要

On the 24th of May, 1941, a legendary WWII battle occurred when the British Battlecruiser HMS Hood engaged the German Battleship Bismarck in the Straits of Denmark, as the Bismarck attempted to break out into the North Atlantic. The sinking of HMS Hood during this engagement, resulting in 1,415 lives lost with only 3 survivors, has been a source of lore ever since. On the 7th of August, 2015, a research team led by US philanthropist and entrepreneur Paul G. Allen successfully recovered the Bell of the battlecruiser HMS Hood, resting at a depth of 2,850 meters. Operations were performed aboard Mr. Allen's expedition yacht M/Y OCTOPUS, utilizing his 3000 meter rated ROV system and a suite of custom built recovery tooling. The operation was sanctioned and licensed by the UK Ministry of Defence and the Royal Navy. Bell restoration is currently in process at the dockyard facility in Portsmouth in preparation for display at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth England to respectfully serve as a tangible and fitting memorial for the 1,415 lives lost at sea. Bell unveiling is scheduled for 24 May 2016 on the 75th anniversary of HOOD's loss. "This year marks the 70th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II, and this effort commemorates the hundreds of brave sailors who were lost at sea," said Allen. "It is a true honor to undertake the expedition to recover the Bell from 'The Mighty Hood'." The Bell was first discovered and photographed during a July 2001 expedition by Bluewater Recoveries Ltd., where it was found wedged within significant steel debris, lying well away from the battlecruiser's main hull sections. In 2012 Mr. Allen led an expedition to the wreck site, but was unable to recover the Bell due to difficulties in extracting the Bell from surrounding debris and a very short weather window. However, video and photographic data from the 2012 expedition proved to be invaluable for planning the return mission and developing the appropriate tooling for the ultimately successful 2015 recovery operations. This paper provides a brief history of the Hood Bell as provided by the written record on the Bell, followed by a review of the operations and recovery techniques utilized. The presentation will feature stunning photographs and video taken during recent recovery operations.