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Digging History

WWII naval telegrams detailing the sinking of Hitler’s most powerful battleship emerge

The Bismarck's sinking is one of the most famous naval engagements of World War II

By James Rogers Fox News
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An archive of 22 Royal Nay telegram messages describing the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck is up for auction in the U.K.

The Bismarck has been described as the largest and most powerful ship in Hitler’s navy and its sinking on May 27, 1941, is one of the most famous naval engagements of World War II.

WRECK OF WWII SHIP DISCOVERED 74 YEARS AFTER IT DISAPPEARED DURING A RESCUE MISSION

A view of the German battleship Bismarck as it was sinking, torpedoed by a British ship off Brest.

A view of the German battleship Bismarck as it was sinking, torpedoed by a British ship off Brest. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

The battleship fought Royal Navy ships in the battle of the Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland on May 24, 1941, which resulted in the sinking of the British battlecruiser HMS Hood. Bismarck, however, was damaged in the battle and attempted to reach the port of Brest in German-occupied France.

Doggedly pursued by Royal Navy ships, Bismarck was attacked and sank in the Atlantic three days later. Only 115 of the 2,200 crew members survived, according to History Learning Site.

GERMAN U-BOAT THAT SANK DURING WORLD WAR II SPOTTED IN INCREDIBLE UNDERWATER PICTURES

One of the telegrams detailing the Bismarck's sinking.

One of the telegrams detailing the Bismarck's sinking. (Henry Aldridge & Son)

Auction house Henry Aldridge & Son explains that the telegrams are sold via a descendant of Harold Benson Key, the yeoman of signals onboard Royal Navy destroyer HMS Cossack, which participated in the pursuit and destruction of Bismarck. They include communications between HMS Cossack and HMS Dorsetshire, which was also involved in the engagement.

"I torpedoed German battleship Bismarck both sides before she sank," reads one telegram. “Enemy had abandoned ship cannot get her to sink with gunfire,” reads another.

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The lot, which will be auctioned Saturday, has a pre-sale estimate of 4,000 to 6,000 U.K. pounds ($5,234 to $7.851).

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers