Bismarck

Bismarck, one of the most powerful German battleships of World War II. It had a speed of 30 knots, carried eight 15-in (38.1-cm) guns, and displaced more than 45,000 long tons (45,700 m tons) of water. It was sunk in May 1941 after eight different British ships bombarded it about 600 mi (970 km) off the French coast. A 1989 inspection of the sunken ship by U.S. researchers indicated that the Germans might have caused it to go down themselves to prevent its capture.

See also: World War II.