HMS Hood (BC-1920 (1941-mod))

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HMS Hood, myth and legend. Carrying the title 'Largest Warship' for 20 years is no mean feat. Unfortunately in the real world it cost Hood dearly. Because the Hood was so important to the Admiralty as much for its pin-up value as anything else, the Hood was not taken in hand for rebuilding when it should have been. Meeting Bismarck in her original condition was always a recipe for disaster and so it proved. Jutland came back to haunt the British as another battlecruiser blew up under the guns of a German ship.

Original HMS Hood as she appeared in the Denmark Strait in 1941 for its date with destiny.

In my world that meeting may not happen as world events may never bring those two ships into contact. May 1941, Hood is just being released from the builders yards and undergoing its sea trials after its rebuilding process. New propulsion, deck armour, secondary armament, AA armament, new bow and superstructure all combine to create a completely new silhouette. The Hood used the latest battleships superstructure as a template for its new bow and bridge.

With its new components Hood dropped nearly 3500 tons from its standard displacement, a drop that was badly needed as the overstressed hull needed the relief. The biggest saving was in the latest propulsion technology which provided the same power at about 65% of the weight of the old system. The Hood spent most of the 20's and 30's being flagship of the 1st Battlecruiser squadron with the Renown and Repulse. The advent of the aircraft carrier and how that ship type altered thinking, the battlecruisers were split up to provide heavy cover for the aircraft carriers. Renown and Repulse got one of the Ark Royal type each, while the Hood stayed with the Home fleet where the Courageous and Furious were stationed till Hood was sent in for rebuilding in mid 1939.

Hood during the 1920's.

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