My Dad’s first USCG skipper in WWII was on a Coast Guard vessel located between the Bismark and the Hood in the battle in which the Hodd was lost and Black Prince seriously damaged. As a kid I remember that old captain telling me how the shells which passed overhead looked like flying boxcars.
Unfortunately for the crew of the Hood those boxcar size shells from the Bismarck scored a direct hit.
The USCG Cutter Modoc, I presume...
http://www.avalanchepress.com/Americans-Bismarck.php
There’s some speculation the Modoc provided some targeting data to an unsuccesful British Swordfish attack.
The Modoc was definitely not in-between Hood and Bismarck during the battle of Denmark Strait while firing was going on - I’ve read numerous accounts of the battle and it’s never mentioned, and certainly would have been. Also a very dangerous place to be - there were a number of torpedoes fired, which missed.
http://www.bismarck-class.dk/miscellaneous/modoc/modoc.html
Definitely in the vicinity, though. In fact, it seems that Bismarck WAS firing AAA fire near Modoc when she was under attack from the Swordfish - but not her main guns and not at Hood. Example of how basically true stories can mutate a bit over time...
Out of the cold and foggy night came the British ship the Hood
And every British seaman he knew and understood
They had to sink the Bismarck the terror of the sea
Stop those guns as big as steers and those shells as big as trees
We'll find the German battleship that's makin' such a fuss
We gotta sink the Bismarck cause the world depends on us
Yeah hit the decks a runnin' boys and spin those guns around
When we find the Bismarck we gotta cut her down
[ ac.guitar ]
The Hood found the Bismarck and on that fatal day
The Bismarck started firing fifteen miles away
We gotta sink the Bismarck was the battle sound
But when the smoke had cleared away the mighty Hood went down
For six long days and weary nights they tried to find her trail
Churchill told the people put every ship asail
Cause somewhere on that ocean I know she's gotta be
We gotta sink the Bismarck to the bottom of the sea
We'll find the German battleship...
[ ac.guitar ]
The fog was gone the seventh day and they saw the morning
sun
Ten hours away from homeland the Bismarck made its run
The Admiral of the British fleet said turn those bows around
We found that German battleship and we're gonna cut her down
The British guns were aimed and the shells were coming fast
The first shell hit the Bismarck they knew she couldn't last
That mighty German battleship is just a memory
Sink the Bismarck was the battle cry that shook the seven seas
We found the German battleship t'was makin' such a fuss
We had to sink the Bismarck cause the world depends on us
We hit the deck a runnin' and we and spun those guns around
Yeah we found the mighty Bismarck and then we cut her down
We found the German battleship...