Concededly, Jutland was a STRATEGIC victory for Britain. BUT, the Germans not only sunk a hell of lot more British ships than they lost, they sailed circles around the Brits.
As to the BISMARCK entry, the German battleship BISMARCK and heavy cruiser PRINZ EUGEN not only engaged a 15” battle cruiser and a 14” battleship [PRINZ EUGEN scored the first hits on HOOD], but BISMARCK sunk HOOD in something like five salvos, and forced PRINCE OF WALES to withdraw under smoke after suffering heavy damage. When she was sunk three days later, after giving the British the slip [PRINZ EUGEN made it to France separately], BISMARCK was engaged by a 16” battleship, a 14” battleship, at least two cruisers, several destroyers, and aircraft from ARK ROYAL, which did not participate in the attack, because of all the shells flying around. All while BISMARCK, rudders jammed, was unable to maneuver.
As to the worst moments list, I'd add Prien’s raid on Scapa Flow, SCHARNHORST's sinking of the aircraft carrier GLORIOUS, the Channel Dash, and the Japanese sinking of PRINCE of WALES and REPULSE.
To the wins list, I'd ad the X-craft attack on TIRPITZ, and the sinking of SCHARNHORST off North Cape on 26 Dec 43.
Bismarck sure was a pretty ship, beautiful lines.
I’d add almost every major engagement led by Admiral Andrew Cunningham in the Mediterranean including Taranto. The attack on Mers el-Kebir, while clearly unfortunate, prevented the Germans and Italians from seizing the French Fleet. Despite this, the British were still outnumbered in the Mediterranean. Cunningham first crippled the Italians at Taranto and then destroyed the willingness of the Italian navy to fight at Matapan. He did this without air superiority. By April 1941, the Regia Marina ceded everything south of Sicily and West of Corsica to the British.
Sink The Bismarck
Way back in nineteen-forty-two or maybe forty-three,
I sailed with Captain Tuna, the chicken of the sea.
We didn’t sink the Bismarck, no matter what they say,
For when we saw the German ship, we sailed the other way.
We saw torpedos comin’ and we saw a periscope.
We were full of fightin’ spirit and our souls were full o’ hope.
The captain yelled, “Now hear this!”
He really flipped his lid.
We haven’t yet begun to fight,
What’s more we never did.
Oh, we didn’t sink the Bismarck and we didn’t fight at all.
We spend our time in Norfolk and we really had a ball,
Chasin’ after women while our ship was overhauled,
A-livin’ it up on grapefruit juice and sickbay alcohol.
Then they made me a frogman on the demolition team.
I sunk a battleship, a cruiser and a submarine.
I blew up ammunition dumps. I did my best to please.
I did it all before the Navy sent me overseas.
Tony, our Italian cook, was a-settin’ on the deck,
And we were peelin’ ‘taters. We must ‘a’ peeled a peck.
The captain yelled,”Hey, Tony! Is that a U-boat I see?”
Tony says, “It’s not-a my boat; it’s-a no belong to me.”
Oh, we didn’t sink the Bismarck and we didn’t fight at all.
We spend our time in Norfolk and we really had a ball,
Chasin’ after women while our ship was overhauled,
A-livin’ it up on grapefruit juice and sickbay alcohol.
And now the war is over and our story can be told
About our captain’s fightin’ and the young ones and the old.
We stayed in San Francisco, away from the battle scenes.
We spent our time on Treasure Island a-fightin’ the Marines.
Oh, we didn’t sink the Bismarck and we didn’t fight at all.
We spend our time in Norfolk and we really had a ball,
Chasin’ after women while our ship was overhauled,
A-livin’ it up on grapefruit juice and sickbay alcohol.
—Homer & Jethro, 1960