HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

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José M. Rico
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HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by José M. Rico »

HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG4YWMwkAvA
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frontkampfer
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Re: HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by frontkampfer »

Good for them! I'm sure it will get a place of Honor.
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wadinga
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Re: HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by wadinga »

All about MY Octopus,

So your boat looks like a glorified Gin Palace, but what the heck, you really have delivered the goods!!

Congratulations all round and Splice the Mainbrace! :clap: :clap: :clap:

All the best
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Re: HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by paulcadogan »

Folks,

I freely admit that tears came to my eyes when I saw that bell pulled from the ocean floor. I've said it before and I'll say it again - to me that bell symbolizes that entire lost crew being brought home.

I know some here seriously object and I respect their opinions, but I am elated!

It would be amazing if they could time things to have some sort of dedication of the bell on August 22 - the day Hood was launched 97 years ago....
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paulcadogan
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Re: HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by paulcadogan »

Found this in another forum:
HMS Hood's Bell Has Been Successfully Recovered

SEATTLE and PORTSMOUTH, England, Aug. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — A research team led by U.S. philanthropist and entrepreneur Paul G. Allen has successfully recovered the bell of the battlecruiser HMS Hood, sunk in 1941 during World War II. Once restored, the bell will respectfully serve as a tangible and fitting memorial for the 1,415 lives lost when the Bismarck sunk the ship in the North Atlantic.

The bell was successfully recovered the 7th of August. Mr. Allen's team led the operation using his yacht M/Y Octopus, which is equipped with a state-of-the-art remotely-operated vehicle.

The Ministry of Defence and the Royal Navy are grateful for Mr. Allen's generosity in recovering the bell at no cost to the MOD.

"This year marks the 70th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II and this effort commemorates the hundreds of brave sailors who were lost at sea," said Allen. "It is a true honour to undertake the expedition to recover the bell from 'The Mighty Hood'."

The bell was first discovered and photographed in a July 2012 Allen-led expedition. The bell was found lying on the seabed well away from the parts of the battlecruiser's hull. That previous attempt to recover the bell was hampered by prevailing weather conditions and technical difficulties.

Both operations were supported by Blue Water Recoveries Ltd, which specialises in the search and investigation of shipwrecks.

The bell is in good condition, but will require a year-long expert conservation and restoration effort because it has spent so long in deep seawater.

Director of Blue Water Recoveries, David Mearns, said:

"I am extremely pleased that we have been able to fulfil one of the last wishes of Ted Briggs, one of only three survivors of Hood's crew of 1,418 men, to recover the ship's bell as a memorial to his shipmates. Despite 74 years of immersion in the hostile depths of Denmark Strait, the bell is in very good condition. The inscriptions decorating its surface clearly indicate that the bell was preserved for use on the battlecruiser Hood after first being used as the bell of the Battleship Hood from 1891 to 1914. This bell has therefore seen action in two Capital ships of the Royal Navy spanning a period of 50 years. An engraving on the bell also records the wishes of Lady Hood who launched the ship in memory of her late husband Rear Admiral Sir Horace Hood KCB DSO MVO, who was killed in the battle of Jutland. The bell we recovered is a unique historical artefact, which shows just how important Hood was as flagship of the British Battlecruiser Squadron. This was clearly a special bell for a special ship and it will forever serve as a fitting memorial to the Mighty Hood and a reminder of the service and sacrifice of her men."

Commenting on the successful recovery, First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir George Zambellas said:

"A magnificent symbol of the power of the Royal Navy in the inter-war years, 'The Mighty Hood' is one of the greatest fighting ships in our nation's long and glorious maritime history. That she was lost with her guns thundering in defence of the convoys that formed Britain's lifeline is a tragic reminder of the high price that our island nation paid for survival and for the freedom and prosperity we enjoy today. Her story, her sacrifice, continues to inspire the Royal Navy today. The recovery of the Ship's Bell will help ensure the 1,415 men lost and the name HOOD will always be remembered by a grateful nation."

HMS Hood is the largest Royal Navy vessel to have been sunk, causing the largest loss of life suffered by any single British warship and the recovery is fully supported by the HMS Hood Association whose members include veterans who served in the ship before her final mission in 1941 and relatives of those lost with her.

President of the Association is Rear Admiral Philip Wilcocks, whose uncle was among those who died on board HMS Hood. Admiral Wilcocks said:

"The HMS Hood Association is extremely grateful to Paul Allen, David Mearns, and the crew of M/Y Octopus for their tremendous efforts and professionalism in recovering the bell of HMS Hood from the dark depths of the Denmark Strait. In particular, Paul Allen's support has been outstanding and we applaud his personal commitment to the recovery operation.

"There is no headstone among the flowers for those who perish at sea. For the 1,415 officers and men who lost their lives in HMS Hood on 24 May 1941, the recovery of her bell and its subsequent place of honour in the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth will mean that future generations will be able to gaze upon her bell and remember with gratitude and thanks the heroism, courage, and personal sacrifice of HOOD's ship's company who died in the service of their country."

Once conservation of the bell is complete, it will be put on display by the National Museum of the Royal Navy and will form a major feature of the new exhibition dedicated to the 20th and 21st Century Navy, which opened at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard in 2014. It is a fitting location as HMS Hood was based in Portsmouth.

Commenting on the successful recovery of the bell, Professor Dominic Tweddle, Director General NMRN, said:

"It will be an honour and privilege to display the bell from HMS Hood. Our new galleries recall and commemorate the heroism, duty, and sacrifice of the people of the Royal Navy in the 20th and 21st Centuries. HMS Hood's bell encapsulates the whole of that story as no other single object could. We already have the bell of HMS Prince of Wales, which together with HMS Hood engaged Bismarck on 24th May 1941, and it will be splendid to reunite the two ships, at least in spirit."

The wreck of HMS Hood is designated under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. As well as providing a memorial, the recovery has prevented it from being taken by any illegal operation for personal gain.

For further information please contact Royal Navy Press Officer on 44 7748932702

About Paul G. Allen

Paul G. Allen is a leading investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who has given more than $2 billion to charitable causes over his lifetime. He founded Vulcan Inc. in 1986 with Jody Allen to oversee his business and philanthropic activities. He is also the co-founder of The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. Today, Vulcan Inc. oversees a wide range of Allen's investments and initiatives throughout the world. In 2003, he created the Allen Institute for Brain Science to accelerate understanding of the human brain in health and disease and, a decade later, launched the expansion of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence to explore opportunities for development in the field of AI. In 2014, he donated $100 million to establish the Allen Institute for Cell Science and committed another $100 million to stopping Ebola. Mr. Allen is also the co-founder of Microsoft and owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers. For more information, go to http://www.paulallen.com and http://www.vulcan.com.

SOURCE: Vulcan Inc.
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KevinD
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Re: HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by KevinD »

José M. Rico wrote:HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG4YWMwkAvA
Great, repeat GREAT, stuff! :ok:
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Re: HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by northcape »

Absolutely astonishing, in every respect. It is still unbelievable that the bell stood out so clearly and stubborn in this mangled mess of torn and twisted steel, and even more unbelievable that 74 years later people took the effort and money in hands to recover it.
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paulcadogan
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Re: HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by paulcadogan »

It seems the bell will be going through a restorative process given its decades of seawater immersion, maybe at that great depth too, so it will be about a year before it is ready for display.

Every time I've watched that short clip I am simply awestruck - thinking of how it survived Hood's cataclysmic destruction and came to rest in such plain view that it could be found, retrieved and brought home.

In the closing line of Chapter 23 of his book, Ernle Bradford wrote of Hood and Bismarck:
Covered by the same ocean, they lie deep. The long Atlantic swell will never stir their hulls. Until all the seas run dry, they have no memorial except in the minds of men.


He was wrong.
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Re: HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by paul.mercer »

Gentlemen,
Fantastic news, I'm sure that the sight of this bell will cause all of us to remember those 1400 + men who must have seen and heard the bell during her last voyage and did not return.
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Re: HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by Antonio Bonomi »

Hello everybody,

in memory of ViceAdm Lancelot Holland, of Captain Ralph Kerr and the whole crew of the HMS Hood ... :clap: :clap: :clap:
Royal_Navy_01.jpg
Royal_Navy_01.jpg (32.5 KiB) Viewed 9740 times
Hoping that the ship bell will help people never to forget their courageous sacrifice, according to the best Royal Navy traditions :

Doing their duty !

Just as England always expect, ... after the Trafalgar battle.

With great respect and my personal immense admiration ...

Bye Antonio :D
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Alberto Virtuani
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Re: HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by Alberto Virtuani »

I'm deeply touched too by the recover of HMS Hood's bell.

Honor to the whole brave crew of this glorious ship. :clap:

Bye, Alberto
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paul.mercer
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Re: HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by paul.mercer »

Gentlemen,
Now that the bell has been recovered and will apparently undergo restoration, should it be restored to 1) its original shiny brass condition, 2) Restored enough to stop any deterioration but enough to expose Hood's name, or 3) Treated in order to preserve it but left in an 'as found' condition?
Your comments would be welcome gentlemen.
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paulcadogan
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Re: HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by paulcadogan »

paul.mercer wrote:entlemen,
Now that the bell has been recovered and will apparently undergo restoration, should it be restored to 1) its original shiny brass condition, 2) Restored enough to stop any deterioration but enough to expose Hood's name, or 3) Treated in order to preserve it but left in an 'as found' condition?
According to Paul Allen, the bell with be "restored" and I suppose that will mean to the best possible condition - which is why the process is expected to take so long - 12 months. It appears too that the bell will be "reunited" with Prince of Wales' bell which was also recovered some time ago.

What is even more amazing when you think of it, is that the bell was located at the captain's quarters just forward of X-turret on the quarter deck - right over the site of the magazine explosion!!

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-la ... -recovered

The inscriptions on Hood's bell are still very visible:

Image
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RF
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Re: HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by RF »

paulcadogan wrote: I know some here seriously object and I respect their opinions, but I am elated!

It would be amazing if they could time things to have some sort of dedication of the bell on August 22 - the day Hood was launched 97 years ago....
Indeed - but at least from my point of view the bell is not being used for personal profit by a private collector.
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Re: HMS Hood Bell Recovered from the wreck!

Post by José M. Rico »

paulcadogan wrote:Every time I've watched that short clip I am simply awestruck - thinking of how it survived Hood's cataclysmic destruction and came to rest in such plain view that it could be found, retrieved and brought home.
Yes, particularly when you think that Bismarck's bell is nowhere to be found.
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