Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: National Geographic Video
• VHS Release Date: April 3, 2001
• Run Time: 55 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304475829
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,985 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The battleship Bismarck, the pride of the Nazi navy, was thought, like the ill-fated Titanic, to be unsinkable. When it left port in May 1941, even the formidable British navy professed to be nervous, and the rallying cry "Sink the Bismarck!" was born. Amazingly, just two weeks into its maiden voyage, the Bismarck was spotted, torpedoed, and sunk by the British in the North Atlantic, an almost unbelievable turn of events--as crucial a turning point in World War II for the Germans, according to one survivor interviewed in this video, as Pearl Harbor was for the Americans. In 1989 Dr. Bob Ballard, the man who discovered the Titanic, and a crew painstakingly searched a 100-square-mile area off France, and after some heartbreaking near misses, ultimately found the remains of the once-glorious ship. The video cuts effectively between historic footage, interviews with British and German survivors, and scenes from the Ballard expedition, expertly woven together to paint a complete portrait of the sinking and its aftermath. Fans of Titanic and World War II buffs especially will be fascinated. --Anne Hurley

Product Description

"Sink the Bismarck" was the cry as British forces searched the Atlantic for the German navy's most powerful vessel. The pursuit ended on May 27, 1941, in a battle that plunged the Bismarck into waters nearly three miles deep, taking with it more than 2,000 lives. Almost half a century later, explorer and scientist Dr. Robert D. Ballard, who discovered the sunken S.S. Titanic, searched the Atlantic for the infamous Bismarck. On June 8, 1989, he located the sunken ship, 600 miles off the coast of France. National Geographic looks back at the first - and last - mission of the Bismarck and talks with survivors of the notorious World War II battle. Then, in its climactic chapter, SEARCH FOR THE BATTLESHIP BISMARCK reveals exclusive footage of this remarkable undersea exploration.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exciting Video About the Bismarck, September 10, 2002

By 

Jeffrey T. Munson (Dixon, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: National Geographic Search for Battleship Bismarck [VHS] (VHS Tape)

In keeping with National Geographic's excellent video tradition, this video skillfully combines actual battle footage and the story or Dr. Robert Ballard's (Titanic, USS Yorktown) search for the Bismarck. Commissioned in 1939 and completed in 1941, the Bismarck was one of the most feared ships afloat. With a main battery of 8 15-inch guns, she could easily wreak havoc on British convoys sailing from America. The Bismarck was spotted by a British fighter plane in Norway, and the Royal Navy was alerted. The British battlecruiser Hood was the first ship to sight the Bismarck. The ensuing battle lasted all of 6 minutes, and the Hood was destroyed by the Bismarck. Only 3 men out of a crew of 1,400 survived the Hood's sinking. However, other forces had been alerted, and the British closed in on the Bismarck. In a brave attack by British carrier-based torpedo planes, the Bismarck's rudder was damaged, and the ship could only sail in a straight line. The rest of the British battleships and cruisers now closed in. Finally, the Bismarck succumed to the British guns and slid beneath the Atlantic.

Dr. Ballard's search for the Bismarck is vividly portrayed in this video. Ballard is an accomplished undersea explorer, and his adventures have been captured in other videos, including the discovery of the Titanic, The USS Yorktown, and the lost ships of Guadalcanal. Ballard encounters trouble in his first expedition. Thinking he had found the Bismarck, he is disappointed to discover that he had found a 19th century sailing vessel. Undeterred, Ballard returns to the Atlantic the following year with a new research ship. This time, Ballard and his crew spend their time searching the dangerous underwater mountain area where the Bismarck was believed to have went down. Finally, the ship is discovered, and, except for her main turrets, is in remarkably good condition. Numerous underwater shots are shown in the video, as well as testimonials from both British and German crewmembers. Their tales bring this exciting chase to life.

I own several of Ballard's other National Geographic videos, and this one maintains the other's high standards of actual battle footage and undersea exploration. I recommend this video to anyone who enjoys naval history and undersea exploration.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story of the search for the Bismarck, March 26, 2001

By 

"weirdo_87" (Rancho Cucamonga, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Geographic Search for Battleship Bismarck [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This video tells of the story of the hunt for the Bismarck: Both the 1941 sea chase led by the Royal Navy that succeded in sinking Bismarck and the 1989 expedtion led by Oceanographer Robert Ballard that succeded in locating her wreck. Includes video, photos and paintings of how Bismarck appears today as well as photos of her in 1941. The interviews with various survivors, both from Bismarck and the other british warships, tell the Bismarck story like it happened. A video I would reccomend for fans of Bob Ballard, of warships, of World War 2 or of this lengendary warship.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good informative and exciting documentary, September 2, 1999

By 

F. Van Doorn (Holland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: National Geographic Search for Battleship Bismarck [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I loved this documentary and saw it over and over again. Good thing about it is the perfect balance between footage of the underwater search for the Bismarck, the historical background and the interwviews with survivors of the Hood (English Battleship destroyed by the Bismarck) and of the Bismarck. Great documentary with a lot of suspense!