I Sank The Bismarck - Softcover

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John Moffat was 19 years old when he joined the Ark Royal and is the only surviving member of the group of twelve pilots who sank the Bismarck. John has just stopped flying to return to live in Scotland, but frequently gives talks at airshows and events around the UK.

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May 1941: the pilots of fifteen canvas-covered biplanes struggle to hold their Swordfish aircraft steady as they head towards the German battleship Bismarck. Two days previously Bismarck, the most powerful warship in service anywhere in the world, had destroyed the Hood and damaged the Prince of Wales, dealing two devastating blows to the Royal Navy's capabilities.

The Swordfish flew low over a wind-racked ocean, the mighty Bismarck's guns firing a lethal storm of shells and bullets at the approaching planes. The crews in their open cockpits were totally vulnerable. They heard the crack of exploding shells, and the smell of cordite filled their nostrils. They flew on, aiming their torpedoes. If they failed now, Bismarck would escape to safety, and a strategic and political defeat for Britain would echo around the world. Among these brave flyers was a young sub-lieutenant in the Fleet Air Arm, John Moffat.

I Sank the Bismarck is John's story. The Bismarck was hit, lost control and steamed in circles until the ships of the Royal Navy could close in.They pounded the great battleship with shells and torpedoes, reducing her to a lifeless hulk, allowing a cruiser, HMS Dorsetshire to deliver the coup de grâce.

Only years later was John told that the records suggested it was his torpedo that had prevented the Bismarck from outrunning her pursuers. I Sank the Bismarck is the personal story of a carefree young boy, raised in the Borders, growing up to join a fledgling Fleet Air Arm. It's the story of a young pilot, living for the moment, facing war, and taking part in one of the most decisive naval battles of the Second World War.