In the course of the warship's eight-month career, Bismarck conducted only one offensive operation that lasted 8 days in May 1941, codenamed Rheinübung. The ship, along with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, was to break into the Atlantic Ocean and raid Allied shipping from North America to Great Britain. The two ships were detected several times off Scandinavia, and British naval units were deployed to block their route. At the Battle of the Denmark Strait, the battlecruiser HMS Hood initially engaged Prinz Eugen, probably by mistake, while HMS Prince of Wales engaged Bismarck. In the ensuing battle Hood was destroyed by the combined fire of Bismarck and Prinz Eugen, which then damaged Prince of Wales and forced her retreat. Bismarck suffered sufficient damage from three hits by Prince of Wales to force an end to the raiding mission.
How long was the Nazi German battleship Bismarck active during WWII?
The Bismarck was active for only 8 months of World WarII. The Bismarck and an accompanying heavy crusier, the Prinz Eugen engaged with two British battlecruisers, the Hood and the Prince of Wales off the Denmark Strait in May 1941.  During the engagement, the Hood was destroyed but the Bismarck suffered damage from fire from the Price of Wales that forced the Nazi battleship to effectively end its operations.