page_title: HMS Suffolk (55)
section_title: Battle of the Denmark Strait
hierarchical_section_title: HMS Suffolk (55) / History / Battle of the Denmark Strait
caption_attribution_description: IWM caption&#160;: The Captain on the bridge of HMS SUFFOLK while shadowing BISMARCK. The Captain does not leave the bridge on these occasions; here he is seen having a sandwich for his lunch.
context_page_description: HMS Suffolk, pennant number 55, was a County-class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy, and part of the Kent subclass. She was built by Portsmouth Dockyard, Portsmouth, UK, with the keel being laid down on 30 September 1924. She was launched on 16 February 1926, and commissioned on 31 May 1928. During the Second World War, Suffolk took part in the Norwegian Campaign in 1940 and then the Battle of the Denmark Strait in 1941, before serving in the Arctic throughout the following year. After a refit that concluded in April 1943, the cruiser served in the Far East until the end of the war. In the immediate post-war period, Suffolk undertook transport duties between the Far East, Australia and the United Kingdom before being placed in reserve in mid-1946. The vessel was sold off and then scrapped in 1948.
context_section_description: During May 1941 Suffolk was involved in the Battle of the Denmark Strait and the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck. Suffolk had engaged the battleship twice during the battle, firing several salvoes on her. Using her radar, Suffolk was able to track the Bismarck through the Denmark Strait and maintained contact long enough for other units to vector into Bismarck's path. During the battle the battlecruiser Hood was sunk with heavy loss of life and the battleship Prince of Wales was damaged and forced to retreat. Afterwards Suffolk shadowed the Bismarck until she became low on oil and was forced to make for Reykjavík, Iceland.
caption: The captain of Suffolk, Robert Meyric Ellis, remains on the bridge for lunch whilst shadowing Bismarck
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