Ted Briggs Albert Edward Pryke " Ted " Briggs MBE ( 1 March 1923 – 4 October 2008 ) was a British seaman and the last survivor of the destruction of the battlecruiser . He remained in the Royal Navy after the Second World War and was later commissioned . Biography . Born on 1 March 1923 in Redcar , North Riding of Yorkshire , Briggs first saw " Hood " at anchor off the River Tees when he was 12 , and volunteered to join the Royal Navy the following day . He was told he would have to wait until he was 15 , so it was on 7 March 1938 , one week after his 15th birthday , that he finally joined the navy . Briggs was trained at HMS " Ganges " for 16 months . After his training he was delighted to be assigned to HMS " Hood " which he joined on 29 July 1939 . He initially served as an officers ' messenger . Soon after the Second World War began , " Hood " was assigned to patrol and escort duty in the North Atlantic and also served as part of Force H in the Mediterranean Sea . In May 1941 " Hood " was dispatched with HMS " Prince of Wales " to intercept the German battleship " Bismarck " in the Denmark Straits . " Hood " , with Ted Briggs aboard , encountered " Bismarck " and engaged her at long range . " Bismarck " returned fire and within minutes sent a volley of 38 cm ( 15 - inch ) shells crashing into " Hood " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s bowels , setting off a massive explosion in her magazine , and breaking her in half . The Battle of the Denmark Strait and the loss of the " Hood " were perceived by the British public as one of the greatest disasters to befall the Royal Navy during the war . " Prince of Wales " survived , only to be sunk by Japanese bombers in December 1941 . Ted Briggs , on the compass platform near the bridge , recalls a huge sheet of flame followed by " Hood " listing rapidly . When the list reached 30 degrees Briggs realised that " she was not coming back " . Briggs states that no order was given to abandon ship and that he found himself in the water about from " Hood " as her B - Turret went under after he made it only halfway down the ladder leading to the bridge . He also could remember how the compass master had stood on the platform " tall and fearless " as the water pulled him down . Briggs himself attempted to swim away from the vessel but was pulled under by her as she started toward the ocean bottom . Briggs remembers struggling , giving up hope , and then miraculously being propelled to the surface . This was probably the result of air escaping from the ship , possibly the bridge windows collapsing and releasing trapped air . After spending three hours in the water and near dead from hypothermia , he was rescued by HMS " Electra " . Briggs was one of only three men aboard to survive the tragedy ( 1 , 415 were confirmed lost ) . In both publications and recorded interviews , he refers to the sacrifice made by the squadron ' s navigating officer Commander John Warrand , who stood aside and allowed him to exit the compass platform first . Briggs also confirms that the squadron commanding officer , Vice - Admiral Lancelot Holland , was last seen still sitting in his admiral ' s chair and making no attempt to escape the sinking wreck . After the loss of " Hood " he was assigned to HMS " Mercury " and also participated in the inquiry into the loss of " Hood " . He was then transferred to HMS " Royal Arthur " and then to the requisitioned merchantman HMS " Hilary " . " Hilary " served as a Combined Operations Headquarters ship , at Salerno and had the same role during the D - Day landings . Later he served aboard HMS " Mercury " as a Fleetwork Instructor . Briggs was promoted first to Leading Signalman in March 1942 and then Yeoman of Signals in March 1943 . Briggs remained in the Royal Navy after the end of the war , became an officer , and served until 1973 in a variety of capacities ( see # Military service ) . Briggs retired on 2 February 1973 with the rank of lieutenant , settled in the south of England and worked in Fareham as a furnished lettings manager . In the year he retired , at the Queen ' s Birthday Honours he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire ( MBE ) . In 1975 Briggs joined the HMS " Hood " Association as one of its youngest members and was elected as its first President . In 1995 , Briggs again served as president of the organisation . Briggs regularly told his story as a guest - speaker , lecturer , and subject of historical television and radio documentaries . In July 2001 Briggs visited the wreck site and released a plaque which commemorates the lost crew of the " Hood " . He was co - author of a book on the subject " Flagship " Hood " : The Fate of Britain ' s Mightiest Warship " . Death . Ted Briggs died in the Queen Alexandra Hospital , Portsmouth , on 4 October 2008 at the age of 85 . References . Economist obituary http : / / www . economist . com / obituary / displaystory . cfm ? story _ id = 12456696