Summary

Model of Royal Navy battle-cruiser (42,100 tons) HMS Hood. Following the Battle of Jutland in 1916, considerable extra armour was added to new capital ships under construction including Hood which was launched at the John Brown & Co. yard at Glasgow in August 1918. The vessel's four Brown-Curtis shaft geared turbines used Michell thrust bearings, the invention of Melbourne engineer A.G.M. Michell. Following completion in 1920, Hood was the largest warship of the Royal Navy for over a decade. She served as flagship of the Special Service Battlecruiser Squadron during the "Empire Cruise" in 1923-1924, which included visits to major Australia ports, with a stop-over at Port Melbourne from 17th - 25th March 1924.

During World War II Hood served with the Home Fleet and took part in the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck in May 1941. On 25 May 1941 Hood was hit by shells from Bismarck and her escort the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen and blew up leaving just three survivors of her 1418 crew. A number of Australians serving on Hood at this time were lost including RAN Ordinary Seaman Ian Startup of Williamstown in Melbourne, John Shannon, George Hall and David Hall.

This 1:240 scale model of HMS Hood was built by Mr S. Rea and was purchased by the Museum in 1943.

Physical Description

Model of a battlecruiser with a flat base, but not a waterline model. The hull has been painted grey and black.

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