Sinking Bismarck
In late May 1941, two of Wake-Walker's heavy cruisers – HMS Suffolk and his flagship HMS Norfolk - were positioned north west of Iceland to intercept and shadow the Bismarck if she attempted to break out into the Atlantic. Bismarck sortied from Bergen towards the Denmark Strait on 21 May in company with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen.
On 23 May 1941 at 19:22, Suffolk sighted Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. After a brief exchange of fire, the out-gunned British ships took cover in nearby fog and tracked the enemy by radar. They maintained contact with the two German ships through the night despite appalling weather, and guided Vice-Admiral Lancelot Holland's two capital ships HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales into position to intercept Bismarck. The two forces came together in the Battle of the Denmark Strait the next day.
Vice-Admiral Holland was killed when Hood was destroyed, and many of Prince of Wales's senior officers were killed or wounded, which left Wake-Walker in command of the surviving Norfolk, Suffolk and Prince of Wales. He decided not to risk continuing the battle but to shadow the German ships, believing that Admiral John Tovey, with powerful elements of the Home Fleet, was approaching. Wake-Walker stayed in the trail of Bismarck, but radar contact was lost early on 25 May. Wake-Walker sent Suffolk to search to the southwest, and thus she played no further role in the battle. Norfolk turned east, and was at the sinking of the Bismarck, the following day.
Later, moves were made to court-martial Wake-Walker and Captain John Leach of Prince of Wales. The view was taken that they were wrong not to have continued the battle with Bismarck after Hood had sunk. John Tovey, Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet, was appalled at this criticism. A row ensued between Tovey and his superior, Admiral Sir Dudley Pound. Tovey stated that the two officers had acted correctly, not endangering their ships needlessly and ensuring that the German ships were tracked. Tovey threatened to resign his position and appear at any court-martial as 'defendant's friend' and defence witness. No more was heard of the proposal. For his part in the destruction of Bismarck, Wake-Walker was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 1943 Wake-Walker was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.
