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As part of the centenary of the laying of the keel of HMS Hood and the 75th anniversary year of her sinking the locomotive 50031 Hood had its nameplates and crest rededicated in memory of the crew.

This ship was an Admiral Class battlecruiser, the only one built for the Royal Navy. It was commissioned in 1920 and was named after the 18th-century Admiral Samuel Hood. As one of the largest and most powerful warships in the world, HMS Hood was the pride of the Royal Navy and was known as ‘The Mighty Hood’.

In May 1941 she was ordered to intercept the German battleships Bismark and Prinz Eugen that were both en route to attack convoys. It is thought that a salvo from the Bismarck hit the ship causing a devastating magazine explosion that destroyed the aft part of the ship. This explosion broke the back of HMS Hood which sank in only three minutes. Of a total crew of 1,418 only three survived.

Because of the ship's perceived invincibility the loss had a profound effect on the population, it being Britain's worst ever naval disaster.

Date: 2016-09-17