Kenneth Pattisson

Kenneth Pattisson (12 December 1916 – 13 July 2002) was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm pilot credited by some (most notably his own son) with fatally crippling the German battleship Bismarck on 26 May 1941 whilst flying a Fairey Swordfish biplane.[1][2] Pattisson was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his service during the war.

Kenneth Pattisson
Born(1916-12-12)12 December 1916
Died13 July 2002(2002-07-13) (aged 85)
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1938–1958
RankLieutenant Commander
Unit810 Naval Air Squadron
Battles/warsSecond World War
AwardsDistinguished Service Cross

At the time of the attack no official statement was made as to whose torpedo hit Bismarck. Following the recovery of Bismarck in 1998, many historians and the official Royal Navy press release credit John Moffat with that attack [3]

Early life

Pattisson grew up in Southsea, Hampshire, and then moved to the Isle of Wight. He attended Newport grammar school.[1]

Royal Navy career

Pattisson took a short-service commission in the Fleet Air Arm in the last months of peace prior to the Second World War.[1]

Second World War and the attack on Bismarck
Main article: Last battle of the battleship Bismarck

After Germany sank HMS Hood, a number of Royal Navy ships were tasked with the destruction of the German battleship Bismarck. Amongst these was the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal where Pattisson was stationed. On 26 May 1941, the RAF spotted Bismarck 70 miles (110 km) from Ark Royal. Pattisson's squadron was launched to intercept, but poor weather made identification difficult and the squadron targeted the British HMS Sheffield by mistake. Of the 14 planes in the attack, only three pilots, including Pattisson, recognized the silhouette as that of Sheffield and not Bismarck and held their fire. Later that evening, another sortie of 15 aircraft was launched and Bismarck was attacked. Two torpedoes struck home, one amidships on its port side resulting in slow flooding, and the second in the steering area.[4][5] Without the ability to hold a course, Bismarck was unable to reach port. After being attacked by other British ships, Bismarck was scuttled by her crew to avoid capture.

Korean War

In the Korean war, Pattisson led a Firefly squadron on the carrier HMS Theseus. On converting to jet aircraft, he held the equivalent post on HMS Illustrious.

Retirement and personal life

He retired from the Navy, as a lieutenant-commander in 1958, after more than 400 sorties at sea.

He was married in 1939 and had two sons and two daughters.

References
  1. Van der Vat, Dan (10 August 2002). "Kenneth Pattisson: Naval pilot whose torpedo was the beginning of the end for the German battleship Bismarck". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  2. "Obituary: Lt-Cdr Ken Pattisson". The Telegraph. 8 August 2002. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  3. "Naval Pilot Who Crippled the Bismarck Dies Aged 97". Royal Navy. 12 December 2016.
  4. 'The Hunt for the Hood' (2001), Channel 4, television documentary. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1318884/
  5. Garzke & Dulin, pp. 234–235.
  • Simon de Bruxelles article in the London Times dated 28 October 2017
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