Scuttled following incapacitating battle damage, 27 May 1941 in the North Atlantic.

 Scuttled following incapacitating battle damage, 27 May 1941 in the North Atlantic.

The wreck of Bismarck was discovered on 8 June 1989 by Dr. Robert Ballard, the oceanographer responsible for finding RMS Titanic. Bismarck was found to be resting on its keel at a depth of approximately 15,719 ft  ,about 400 mi. west of Brest.

 Ballard points out that the hull is in relatively good condition; he states simply that "Bismarck did not implode.

This suggests that Bismarck's compartments were flooded when the ship sank, supporting the scuttling theory. 

Ballard added "we found a hull that appears whole and relatively undamaged by the descent and impact".

 They concluded that the direct cause of sinking was scuttling: sabotage of engine-room valves by her crew, as claimed by German survivors.

The whole stern had broken away; as it was not near the main wreckage and has not yet been found, it can be assumed this did not occur on impact with the sea floor. 

The missing section came away roughly where the torpedo had hit, raising questions of possible structural failure.

 The stern area had also received several hits, increasing the torpedo damage. This, coupled with the fact the ship sank "stern first" and had no structural support to hold it in place, suggests the stern detached at the surface. 

 Ballard later concluded that "As far as I was concerned, the British had sunk the ship regardless of who delivered the final blow.