Wi:Victorious battle group

What if HMS Victorious along with HMS Hood,PoW,Norfolk,Suffolk and 8 destroyers find Bismarck and Prinz Eugan in the Denmark straight what happens next?
 
What if HMS Victorious along with HMS Hood,PoW,Norfolk,Suffolk and 8 destroyers find Bismarck and Prinz Eugan in the Denmark straight what happens next?
With the heavy cruiser support alone, it's going to most likely be a British Victory.
Norfolk and Suffolk are free to fire at PE while Hood and POW can fire away at Bismarck.
The destroyers were left behind OTL because they couldn't keep up, but if they are there, 8 destroyers will be a right Menace for the Germans, although some will probably stay off with Victorious
Then you've Victorious. She's fresh out of the shipyards, only has a quarter of her air group.
Nonetheless OTL the pressed the attack well and scored a hit, so with the battle already in the favour for GB, it's quite plausible she's effective.
Where she will be effective is the question.
I think it's most likely the British will go for what everyone thought CVs were for.
Slowing the Germans down so the Fleet can come in, engage what's hopefully a slowed target, which is therefore not only easier to hit, but easier to dictate the range too.
Following a carrier strike, successful or not, I see Hood and POW coming in, with N&S splitting off to divide German fire.
Destroyers close for torpedo runs.
Victorious stays back with (probably 2) destroyers.
She might try another strike, but you've got 6 heavy ships trading blows, shells are going to be flying as much as they did in Bismarck's last stand, when Arks Swordfish couldn't go in for another run due to the sheer amount of shells being fired.
Once any major hit on Bismarck's superstructure is in, it probably hit something to do with FC, or even the turrets themselves, which were notably delicate.
At which point Bismarck gets knocked out very quickly.
If Hood recognises Bismarck right off, she could get a hit in the second or third salvo, as OTL her first salvo on PE landed just off her starboard bow.
PoW, despite her flaws, was also pretty accurate OTL, before she had to sheer out of line, and half of her guns got jammed, and took several hits etc.
PE probably dies quickly. She's got N&S to deal with, not to mention Hood's and PoWs secondaries later on, and even the destroyers. If she gets hit in the initial carrier strike it's probably even worse for her.
Bismarck might run, if she manages a hit on Hood that slows her down she can run, as long as her speed isn't also compromised. At which stage Victorious might again come in handy.
But I don't see it really happening, especially with the cruisers and destroyers added to the mix. Bismarck probably gets torped during the battle
 
Didn't the destroyers get left behind OTL because conditions were too rough? That probably precludes Victorious from conducting any sort of flight operations.
 
Didn't the destroyers get left behind OTL because conditions were too rough? That probably precludes Victorious from conducting any sort of flight operations.

OTL the British Heavy Cruisers lost contact of the German ships during the night - Adm Hollands intention was to be in position come dawn to cross the Bismarck/Prinz Eugens 'T' maximising Hood/POWs chances as they would be firing 8x15" and 10....probably 9x14" guns verses initially Bismarck's 4 forward 15" guns.

But during the night Bismark and PE changed course slightly to the North before they were redetected so Hood and POW arrived on a converging course and actually at a disadvantage

The destroyers were detached as a screen before the German ships were rediscovered which is why they took no part in the actual battle

Now Victorious IIRC was working up/Delivering Spitfires to Gibraltar when the Bismarck sortie went down which was why she only had a small airgroup having sent the spits ashore

Perhaps have her being completed earlier and in commission with a larger dedicated airgroup that is capable of delivering a major strike OTL they had never even practiced a strike together and still managed to hit Bismarck with a single Torp.
 
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