On the 14 February 1939, the German flagship and pride of the Kriegsmarine, Bismarck was launched. In the darkness of the early morning of the 19 May 1941, Bismarck slipped out of harbour on the Baltic coast and started making its way through the Baltic Sea on its maiden voyage, Operation Rheinubung. The German Navy High Command’s plan was to disrupt and attack Allied merchant shipping, to starve Britain of precious materials and food.