15” Replica Brass Tompion from HMS Hood
Honouring the Mighty HMS Hood.
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the sinking of HMS Hood and the 20th anniversary of her discovery on the seabed, a limited number of full-size, 15-inch replica ceremonial tompions has been commissioned. Tompions are the decorative covers placed over the end of gun barrels to prevent exposure to the elements, especially sea spray.
A limited edition of Hood tompions is now being created - just 51, to echo the battlecruiser’s pennant number. Cold-cast in brass and accurate in every detail, the replica tompions feature Hood’s crest, which is centred on the image of a rare British bird, the Cornish ‘Chough’, perched upon an anchor.
These reproductions have been made in consultation with the HMS Hood Association. A significant portion of the profits will go to the organisation to support its work of keeping alive the memory of one of Britain’s most famous warships and those who served in her.
The British warship HMS Hood was known as "The Mighty Hood" for a very good reason; she was the lead ship of a class of four giant battlecruisers planned for the Royal Navy during the First World War. In the end only Hood was built - and she was, and remained, the largest warship in the world throughout her life. She was 861 feet (262 metres) long and had a full load displacement of nearly 47,000 tons.
Hood was capable of reaching 32 knots and had a range of over 5,000 miles; but her most impressive attribute was her firepower and in particular, her eight formidable 15-inch guns mounted in four twin turrets.
In May 1941, Hood and the battleship HMS Prince of Wales were ordered to intercept the German battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, which were en route to the North Atlantic, where they planned to cause major damage to the convoys carrying vital supplies from the USA to Britain.
The four ships engaged in battle just before 0600 on the 24th of May 1941, in the Denmark Strait between Iceland and Greenland. Shortly thereafter Hood was struck by one shell from a salvo from Bismarck. She suffered a gigantic, cataclysmic explosion, breaking apart and sinking in less than 4 minutes, with the loss of all but three of her 1,418 ship’s company. Only Ted Briggs, Bob Tilburn and Bill Dundas survived, to be rescued later by the destroyer HMS Electra. Needless to say, the sudden and completely unexpected loss of the famous ‘Mighty Hood’ deeply affected the Royal Navy, the United Kingdom and her allies. Bismarck was later sunk by ships and aircraft from the Royal Navy.
In 2001, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Denmark Strait, British broadcaster Channel 4 commissioned marine scientist and oceanographer David Mearns to locate the wreck of Hood, which he did. Subsequently, an extended two-part documentary entitled ‘The Battle of Hood and Bismarck’ was produced from the expedition.
About the replica Tompion
The replica tompion are cold-cast in brass. Each one measures 455mm in diameter
The tompion can be seated on a display stand available separately
Our tompions are highly accurate replicas of the original, painstakingly researched in full co-operation with the HMS Hood Association
Each piece is hand made to order, hand finished by artisan craftsmen and inspected for quality before being numbered and recorded
Each tompion costs £850 - with a portion of every sale going to support the work of the HMS Hood Association
Enquire now for your chance to own a piece of Naval history and support the HMS Hood Association
Limited edition of 51 pieces
Each piece hand numbered
Includes unique certificate of authenticity