Basingstoke Ladies Probus Club members met with a war historian for a recent monthly club meeting.
Hampshire councillor Rhydian Vaughan, who has spoken before at meetings provided an account of the sinking of the battleship Bismarck on May 27, 1941.
The ship, which was the largest in the German navy, was sunk in a battle which lasted just 16 minutes in what was said to be the Royal Navy's biggest disaster.
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The Bismarck also sank HMS Hood, with the loss of 1,415 lives with just three surviving after three hours in the water.
Cllr Vaughan went into detail about the moment the Bismarck’s rudders were jammed by a torpedo from the HMS Ark Royal, three days after the battleship destroyed the Hood.
It was then unable to manoeuvre and was finally sunk by two torpedoes from HMS Devonshire, leading to the loss of 2,090 people.
British warships began rescue efforts for a short time, saving 114 personnel until the searches stopped after reports of a U-boat being spotted.
Members were also informed at the meeting of a forthcoming visit to the theatre; several had attended the recent production by Basingstoke's own amateur theatre company, BATS, of Come From Away.
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