There were three survivors of Hood's sinking: Midshipman William Dundas, Able Seaman Bob Tilburn, and Ordinary Signalman Ted Briggs. Of these, none were stationed in either the ship's crow's nest, nor in the spotting top on the mainmast. Briggs and Dundas had their action stations on the compass platform, from which the ship's captain commanded her in action. Tilburn, meanwhile, crewed a 4in AA gun on the ship's boat deck. All three were positions from which escape was easily accessible.

Hood's sinking was rapid, and it's still not entirely clear what caused it. The most likely scenario is that a 15in shell from Bismarck pierced her thinner upper belt, exploding inside the magazine for her 4in guns. This caused the charges stored there to explode, and in turn setting off the magazine for her after 15in turrets. Another shell (likely an 8in from Prinz Eugen) had also started a fire on her boat deck some time before. Once the explosion happened, Hood sank very rapidly, with the last part of her hull dipping underwater just under three minutes after the explosion. This rapid sinking accounts for why so few of her crew survived, and also for why those survivors were in more open positions.

A not insignificant portion of Hood's crew had been killed by shell hits received before the explosion. Tilburn recalled seeing her forward shelter deck hit by a shell - unfortunately, this happened shortly after men in exposed positions had been told to seek cover there. He estimated that this hit killed roughly 200 men. Briggs and Dundas reported a hit to Hood's spotting top, which likely killed the occupants. Others were cut down by shell splinters, including two other members of Tilburn's gun crew. Many more were killed in the explosion. Nobody from her engine rooms or after turrets could have survived the blast. Her rapid sinking would also make it difficult for anyone below decks forward to survive. Those outdoors or in semi-enclosed positions like the compass platform had the best chance of survival, as escape was easy. Tilburn simply floated off the ship as she sank (though was nearly pulled under as an aerial tangled his foot). Briggs was in the process of escaping the compass platform down the exposed ladder to the Admiral's bridge as the ship sank. He would again float off as the water reached him. Dundas had to break one of the windows of the compass platform and escape through there.