The Royal Navy conducted two inquiries into the reasons for the ship's quick demise. The first, held very quickly after the ship's loss, concluded that Hood's aft magazine had exploded after one of Bismarck's shells penetrated the ship's armour. A second inquiry was held after complaints that the first board had failed to consider alternative explanations, such as an explosion of the ship's torpedoes. It was more thorough than the first board and concurred with the first board's conclusion.

Despite the official explanation, some historians continued to believe that the torpedoes caused the ship's loss, while others proposed an accidental explosion inside one of the ship's gun turrets that reached down into the magazine. Other historians have concentrated on the cause of the magazine explosion. The discovery of the ship's wreck in 2001 confirmed the conclusion of both boards, although the exact reason the magazines detonated will always be a mystery since that area of the ship was entirely destroyed in the explosion. [Source]

After showing him the grave on one of the Cemetery walks, Alan Smith informed me:

“My uncle John Corlett was born in Barrow on 3 April 1918. He attended Barrow Grammar School and then (in 1935?) joined the Royal Navy as an Engine Room Artificer Apprentice. His RN number was PMX 50371. At outbreak of war in 1939 he was serving on the old battleship HMS Iron Duke (by this time a Gunnery Training Ship). After this was damaged by enemy action in 1939 in Scapa Flow, Jack was sent on home leave and was then posted to HMS Hood. He was certainly on the Hood on 17 January 1940, as I have a copy of his examination for the rank of ERA 4th Class, which was signed on the Hood on that date. Apparently (my mother told me) my grandmother was delighted by his new posting, as "the Hood is unsinkable, he'll be safe now". Jack was again on leave in the spring of 1941, which is when the studio photo of him in his uniform was taken in Barrow. (The other photo was taken on Hood). He then returned to Hood never to return home. He died age 23. I had been told that Jack’s name was on a family grave stone somewhere, but until last night had no idea whose or where! When his last sister died in 2012, I had a memorial to her and her long lost brother placed in St Mary's Church on Walney. So now he has 2 memorials. The only contact from officialdom (after the telegram) was a letter appointing my grandfather as his son’s executor under the terms of Seaman's Wills, and a small box containing 3 medals posthumously in 1946.

The under story for me is that the moment Hood blew up, my future was settled. My grandmother heard the news that Hood had been lost with little hope of survivors on the 9.00 am BBC news on that Saturday morning. She was understandably devastated. My mother was then serving with the NAAFI at Halton Camp near Lancaster and was granted special leave to come home to comfort my grandmother. The Barrow blitz had just finished (although at the time they would not know this) and my dad's RA anti-aircraft crew (based in the Midlands) had just been posted to Barrow. During her 2 weeks compassionate leave my mother had the job of delivering mail to the anti-aircraft battery near Biggar Village. One day her bike got a puncture whilst at the camp and this proved the final straw for her. She burst into tears. Step forward one of the RA gunners. MY DAD!! 2 weeks later my mum was posted to Silloth Coastal Command, and my dad's company posted to Leeds. They kept in touch and when my dad’s company had news that they were to be posted to India he sent for my mother to get married. Which they did in Leeds in March 1942. They were then apart until November 1945, when my mum and dad set up home in Barrow. Then I arrived in 1947. From such an unpromising start, they achieved a Golden Wedding. My dad died in 1998 and my mother in 2004.”

Alan has since had the gravestone restored.