Almost three years ago superyacht OCTOPUS assisted in the first attempt of recovering a very significant piece of maritime history, and finally, last week she succeeded.

OCTOPUS recovered recently the bell from the British battle cruiser HMS Hood. Better yet, the 414-foot (126-meter) Octopus and her equipment were provided at no cost to the UK?s Ministry of Defence.

The HMS Hood was sunk back in 1941 in the North Atlantic while fighting the German warship Bismark. All except for three of her 1,418 crewmembers died, the largest loss of life in British naval history.

The video below shows how Octopus? crew launched the ROV from her stowage bay and how a mechanical arm on the ROV gently picked up the bell. It?s reportedly in good condition, though needs restorative work, given the years it?s spent in salt water. Once restoration is complete, the HMS Hood bell will be displayed by the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. It?s additionally suitable, since the HMS Hood was based in Portsmouth.