"Bismarck" left the Kiel Fjord on the morning of 28 September 1940 heading east. After an uneventful voyage through rough seas, "Bismarck" reached Gotenhafen (now Gdynia) the next day. Here "Bismarck" conducted a number of sea trials in the relative safety of the Bay of Danzig (now Gdańsk Bay). By 30 November 1940, Lindemann had set a number of tests for the crew, which they passed easily. During high speed trials, "Bismarck" reached a top speed of , exceeding the design speed. However, one weakness quickly became apparent: without using the rudders but only the screw propellers, "Bismarck" was almost impossible to steer.