The harsh weather broke on the morning of 24 May, revealing a clear sky. At 05:07 that morning, hydrophone operators aboard "Prinz Eugen" detected a pair of unidentified vessels approaching the German formation at a range of , reporting "Noise of two fast-moving turbine ships at 280° relative bearing!". At 05:45, lookouts on the German ships spotted smoke on the horizon; these turned out to be from and , under the command of Vice Admiral Lancelot Holland. Lütjens ordered his ships' crews to battle stations. By 05:52, the range had fallen to and "Hood" opened fire, followed by "Prince of Wales" a minute later. "Hood" engaged "Prinz Eugen", which the British thought to be "Bismarck", while "Prince of Wales" fired on "Bismarck".