The "last salvo" of HMS Hood was likely a final, unintentional firing from its forward guns caused by the magazine explosion as the ship was sinking, rather than a deliberate act of defiance. Evidence from eyewitness accounts and inquiries suggests the explosion triggered a chain reaction that fired the 15-inch guns already loaded. While this has been interpreted as a final defiant act, the more plausible explanation is that the ship's destruction caused the guns to fire as it went down. Eyewitn