The short answer: that was the plan, but it never really happened. On her first and only mission in May 1941, Bismarck was sent into the North Atlantic as part of Operation Rheinübung. The goal was classic surface-raider strategy: break into the open ocean, avoid major British forces, and devastate slow, lightly protected Allied convoys.
But British reconnaissance spotted Bismarck early. Although she sank HMS Hood, she was damaged in the engagement and immediately hunted by overwhelming British forces. Battleships, cruisers, aircraft carriers, and torpedo planes closed in.
Before Bismarck could reach the convoy lanes let alone attack them she was crippled and sunk while attempting to reach occupied France.
The failure of Rheinübung had major consequences. It helped convince Hitler that large surface raiders were too vulnerable, accelerating the shift toward a U-boat-dominated naval strategy.
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