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| On 15 September 1940, the Bismarck departed Hamburg for the first time to conduct her sea trials in the Baltic Sea with her base in Gotenhafen. The Baltic was a very secure place to conduct sea trials and exercises, and it was utilized by practically every single unit in the Kriegsmarine during the war. | Several times during the Bismarcks early trials and testing the ship would pass through the Kiel canal, which was the gateway from the baltic sea to the North Atlantic. |