Bitlocker data drive opens as read only -

I have a virtualized Windows Server 2012R2 running on ESXi 6.0 There are 2 virtual disks in this system, an unencrypted C drive for the OS and a Bitlocker encrypted D drive for data sharing. Bitlocker unlock method is via a password. When the drive is set to auto unlock, the drive is available as expected. If I disable the auto unlock and need to type the password at startup, the drive is available in the clear but it is available as Read Only.

Windows sees this drive as a fixed disk but Bitlocker to Go is being implemented, I assume because of the virtual hard disks. Is this potentially my issue?

I have looked at some other posts that have resolved similar issues with diskpart and the group policy setting “Deny write access to fixed (and removable) drives not protected by BitLocker” Which seems counterintuitive but others appeared to have luck with.

What happens (or does not happen?) at startup when password is required that may be causing this issue?