title: State of the Teutonic Order

text: During the Protestant Reformation, endemic religious upheavals and wars occurred across the region. In 1525, during the aftermath of the Polish-Teutonic War (1519–1521), Sigismund I the Old, King of Poland, and his nephew, the last Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach, a member of a cadet branch of the House of Hohenzollern, agreed that the latter would resign his position, adopt Lutheran faith and assume the title of Duke of Prussia. Thereafter referred to as "Ducal Prussia" (; ), remaining a Polish fief.


title: State of the Teutonic Order

text: Thus in a deal partially brokered by Martin Luther, Roman Catholic Teutonic Prussia was transformed into the Duchy of Prussia, the first Protestant state. Sigismund's consent was bound to Albert's submission to Poland, which became known as the Prussian Homage. On 10 December 1525 at their session in Königsberg the Prussian estates established the Lutheran Church in Ducal Prussia by deciding the Church Order.


title: State of the Teutonic Order

text: The Habsburg-led Holy Roman Empire continued to hold its claim to Prussia and furnished grand masters of the Teutonic Order, who were merely titular administrators of Prussia, but managed to retain many of the Teutonic holdings elsewhere outside of Prussia.


title: State of the Teutonic Order

text: Fortifications of the Ordensstaat have been examined through archaeological excavation since the end of World War II, especially those built or expanded during the fourteenth century. Fortifications are generally the best preserved material legacy of the Order's presence in the Baltic today, and timber and earth, as well as brick examples, are attested in the archaeological record. The earliest castles in the Ordensstaat consisted of simple buildings attached to a fortified enclosure and, whilst the quadrangular red-brick structure would come to typify convent buildings, single-wing castles would continue to be built alongside timber towers. Where they followed the conventional layout, castles included a connected set of communal spaces such as a dormitory, refectory, kitchen, chapter house, a chapel or church, an infirmary, and tower projecting over the moat.


title: State of the Teutonic Order

text: Construction began on Marienburg during the third quarter of the thirteenth century, and work continued on it until the middle of the fifteenth century. A settlement developed alongside the castle, which together enclosed 25 hectares. Granted town rights in 1286, its castle is larger than any other built by the Order. Since 1997 the outer bailey has been thoroughly excavated, dating to the mid-1350s. Preserved at Marienburg was a polychrome statue of Mary about eight meters in height, made of artificial stone and originally decorated with mosaic tiles. Mary was the most important patron of the knights and central to the liturgy of the Teutonic Order, so it is not surprising to find such striking representations of her at their most prominent castle.


title: State of the Teutonic Order

text: Coins were minted from the late 1250s. These were often simple in design, stamped with the cross of the Order on one side, but support the notion that crusading, colonisation, and a supporting infrastructure went hand in hand from the earliest years of the Prussian Crusade.


title: Gimbap

text: Gimbap (), also romanized as kimbap, is a Korean dish made from cooked rice and ingredients such as vegetables, fish, and meats that are rolled in "gim"—dried sheets of seaweed—and served in bite-sized slices. The origins of gimbap are debated. Some sources suggest it originates from Japanese norimaki, introduced during Japanese colonial rule, while others argue it is a modernized version of "bokssam" from the Joseon era. Regardless, it has since become a distinct dish. The dish is often part of a packed meal, or "dosirak", to be eaten at picnics and outdoor events, and can serve as a light lunch along with "danmuji" (yellow pickled radish) and kimchi. It is a popular take-out food in South Korea and abroad and is known as a convenient food because of its portability.


title: Gimbap

text: "Gim" () refers to edible seaweed in the genus "Porphyra" and "Pyropia". "Bap" () broadly refers to cooked rice. The compound term "gimbap" is a neologism; it was not a part of the Korean language until the modern era. A similar dish, cooked rice rolled with "gim", was called "bokssam" () in the Joseon era (1392–1897).


title: Gimbap

text: The term "gimbap" was used in a 1935 Korean newspaper article but at the time, the loanword "norimaki" was used as well. "Norimaki", borrowed from the name of a similar Japanese dish, was part of the Japanese vocabulary that entered into the Korean language during Japanese occupation (1910–1945). The two words were used interchangeably until "gimbap" was made the universal term, as part of efforts to clear away remnants of Japanese colonialism and purify the Korean language.


title: Gimbap

text: The origins of gimbap are debated. A Japanese theory suggests that the dish is derived from the introduction of the Japanese sushi variant makizushi to Korea during the Japanese occupation of Korea. During that period, Korean cuisine adopted Western food and drink, as well as some Japanese food items such as bento (dosirak in Korean) or sushi rolled in sheets of seaweed. Since then, gimbap has become a distinct dish, often utilizing traditional Korean flavors, as well as sesame oil, instead of rice vinegar. This theory is supported by a newspaper from 1935, in which the term "gimbap" first appeared in Korea.


title: Gimbap

text: An alternative theory, suggested in the "Encyclopedia of Korean Culture", published by the Academy of Korean Studies, is that the food was developed from the long-established local tradition of rolling "bap" (cooked rice) and "banchan" (side dishes) in "gim". Production of "gim" in Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces is reported in books from the fifteenth century, such as "Gyeongsang-do Jiriji" and "Sinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam". "Yeoryang Sesigi" (열양세시기), a Joseon book written in 1819 by Kim Mae-sun (김매순), refers to cooked rice and filling rolled with gim as "bokssam" (; transcribed using the hanja , pronounced "bakjeom" in Korean). One other theory suggests that gimbap was introduced to Japan during the Baekje period, where it eventually developed into norimaki.


title: Gimbap

text: Regardless, "gimbap" and "makizushi" now refer to distinct dishes in Japan and Korea: the former called "kimupapu" () in Japanese and the latter called "gimchobap" (; "gim sushi") or "norimaki" () in Korean. Gimbap is usually rolled with several ingredients and is seasoned with sesame oil, while "makizushi" is usually rolled with one ingredient (cucumber or raw tuna) and is seasoned with rice vinegar.


title: Gimbap

text: "Gim" and "bap" are the two basic components of gimbap. While short-grain white rice is most commonly used, short-grain brown rice, black rice, or other grains may also serve as the filling.


title: Gimbap

text: Some varieties of gimbap include cheese, spicy cooked squid, kimchi, luncheon meat, pork cutlet, pepper, or spicy tuna. The "gim" may be brushed with sesame oil or sprinkled with sesame seeds. In one variation, sliced pieces of gimbap may be lightly fried with an egg coating.


title: Gimbap

text: Fillings vary, often with vegetarian and vegan options. Popular ingredients include "danmuji" (yellow pickled radish), ham, beef, imitation crab meat, egg strips, kimchi, bulgogi, spinach, carrot, burdock root, cucumber, canned tuna, or "kkaennip" (perilla leaves).


title: Gimbap

text: To make the dish, "gim" sheets are toasted over low heat, cooked rice is lightly seasoned with salt and sesame oil, and vegetable and meat ingredients are seasoned and stir-fried or pan-fried. The toasted "gim" is then laid on a "gimbal"—a bamboo gimbap roller—with a thin layer of cooked rice placed evenly on top. Other ingredients are placed on the rice and rolled into a cylindrical shape, typically in diameter. The rolled gimbap is then sliced into bite-sized pieces.


title: Gimbap

text: Many South Korean fast food restaurant franchises specialize in gimbap and noodles. Among the chains are Gimbap Cheonguk (), Kobongmin Gimbabin (), Chungmu Gimbab Matjuk (), Teacher Kim (), Gimbap Nara (), Gimgane (), Gobong Gimbap (), Jongro Gimbap (), Rolling Rice, Gimbap King ( King), and Charles Sutbul Gimbap ().


title: Copa América Centenario

text: The Copa América Centenario (, , ; literally "Centennial America Cup") was an international men's association football tournament that was hosted by the United States in 2016. The competition was a celebration of the centenary of CONMEBOL and the Copa América, and was the first Copa América hosted outside South America.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: The tournament was a commemorative version of Copa América (not the 45th edition). It was held as part of an agreement between CONMEBOL (the South American football confederation) and CONCACAF (the football confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean) as a special edition between the usual three-year cycle, and featured an expanded field of sixteen teams (an increase from the usual twelve), with all ten teams from CONMEBOL and six teams from CONCACAF. Despite the tournament being an official iteration of the Copa América, the winner would not receive an invitation to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup due to the commemorative nature of the tournament, although eventual winners Chile had already qualified through their 2015 victory.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: Chile became the fourth nation to win at least two consecutive titles in CONMEBOL tournaments, after Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil. Argentina, meanwhile, lost their third consecutive final in a major tournament, following losses to Germany at the 2014 World Cup and Chile at the 2015 Copa América.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: In February 2012, Alfredo Hawit, then Acting President of CONCACAF, announced that the competition would be expected to take place in 2016, as a celebration of CONMEBOL's centenary.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: CONMEBOL President Nicolás Leoz said "Hopefully we can organize a big event, because we're 100 years old and we want to celebrate big."


title: Copa América Centenario

text: On 26 September 2014, FIFA announced that the tournament had been added to the FIFA International Match Calendar, meaning that clubs had to release players called up to the competition.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: The tournament was placed in doubt after several high-profile sports executive arrests were made including people involved with media rights holder Datisa (using the trading name of "Wematch"), a partnership between three media rights companies; Full Play, Torneos and Traffic Sports Marketing. In December 2014, Brazilian José Hawilla, the owner and founder of Traffic Sports pled guilty to "corruption charges including racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering". In an indictment, the FBI stated that officials were to receive bribes totalling US$20million for the 2016 event. Datisa held agreements for the commercial rights with CONMEBOL and CONCACAF and had their bank account frozen placing the tournament in jeopardy. On 21 October 2015 CONCACAF announced that they had terminated their agreement with Datisa.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: On 23 October 2015, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and the hosting association US Soccer Federation all confirmed that the tournament was going ahead as originally intended.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: A new trophy was supposed to be created for the tournament and was to be unveiled on 4 July 2015 at the 2015 Copa América final. No trophy was unveiled amidst the FIFA corruption scandal.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: However, CONMEBOL announced that, on 28 April 2016, a presentation for the trophy would take place in Bogotá, Colombia.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: On 28 April 2016, it was explained on the Copa América website that the "new" trophy was in fact commemorative, and would only be given to the winning country to keep, while the original silver trophy would continue to be awarded to each winner of the tournament (including the 2016 winner). The Centenario trophy retains the silhouette of the original trophy's Grecian urn, but is plated in matte gold. The front of the trophy is adorned with a raised (and in the case of some parts of the logo, engraved) image of the Copa América Centenario wordmark and logo. On each side are raised and polished images of a connected North and South America, commemorating the first Copa América held outside South America. Instead of the traditional wooden base holding the names of all past winners, the base of the Centenario commemorative trophy includes 16 zones, in which the names of all 16 nations are engraved. Other details include: The logos of both CONMEBOL and CONCACAF (the two confederations with representatives in the tournament), the years "1916–2016" (commemorating the 100 years of CONMEBOL and Copa América), and the phrases "La Copa del Siglo" ("The Cup of the Century") and "Uniting the Americas".


title: Copa América Centenario

text: Luis Chiriboga, the President of the Ecuadorian Football Federation stated the United States and Mexico were potential hosts of at least one stage of the competition.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: Hawit preferred the competition to be hosted in the United States for financial reasons, stating that "the market is in the United States, the stadiums are in the United States, the people are in the United States. The study that we have made [shows] that everything’s in the United States." In July 2012, CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb stated there was much organizing to be done.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: On 1 May 2014, it was announced that the tournament would be held in the United States from 3–26 June 2016.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: The decision to select the US as a host was the object of criticism by Uruguay Football Association president Wilmar Valdez on 7 June 2016, who complained that the US is "a country where they don't feel football", which "brings about problems." The complaint was voiced after Uruguay's defeat against Mexico, in favor of whom, he said, the event was biased. Just prior to the game itself, the Chilean anthem was mistakenly played instead of the Uruguayan anthem.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: On 8 January 2015, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL announced the 24 U.S. metropolitan areas which had indicated interest in hosting matches.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: The stadiums were chosen following a bidding process, with the minimum capacity to be 50,000. The final list of venues, anticipated to number between 8 and 13, was to be announced in May 2015. However, the list was not released and speculation regarding whether the tournament will be able to move forward arose because Interpol red notices were issued for the former presidents of the CONMEBOL and CONCACAF confederations in relation to the 2015 FIFA corruption case, including allegations that they accepted significant bribes in relation to the $112.5 million broadcasting deal for the event. However, officials from CONMEBOL expressed a desire to move forward with the event despite the scandal.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: On 19 November 2015, the ten venues selected for the tournament were announced by CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, and US Soccer Federation.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: At the official announcement of the tournament, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF confirmed that all ten CONMEBOL members would be joined by six CONCACAF teams in the tournament. United States and Mexico automatically qualified. The other four spots were given to Costa Rica, the champions of the Central American Football Union by virtue of winning the 2014 Copa Centroamericana, Jamaica, the champions of the Caribbean Football Union by virtue of winning the 2014 Caribbean Cup, and Haiti and Panama, the two play-off winners among the four highest finishers in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup not already qualified.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: The group seeds and match schedule were announced on 17 December 2015. The United States (Group A) were seeded as host, while Argentina (Group D) were seeded as the highest FIFA-ranked team in the CONMEBOL region during December 2015. According to Soccer United Marketing, Brazil (Group B) and Mexico (Group C) were seeded as they were "the most decorated nations in the last 100 years in international competitions from their respective confederations". However, there was criticism for not including Uruguay, which won two World Cups and was the Copa América all-time leader with 15 championships, or Chile, which were the defending Copa América champions going into the tournament.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: The draw took place on 21 February 2016 at 19:30 EST, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Teams were seeded using the FIFA Ranking from December 2015.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: Each country had a final squad of 23 players (three of whom had to be goalkeepers) which had to be submitted before the deadline of 20 May 2016.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: The opening ceremony of Copa América Centenario took place at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara 21:00 EDT () on 3 June 2016 ahead of the opening match and featured musical performances by Colombian singer J Balvin, American singer Jason Derulo and the Canadian band Magic!


title: Copa América Centenario

text: In the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and third place match of the knockout stage, a penalty shoot-out was used to decide the winner if tied after 90 minutes. In the final, extra time and a penalty shoot-out was used to decide the winner if necessary. Should the final enter extra time, a fourth substitute would be allowed as part of FIFA's approval of rule changes based on IFAB's new regulations, however neither teams in the final ended up taking advantage of this rule.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: Chile's Eduardo Vargas received the Golden Boot award for scoring six goals. In total, 91 goals were scored by 62 different players, with three of them credited as own goals.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: The Nike Ordem Ciento was announced as the official Copa América Centenario match ball on 21 February 2016. The mainly white ball has red brush stroke decoration. It shows the official Copa América Centenario logo.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: On 5 June, during the pre-match ceremony between Mexico and Uruguay, the national anthem of Chile was played for Uruguay. Many Uruguayan players seemed confused. The correct anthem was never played. Copa América organizers released the following statement via Twitter:This evening during the pre-match ceremony, due to human error, we inadvertently played the incorrect National Anthem [sic]. We sincerely apologize to the Uruguayan Federation, the Uruguay National Team, the people of Uruguay and to the fans for this mistake. We will work with all parties involved to ensure such an error this does not occur again.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: On 6 June, Colombian nationals heavily criticized Adidas for misspelling the country name in an advertisement, substituting "Columbia" for "Colombia". The company said in a statement: "We value our partnership with the Colombian Football Federation and apologize for our mistake. We removed the graphics and are quickly installing new versions."


title: Copa América Centenario

text: Also on 6 June, before the game between Panama and Bolivia, the video screens of the Citrus Bowl in Orlando displayed the flags of both countries, but Bolivia's was inverted.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: On 4 June, during the game between Ecuador and Brazil, the assistant referee called the ball out prior to a cross that led to the ball going into the net for Ecuador. Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson dropped the ball, and it went over the line into his own goal. The replays seemed to show the ball was not completely out of bounds before being crossed, but the goal did not stand. The match ended in a 0–0 draw.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: On 10 June, during the game between Chile and Bolivia, a penalty kick was awarded to Chile after Luis Alberto Gutiérrez was whistled for a handball. The assistant referee made the call, but it appeared that Gutiérrez had tucked his arm behind his back, and the ball hit off his shoulder. Arturo Vidal converted the ensuing penalty at the 90'+10' mark (eight minutes of stoppage time were added to the second half due to an injury to Ronald Eguino) to secure the three points for Chile.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: On 12 June, during the game between Peru and Brazil, Raúl Ruidíaz scored by guiding the ball into the net with his arm. After a lengthy discussion between the referee and his assistant, the goal was allowed to stand, and Brazil went on to lose 1–0, resulting in their elimination from the tournament. However, Raúl Ruidíaz claimed the ball hit his thigh rather than his hand and said the goal was 'thanks to God' rather than another hand of God.


title: Copa América Centenario

text: The tournament's organizers have been criticized for setting high ticket prices that have resulted in under-capacity crowds in Seattle and Chicago for United States matches. The average price for a sold ticket during the group stage was $144; some matches saw average prices as high as $236 and as low as $37.


title: Lamiaceae

text: or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, hyssop, thyme, lavender, and perilla, as well as other medicinal herbs such as catnip, salvia, bee balm, wild dagga, and oriental motherwort. Some species are shrubs, trees (such as teak), or, rarely, vines. Many members of the family are widely cultivated, not only for their aromatic qualities, but also their ease of cultivation, since they are readily propagated by stem cuttings. Besides those grown for their edible leaves, some are grown for decorative foliage. Others are grown for seed, such as "Salvia hispanica" (chia), or for their edible tubers, such as "Plectranthus edulis", "Plectranthus esculentus", "Plectranthus rotundifolius", and "Stachys affinis" (Chinese artichoke). Many are also grown ornamentally, notably coleus, "Plectranthus", and many "Salvia" species and hybrids.


title: Lamiaceae

text: The family has a cosmopolitan distribution. The enlarged Lamiaceae contain about 236 genera and have been stated to contain 6,900 to 7,200 species, but the World Checklist lists 7,534. The largest genera are "Salvia" (900), "Scutellaria" (360), "Stachys" (300), "Plectranthus" (300), "Hyptis" (280), "Teucrium" (250), "Vitex" (250), "Thymus" (220), and "Nepeta" (200). "Clerodendrum" was once a genus of over 400 species, but by 2010, it had been narrowed to about 150.


title: Lamiaceae

text: The family has traditionally been considered closely related to the Verbenaceae; in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in the Verbenaceae should be classified in the Lamiaceae or to other families in the order Lamiales.


title: Lamiaceae

text: The alternative family name Labiatae refers to the flowers typically having petals fused into an upper lip and a lower lip ("" in Latin). The flowers are bilaterally symmetrical with five united petals and five united sepals. They are usually bisexual and verticillastrate (a flower cluster that looks like a whorl of flowers, but actually consists of two crowded clusters). Although this is still considered an acceptable alternative name, most botanists now use the name Lamiaceae in referring to this family. The leaves emerge oppositely, each pair at right angles to the previous one (decussate) or whorled. The stems are frequently square in cross section, but this is not found in all members of the family, and is sometimes found in other plant families.


title: Lamiaceae

text: The last revision of the entire family was published in 2004. It described and provided keys to 236 genera. These are marked with an asterisk (*) in the list below. A few genera have been established or resurrected since 2004. These are marked with a plus sign (+). Other genera have been synonymised. These are marked with a minus sign (-). The remaining genera in the list are mostly of historical interest only and are from a source that includes such genera without explanation. Few of these are recognized in modern treatments of the family.


title: Lamiaceae

text: Kew Gardens provides a list of genera that includes additional information. A list at the Angiosperm Phylogeny Website is frequently updated.


title: Lamiaceae

text: The circumscription of several genera has changed since 2004. "Tsoongia", "Paravitex", and "Viticipremna" have been sunk into synonymy with "Vitex". "Huxleya" has been sunk into "Volkameria". "Kalaharia", "Volkameria", "Ovieda", and "Tetraclea" have been segregated from a formerly polyphyletic "Clerodendrum". "Rydingia" has been separated from "Leucas". The remaining "Leucas" is paraphyletic over four other genera.


title: Lamiaceae

text: In 2004, the Lamiaceae were divided into seven subfamilies, plus 10 genera not placed in any of the subfamilies. The unplaced genera are: "Tectona", "Callicarpa", "Hymenopyramis", "Petraeovitex", "Peronema", "Garrettia", "Cymaria", "Acrymia", "Holocheila", and "Ombrocharis". The subfamilies are the Symphorematoideae, Viticoideae, Ajugoideae, Prostantheroideae, Nepetoideae, Scutellarioideae, and Lamioideae. The subfamily Viticoideae is probably not monophyletic. The Prostantheroideae and Nepetoideae are divided into tribes. These are shown in the phylogenetic tree below.


title: Lamiaceae

text: Most of the genera of Lamiaceae have never been sampled for DNA for molecular phylogenetic studies. Most of those that have been are included in the following phylogenetic tree. The phylogeny depicted below is based on seven different sources.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The "Bismarck" class was a pair of fast battleships built for Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" shortly before the outbreak of World War II. The ships were the largest and most powerful warships built for the "Kriegsmarine"; displacing more than normally, they were armed with a battery of eight guns and were capable of a top speed of . was laid down in July 1936 and completed in September 1940, while her sister s keel was laid in October 1936 and work finished in February 1941. The ships were ordered in response to the French s. They were designed with the traditional role of engaging enemy battleships in home waters in mind, though the German naval command envisioned employing the ships as long-range commerce raiders against British shipping in the Atlantic Ocean. As such, their design represented strategic confusion that dominated German naval construction in the 1930s.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: Both ships had short service careers. "Bismarck" conducted only one operation, Operation Rheinübung, a sortie into the North Atlantic to raid supply convoys sent from North America to Great Britain. During the operation, she destroyed the British battlecruiser and damaged the new battleship in the Battle of the Denmark Strait. "Bismarck" was defeated and sunk in a final engagement after a three-day chase by the Royal Navy. Although some disagreement over the cause of the sinking persists, evidence reviewed by Robert Ballard and James Cameron indicates that her loss was due to a combination of battle damage and scuttling, with the Royal Navy battleships and inflicting fatal damage before "Bismarck"s crew scuttled the foundering ship.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: "Tirpitz"s career was less dramatic; she operated in the Baltic Sea briefly in 1941 before being sent to Norwegian waters in 1942, where she acted as a fleet in being, threatening the convoys from Britain to the Soviet Union. She was repeatedly attacked by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force between 1942 and 1944, but she was not seriously damaged in these attacks. In 1944, Lancaster bombers hit the ship with two Tallboy bombs, which caused extensive internal damage and capsized the battleship. "Tirpitz" was broken up for scrap between 1948 and 1957.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: A series of conceptual designs was begun by the "Reichsmarine" (Navy of the Realm) in 1932 to determine the ideal characteristics of a battleship built to the limit of the Washington Naval Treaty. These early studies determined that the ship should be armed with eight guns, have a top speed of , and have strong armor protection. At the time, the German Navy was constrained by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles that had ended World War I, which restricted battleships to a maximum displacement of . The sketch design for what became the "Bismarck" class was produced by the Construction Office in 1933 and the final design agreed 1936. Ministerial advisor Hermann Burckhardt was responsible for the project, and he later supervised the launching of "Tirpitz". During this period, the naval leadership grappled with a variety of problems, including the strategic and operational use of such a ship and the preferred propulsion system. War games suggested that the new battleships could be used both to attack French shipping at long range and to fight in a traditional battle against the French and Polish navies, then seen as the most likely threats. Due to the numerical inferiority of the German fleet and the assumption that naval battles would take place at relatively close range in the North Sea, the design staff placed great emphasis on stability and armor protection. Very thick vertical belt armor was adopted, along with heavy upper-citadel armor plating and extensive splinter protection in the bow and stern of the ships.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The "Reichsmarine" learned in June 1934 that Italy had decided to build a pair of 35,000-ton battleships armed with guns—the —which would surely provoke the construction of similar ships for the French fleet. The French response came in the form of two s ordered in 1935. To keep pace with their French rivals, the next two battleships built by Germany would need to be of a similar size and armament. At the same time, Germany was preparing to begin negotiations with Great Britain to secure a bilateral naval agreement that would effectively abrogate the naval restrictions of the Versailles treaty. In exchange, Germany would limit its fleet to a third the size of the Royal Navy. With the construction of at least two 35,000-ton battleships within reach, the German naval design staff began work in late October to lay out requirements for armament, armor, and speed. A preliminary design was completed in November, which resulted in a ship armed with eight 33 cm guns in four twin gun turrets, protected by an armored belt that was thick, and capable of a top speed of . The staff noted that such a ship would likely exceed the 35,000-ton limit, so triple or quadruple turrets should be considered to reduce the weight.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The design staff had decided that four twin turrets would provide the best solution to distribution of the main battery, as it would provide equal firepower forward and aft, as well as simplify fire control. This arrangement was similar to the last German battleships of the Imperial period, the . The similarity led to speculation that the "Bismarck"s were essentially copies of the earlier ships, though the arrangement of the main battery along with a three-shaft propulsion system were the only shared traits. As design work continued into January 1935, "Generaladmiral" (General Admiral) Erich Raeder, the commander of the "Reichsmarine", met with the various department and section leaders to refine the design requirements. The Naval Ordnance Department argued for an increase to 35 cm guns to keep parity with the expected Italian and French ships, which Raeder approved on 19 January. Another meeting in March saw the Ordnance Department raise the possibility of increasing the projected main battery again to , though Raeder initially rejected the idea owing to the significant increase in displacement. Nevertheless, though he formally approved the 35 cm version on 1 April, he allowed for the option to increase the main battery depending on foreign developments. Just a month later, Raeder decided to adopt the larger gun on 9 May, largely the result of Chancellor Adolf Hitler's preference for the 38 cm gun.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: In June 1935, Germany signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, which allowed Germany to build battleships at a ratio of 35 percent to the total tonnage of the Royal Navy; this granted Germany effective parity with France, at least in terms of allotted tonnage. It also made Germany party to the international treaty system begun at the Washington Conference. By this time, the only significant issue to be settled was the propulsion system, which was largely dependent on strategic questions. Many senior officers in the navy envisioned using the "Bismarck" class in the Atlantic Ocean, which would require a long cruising range. The naval constructors examined diesel engines, steam turbines, and turbo-electric drive engines; the last system was the preferred choice, as it had been extremely successful in the two American s and the French passenger ship . The design staff were also required to provide sufficient range to the new battleships; they would have to make long voyages from German ports to reach the Atlantic, and Germany had no overseas bases where the ships could refuel. Raeder ordered the turbo-electric engines for the new ships, but the contracting manufacturer, Siemens-Schuckert, could not meet the navy's requirements and removed itself from the project less than a month before construction on "Bismarck" began, forcing the navy to revert to high-pressure steam turbines.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The displacement of "Bismarck" and "Tirpitz" was ultimately limited by the capabilities of existing infrastructure in Kiel and Wilhelmshaven, and the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal, rather than international agreements. On 11 February 1937, the Construction Office informed Raeder that the ships could not displace more than due to harbor constraints and canal depths. The office also expressed a preference for building a third vessel and remaining within the 35,000-ton treaty limit. Admiral Werner Fuchs, the head of the General Command Office of the Oberkommando der Marine, advised Raeder and Hitler that modifications would be necessary to reduce the displacement to ensure the new ships met the legal requirements of the London Naval Treaty. Japan refused to sign the new treaty, and so on 1 April 1937 an escalator clause permitting treaty signatories to build ships up to a limit of went into effect. The final design displacement of was well within this limit, so Fuchs's modifications were discarded.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: Even though Raeder and other senior naval officers envisioned using "Bismarck" and "Tirpitz" as commerce raiders against first French and later British shipping in the Atlantic, and in fact used them in that role during World War II, the ships were not designed for that mission. Their steam turbines did not afford the necessary cruising radius for such a role, and many of the decisions made for the ships' armament and armor layout reflect the expectation to fight a traditional naval battle at relatively close range in the North Sea. The disconnect between how "Bismarck" and "Tirpitz" were designed and how they were ultimately used represents the strategic incoherence that dominated German naval construction in the 1930s.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The "Bismarck"-class battleships were long overall and long at the waterline. The ships had a beam of , and a designed draft of ; the draft at standard displacement was , and at a full load. The ships had a designed displacement of ; "Bismarck"s standard displacement was , and when fully laden, the ship displaced . "Tirpitz" was heavier, displacing and , respectively. The ships had a double bottom for 83 percent of the length of the hull, and twenty-two watertight compartments. The ships were 90 percent welded construction. The stern was weakly constructed; this had significant consequences on "Bismarck"s only combat mission. The building cost of "Bismarck" was 196 million Reichsmarks, while "Tirpitz" was slightly cheaper at 191.6 million Reichsmarks. Both ships had seven searchlights.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The ships were very stable, primarily because of their wide beam. The ships suffered from only slight pitching and rolling, even in the heavy seas of the North Atlantic. "Bismarck" and "Tirpitz" were responsive to commands from the helm; they were capable of maneuvering with rudder deflections as small as 5°. With the rudder completely over, the ships heeled only 3°, but lost up to 65% of their speed. The ships handled poorly at low speeds or when traveling astern. As a result, tugs were necessary in confined areas to avoid collisions or grounding. The ships had a standard crew of 103 officers and 1,962 enlisted sailors, although the crew of "Tirpitz" expanded to 108 officers and 2,500 men by 1943. The ships carried smaller boats, including three picket boats, four barges, one launch, two pinnaces, two cutters, two yawls, and two dinghies.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: Although both ships were from the same class, there were substantial differences between "Bismarck" and "Tirpitz". The funnel cap on "Bismarck" was silver-grey, however the cap on "Tirpitz" was always black. The two cranes on "Bismarck" were sited further outboard and further aft, and "Tirpitz" mounted her two cranes on the superstructure deck. The flak guns (starboard II and port II) were mounted further inboard on "Bismarck". When "Bismarck" was launched she had a straight stem, and "Tirpitz" had the Atlantic bow. Both ships had a degaussing coil fitted prior to commissioning. "Bismarck" had a single aircraft hangar on each side of the funnel and a double hangar at the base of the mainmast. "Tirpitz" had two double hangars on each side of the mainmast base. Four minesweeping paravanes were carried, two on either side of the aft superstructure deck. These were used in conjunction with the bow protection gear.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The "Bismarck"-class ships both had three sets of geared turbine engines; "Bismarck" was equipped with Blohm & Voss turbines, while "Tirpitz" used Brown, Boveri, and Co. engines. Each set of turbines drove a 3-bladed screw that was in diameter. The three-shaft arrangement was chosen over a four-shaft system, as was typically used on foreign capital ships, since it would save weight. At a full load, the high and medium-pressure turbines ran at 2,825 rpm, while the low-pressure turbines ran at 2,390 rpm. The ships' turbines were powered by twelve Wagner ultra high-pressure, oil-burning water-tube boilers. "Bismarck" and "Tirpitz" were originally intended to use electric-transmission turbines that would have produced apiece. These engines would have provided for a higher top speed, but at the cost of greater weight. The geared turbines were significantly lighter, and as a result had a slight performance advantage. The geared turbines also had a significantly more robust construction, and so they were adopted instead.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: Both ships were rated for a top speed of ; "Bismarck" just exceeded this speed on sea trials, reaching , while "Tirpitz" made on trials. This difference was largely the result of a significant increase in horsepower for "Tirpitz", which reached , compared to for "Bismarck". The two ships had different fuel stores; "Bismarck" was designed to carry 3,200 tons of fuel oil, but could store up to 6,400 tons of fuel in a normal configuration; with extra fuel bunkers, the fuel carried could be increased up to 7,400 tons. "Tirpitz" was designed to carry 3,000 tons of fuel, and with additional bunkers, was able to store up to 7,780 tons. At 19 knots, "Bismarck" could steam for , and "Tirpitz" had a maximum range of at that speed.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: Robert Ballard, the discoverer of "Bismarck", noted that the adoption of the three-shaft arrangement caused serious problems for "Bismarck". The center shaft weakened the keel, especially where it emerged from the hull. In addition to retaining greater hull strength, a four-shaft arrangement would have allowed a greater ability to steer the ship using only propeller revolutions than the three-screw system according to Ballard. During "Bismarck"s Atlantic operation in May 1941, the ship's rudder was disabled by a torpedo hit, and her course could not be corrected by altering screw revolutions; this problem had already been revealed during sea trials, but it could not be corrected.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: Electric power was provided by a variety of generators, including two electric plants of four 500 kW diesel generators, two electric plants each with five 690 kW turbo-generators, one at 460 kW generator connected to a 400 kVA AC generator and one 550 kVA AC diesel generator. The generators were manufactured by Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. The electrical plant provided a total 7,910 kW at 220 volts.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: "Bismarck"s and "Tirpitz"s main battery consisted of eight SK C/34 guns in four twin turrets, "Anton" and "Bruno" in a superfiring pair forward of the superstructure and "Caesar" and "Dora" aft. The turrets allowed elevation to 30°, which gave the guns a maximum range of . The guns fired projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 820 meters per second (2,690 ft/s). The main battery was supplied with between 940–960 shells total, for approximately 115–120 shells per gun. As with other German large-caliber naval rifles, these guns were designed by Krupp and featured sliding wedge breech blocks, which required brass cartridge cases for the propellant charges. Under optimal conditions, the rate of fire was one shot every 18 seconds, or three per minute. The gun turrets were electrically trained and the guns were hydraulically elevated. Gun elevation was controlled remotely. The turrets required each gun to return to 2.5° elevation for loading. "Tirpitz" was eventually provided with time-fuzed shells to combat the repeated Allied bombing attacks.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The "Bismarck"s' use of four twin turrets (the 4 × 2 configuration) was a design practice that hearkened back to the First World War. Almost all other post-1921 capital ships had triple or even quadruple turrets, which allowed for additional heavy caliber guns, while reducing the number of turrets. Fewer turrets reduced the length of the battleship's armored citadel (particularly magazine length and the armor needed to protect it) and shortened the vessel itself. Although triple turrets were considered for the "Bismarck"s, there were concerns that the extra barrel would lower the overall rate of fire in each turret, along with fears that a single well-aimed hit could disable a larger proportion of the ship's firepower. It was also felt that four twin turrets allowed for a better field of fire and a more effective sequence of salvos.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The ships' secondary battery consisted of twelve SK C/28 guns mounted in six twin turrets. The 15 cm gun turrets were based on the single-gun turrets used aboard the . They could elevate to 40° and depress to −10°; they had a rate of fire of around six shots per minute. The 15 cm guns fired a shell at a muzzle velocity of 875 m/s (2,871 ft/s). At maximum elevation, the guns could hit targets out to . As with the main battery guns, "Tirpitz"s 15 cm guns were later supplied with time-fused shells.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The decision to mount low-angle 15 cm guns has been criticized by naval historians, including Antony Preston, who stated that they "imposed a severe weight penalty", while American and British battleships were being armed with dual-purpose guns. Naval historians William Garzke and Robert Dulin note that "the use of dual-purpose armament would have possibly increased the number of anti-aircraft guns, but might have weakened the defence against destroyer attack, which German naval experts deemed more important."


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: As built, "Bismarck" and "Tirpitz" were equipped with an anti-aircraft battery of sixteen C/33 65-caliber guns in eight twin mounts, sixteen C/30 guns in eight dual mounts, and twelve C/30 guns in individual mounts. The 10.5 cm guns were the same weapons as used aboard the "Scharnhorst" class, and were mounted on the first superstructure deck. After "Bismarck" was sunk in 1941, two amidships guns on "Tirpitz" were moved forward so as to provide them with better fields of fire. The sixteen guns were guided by four fire-control directors, two just aft of the conning tower, a third positioned aft of the main mast, and the fourth directly behind turret Caesar. "Tirpitz"s directors were covered by protective domes, though "Bismarck"s were not.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The ships' 3.7 cm 83-caliber guns were twin mounted and placed in the superstructure. The mounts were hand-operated and automatically stabilized for roll and pitch. These guns were supplied with a total of 32,000 rounds of ammunition. "Bismarck" and "Tirpitz" were initially armed with twelve 2 cm guns in single mounts, though these were augmented over time. Both ships initially carried twenty-four thousand 2 cm rounds. "Bismarck" received a pair of quadruple gun mountings, for a total of twenty 2 cm guns. Over the course of her career, "Tirpitz"s 2 cm battery was increased to 78 guns in single and quadruple mountings. By 1944 she carried over ninety thousand 2 cm rounds.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: "Bismarck" had none, while "Tirpitz" was fitted with two banks of quadruple torpedo tube mounts between the end of 1941 and early 1942. "Tirpitz" carried 24 torpedoes.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The armor plate was mainly Krupp cemented steel. This had two classifications, Ww for Wotan (soft) and Wh for Wotan hard. The "Bismarck"-class ships had an armored belt that ranged in thickness from ; the thickest section of armor covered the central portion, where the gun turrets, ammunition magazines, and machinery spaces were located. This portion of the belt was capped on either end by 220 mm thick transverse bulkheads. The ships had an upper deck that was thick, and an armored deck that was between thick amidships, and tapered down to at the bow and at the stern. The deck was mounted low in the hull, however, which reduced the volume of internal space protected by the armored citadel. This contrasted with contemporary British and American designs that featured a single thick armored deck mounted high in the ship.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The forward conning tower had a thick roof and thick sides, while the range finder had an armored roof 100 mm (4 in) thick and 200 mm (8 in) thick sides. The aft conning tower had much lighter armor: the roof was 50 mm thick and the sides were , while the aft range finder had a 50 mm thick roof and 100 mm sides. The main battery turrets were reasonably well-protected: the turret forward roofs were 180 mm (7.1 in) and roof rears were thick, the sides were 220 mm thick, and the faces were thick with thick shields. These armor thicknesses were less than those of contemporary British () and French ("Richelieu") designs. Conversely, the secondary battery was better-protected than most rivals. The 15 cm gun turrets had thick roofs, sides, and 100 mm fronts. The 10.5 cm guns had shields. The roof armour was 40mm (1.6 in).


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: Regarding underwater protection, the armor was resistant to a 250kg TNT explosive charge. Armour depth was 5.5 meters (216.5 in), with the longitudinal bulkhead thickness being 53mm (2.1 in). Overall bottom protection had a depth of 1.7 meters (66.9 in). The citadel could resist a hit from a 38cm shell of a weight of 1,016kg fired from ranges between 10,793 meters and 21,031 meters for the machinery, and from 23,319 meters for the magazine.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: "Bismarck" was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard on 1 July 1936. The ship was assigned construction number 509, and the contract name "Ersatz Hannover", since she had been ordered as a replacement for the old battleship . The ship was launched on 14 February 1939 with Adolf Hitler in attendance. The granddaughter of the ship's namesake, Otto von Bismarck, christened the ship. As with other German capital ships, "Bismarck" was originally built with a straight bow. Experiences with other ships revealed the necessity of a clipper bow to prevent them from shipping too much water in heavy seas, so Blohm & Voss accordingly modified "Bismarck"s bow during the fitting-out process. The ship was commissioned into the fleet on 24 August 1940, with Kapitän zur See Ernst Lindemann in command. Three weeks later, the ship left Hamburg for trials in the Baltic Sea, before returning in December for final fitting-out work. Further trials and tests were conducted in the Baltic in March and April; "Bismarck" was placed on active status the following month.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: "Tirpitz"s keel was laid at the "Kriegsmarinewerft" (Kriegsmarine Shipyard) in Wilhelmshaven on 20 October 1936, under construction number 128. She had been ordered under the contract name "Ersatz Schleswig-Holstein" to replace the obsolete battleship . "Tirpitz" was named for Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the High Seas Fleet before World War I. His daughter, Ilse von Hassel, christened the ship on 1 April 1939. Fitting out work lasted until February 1941; "Tirpitz" was commissioned into the fleet on 25 February. A series of trials were then conducted, first in the North Sea and then in the Baltic.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: After "Bismarck" joined the fleet, plans were drawn up for a sortie into the North Atlantic, which was codenamed Operation Rheinübung (Rhine Exercise). The operation initially called for a force composed of "Bismarck", "Tirpitz", and the two "Scharnhorst"-class battleships. "Tirpitz" was not yet ready for service by May 1941, and was being overhauled. The force was reduced to "Bismarck", , and the heavy cruiser . "Gneisenau" was damaged by a British bombing raid on Brest, so it was decided that only "Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" would conduct the operation. Admiral Günther Lütjens was placed in command of the pair of ships.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: Early on the morning of 19 May, "Bismarck" left Gotenhafen, bound for the North Atlantic. While on the trip through the Danish Belt, "Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" encountered the Swedish cruiser in Kattegat; the sighting was passed through the Swedish Navy to the British naval attaché in Stockholm. The British Royal Air Force conducted aerial reconnaissance of the Norwegian fjord in which "Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" had stopped, to confirm the sighting. While in Norway, Lütjens failed to replenish the approximately of fuel "Bismarck" had spent on the first leg of the voyage.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: By 23 May, "Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" had reached the Denmark Strait. That evening, the British cruisers and briefly engaged "Bismarck" before dropping back to shadow the German ships. At 06:00 the following morning, observers aboard "Bismarck" spotted the masts of the battlecruiser and the new battleship . The British ships steamed directly towards "Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen", before attempting a turn to bring the two forces on a roughly parallel course. During the turn, at least one of "Bismarck"s 38 cm shells penetrated one of the aft ammunition magazines aboard "Hood", which caused a catastrophic explosion and destroyed the ship. There were only three survivors from "Hood"s crew of 1,421. The German ships then concentrated their fire on "Prince of Wales", which was forced to withdraw. "Bismarck" did not emerge unscathed; a direct hit on her bow from "Prince of Wales" caused "Bismarck" to take in some of water. The ship was also leaking oil, which made it easier for the British to track her.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: After retreating, "Prince of Wales" joined "Norfolk" and "Suffolk"; the ships briefly engaged "Bismarck" at around 18:00. Neither side scored a hit. By this time, 19 warships were involved in the chase. This included six battleships and battlecruisers and two aircraft carriers, along with a number of cruisers and destroyers. After the second engagement with "Prince of Wales", Lütjens detached "Prinz Eugen" to continue the operation while "Bismarck" sailed for port. Shortly before midnight on 24 May, a group of Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers from 825 Naval Air Squadron on attacked "Bismarck". One torpedo struck the ship amidships, though without doing any serious damage. The shock from the explosion, coupled with "Bismarck"s maneuvering at high speed, damaged the temporary repairs that had stopped the flooding from the earlier battle damage. Her speed was reduced to to slow the flooding while repair teams fixed the reopened wounds.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: Early on 25 May, "Bismarck" doubled back past her pursuers in a wide circle. The maneuver successfully shook off the British ships, which turned west in an attempt to find the ship. Despite the maneuver, Lütjens was unaware that he had evaded the British, and so sent a series of radio transmissions, which were intercepted by the British and used to gain a rough fix on his position. Due to the damage his ship had sustained, Lütjens decided to head for occupied France rather than continue his mission. On the morning of 26 May, a Coastal Command PBY Catalina flying boat spotted "Bismarck" to the north-west of Brest; she was steaming at a speed that would put her under the protective umbrella of German aircraft and U-boats within 24 hours. The only British forces close enough to slow her down were the aircraft carrier and her escort, the battlecruiser . At approximately 20:30, a flight of fifteen "Ark Royal"s 820 Naval Air Squadrons Swordfish torpedo bombers launched an attack on "Bismarck". Three torpedoes were believed to have struck the ship; the first two torpedoes failed to do serious damage to the ship, but the third hit jammed "Bismarck"s rudders hard to starboard. The damage could not be repaired, and the battleship began turning in a large circle, back towards her pursuers.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: An hour after the Swordfish attack, Lütjens transmitted the following signal to Naval Group Command West: "Ship unable to maneuver. We will fight to the last shell. Long live the Führer." At 08:47 the following morning, the battleship opened fire, followed directly by . "Bismarck" replied three minutes later, though at 09:02 a 16-inch shell from "Rodney" destroyed the forward turrets. Half an hour later, "Bismarck"s rear turrets were silenced as well. At around 10:15, both British battleships had ceased fire, their target a burning wreck. The British were running dangerously low on fuel, but "Bismarck", although aflame and foundering, had not yet sunk. The cruiser fired several torpedoes into the crippled ship, which then took on a severe list to port. At approximately the same time as "Dorsetshire"s attack, engine room crew detonated scuttling charges in the engine rooms. There is still significant debate as to the direct cause of "Bismarck"s sinking. Only 110 men were rescued by the British before reports of U-boats forced them from the scene. A further five men were rescued by German vessels.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: "Tirpitz"s first action following her commissioning into the Kriegsmarine on 25 February 1941 was to act as a deterrent to a possible Soviet attempt to break out their Baltic Fleet following the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The ship was joined by the heavy cruiser and the light cruisers , , and . The force patrolled off Åland for a few days before returning to Kiel. On 14 January 1942, "Tirpitz" left German waters for Norway, escorted by the destroyers , , and Z29, arriving at Trondheim on the 17th. The Germans used the ship as a fleet in being to tie down British naval forces to protect the convoy route to the Soviet Union and to deter an invasion of Norway.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: On 6 March, "Tirpitz", escorted by the destroyers , , "Z5 Paul Jacobi" and , launched a raid on the British convoys to the Soviet Union. The Germans attempted to intercept convoys PQ-12 and QP-8, but the inclement weather prevented them from finding the convoys. A Soviet freighter that was sailing independently of the convoys was sunk by the destroyers. The British submarines and reported "Tirpitz". A Home Fleet squadron consisting of the battleships "King George V" and "Duke of York", the aircraft carrier "Victorious", the heavy cruiser "Berwick" and destroyers failed to find the Germans. "Victorious" launched a strike of twelve Fairey Albacore torpedo bombers, however the aircraft were repulsed without having scored any hits on the German ships. "Tirpitz" and the destroyers were back in port by 12 March. The close call prompted Hitler to mandate that "Tirpitz" was not to attack another convoy unless its escorting aircraft carrier had been sunk or disabled.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The RAF launched a series of unsuccessful bombing raids against "Tirpitz" while she was moored in the Faettenfjord. The first on 30/31 January by seven Short Stirling of No 15 Squadron and nine Handley Page Halifax bombers of No 76 Squadron. Next came a raid by 36 Halifax bombers, took place on 30/31 March. On 27/28 April, "Tirpitz" was attacked by 26 Halifax bombers of No 4 Group and 10 Avro Lancasters of No 5 Group. This was followed on 28/29 April by 23 Halifaxes of No 76 Squadron and 11 Lancasters. A combination of heavy German anti-aircraft fire and poor weather caused all three missions to fail. Over the rest of the year and into late 1942, "Tirpitz" underwent a refit in the Faettenfjord, which lacked dockyard facilities of any type. As a result, the work was done incrementally; a large caisson was built to allow the rudders to be replaced. Naval historians William Garzke and Robert Dulin stated that "the repairs to this ship were one of the most difficult naval engineering feats of World War II."


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: In January 1943, "Tirpitz" emerged from the lengthy overhaul, after which she was transferred to Altafjord. Here, she participated in extensive training operations with "Scharnhorst" and the heavy cruiser , which lasted until the middle of the year. On 6 September, "Tirpitz", "Scharnhorst", and the destroyers , "Z29", , , , , , and bombarded the island of Spitzbergen, which served as a British refueling station. The two battleships destroyed their targets and returned safely to Altenfjord; this was the first time "Tirpitz" fired her main guns in anger. On 22/23 September, six British midget submarines attacked "Tirpitz" while at anchor. Only two of the submarines, X6 and X7 successfully planted explosive charges against the battleship's hull. The first charge exploded at 0812, the second shortly afterwards. Very extensive damage was sustained; nearly all electric lighting failed, partial flooding of electric switchboard room 2, flooding of the double bottom and fuel bunkers on the port side. Structural damage in the engine plant of the housing and components of the port turbine and condenser; the tail shafts were out of alignment, the thrust bearing was damaged, the propellers were immobilized, and the port rudder assembly was flooded. The main gun turrets had been jolted off their roller tracks, only one rangefinder was still active, one 15cm turret was jammed, three of four fire control centers were damaged, the aircraft catapult was inoperable and two Arado 196 floatplanes were seriously damaged. Casualties were light however, one dead and 40 wounded. "Tirpitz" had been successfully neutralized. Over the next six months, a workforce of some 1,000 men effected the needed repairs, which were finished by March 1944.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The British resumed the series of air attacks almost immediately after repairs were completed. On 3 April, the Royal Navy launched Operation Tungsten, during which 40 fighters and 40 Barracuda bombers from six carriers attacked the ship. They scored 15 direct hits and two near misses, which caused heavy damage, killed 122 men, and wounded 316 more. The Royal Navy attempted to repeat the attack three weeks later on the 24th, but had to call the operation off due to inclement weather. Operation Brawn, another carrier-launched attack, followed on 15 May, but again weather interfered. Another carrier strike was attempted on 28 May, but it too was cancelled due to poor weather conditions. Operation Mascot, which was to be conducted by the carriers "Victorious", "Furious", and on 17 July, was frustrated by the heavy smokescreen over the battleship.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The Royal Navy launched the Operation Goodwood series in late August. Goodwood I took place on 22 August, with 38 bombers and 43 fighters from five carriers. The attackers failed to score any hits. Goodwood III followed two days later, with 48 bombers and 29 fighters from , "Furious", and "Indefatigable". The bombers made two hits on the ship, which did only minor damage. The last Royal Navy operation, Goodwood IV, followed on 29 August. Thirty-four bombers and 25 fighters, launched from "Formidable" and "Indefatigable", attacked the ship, though fog prevented them from scoring any hits.


title: Bismarck-class battleship

text: The task of sinking "Tirpitz" now fell to the RAF, which performed three airstrikes armed with new Tallboy bombs. The first attack, Operation Paravane, came on 15 September, when a force of 27 Lancasters dropped a single Tallboy each; the bombers succeeded in hitting "Tirpitz" directly in the bow with one of the bombs. The bomb completely penetrated the ship and exploded directly under her keel. This caused of water to flood the ship; "Tirpitz" had again been disabled. A month later, on 15 October, "Tirpitz" was moved to Håkøya Island off Tromsø to be used as a floating artillery battery. Two weeks later, on 29 October, the British launched Operation Obviate, which consisted of 32 Lancaster bombers. Only a near miss was achieved, though it caused "Tirpitz" to take in more water. The last attack, Operation Catechism, took place on 12 November. Thirty-two Lancasters attacked the ship and scored a pair of direct hits and a near miss. The bombs detonated one of "Tirpitz"s ammunition magazines and caused the ship to capsize. Casualties were high: 1,204 men were killed in the attack. Another 806 men managed to escape the sinking ship, and a further 82 were rescued from the capsized hulk. The wreck was gradually broken up for scrap between 1948 and 1957.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The Olympiastadion (; ) is a sports stadium at Olympiapark Berlin in Berlin, Germany. It was originally built by Werner March for the 1936 Summer Olympics. During the Olympics, the record attendance was thought to be over 100,000. Today the stadium is part of the Olympiapark Berlin.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: Since renovations in 2004, the Olympiastadion has a permanent capacity of 74,475 seats and is the largest stadium in Germany for international football matches. The Olympiastadion is a UEFA category four stadium.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: Besides its use as an athletics stadium, the arena has built a footballing tradition. Since 1963, it has been the home of the Hertha BSC. It hosted three matches in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. It was renovated for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, when it hosted six matches, including the final. The DFB-Pokal final match is held each year at the venue. The Olympiastadion Berlin served as a host for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup as well as the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: During the 1912 Summer Olympics, the city of Berlin was designated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the 1916 Summer Olympics. Germany's proposed stadium for this event was to be located in Charlottenburg, in the Grunewald Forest, to the west of Berlin—thus the stadium was also known as "Grunewaldstadion". A horse racing-course already existed there which belonged to the Berliner Rennverein, and even today the old ticket booths survive on Jesse-Owens-Allee. The government of Germany decided not to build in the nearby Grunewald forest, or to renovate buildings that already existed. Because of this desire, they hired the same architect who originally had built the "Rennverein", Otto March.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: March decided to bury the stadium in the ground ("Erdstadion", in German). However, the 1916 Olympic Games were cancelled due to World War I. In the 1920s the first buildings of a school, the "Deutsches Sportforum" (German Sport Forum), dedicated to the teaching of professors of physical education and the study of sport science were built northeast of the stadium site. From 1926 to 1929, Otto March's sons (Werner and Walter) were assigned to build an annex for these institutions, though the finalization was delayed until 1936.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: In 1931, the International Olympic Committee selected Berlin to host the 11th Summer Olympics. Originally, the German government decided merely to restore the earlier Olympiastadion (Olympic Stadium) of 1916, with Werner March again retained to do this.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: When the Nazis came to power in Germany (1933), they decided to use the Olympic Games in 1936 for propaganda purposes. With these plans in mind, Adolf Hitler ordered the construction of a great sports complex in Grunewald named the "Reichssportfeld" with a totally new Olympiastadion. Architect Werner March remained in charge of the project, assisted by his brother Walter.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: Construction took place from 1934 to 1936. When the Reichssportfeld was finished, it was . It consisted of (east to west): the Olympiastadion, the Maifeld (Mayfield, capacity of 50,000) and the Waldbühne amphitheater (capacity of 25,000), in addition to various places, buildings and facilities for different sports (such as football, swimming, equestrian events, and field hockey) in the northern part.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: Werner March built the new Olympiastadion on the foundation of the original Deutsches Stadion, once again with the lower half of the structure recessed 12 metres (39.4 feet) below ground level.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The capacity of the Olympiastadion reached 110,000 spectators. It also possessed a special stand for Adolf Hitler and his political associates. At its end, aligned with the symmetrically-designed layout of the buildings of the Olympischer Platz and toward the Maifeld, was the Marathon Gate with a big receptacle for the Olympic Flame.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The Maifeld (Mayfield) was created as a huge lawn (11.2 hectares, 28 acres) for gymnastic demonstrations, specifically annual May Day celebrations by the government. The area was surrounded by 19 metres of land elevation (62 ft), even though the Olympiastadion (to the east) was only 17 metres (55 ft) high. The total capacity was 250,000 people, with 60,000 in the large stands that extended at the west end.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: Also located there were the Langemarck-Halle (below) and the Bell Tower (rising high). The walls were built with sturdy stone from the area of the Lower Alps, and also feature equine sculptures (work of Josef Wackerle). This consisted of huge halls built under the stands of the Maifeld. Pillars were raised on which hung flags and shields commemorating all the forces that participated in a battle fought in Langemark (West Flanders, Belgium) on 10 November 1914, during the First World War. Since 2006, the ground floor is home to a public exhibit providing historical information on the area of the former Reichssportfeld.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: After the Second World War, the occupying forces of the British Army (Berlin Infantry Brigade) annually celebrated the King's or Queen's Official Birthday on the Maifeld and used it for a variety of sporting activities including cricket. Starting in 2012, Maifeld became home to the Berlin Cricket Club.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The Bell Tower crowned the western end of the Reichs Sportfield planted amid the tiers of the Maifeld stands. It was 77 metres (247 ft) high. From its peak could be observed the whole city of Berlin. During the games, it was used as observation post by administrators and police officials, doctors and the media.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: In the tower was the Olympic Bell. On its surface were the Olympic Rings with an eagle, the year 1936, the Brandenburg Gate, the date 1.-16. August and a motto between two swastikas: "I call the youth of the world" and "11. Olympic Games Berlin" – although the games were the 10th (Summer) Olympics, they were the Games of the XI Olympiad.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The Bell Tower was the only part of the Reichssportfeld that was destroyed in the war. The Third Reich used the tower's structure to store archives (such as films). The Soviet troops set its contents on fire, turning the tower into a makeshift chimney. The structure emerged from the fire severely damaged and weakened.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: In 1947, the British engineers demolished the tower; however, it was reconstructed accurately in 1962. The Olympic Bell (which had survived the fire and remained in its place in the tower) fell 77 metres and cracked and has been incapable of sounding since then. In 1956, the bell was rescued, only in order to be used as a practice target for shooting with anti-tank ammunition. The damaged old bell survives and serves as a memorial.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The recreation of the tower was carried out from 1960 to 1962, once again by the architect Werner March, following the original blueprints. The present tower became an important tourist destination offering a panorama of Berlin, Spandau, the Havel Valley, Potsdam, Nauen and Hennigsdorf.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The most significant battle around the Olympiastadion was in April 1945 when the Soviet army fought to capture it. This was during the final battle of the Second World War in Europe, with the total invasion of Berlin as the Allies' target. The Olympiastadion survived the war almost untouched; it only suffered the impact of machine gun shots.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: After the war, the former "Reichssportfeld" became the headquarters of the British military occupation forces. The administration settled in the northeastern buildings designed by the March brothers in the 1920s, which the Third Reich had used for official sport organisations such as the Reich Academy of Physical Training and extended by 1936, adding the "Haus des deutschen Sports" (House of German Sports) and other buildings (which belong since 1994 to the Olympiapark Berlin, a central sporting facility of the City of Berlin). Soon, the British forces renovated war-damaged buildings but also converted interiors to their specific needs (one gymnasium was converted into a dining hall, another into a garage). From 1951 to 2005, the Olympischer Platz had a giant antenna transmitting for all the portable radios in Berlin.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: From then until 1994 and their departure, British forces held an annual celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in the Maifeld with thousands of spectators from Berlin present. During the 1960s, American military and high school football teams introduced hundreds of thousands of Berliners to American football at the stadium in exhibition games.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: During those years, Bundesliga football matches were played in the Olympiastadion, with Hertha BSC as local team. In the Maifeld, several competitions of football, rugby and polo were staged too. In the summers, the Waldbühne resumed its classical music concerts, and playing movies. The theatre was also used as an improvised ring for boxing matches.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: In 1998, Berliners debated the destiny of the Olympiastadion in light of the legacy it represented for Germany. Some wanted to tear the stadium down and build a new one from scratch, while others favoured letting it slowly crumble "like the Colosseum in Rome". Finally, it was decided to renovate the Olympiastadion.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: FIFA chose it as one of the venues of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The State of Berlin hired a consortium composed of Walter Bau AG and "DYWIDAG" that won the €45 million franchise. The consortium took charge of the operation of the facilities together with Hertha BSC and the Government of Berlin after the remodelling. On 3 July 2000, the renovation began with a ceremony presided over by the Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, accompanied by Eberhard Diepgen (Mayor of Berlin), Franz Beckenbauer and Prof. Dr. Ignaz Walter.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The re-inauguration celebrations of the new Olympic Stadium were carried out on 31 July 2004, and 1 August 2004. On that day, Saturday, the party began with performances from Pink, Nena and Daniel Barenboim. It culminated at night with the opening ceremony. On day two, friendly matches were played between different categories of the club Hertha BSC and visiting teams. On 8 September 2004, Brazil played Germany.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: In 2011, the venue hosted the World Culture Festival organized by the Art of Living where 70,000 people meditated for peace.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: With the intention of creating a more intimate atmosphere for football games, the playing field was lowered by . Approximately of sand was excavated. The lower tier of seating in the stadium was demolished and rebuilt at a completely different angle of inclination.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The roof was extended to cover a total of , with 20 roof-supporting columns carrying a weight of of steel. The roof rises over the seats and is made up of transparent panels that allow sunlight to stream in during the day. The western portion (on the Marathon Arch) is open to reveal the Bell Tower to the spectators.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The conservation factor of the Olympiastadion as a historical monument was also considered, especially with respect to the preservation of the natural stone blocks. After criticisms, the colour of the athletics track around the game field was changed from red to blue, reflecting the colours of Hertha BSC.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The renovations used of concrete and of pre-cast reinforced concrete elements. Some of concrete was demolished and removed and of natural stone was refurbished.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The Olympiastadion was equipped with the latest technology in artificial illumination and sound equipment. It has 113 VIP stands, a set of restaurants, and two underground garages (for 630 cars). The total cost of the remodelling and amplification was €242 million.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The new Olympic Stadium has the highest all-seated capacity in Germany. It has a permanent capacity of 74,475 seats. The upper tier has 31 seating rows at an average slope of 23° and houses 36,455 seats, of which 36,032 are regular seats, 290 are seats on the press stand and 133 are seats in skyboxes. The lower tier has 42 seating rows at an average angle of 25,4° and houses 38,020 seats, of which 32,310 are regular seats, 560 are box seats, 563 are lounge seats (expandable to 743), 4,413 are business seats and 174 are wheelchair spaces.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: For certain football matches, such as those between Hertha BSC and FC Bayern München, the capacity can be temporarily expanded. This is made by the addition of mobile grandstand over the Marathon Arch. The extended capacity reached 76,197 seats in 2014.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The only stadiums in Germany that have higher total capacities are the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund and the Allianz Arena in Munich. However, the Signal Iduna Park and the Allianz Arena have both seating and standing areas, and their all-seated capacities are lower than that of the Olympiastadion. The total capacity of the Allianz Arena is also lower than the extended capacity of the Olympiastadion.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The stadium has been used as the home venue for the Bundesliga's Hertha BSC since 1963. In 1963, the Bundesliga was formed, and Hertha BSC participated by direct invitation, leaving its old stadium (the "Plumpe") to use the Olympiastadion. On 24 August, it played the first local match against 1. FC Nürnberg, with the final score 1–1.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: However, in 1965, the German Football Association found Hertha BSC guilty of bribery and relegated them to the Regional Leagues.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: In 1968, Hertha returned to the first division, and to the Olympiastadion, and in 1971 sold "Plumpe". The second half of the 1970s was quite successful for Hertha BSC Berlin. In 1979, it reached the semifinals of the UEFA Cup, but was defeated by Red Star Belgrade. Hertha reached the finals of the German Cup twice (1977 and 1979). In the 1980s, Hertha had a declining role in the Bundesliga, and fell to the Regional Leagues in 1986, although they later recovered reaching the Second Division (1988–1989).


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: With the demolition of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, a spontaneous feeling of sympathy between Hertha and 1. FC Union Berlin from Eastern Berlin arose, which culminated in a friendly match at the Olympiastadion with 50,000 spectators (27 January 1990). In 1990, Hertha returned to the First Division, although it fell again to the Second Division from 1991 until 1997.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: Since 1997, the club has improved, climbing up the Bundesliga table and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, with matches against top European teams like Chelsea and A.C. Milan.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The Olympiastadion held the world record for the attendance of a baseball game during the 1936 Olympics thought to be over 100,000.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: Since 1985, the stadium has hosted the finals of both the DFB-Pokal and its companion women's tournament, the Frauen DFB Pokal. However, it did not host the 2010 final of the Frauen DFB Pokal, which was held at Cologne's RheinEnergieStadion as part of an experimental test to host the event in a different city.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The stadium hosted five American Bowls between 1990 and 1994. The stadium was also home to Berlin Thunder, an American football team in NFL Europa, from 2003 until the league's operator, the U.S. National Football League, closed down the money-losing competition in 2007.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The stadium also hosted The World Culture Festival. 2011 was to celebrate 30 years of service to humanity by Art of Living Foundation.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The stadium also hosts the Internationales Stadionfest, which also served as an IAAF Golden League event until 2010. The future of the event is currently unknown.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The stadium hosted the 2009 World Championships in Athletics where Usain Bolt broke the 100 metres and 200 metres world records.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: On 1 August 1936, the Olympics were officially inaugurated by the head of state Adolf Hitler, and the Olympic cauldron was lit by athlete Fritz Schilgen. Four million tickets were sold for all the events of the 1936 Summer Olympics. This was also the first Olympics with television transmission (25 viewing spaces were scattered all over Berlin and Potsdam) and radio transmissions in 28 languages (with 20 radio vans and 300 microphones).


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: While the Olympic flame had been used for the first time in Amsterdam 1928, in Berlin 1936 a marathon-like tour of the Olympic torch was introduced, from Olympia in Greece, crossing six frontiers with a journey of to Berlin, through Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Germany. The original idea of this Olympic torch relay was Carl Diem's, who was a political advisor to Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, specialising in Olympic affairs. The Olympics were the subject of the propaganda film "Olympia" (1938) by Leni Riefenstahl.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: Among the sport competitions, one of the most memorable events was the performance of the African-American track and field athlete Jesse Owens, representing the United States of America. Owens won the gold medal in the 100, 200, long jump and 4 x 100 relay. One of the main streets outside the stadium is named Jesse Owens Allee in recognition of his performance. The stadium also hosted the equestrian jumping, football, and handball events.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: Three matches from Group A (West Germany, Chile, East Germany and Australia) were played in the Olympiastadion. The third match, Australia vs Chile, was played in torrential rain. The historic match between the two German teams, however, was played in Hamburg. The hosts, West Germany, won the tournament.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: In 2011, the Olympiastadion hosted Germany's opening match in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. It was the only match in the tournament to be contested at the stadium.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: In May 2013, the Olympiastadion was chosen as the venue for the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final. FC Barcelona won their fifth title and completed a second treble.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The underground train (U-Bahn) U2 takes visitors directly to the station Olympiastadion. It's a short walk from there to the stadium (East Gate entrance: 500m, South Gate entrance: 870m). Average travel time: 14 minutes from Zoologischer Garten, 24 minutes from Potsdamer Platz, 34 minutes from Alexanderplatz.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: The suburban rail (S-Bahn) S3 and S9 takes visitors directly to the station Olympiastadion. It's a short walk from there to the stadium (South Gate entrance via exit Flatowallee: 200 m, East Gate entrance via exit Trakehner Allee: 250m). Average travel time: 7 minutes from Spandau station, 14 minutes from Zoologischer Garten, 22 minutes from Friedrichstrasse, 26 minutes from Alexanderplatz.


title: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

text: With the bus lines M49 and 218 visitors can reach the stop Flatowallee. It's a short walk from there to the stadium. With the bus line 143 visitors can reach the underground station Neu-Westend. From there it is a walk directly to the stadium. Visitors also can take the underground train and exit at the station Olympiastadion.


title: Stadium 974

text: Stadium 974 (, previously known as Ras Abu Aboud Stadium) is a football stadium now slated for dismantlement in Ras Abu Aboud, Doha, Qatar, about 10 km east of Doha. Opened 30 November 2021, it is a temporary venue, made from 974 recycled shipping containers, that hosted matches during the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, after which dismantlement began. It was the first temporary venue in FIFA World Cup history.


title: Stadium 974

text: The stadium was designed by Fenwick Iribarren Architects. Constructed on a 450,000 square-metre waterfront site, it had a modular design and incorporated 974 recycled shipping containers in homage to the site's industrial history and the international dialing code for Qatar (+974). Some of the containers housed stadium amenities such as bathrooms and concessions. The entire structure is to be dismantled and is designed to be reassembled elsewhere; it was the first temporary venue in FIFA World Cup history.


title: Stadium 974

text: The stadium was one of eight built, renovated or reconstructed for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The procurement process for the stadium conversion began in 2017. The construction of the stadium involved HBK Contracting Company (HBK), DCB-QA, Time Qatar, Fenwick Iribarren Architects (FI-A), Schlaich Bergermann Partner and Hilson Moran. Fenwick Iribarren Architects said "the idea was to avoid building a "white elephant", a stadium that is left unused or underused after the tournament ends, as happened following previous World Cups."


title: Stadium 974

text: The stadium was initially announced under the name Ras Abu Aboud Stadium. During a launch event on 20 November 2021, the venue was officially renamed Stadium 974.


title: Stadium 974

text: It hosted its first match on 30 November 2021 on the opening day of the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, between the United Arab Emirates and Syria. The stadium hosted six matches during the tournament.


title: Stadium 974

text: The stadium hosted seven games in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, including Brazil vs. South Korea in the Round of 16.


title: Stadium 974

text: It was originally expected that the reassembled stadium would go to somewhere in Africa, but there are suggestions it may go to Uruguay, where it may be used for the 2030 FIFA World Cup if the Uruguay–Argentina–Chile–Paraguay bid succeeds.


title: Rotherham United F.C.

text: Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1930. Since 2012 they have played home matches at the New York Stadium, having briefly moved to the Don Valley Stadium from their original home at Millmoor in 2008.


title: Rotherham United F.C.

text: The club was formed as a merger between Rotherham County and Rotherham Town in 1925 and were immediately placed in the Football League. They won promotion as champions of the Third Division North in 1950–51 and were beaten finalists in the inaugural League Cup final in 1961, losing to Aston Villa 3–2 on aggregate. After seventeen seasons in the Second Division, relegations followed in 1968 and 1973. Promotion from the Fourth Division was secured in 1974–75 and the club went on to win the Third Division title in 1980–81. Relegations in 1983 and 1988 gave Rotherham the opportunity to win the Fourth Division title in 1988–89, though they had to win another promotion in 1991–92 following relegation the previous season. They beat Shrewsbury Town 2–1 in the 1996 final of the Football League Trophy.


title: Rotherham United F.C.

text: Under the stewardship of Ronnie Moore, Rotherham secured back-to-back promotions in 1999–2000 and 2000–01. They stayed in the second tier for four seasons, though were relegated twice in three years by 2007. The club again secured back-to-back promotions, this time under Steve Evans, securing automatic promotion from League Two in 2012–13 and promotion from League One via the play-offs in 2013–14. The club have moved between the Championship and League One for six successive seasons between 2016–17 and 2021–22, winning the play-offs in 2018 as well as the 2022 EFL Trophy final.


title: Rotherham United F.C.

text: The club's roots go back to 1877, when the club was formed as Thornhill Football Club (later Thornhill United). George Cook was the trainer around this time. For many years the leading team in the area was Rotherham Town, who spent three seasons in the Football League while Thornhill United were still playing in the Sheffield & Hallamshire League. By the turn of the century, however, Town had resigned from the Football League and gone out of business; a new club of the same name later joined the Midland League. Meanwhile, Thornhill's fortunes were on the rise to the extent that in 1905 they laid claim to being the pre-eminent club in the town and changed their name to Rotherham County. For a period both clubs competed in the Midland League, finishing first and second in 1911–12. Rotherham County became members of the second division of the Football league in 1919 whilst Rotherham Town failed to become elected to the third division northern section the following year. By 1925 County's fortunes had declined and they had to seek re-election to the third division. By this time it had become clear that to have two professional clubs in the town was not sustainable. Talks had begun in February 1925 and in early May the two clubs merged to form Rotherham United. Days later the reformed club was formally re-elected to the Football League under its new name.


title: Rotherham United F.C.

text: The red and white kit was adopted around 1930 after playing in amber and black, but there was no improvement in the club's fortunes: in 1931 they again had to apply for re-election. Immediately after the Second World War things looked up. The Millers won the only post-war edition of the Football League Third Division North Cup in 1946 beating Chester 5–4 on aggregate. They then finished as runners-up three time in succession between 1947 and 1949 and then were champions of Division Three (North) in 1951. Rotherham reached their highest ever league position of third in the Football League Second Division in 1955, when only goal average denied them a place in the top flight after they finished level on points with champions Birmingham City and runners-up Luton Town. During that season they had notable results including a 6–1 win over Liverpool. In 1961 the Millers beat Aston Villa 2–0 at Millmoor in the inaugural League Cup final first leg; they lost the second leg 3–0 however at Villa Park. The second leg was played the season after due to Villa having a 'Congested Fixture List'. The club held on to its place in Division Two until 1968 and then went into a decline that took them down to Division Four in 1973. In 1975 they were promoted back to the Third Division finishing in the 3rd promotion spot in the Fourth Division. The Millers won the Division Three title in the 1980–81 season, and missed out on a second consecutive promotion by four points, finishing seventh In the second tier (then Division 2) 1981–82. They have not finished this high since. This season also saw Rotherham accomplish their highest-scoring second-tier league double, beating Chelsea 6–0 at home (31 October 1981) and 4–1 away at Stamford Bridge (20 March 1982).


title: Rotherham United F.C.

text: During the 1990s Rotherham were promoted and relegated between the Football League's lowest two divisions and they slipped into the Fourth Division in 1991, just two years after being promoted, but reclaimed their status in the third tier (renamed Division Two for the 1992–93 season due to the launch of the FA Premier League) by finishing third in the Fourth Division in 1992. They survived at this level for five years, never looking like promotion contenders, before being relegated in 1997. In 1996 Rotherham United made their first trip to Wembley, beating Shrewsbury 2–1 to win the Football League Trophy, with two goals from Nigel Jemson giving Rotherham the win, with over 20,000 Rotherham United fans following them. In 1997, just after relegation to Division Three, Ronnie Moore took charge of Rotherham United. His first season ended in a mid-table finish and then his second in a play-off semi-final defeat on penalties to Leyton Orient. In 1999–2000 as Rotherham finished as Division Three runners-up and gained promotion to Division Two, where they finished runners-up and won a second successive promotion.


title: Rotherham United F.C.

text: Rotherham managed to remain in Division One for four seasons, and after relegation to League One in 2005, Mick Harford took over as the Millers' manager, but was sacked after a run of 17 games without a win. Harford was replaced by youth team coach, Alan Knill. Early in 2006 it was announced that the club faced an uncertain future unless a funding gap in the region of £140,000 per month could be plugged. An intervention at the latest possible time by a consortium of local businessmen kept them in business. The final match of the 2005–06 season, home to Milton Keynes Dons, was a winner-take-all relegation showdown where a scoreless draw kept Rotherham up. Rotherham United began their second successive year in League One with a 10-point deficit as a result of the CVA which saved the club from liquidation. The club initially pulled the points back but, after losing key playmaker Lee Williamson and star striker Will Hoskins in the January transfer window, the Millers sat 13 points adrift of safety, making the threat of relegation inevitable. This resulted in Knill being sacked on 1 March, with Mark Robins becoming caretaker manager.


title: Rotherham United F.C.

text: Robins's position was made permanent on 6 April 2007, but he was not able to save Rotherham from relegation. The Millers spent the majority of the 2007–08 season in the automatic promotion places but in mid-March 2008 it was revealed that Rotherham had again entered administration and would be deducted 10 points. Local businessman Tony Stewart then took over as chairman for the 2008–09 season and took the club out of administration via a Creditors Voluntary Agreement, resulting in a 17-point deduction. The Millers were subsequently forced to leave Millmoor, their home of over 100 years, for the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield, after disputes with the landlords. The Millers had a successful season under the new regime, wiping out the point deficit and being in contention for a play-off place. Rotherham were also involved in two cup runs, reaching the Football League Trophy Northern Final and the League Cup last 16. This included victories over higher league opposition in the form of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester City and Leeds United.


title: Rotherham United F.C.

text: Mark Robins kept the majority of the team together from the 2008–09 campaign, whilst bolstering his squad with high calibre signings in the form of Nicky Law and the prolific goalscorer Adam Le Fondre. The 2009–10 season started well until Mark Robins controversially departed to rivals Barnsley in September, leaving the Millers at the top of the league. Former manager Ronnie Moore replaced him and led the club to their first ever play-off final and first trip to the new Wembley Stadium, where they lost 3–2 loss. In March 2011, following poor form he left Rotherham by mutual consent, and Andy Scott replaced him until he was sacked in March 2012. Steve Evans succeeded him, in the first season at the New York Stadium, and won promotion by finishing second in League Two. In the 2013–14 League One season, Rotherham gained a place in the League One play-offs, where they defeated Preston North End in the semi-finals to set up a second play-off final at Wembley Stadium in four years. In the final against Leyton Orient, the game went to a penalty shoot-out, where two saves from Adam Collin secured a second successive promotion for the club.


title: Rotherham United F.C.

text: In the 2014–15 Championship season, Rotherham's first after a nine-year absence, their survival was jeopardised by a points deduction for fielding the ineligible Farrend Rawson during their home win against Brighton & Hove Albion, Farrend Rawson's loan had expired two days prior to the match, and despite the club insisting it was an external administrative error, they were subsequently thrown back into a relegation battle. However, safety was secured in the penultimate game of the season with a 2–1 home victory against Reading. Rotherham sold key players from their promotion winning campaigns before the 2015–16 season, including Ben Pringle, Craig Morgan and Kari Arnason. Evans left the club in September and former Leeds United manager Neil Redfearn was appointed as his replacement, being sacked in February 2016 after a run of six defeats in eight games. Neil Warnock was appointed as manager for the rest of the season, and the club stayed up, finishing 21st. Warnock left the club in May 2016 after not agreeing a contract extension. Alan Stubbs became the new Rotherham boss in June 2016, but was sacked in October. Rotherham replaced Stubbs with Kenny Jackett, who himself was replaced with Paul Warne, as Rotherham finished the season bottom of the league and were relegated to League One.


title: Rotherham United F.C.

text: At the first attempt, Rotherham returned to the Championship, defeating Shrewsbury in the 2018 play-off Final.


title: Rotherham United F.C.

text: Rotherham were relegated from the Championship the following season on the penultimate game of the campaign. The covid-19 pandemic struck during the 2019–20 season and cut short Rotherham's ambitions of being promoted the 'old fashioned way'. Their final game before the March 2020 lockdown was a 3–1 loss away at Rochdale. The Millers were eventually promoted through points per game in 2nd place behind Coventry City. Their return to the Championship was one which fans watched from home due to the persistence of the pandemic. However, despite the best efforts of the Millers, Rotherham would be relegated. Rotherham took the season to the final day where a victory would see them survive if Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County drew with each other. The draw did indeed occur, but Rotherham suffered an 88th minute equaliser against Cardiff City, which was enough to keep Derby in the Championship and Rotherham to be relegated to League One for the 2021–22 season. In the 2021–22 season, the Millers were promoted back to the Championship as runners-up, defeating Gillingham 2–0 on the final day of the season. The club also won the 2021–22 EFL Trophy at Wembley Stadium after defeating Sutton United 4–2 after extra time. Early in the 2022–23 season, manager Paul Warne departed for Derby County, being replaced by Exeter City boss Matt Taylor.


title: Rotherham United F.C.

text: Since 2015, the naming rights to the stadium are currently owned by local multimillion-pound company AESSEAL.