admiral hipper class cruiser admiral hipper class group heavy cruisers built nazi_germany kriegsmarine mid-1930s class comprised admiral hipper lead ship ships class saw action world war work stopped approximately percent complete decided convert aircraft carrier completed sold incomplete soviet_union admiral hipper took operation invasion norway april sunk norwegian coastal defenses outside oslo admiral hipper led attack trondheim conducted sorties atlantic attack allied merchant shipping deployed northern norway attack shipping soviet_union culminating battle sea december damaged british cruisers saw action operation battleship eventually returned germany channel dash went norway torpedoed british submarine returned germany repairs admiral hipper decommissioned returning germany early partially repaired recommissioned fall refugee transport mission continued serve commission stayed baltic end war admiral hipper scuttled kiel leaving member class survive war ceded navy ultimately expended ship nuclear tests towed scuttled advancing seize ship ultimately raised broken scrap renamed remained unfinished germans invaded soviet_union ship provided artillery support advancing german forces sunk september raised year later repaired participate campaign relieve siege served secondary roles 1950s broken design development article treaty versailles limited battleships types old light cruisers obsolete ships replaced years old replacements displace long tons long tons respectively february major naval powers signed germany invited attend held limitations signatories early 1920s cruisers old permit replacement class cruisers leipzig built middle decade london naval treaty formally divided cruiser types categories heavy cruisers armed guns light cruisers armed guns treaty versailles prohibited germany building heavy cruisers rise power led formal rejection treaty versailles pulling geneva conference hitler argued european powers germany accept german german navy renamed kriegsmarine free pursue germany concluded anglo german naval agreement great_britain set german naval strength size royal_navy permitted germany build long tons heavy cruisers ton ships design admiral hipper class ships prepared initially designed light cruisers design prepared ships armed triple turrets housing guns opposed twin guns ships light cruisers planned follow heavy half sisters november navy decided complete final ships members class general characteristics ships admiral hipper class varied slightly size admiral hipper meters long waterline overall installation bow fitting overall length increased ship beam long waterline overall bow overall length beam ships designed draft load draft waterline long overall bow overall length beam draft standard load long overall beams drafts standard load admiral hipper designed displacement metric tons long tons short tons load displacement long tons displacement increased slightly long tons short tons designed long tons load grew heavier long tons short tons designed long tons load ships hulls constructed longitudinal steel frames hulls divided fourteen watertight compartments double extended percent length keel kriegsmarine regarded ships good sea boats gentle motion low speed affected wind currents ships fourteen degrees lost speed rudder hard high speed ships standard complement officers enlisted men wartime modifications increased crew officers sailors ships carried smaller vessels including picket boats barges launch machinery admiral hipper class ships powered sets geared steam turbines admiral hipper engines built turbines built turbines installed engines manufactured steam provided ships ultra high pressure boilers equipped double ended high pressure boilers admiral hipper boilers manufactured wagner boilers ships built turbine drove bladed screw diameter ships engines rated shaft horsepower speed knots mph carried long tons short tons fuel oil designed ships carry long tons short tons cruising speed mph ships maximum range nautical miles steering controlled single rudder admiral hipper equipped electricity plants diesel generators turbo generators diesel generators supplied apiece turbo generators provided final pair provided total electrical output equipped diesel generators turbo generators turbo generator generator total ships electrical plants operated volts armament completed ships armed guns twin turrets ships supplied rounds ammunition rounds gun guns mounted turrets enabled depression elevation maximum elevation gun reach fired muzzle velocity meters second projectiles included armor piercing shells base nose high explosive ship supplied illumination rounds weighed muzzle velocity gun turrets built coastal artillery pieces forward turrets installed delivered soviet_union ships heavy anti aircraft battery consisted guns twin guns supplied total rounds ammunition mounts type originally designed earlier guns mounting stabilized capable enabled guns engage targets ceiling surface targets guns maximum range guns fired fixed ammunition weighing guns fire rounds illumination shells close range anti aircraft weaponry initially consisted guns guns gun single shot gun rate fire rounds minute maximum elevation gun ceiling gun magazine fed automatic weapon firing rounds minute round magazines supplied guns guns supplied rounds ammunition later war light anti aircraft batteries admiral hipper modified guns removed number guns increased guns replaced guns ship light anti aircraft battery comprised guns eighteen guns admiral hipper mounted sixteen guns fourteen guns ships armament rounded torpedo tubes mounted triple launchers ships main deck ships carried torpedoes loaded tubes torpedo carried speed settings reach mph mph mph maximum speed setting horsepower radial engine improved war improved performance ranges increased respectively admiral hipper carried mines mines contact mines explosive charge armor admiral hipper class ships protected krupp steel armor hart types ships armored decks protect ship vertical attacks upper deck thick amidships protect ships end deck reduced thickness bow stern protected deck armor main armored deck thick decks steel main armored belt thick amidships reduced thick aft interior thick torpedo bulkhead protected ships underwater attack ships main battery turrets protected thick faces thick sides roofs thick guns equipped thick gun shields forward conning tower thick sides thick roof rear conning tower significantly armored splinter protection sides thick thick roof anti aircraft fire directors given splinter protection thick shields construction admiral hipper ordered replacement light cruiser hamburg laid shipyard hamburg construction number july launched february fitting work completed years later april ship commissioned kriegsmarine april ordered replace berlin built shipyard kiel construction number keel laid august launched june work ship finished september day commissioned kriegsmarine ship class completed ordered shipyard kiel construction number laid april launched august commissioned kriegsmarine august built und shipyard bremen ordered construction number ordered construction number laid december followed august ships launched january july respectively work ceased approximately percent complete october soviet_union approached germany request purchase unfinished plans german capital ships naval artillery naval technology kriegsmarine denied request agreed sell service history admiral hipper admiral hipper led assault trondheim route objective sank british destroyer december broke atlantic_ocean operate allied merchant shipping operation ended significant success february admiral hipper sortied sinking merchant vessels eventually returning germany ship transferred northern norway participate operations convoys soviet_union culminating battle sea december damaged forced withdraw light cruisers enraged defeat battle adolf hitler ordered majority surface warships scrapped admiral able convince hitler retain surface fleet result admiral hipper returned germany decommissioned repairs ship restored operational status royal_air_force bombers severely damaged admiral hipper kiel crew scuttled ship july raised towed ultimately broken scrap bell resides following commissioning november conducted series sea trials training exercises baltic lasted march pronounced ready service fleet april assigned group invasion norway april ship served flagship ship led flotilla warships night april seize oslo capital norway old coastal guns engaged ship close range scoring damaging hits torpedoes fired land based torpedo batteries struck ship causing damage major fire broke aboard contained magazine explosion ship slowly capsized sank major loss life wreck remains salvage attempts considered carried ship screws removed divers removed long tons short tons fuel oil ship oil fuel tanks leaking sunken ship time divers removed oil recovered preserved saw extensive action operation attempted breakout atlantic_ocean battleship ships engaged british battlecruiser hood battleship prince wales hood destroyed prince wales severely damaged detached operation raid allied merchant shipping cut short engine troubles putting occupied france undergoing repairs ship participated operation daring daylight dash english channel germany february deployed norway time stationed cut short torpedoed british submarine days arriving norwegian waters torpedo severely damaged ship stern necessitated repairs germany returning active service ship spent months training new officer cadets baltic serving artillery support retreating german_army eastern german collapse ship surrendered british_royal_navy transferred navy war prize examining ship united_states navy assigned cruiser nuclear tests surviving atomic towed ultimately capsized sank december wreck remains partially visible water screws salvaged display naval memorial germany time construction halted approximately percent complete unfinished ship remained inactive march kriegsmarine decided pursue aircraft carriers surface combatants vessels chosen conversion auxiliary aircraft carriers conversion work began ship majority superstructure cut away exception funnel prepare installation flight deck aircraft hangar total approximately long tons short tons material ship removed carrier ship complement fighters dive bombers armed anti aircraft battery guns dual mounts guns dual mounts guns quadruple mounts conversion work halted june incomplete vessel towed eventually scuttled january ship seized advancing briefly considered spare parts complete sister ship purchased war plan abandoned ship broken scrap october soviet_union requested purchase incomplete series negotiations kriegsmarine agreed sale february price million transfer completed april vessel incomplete sold soviet_union half main battery guns installed superstructure missing september work ship effected german advised soviet shipyard unfinished germany invaded soviet_union june ship briefly took defense providing artillery support soviet defenders sunk german artillery september raised year later september repairs effected ship renamed soviet counter offensive relieved end war ship stationary training platform floating barracks broken scrap list ships second world war list ship classes second world war
Admiral Hipper-class cruiser