german cruiser second admiral hipper class heavy cruisers nazi_germany kriegsmarine built rise treaty versailles named prussian victor ship laid august launched june completed september shortly outbreak world war completing series sea trials training exercises ship pronounced ready service fleet april assigned group invasion norway april served flagship ship led flotilla warships night april seize oslo capital norway old coastal guns engaged ship close range scoring hits torpedoes fired land based torpedo batteries struck ship causing damage major fire broke aboard contained magazine explosion ship sank major loss life wreck remains construction ordered kriegsmarine shipyard kiel keel laid august construction number ship launched june completed slightly years later september day commissioned german fleet commanding admiral der baltic naval station admiral gave speech widow commander sms performed built ship straight stem launch replaced bow increasing overall length meters funnel cap installed launched meters long overall beam maximum draft ship design displacement long tons short tons load displacement long tons powered sets geared steam turbines supplied steam ultra high pressure oil fired boilers ship speed knots mph shaft horsepower designed standard complement consisted officers enlisted men primary armament guns mounted twin gun turrets placed superfiring pairs forward aft anti aircraft battery consisted guns guns guns ship carried pair triple torpedo launchers abreast rear superstructure triple torpedo launchers main deck range ship equipped catapult onboard route oslo rest catapult storing bombs torpedoes armored belt thick upper deck thick main armored deck thick main battery turrets thick faces thick sides service history spent majority november fitting finishing additional improvements end month ship ready sea trials steamed baltic_sea trials lasted mid december ship returned kiel final modifications january resumed exercises baltic middle month severe ice forced ship remain port april deemed ready action assigned forces participating invasion norway operation april came aboard ship strong detachment ground troops boarded days later april left port bound norway flagship force seize oslo norwegian capital organized group invasion force accompanied heavy cruiser light cruiser smaller escorts steaming british submarine spotted convoy fired spread torpedoes germans successfully evaded torpedoes proceeded mission night fallen time german flotilla reached approaches shortly norwegian time flotilla spotted norwegian patrol boat german torpedo boat attacked set fire norwegian patrol boat raised alarm radio report attacked unknown warships norwegian time south battery spotted flotilla fired warning shots minutes later guns battery fired rounds approaching germans visibility poor hits scored guns fired warning shot targeted firing sector shore guns seen german flotilla steamed speed knots mph shortly midnight norwegian time order commanding admiral navigation lights broadcast german ships ordered fire event directly fired flotilla stopped landing force transferred escorts boats ordered engage naval port city despite apparent loss surprise proceeded continue reach oslo dawn norwegian illuminated ship guns opened fire close range beginning hits port high bridge hitting battle station commander anti aircraft guns killing main range battle mast knocked alignment major turret bridge roof aft battle station turret smaller bridge rangefinder stations commander turret stated hit influence battle capability guns immediately returned fire fire starts second shell struck near aircraft hangar started major fire fire spread detonated explosives carried infantry efforts explosion set fire onboard catapult explosion probably punched hole armored deck turbine room turbine generator room stopped lack steam shafts turbine room operational germans unable locate source gunfire increased speed knots mph attempt past norwegian guns guns starboard opened fire distance metres entered narrows main battery battery ceased firing engaged target scoring multiple hits engineer dip ing wrote report hits guns fired starboard section length metres amidships turret turret damage port shells traversed superstructure exploding batteries steering bridge disabled passed turn port commander got track shafts lost speed normally rudder controlled electrically bridge motors forward hand steering room deep armored deck forward rudder emergency switched seconds manual steering orders bridge rudder delayed norwegian land based torpedo batteries scored hits ship targeting device torpedo battery primitive speed torpedo known set speed target adjusted dead according admiral report torpedo hit funnel second hit turbine room shafts boiler destroyed gunfire boiler remained steam pipes boiler turbine room damaged turbine main shaft lost power ship severely damaged successfully passed firing zone norwegian guns longer bear guns battery standing open positions wide sector firing torpedo hits range battery asked orders concluded fortress served purpose propellers stopped electric power gone quickly lost speed dropped anchors sinking passing gun batteries crew including personnel manning guns tasked fighting fire time taken list degrees initially problematic fire eventually reached ship ammunition magazines turbine room turbine room exploded violently blast bulkheads engine rooms ignited ship fuel stores battered ship slowly began order abandon ship given rolled sank significant casualties naval historian states number casualties unknown gives loss life figure ranging soldiers sailors states seamen soldiers died sinking loss damage caused german force withdraw ground troops landed eastern proceeded inland captured april moved attack capital airborne troops captured airport completed city april german hands delay caused temporary withdrawal task force allowed norwegian government royal family escape city remains depth ship screws removed proposals raise wreck carried left germany cubic metres oil board expended fuel route norway lost sinking constantly leaking oil rate increased imp gal gal day threatening environment norwegian government decided remove oil possible wreck october company deep sea divers holes fuel tanks removed long tons short tons oil fuel contain oil run cleaning process oil sold oil extraction operation provided opportunity recover aircraft plane raised november currently aviation museum near june protected war memorial protected law actually burial intention protect ship wreck
German cruiser Blücher