german battleship german capital ship alternatively described battleship battlecruiser nazi_germany kriegsmarine second vessel class included ship ship built dockyard kiel laid launched december completed ship armed main battery guns triple turrets plans replace weapons guns twin turrets operated early portion world war including sorties atlantic raid british merchant shipping operation ships sank british auxiliary cruiser short battle participated german invasion norway operations norway ships engaged battlecruiser sank aircraft carrier damaged action renown later torpedoed british submarine norway successful raid atlantic sister brest france battleships subject repeated bombing raids raf hit times raids ultimately repaired early ships daylight dash english channel occupied france germany reaching kiel early february ship went drydock night february british launched air attack ship bomb penetrated armored deck exploded forward ammunition magazine causing damage large number casualties repairs necessitated damage time consuming determined rebuild ship accommodate guns originally intended guns removed shore batteries hitler ordered cessation conversion work march sunk german occupied poland eventually broken scrap construction configuration ordered replacement old pre dreadnought contract kiel awarded contract keel laid ship launched december fitting work begun ship completed commissioned sea trials 21st command trials revealed dangerous tendency ship considerable amounts water heavy seas caused flooding bow damaged electrical systems forward gun turret result went dockyard extensive modification bow original straight stem replaced raised atlantic bow diagonal cap fitted smoke stack main mast free smoke modifications completed september time ship finally fully operational displaced long tons built long tons fully loaded length beam maximum draft powered geared steam turbines developed total metric horsepower shp yielded maximum speed knots mph speed trials standard crew numbered officers enlisted men war augmented officers men serving squadron flagship carried additional officers enlisted men armed guns arranged triple gun turrets superfiring turrets forward aft secondary armament consisted guns fourteen sixteen initially anti aircraft guns number guns eventually increased thirty water torpedo tubes taken light cruisers leipzig installed service history left germany round trials atlantic june peacetime ship carried primarily practice ammunition small number live rounds germany war began september 4th day british declaration war attacked fourteen wellington bombers hits november replaced ship combat operation command admiral began november ship company sister light cruiser destroyers patrol area iceland intent operation draw british units ease pressure heavy cruiser admiral pursued days later german flotilla intercepted auxiliary cruiser fired followed minutes later ship quickly reduced burning wreck ordered pick survivors stood cruiser newcastle arrived scene prompted halt rescue operations flee allied capital ships nelson french followed pursuit germans reached wilhelmshaven november trip battleships incurred significant damage heavy seas winds returning kiel went drydock repairs storm damage repairs bow second time incorporate additional sheer attempt improve went baltic trials january completion refit voyage north_sea blocked ice kiel canal february operation assigned forces participating operation invasion denmark norway sister covering force assaults trondheim flag officer admiral ships left wilhelmshaven morning april heavy cruiser admiral hipper fourteen destroyers cruiser destroyers carried assault forces trondheim provided cover later day ships came attack force british bombers bombers failed hits morning april destroyer encountered british destroyer sunk rammed admiral hipper seriously damaged crews battleships went battle stations brief engagement took position west provide distant cover landings trondheim 9th located british battlecruiser renown radar battle stations renown fired scored hits renown failed explode second exploded upper deck damaged radio equipment turned simultaneously renown shells struck shell hit director tower passed exploding regardless cut cables killed officer enlisted men second shell disabled rear turret prompted cease firing increase speed order break away renown vice admiral feared destroyers escorting renown torpedo attacks battleships course action fired rounds high speed escape flooded significant quantities water bows caused problems forward gun turrets admiral hipper rejoined battleships trondheim morning april ships returned wilhelmshaven arriving following day damage incurred engagement renown repaired periodic maintenance april ship baltic following completion repairs morning steaming knots mph estuary detonated magnetic port rear quarter hull explosion caused significant damage hull flooded compartments caused ship half degree list port shock blast damaged internal components including starboard low pressure turbine rear repairs effected floating drydock kiel brief cruise followed baltic 27th kiel combat readiness left wilhelmshaven june return norway joined admiral hipper destroyers purpose sortie allied resupply efforts relieve pressure german troops fighting norway june squadron tanker refuel admiral hipper destroyers day discovered sunk oil tanker germans launched float planes search allied vessels admiral hipper destroyers sent destroy long ton passenger ship atlantis hospital ship allowed proceed admiral detached admiral hipper destroyers refuel trondheim steam area german battleships spotted british aircraft carrier glorious escorting destroyers ardent range closer fired boiler difficulty reduced speed knots mph allowed overtake sister action destroyers attempted cover glorious smoke screens german battleships radar assist hour shooting glorious reduced burning hulk turned fire dispatched ardent sunk fired spread torpedoes successfully evaded struck caused damage british ships sunk withdrew force trondheim conduct emergency repairs meantime sortied admiral hipper destroyers days returned trondheim clear british convoys heavily guarded admiral commander squadron june sortied admiral hipper destroyers direction iceland intention impression attempting break atlantic draw british attention away return voyage germany nmi northwest submarine clyde torpedoed torpedo hit ship bow forward splinter belt caused damage ship took significant water forward watertight compartments forced return trondheim reduced speed trondheim repair ship effected temporary repairs permitted ship return kiel july escorted admiral hipper destroyers torpedo boats strong force attempted intercept flotilla failed find arrival went drydock dockyard months repair work august ship commander replaced captain ship majority active wartime career operation berlin joined preparation planned breakout atlantic_ocean designed havoc allied shipping lanes severe storms caused damage undamaged ships forced port storm went kiel repairs repairs quickly completed january ships command admiral left port north_atlantic detected heavy units deployed cover passage iceland germans radar detected british long range allowed avoid british patrols aid february battleships evaded british cruiser patrol broken open atlantic february ships tanker south shortly february spotted convoy escorted battleship orders prohibited engaging allied capital ships attack called commander closed attempt lure away convoy attack convoy ordered rejoin flagship immediately battleships steamed northwest search shipping february pair spotted convoy sailing west dispersed appearance battleships sank ships fourth destroyed pair accounted grt allied shipping decided new area surviving members dispersed convoy sent distress signals chose cape town gibraltar convoy route positioned northwest cape_verde ships encountered convoy escorted battleship malaya march forbade attack convoy directed boats attack pair boats sank total grt shipping night march malaya turned battleships closed range germans guns refused drawn engagement instead turned mid atlantic ships march march battleships company encountered dispersed convoy mid atlantic captured sank fourth totaling grt shipping day convoy sighted sank seven ships grt sister accounted vessels long tons surviving ships location german battleships summoned powerful british battleships king high speed escape intervention british battleships convinced chances success small decided head brest occupied france ships reached march entered drydock periodic maintenance air attacks brest arriving brest subject repeated british air raids attack took place night march second occurred april second raid armor piercing bomb narrowly missed ship result attacks ship moved dry dock moved harbor april ship attacked british torpedo bombers managed score single hit struck ship piloted flying officer torpedo struck vicinity rear main battery turret long tons water flooded ship caused degree list starboard flooding disabled components ship propulsion system explosion caused significant destruction plating starboard centerline propeller shafts shock caused widespread damage ship electronic components salvage came alongside assist pumping effort following attack returned drydock repairs days later night april british bombers dropped long tons bombs ship hit hit starboard forward superstructure bombs exploded main armor deck failed detonate attack killed initially wounded later died injuries bombs slightly damaged main armor deck caused structural damage starboard decided alterations ship repairs included installation fourteen additional anti aircraft guns torpedo tubes amidships aircraft hangar rearranged catapult mounted removed length repairs modifications participation sortie new battleship british continued attack ship drydock damage february bomb fell close ship caused damage operation january conference hitler decision return heavy cruiser germany intention deploy vessels norway allied convoys soviet_union called channel dash operation avoid increasingly effective allied radar patrol aircraft atlantic vice admiral given command operation early february swept route british failed detect activity february left brest entered channel hour later ships sped knots mph french coast voyage british failed detect departure submarine tasked observing port withdrawn batteries passed point joined flotilla torpedo boats torpedo boats led aboard destroyer general der general fighter force directed luftwaffe fighter bomber forces operation fighters flew height avoid detection british radar network liaison officers present ships german aircraft arrived later jam british radar ships cleared half hour later flight torpedo bombers escort attacked germans british failed penetrate luftwaffe fighter shield destroyed attacks launched hours luftwaffe screen repulsed british destroyers mounted attack german squadron ships attempted close torpedo range heavy seas overcast conditions hampered attack inflicted damage destroyer worcester detonated magnetic exploded forward rear gun turret caused minor damage slight flooding quickly stopped shock disabled center turbine ship stopped minutes resuming voyage destroyers reached joined ships left kiel thick ice canal forced ships stop maneuvering port struck submerged wreck collision tore hole hull caused minor flooding reached kiel following day went floating dry dock dockyard fate repair work completed february scheduled deploy norway march ammunition stores prepared short round trials departure night february british launched heavy air raid ship ship hit single bomb forecastle penetrated armored deck exploded red hot bomb fragments ignited charges forward turret caused tremendous explosion turret thrown mount entire bow section burned crew partially flooded magazine prevent catastrophic explosion blast killed men wounded extensive damage convinced rebuild mount guns originally planned repair ship damaged bow section removed order attach lengthened bow correct decrease caused heavier guns april ship went escorted training ship formally decommissioned july crew paid boat arm early ship sufficiently repaired begin conversion process hitler angered failure german surface raiders battle sea december ordered cessation work disarmed gun turrets shore batteries installed coastal fortress trondheim coastal battery remained unused end war advanced city remaining crew took ship entrance harbor sank vessel march polish government ordered ship removed initial salvage operations began ship sealed refloated september completely scrapped believed steel construction polish merchant vessels largest ship raised time norway offered return turret trondheim offer rejected gun turret instead preserved museum norway
German battleship Gneisenau