german cruiser austrian world war battleship sms german pronunciation admiral hipper class heavy cruiser member class vessels served nazi_germany kriegsmarine world war ship laid april launched august entered service outbreak war august named prince eugene 18th century austrian general saw action operation attempted breakout atlantic_ocean battleship ships destroyed british battlecruiser hood severely damaged battleship prince wales 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 curtailed torpedoed british submarine days arriving norwegian waters torpedo severely damaged ship stern necessitated repairs germany returning active service ship spent months training officer cadets baltic serving artillery support retreating german_army eastern german collapse surrendered british_royal_navy transferred navy war prize examining ship united_states navy assigned cruiser nuclear tests bikini having survived atomic towed ultimately capsized sank december wreck remains partially visible water approximately miles northwest edge screw propellers salvaged display naval memorial germany design meters long overall beam maximum draft launching straight bow replaced bow increasing length overall meters new bow kept drier heavy weather 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 ship primary armament guns mounted twin turrets placed superfiring pairs forward aft anti aircraft battery consisted guns guns guns ship carried pair triple torpedo launchers abreast rear superstructure aerial reconnaissance equipped catapult armored belt thick upper deck thick main armored deck thick main battery turrets thick faces thick sides service history ordered kriegsmarine shipyard kiel keel laid april construction number cover originally named austrian victor considerations possible insult italy defeated led kriegsmarine adopt ship namesake launched august ceremony attended governor speech present launch adolf_hitler regent hungary admiral commanded battleship sms november march wife performed built ship straight stem launch replaced bow funnel cap installed commissioning delayed slightly light damage sustained royal_air_force attack kiel night july suffered relatively light hits attack seriously damaged commissioned service following month august cruiser spent remainder conducting sea trials baltic_sea early ship artillery crews conducted gunnery training short period dry dock final modifications improvements followed april ship joined newly commissioned battleship maneuvers baltic ships selected breakout atlantic raid allied commerce april passing belt route kiel detonated magnetic dropped british aircraft damaged fuel tank propeller shaft fire control equipment planned sortie delayed repairs carried discussed possibility delaying operation hopes repairs battleship completed complete trials time ships join decided beneficial resume surface actions atlantic soon possible ships sortie reinforcement operation repairs completed command captain sea ship steamed crew atlantic sortie ships escorted destroyers flotilla luftwaffe provided air cover voyage german waters german flotilla encountered swedish cruiser cruiser germans hours transmitted report naval headquarters stating large ships destroyers escort vessels aircraft passed course der marine naval high command concerned security risk posed believed operational security lost report eventually way captain british naval sweden transmitted information admiralty code breakers park confirmed atlantic raid imminent reports taken prize crews requested additional navigational charts headquarters pair ordered search norwegian coast german flotilla evening rest flotilla reached norwegian coast detached raiders destroyer escorts continued north following morning radio intercept officers board picked signal ordering british reconnaissance aircraft search battleships destroyers northbound norwegian coast 21st germans spotted unidentified aircraft quickly departed shortly flotilla reached bergen anchored ships crews painted baltic camouflage standard gray worn german warships operating atlantic bergen took long tons short tons fuel failed similarly refuel escorting destroyers left port midnight force open sea headed time admiral finally informed hitler operation reluctantly allowed continue planned escorting destroyers detached force steamed trondheim ordered ships turn attempt breakout open waters atlantic ordered increase speed knots mph dash entering ships activated radar detection equipment sets led mist reduced visibility germans encountered ice necessitated reduction speed knots mph hours later pair reached point north iceland ships forced avoid ice radar operators aboard german warships detected cruiser range approximately radio intercept team radio signals sent suffolk learned location reported admiral gave permission engage suffolk captain german cruiser clearly target held fire suffolk quickly retreated safe distance german ships heavy cruiser joined suffolk approached german raiders closely ordered ships engage british cruiser fired norfolk shell splinters decks cruiser laid smoke screen fled fog bank ending brief engagement concussion guns disabled radar set prompted order station ahead use functioning radar scout formation british cruisers tracked night continually location bearing german ships harsh weather broke morning revealing clear sky morning operators aboard detected pair unidentified vessels approaching german formation range nmi reporting noise fast moving turbine ships relative bearing german ships spotted smoke horizon turned hood prince wales command vice admiral ordered ships crews battle stations range fallen hood opened fire followed prince wales minute later hood engaged british thought prince wales fired british ships approached germans head permitted use forward guns fire minutes opening fire holland ordered turn port allow ships engage rear gun turrets german ships concentrated fire hood minute opening fire scored hit high explosive shell ammunition starting large fire quickly extinguished holland ordered second turn port bring ships parallel course time found range hood ordered shift fire target prince wales opponents fire minutes scored pair hits battleship reported small fire started ordered drop continue monitor location norfolk suffolk nmi east hood completing second turn port fifth hit shells landed short striking water close ship armour piercing shells struck hood penetrated thin deck armor shell reached hood rear ammunition magazine detonated long tons short tons massive explosion broke ship main mast rear funnel forward section continued forward briefly rushing water caused bow rise air steep angle stern similarly rose upward water rushed ripped open compartments minutes firing hood disappeared taking crew men minutes prince wales scored hits damaged british battleship withdrew germans ceased fire range widened captain commander strongly advocated chasing prince wales destroying firmly rejected request instead ordered head open waters north_atlantic end engagement reported battlecruiser probably hood sunk battleship king george renown turned away damaged heavy cruisers maintain contact transmitted damage report intentions commerce raiding repairs shortly ordered fall severity oil bow hit confirming broad streams oil sides wake returned forward position weather attempted heavy cover withdrawal cruisers continued maintain radar contact recalled temporarily cruiser successfully detached turned face formation forcing suffolk turn away high speed prince wales fired responded hit action diverted british attention permitted slip away supply ship nearly fuel tanks tons fuel left day ship continued south mission shipping lines merchant ship found defects engines showed ordered mission port occupied france tanker day engine problems showed including trouble port engine turbine cooling middle engine problems starboard screw reducing speed maximum knots screw problems checked repaired dock brest large docks repair facilities chosen destination despite british warships convoys area units identified 29th ship radio crew reached june ship joined german destroyers aircraft coast france south brest escorted brest reached late june immediately entered dock operation norwegian operations brest far bases southern england stay brest battleships repeatedly attacked allied bombers royal_air_force jokingly referred ships august december dropped tons bombs port night july struck armour piercing bomb destroyed control center deep bridge attack killed men wounded killed watch officer frigate captain loss control center main guns useless repairs lasted end continuous air attacks led german command decide safer bases soon repaired ready operation demonstrated risks operating atlantic air cover addition hitler saw norwegian theater zone destiny ordered ships return germany early deployed intention use ships allied convoys soviet_union strengthen defenses norway hitler insisted voyage despite protests risky vice admiral given command operation early february swept route channel british failed detect activity february left brest entered channel hour later ships sped knots mph french coast voyage 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 dover came fire british coastal artillery batteries scored hits attacked ship destroyer escorts drove vessels launch torpedoes encountered british destroyers worcester fired main battery scored hits worcester forced maneuver avoid torpedoes arrived morning february completely undamaged suffering casualty big ships killed aircraft gunfire february heavy cruiser admiral destroyers steamed norway stopping briefly ships proceeded trondheim days later patrolling british submarine torpedoed torpedo struck ship stern killing men mainly passengers causing damage rendering ship power managed reach trondheim towed months emergency repairs effected entire stern cut away jury rigged operated manually installed return voyage germany power route kiel ship attacked british force bombers torpedo bombers commanded wing commander aircraft failed hit ship service repairs october conducted sea trials beginning october later hitler naval given command ship returned service reference originally planned ship bell austrian battleship presented november rear admiral course november december ship occupied lengthy trials baltic early january kriegsmarine ordered ship return norway reinforce warships stationed twice january attempted steam norway attempts broken british surveillance aircraft spotted ships apparent impossible ship norway assigned months cruised baltic training cadets service baltic pushed eastern necessary gunnery support vessel october ship reassigned combat duty june heavy cruiser 6th destroyer flotilla formed later renamed task force commander august time command june steamed eastern baltic northwest island force german withdrawal finland august ship steamed bombarded destroyers torpedo boats supported action cruiser fired total shells main battery bombardment instrumental successful soviet attack early september supported failed attempt seize fortress island ship returned escorting convoy ships evacuating german soldiers finland convoy consisting sailed september entire second task force escorting swedish aircraft destroyers convoy intervene following month returned gunfire support duties october fired support german troops days ship fired rounds ammunition main battery returned 14th 15th having main battery ammunition fire rounds return voyage october inadvertently rammed light cruiser leipzig amidships north cause collision heavy fog light cruiser nearly cut half ships remained fourteen hours taken repairs effected month sea trials commenced november november ship supported german troops firing rounds main battery ammunition torpedo boats joined operation returned resupply worn gun barrels bored cruiser ready action mid january sent bombard soviet forces ship fired rounds ammunition soviets advancing german held protecting supported operation destroyer torpedo boat point expended main battery ammunition critical shortages forced ship remain port march bombarded soviet forces operations fired total shells guns rounds guns old battleship provided gunfire support march ships commanded following month april steamed april lancaster bombers attacked ships port thick cloud cover forced british mission return days later second attack succeeded sinking single bomb hit departed copenhagen arriving april decommissioned turned royal_navy control following day leadership final year war awarded knight april mentioned twice operational career time february second time service navy light cruiser major german naval vessels survive war escorted british cruisers wilhelmshaven december awarded war prize united_states sent ship united_states particularly want cruiser want prevent soviet_union acquiring commander captain recounted later british soviet representatives claimed ship end large prizes divided lots lots drawn lottery style hat british soviet representatives drawing lots ships left lot cruiser commissioned navy miscellaneous vessel hull number composite american german crew consisting german officers sailors supervised american officers eighty enlisted men command took ship boston departing january arriving january arriving boston ship extensively examined navy large passive array removed installed submarine uss flying fish testing american interest magnetic technology increased findings investigations fire control system guns turret removed philadelphia february german crewmen left ship returned germany american crew significant difficulties keeping ship propulsion system operational boilers failed germans departed ship allocated fleet target ships operation crossroads bikini operation crossroads major test effects nuclear weapons warships types trouble propulsion system influenced decision dispose nuclear tests towed pacific philadelphia panama canal departing march ship survived atomic bomb test able air burst july test baker submerged july moored yards lightly damaged able blast bent foremast broke main mast suffered significant structural damage explosions thoroughly contaminated radioactive fallout ship towed central pacific small leak went radiation danger august navy decommissioned late december ship bad condition december began list severely salvage team brought time navy attempted beach ship prevent sinking december capsized sank main battery gun turrets fell barbettes ship rolled ship stern including propeller assemblies remain visible surface water government denied salvage rights grounds want steel entering market august ship screw propellers retrieved placed naval memorial germany ship bell currently held bell held austria casualties operational career kriegsmarine lost crew members men killed action killed accidents died causes crew members officers seven cadets petty officers junior petty officers sailors civilians
German cruiser Prinz Eugen