german cruiser lead ship class heavy cruisers termed pocket battleship served world war ordered government laid shipyard kiel february completed april originally classified armored ship february germans reclassified remaining ships class heavy cruisers renamed admiral hipper class heavy cruiser handed soviet_union ship saw significant action kriegsmarine including non intervention patrols spanish civil war attacked republican bombers outbreak world war cruising north_atlantic prepared attack allied merchant traffic bad weather hampered efforts sank captured handful vessels returning germany participated invasion norway damaged recalled germany repairs route torpedoed seriously damaged british submarine repairs completed march returned norway join forces allied shipping soviet_union ran aground planned attack convoy necessitated return germany repairs saw action battle sea heavy cruiser admiral hipper ended failure destroy convoy engine problems forced series repairs culminating complete overhaul end ship remained baltic sunk shallow waters april royal_air_force raf bombers gun battery support german troops fighting disabled crew raised subsequently sunk target baltic construction ordered shipyard kiel replacement old battleship keel laid february construction number ship launched launching christened german chancellor ship accidentally started sliding giving speech completion fitting work initial sea trials began november ship commissioned april meters long overall beam maximum draft ship design displacement long tons short tons load displacement long tons ship officially stated long tons limit treaty versailles powered sets man cylinder double acting stroke diesel engines ship speed knots mph shaft horsepower cruising speed knots mph ship steam nautical miles designed standard complement consisted officers enlisted men significantly increased officers sailors primary armament guns mounted triple gun turrets forward aft superstructure ship carried secondary battery guns single turrets grouped amidships anti aircraft battery originally consisted guns replaced guns guns removed guns guns guns installed place end war anti aircraft battery reorganized consisting guns guns guns ship carried pair quadruple deck mounted torpedo launchers placed stern ship equipped catapult armored belt thick upper deck thick main armored deck thick main battery turrets thick faces thick sides radar initially consisted set set installed history spent majority conducting training maneuvers early speed trials indicated speed knots mph ship comfortably reached knots mph speed trials june trials completed december ship ready active service fleet ship series goodwill visits foreign ports including visits sweden october formal state visit edinburgh scotland april adolf_hitler visited ship reportedly toured ship speaking informally crewmen ship conducted series long distance training atlantic march sailed far caribbean south american waters returning germany went dock routine maintenance work installation additional equipment aircraft catapult installed period provided participated fleet maneuvers german waters early joined newly commissioned sister ship admiral cruise mid atlantic included stop spanish civil war following outbreak spanish civil war admiral deployed spanish coast july conduct non intervention patrols republican held coast spain deployment gun turrets painted large black white red bands aid identification air indicate neutral status duties deployment included evacuating refugees fleeing fighting protecting german ships carrying supplies nationalists gathering intelligence nationalists ship docked port island neutral warships including vessels british italian navies port attacked republican aircraft anti aircraft fire warships drove torpedo boats escorted island moored port attacked republican bombers pair soviet built bombers secretly flown pilots bombed ship bombs struck ship penetrated upper deck near bridge exploded main armored deck second hit near starboard gun causing fires decks attack killed german sailors wounded quickly weighed anchor left port admiral additional doctors proceeding gibraltar dead buried military honors days later hitler ordered men returned burial germany ship wounded men evacuated gibraltar treatment hitler furious attack ordered admiral bombard port retaliation called incident subsequently issued orders attacks german italian warships strictly prohibited spent majority conducting training maneuvers rest fleet making goodwill visits foreign ports official visit spain following nationalist victory spanish civil war ship participated major fleet exercise atlantic sister admiral light cruisers leipzig destroyers boats support vessels world war august week german invasion poland set sail wilhelmshaven bound position south greenland ready attack allied merchant traffic event general war following attack poland supply ship assigned support operation ordered strictly observe prize rules required raiders stop search ships sinking ensure crews safely evacuated ship ordered avoid combat inferior naval forces commerce disruption primary objective hitler hoped secure negotiated peace britain france overran poland authorize begin raiding mission british french shipping september time moved south hunt sea lane october found sank british transport ship freighter able send distress signal informing vessels area presence turned north halifax route october encountered american ship gross register tons grt freighter found carrying seized prize crew dispatched ship took ship original crew held prisoner germany ship seized norway anchored control ship returned original crew october encountered sank norwegian transport grt day stopped neutral danish steamer apparent headed neutral port prisoners placed aboard allowed proceed eventually report british_royal_navy incident confirm operating north_atlantic severe weather north_atlantic hampered raiding mission tie british warships assigned track centered battleship occupied protecting convoys britain prevent attacked early november recalled passed november anchored 17th course raiding mission sank vessels captured ship underwent major overhaul bow installed improve sea keeping qualities ship time rated heavy cruiser renamed hitler person decision ship recognizing propaganda value sinking ship bore country admiral commander chief kriegsmarine hoped renaming ship confuse allied intelligence admiral hipper class cruiser designated sale hoped usage hide transaction refit lasted march intended send ship commerce raiding operation april assigned forces participating invasion norway operation assigned group alongside new heavy cruiser light cruiser command flew flag group tasked capturing oslo capital norway transported force mountain troops embarked soldiers voyage norway force left germany april passed route british submarine hms attacked flotilla torpedoes missed german torpedo boats attacked submarine drove shortly midnight night april lead passed outer ring norwegian coastal batteries followed directly flagship astern heavy fog neutrality requirements required fire warning shots permitted germans avoid damage including manning guns alert steaming speed knots mph germans came range norwegian guns guns opened fire invaders ensuing hit shells torpedoes quickly capsized sank loss approximately sailors soldiers hit times shells battery causing significant damage forward gun turret hit rounds disabled center gun damaged right barrel men wounded second shell struck ship deck penetrated upper main armored decks starting fire cruiser hospital operating theater killing soldiers severely wounding struck superstructure port aircraft crane aircraft board damaged gunners killed shell ship able fire secondary battery return heavy damage forced rest squadron reverse course exit eventually landed troop complement operational guns provide fire support afternoon april norwegian fortresses captured commander remaining norwegian forces opened negotiations surrender delay allowed time norwegian government royal family flee oslo damage sustained prompted kriegsmarine order return germany repairs rest norway cruised speed avoid submarines british submarine hms attacked ship scored hit torpedo destroyed stern causing collapse nearly fall blew steering gear unable steer towed port decommissioned repairs lasted nearly year attack norway ship suffered nineteen dead killed torpedo strike despite setback august commander awarded knight actions took command task force loss recommissioned service march kriegsmarine initially planned send ship commerce raiding operation planned previous year sister admiral join operation june departed norway escort destroyers british torpedo bombers attacked ship scored single hit disabled electrical system rendered ship took severe list port port shaft damaged crew effected emergency repairs allowed return germany repair work kiel lasted months ship finally pronounced ready action deployment norway left germany norway joined admiral flagship commander fuel shortages restricted operations admiral able conduct limited battle training exercises assigned planned attack allied convoy headed soviet_union july force left heavy fog destroyers ran aground suffered significant damage british detected german departure ordered convoy aware surprise lost germans broke surface attack turned destruction boats luftwaffe convoy thirty transports sunk returned germany repairs lasted end october began brief set trials starting october returned norway early november destroyer escort arriving 12th december heavy cruiser admiral hipper destroyers left attack convoy reported german intelligence lightly escorted plan divide force half admiral hipper destroyers north convoy attack draw away escorts remaining destroyers attack convoy south 31st british destroyer spotted destroyers screening admiral hipper germans opened fire destroyers escorting convoy rushed join fight laid smoke screen cover convoy turned north draw destroyers away captain british escort commander left destroyers cover convoy took remaining pursue admiral hipper steamed convoy south opened fire harsh conditions negatively affected shooting ceased hits rear admiral force centered cruisers sheffield jamaica standing distant support allied convoy raced scene cruisers engaged admiral hipper firing port destroyer ships approached admiral hipper starboard achieved complete surprise ordered break attack convoy reinforce admiral hipper inadvertently came alongside sheffield jamaica identifying hostile engaged fire remained inaccurate british cruisers turned came fire german cruisers quickly decided withdraw face superior german firepower ships armed guns admiral hipper carried guns respectively operations baltic hitler furious failure destroy convoy ordered remaining german major warships broken scrap protest resigned hitler replaced admiral persuaded hitler order surface ships march moved experienced problems diesel engines propulsion system proved problematic repairs germany necessary briefly returned norway end september thorough overhaul required work completed kiel january remained baltic_sea conduct training cruises new naval personnel april bombers attacked success cloud cover raf failed attack days later april force eighteen scored single hit near misses bombs water shallow main deck water permitting use stationary gun battery advancing soviet forces control task force continued role time expended main battery ammunition crew rigged charges destroy hull fire caused explosives detonate prematurely ultimate fate long unclear ships seized according historians raised ship september broke scrap historians book die state instead sank claiming broken late 1940s instead admiral hipper class cruiser sold soviet_union historian examined soviet archives early 2000s discovered actually sunk weapons tests july sinking baltic_sea poland july
German cruiser Deutschland