german cruiser heavy cruiser nazi_germany kriegsmarine fourth admiral hipper class completed ship laid december launched january outbreak world war slowed construction fitting work finally stopped summer approximately percent complete unfinished ship remained pier shipyard march kriegsmarine decided pursue aircraft carriers surface combatants vessels chosen conversion auxiliary aircraft carriers ship complement fighters work completed incomplete vessel towed eventually scuttled ship seized advancing briefly considered spare parts complete soviet navy plan abandoned ship broken scrap construction ordered kriegsmarine shipyard bremen originally designed light cruiser version admiral hipper class heavy cruisers armed guns instead admiral hipper guns kriegsmarine decided complete ship admiral hipper november keel laid december construction number ship launched january outbreak world war september work halted ship approximately percent complete 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 ship equipped catapult armored belt thick upper deck thick main armored deck thick main battery turrets thick faces thick sides conversion following loss battleship british aircraft carriers proved instrumental near march kriegsmarine convinced necessity acquiring aircraft carriers work purpose built carrier halted april resumed march kriegsmarine decided convert number vessels auxiliary aircraft carriers ships selected conversion passenger liners time construction resumed conversion work began majority superstructure cut away exception funnel prepare installation flight deck aircraft hangar total approximately long tons short tons material ship removed flight deck long wide hangar long wide forward wide amidships aft armament reduced anti aircraft battery guns twin mounts forward conning tower aft guns dual mounts guns quadruple mounts air complement consisted fighters fighters version model designated wings longer land based model allow shorter variant version modified catapult launches equipped arresting gear ship renamed work ceased june conversion completed unfinished vessel transferred remained rest war january ship scuttled advancing seize soviet navy considered wreck parts complete cruiser sister ship soviets purchased unfinished outbreak war carried ship broken scrap
German cruiser Seydlitz