german cruiser admiral hipper admiral hipper ships class lead ship admiral hipper class heavy cruisers served nazi_germany kriegsmarine world war ship laid shipyard hamburg july launched february admiral hipper entered service shortly outbreak war april ship named admiral commander german battlecruiser squadron later commander chief german high seas fleet admiral hipper saw significant action war led assault trondheim route objective sank british destroyer december broke atlantic_ocean operate allied merchant shipping operation ended significant success february admiral hipper sortied sinking merchant vessels eventually returning germany ship transferred northern norway participate operations convoys soviet_union culminating battle sea december sank destroyer turn damaged forced withdraw light cruisers disappointed failure sink merchant ships battle adolf hitler ordered majority surface warships scrapped admiral able convince hitler retain surface fleet result admiral hipper returned germany decommissioned repairs ship restored operational status royal_air_force bombers severely damaged kiel crew scuttled ship july raised towed ultimately broken scrap bell currently display naval memorial construction admiral hipper ordered kriegsmarine shipyard hamburg keel laid july construction number ship launched february completed april day commissioned german fleet commander chief kriegsmarine grand admiral chief staff world war gave speech wife performed built ship straight stem launch replaced bow funnel cap installed admiral hipper meters long overall beam maximum draft installation bow fitting overall length increased meters ship design displacement long tons short tons load displacement long tons admiral hipper 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 admiral hipper 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 admiral hipper armored belt thick upper deck thick main armored deck thick main battery turrets thick faces thick sides history captain sea given command ship commissioning commissioning april admiral hipper steamed baltic_sea conduct training maneuvers ship port calls baltic ports including cities estonia sweden august ship conducted live fire drills baltic outbreak world war september ship conducting gunnery trials briefly patrol baltic combat quickly returned training exercises november ship returned dockyard modifications included replacement straight stem bow installation funnel cap sea trials baltic resumed january severe ice restrained ship port february kriegsmarine pronounced ship fully operational following day admiral hipper began major wartime patrol joined battleships destroyers sortie north_sea bergen norway destroyer forced turn sustaining damage ice ships operated command admiral ships attempted locate british merchant shipping failed returned port february operation following return north_sea sortie admiral hipper assigned forces tasked invasion norway ship assigned flagship destroyers given command group operation ships carried total mountain troops objective port trondheim ships loaded troops ships steamed outside wilhelmshaven joined group consisting destroyers battleships assigned cover groups ships steamed midnight night april steaming norwegian coast admiral hipper ordered divert course locate destroyer fallen group mist destroyer encountered british destroyer destroyers engaged commander requested assistance admiral hipper arriving scene admiral hipper initially friendly vessel allowed german ship close distance fire admiral hipper fire scoring hits attempted flee apparent break away pursuing cruiser turned admiral hipper fired spread torpedoes missed british destroyer scored hit admiral hipper starboard bow rudder malfunction set ship collision course german cruiser collision tore meter section admiral hipper armored belt starboard ship starboard torpedo minor flooding caused degree list starboard ship able continue mission boilers exploded shortly collision causing sink quickly survivors picked german ship admiral hipper resumed course trondheim british destroyer survived long send wireless message royal_navy headquarters allowed battlecruiser renown time position engage german battleships superior speed break contact admiral hipper emergency landing norway april trying purchase fuel locals detained handed police captured painted norwegian colors april evacuated britain arriving trondheim admiral hipper successfully passed british warship long steam past norwegian coastal artillery batteries ship entered harbor docked shortly mountain troops ground troops seized control coastal batteries ship left trondheim bound germany escorted reached wilhelmshaven april went drydock dockyard workers discovered ship damaged severely collision previously thought repairs completed span weeks admiral organized mission seize early june admiral hipper battleships destroyers tasked operation ships departed june route admiral hipper encountered sank june reached germans learned allies abandoned port squadron tasked allied convoy reported area ships failed find convoy returned trondheim refuel june ship anti aircraft gunners shot attacking british bomber july admiral hipper steamed commerce raiding patrol area cruise lasted august patrol admiral hipper encountered finnish freighter found carrying long tons short tons gold ship seized sent occupied norway prize crew atlantic operations admiral hipper left norwegian theater september overhaul wilhelmshaven routine maintenance completed end month ship attempted break atlantic_ocean raid merchant traffic engine oil feed system caught fire severely damaged fire forced crew shut ship propulsion system blaze brought control rendered admiral hipper hours open sea british reconnaissance failed locate ship fire extinguished ship returned hamburg shipyard repairs lasted slightly week ship second attempt break atlantic november successfully december admiral hipper intercepted convoy december nautical miles west ships allocated convoy protected powerful escort composed aircraft carriers cruisers destroyers admiral hipper initially spot escorting warships began attacking convoy main guns badly damaged ships long ton transport spotting heavy cruiser destroyers steaming quickly withdrew main guns destroyers bay minutes later reappeared admiral hipper port bow german cruiser fired forward turrets scored hits british cruiser rear turrets waterline forward superstructure admiral hipper prevent british destroyers closing launch torpedo attack ship running low fuel brest occupied france december route admiral hipper encountered sank isolated long ton cargo ship round routine maintenance work effected ship brest sortie atlantic shipping lanes february admiral hipper embarked second atlantic sortie kriegsmarine initially sought send battleships operate concert admiral hipper suffered storm damage december prevented participation ships repairs effected quickly battleships broke atlantic early february admiral hipper tanker azores fuel tanks february ship encountered sank isolated transport convoy dispersed boat luftwaffe attacks evening picked convoy contained nineteen merchant ships following morning admiral hipper closed sank ships british reported seven ships lost totaling long tons damage germans claimed admiral hipper sunk thirteen nineteen survivors reported fourteen ships convoy sunk following attack convoy admiral hipper fuel stocks running low returned brest february british bombers regularly attacking port kriegsmarine decided admiral hipper return germany better protected ship leave damage caused ship hull harbor repaired march ship slipped brest passed days later route admiral hipper stopped refuel bergen march cruiser docked kiel having entire journey detected british arrival ship went shipyard extensive overhaul lasted seven months completion refit admiral hipper conducted sea trials baltic putting december minor january ship steam turbines overhauled shipyard fitted ship hull overhaul march ship fully operational deployment norway march admiral hipper steamed trondheim escorted destroyers torpedo boats british submarines patrolling area failed intercept german flotilla admiral hipper escorts reached destination march joined heavy cruisers soon returned germany repairs torpedoed july admiral hipper joined cruisers admiral battleship attack convoy escorting convoy battleships hms duke york aircraft carrier admiral hipper destroyers sortied trondheim second task force consisting admiral destroyers operated destroyers struck rocks route rendezvous return port swedish intelligence reported german departures british admiralty ordered convoy disperse aware detected germans aborted operation turned attack boats luftwaffe scattered vessels longer protected convoy escorts germans sank isolated transports british submarine unsuccessfully attempted torpedo admiral hipper september ship patrolling admiral light cruiser cruiser escorted destroyers september lay minefield north west coast goal operation funnel merchant traffic south closer reach german naval units norway return port admiral hipper transferred bay near repairs propulsion system october admiral hipper destroyers transferred north starting november admiral hipper 5th destroyer flotilla composed patrolled allied shipping arctic commanded squadron admiral hipper november cruiser located long ton soviet tanker escort auxiliary warship dispatched destroyer sink soviet ships battle sea december convoy traffic soviet_union resumed ordered plan use available surface units norway launch attack convoys convoy month passed soviet_union incident second convoy spotted submarine south ordered forces assigned operation action admiral hipper served flagship squadron comprised destroyers force left december orders avoid confrontation equal opponent 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 admiral hipper fired shell splinters destroyer severed steam lines reduced speed knots mph turned north draw destroyers away captain british escort commander left destroyers cover convoy took remaining pursue admiral hipper 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 initial series british cruisers admiral hipper hit times hits damaged ship propulsion system boiler filled mix oil water forced crew turn starboard turbine engine reduced speed knots mph hits started fire aircraft hangar fired single cruisers turning escorting destroyers screening smoke emerging smoke screen hipper engaged cruisers owing uncertainty condition flagship british defense issued following order break action retire west mistakenly identifying sheffield admiral hipper destroyer approached closely sunk closed nmi convoy poor visibility held fire received order turned west rendezvous admiral hipper inadvertently came alongside sheffield jamaica identifying hostile engaged british cruisers turned came fire german cruisers admiral hipper firing accurate quickly sheffield british cruiser escaped unscathed quickly decided withdraw face superior german firepower ships armed guns admiral hipper carried guns respectively based order issued outset operation avoid action force equal strength poor visibility damage flagship decided attack course battle british destroyer sunk damage inflicted admiral hipper germans sank damaged destroyers return british sank damaged admiral hipper forced germans abandon attack convoy aftermath failed operation furious hitler proclaimed kriegsmarine surface forces paid dismantled guns reinforce fortifications admiral successor convinced hitler retain surface fleet returning emergency repairs admiral hipper effected allowed return january day admiral hipper destroyer left return germany ships stopped january trondheim january february resuming voyage south ships searched norwegian blockade runners february putting port kiel february february ship decommissioned accordance hitler decree fate despite decommissioned repair work ship continued ship moved april baltic admiral hipper reach allied bombers year later ship moved kriegsmarine intended commission ship baltic months admiral hipper ran series sea trials baltic failed reach operational status soviet army pushed germans eastern crew drafted construction work defenses city admiral hipper ability enter active service royal_air_force laid extensive minefield port forced ship remain harbor end ship overhaul work lasted months advanced far necessary ship farther away despite fact working turbine january ship left arriving kiel february entered shipyard raf bombers attacked harbor severely damaged ship crew scuttled wrecked ship july end war admiral hipper raised towed subsequently broken scrap bell display bell returned germany display naval memorial
German cruiser Admiral Hipper