german cruiser admiral admiral class heavy cruiser termed pocket battleship served world war vessel named admiral german commander laid shipyard wilhelmshaven june completed november originally classified armored ship february germans reclassified remaining ships class heavy cruisers ship nominally long tons limitation warship size imposed treaty versailles load displacement long tons significantly exceeded armed guns triple gun turrets admiral sisters designed cruiser fast catch speed knots mph left handful ships anglo french navies able catch powerful sink admiral saw heavy service german_navy including deployment spain spanish civil war bombarded port operation world war commerce raiding operation southern atlantic_ocean brief foray indian_ocean operation sank gross register tons grt shipping making successful capital ship surface war following return germany deployed northern norway shipping soviet_union abortive attack convoy conducted sortie returning germany end ship served training ship end support ground operations sunk british bombers april partially scrapped remainder wreck lies buried beneath design admiral 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 admiral 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 admiral 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 ship anti aircraft battery significantly increased consisting guns twin mounted guns guns anti aircraft battery reorganized comprised guns guns thirty guns ship carried pair quadruple deck mounted torpedo launchers placed stern ship equipped catapult admiral armored belt thick upper deck thick main armored deck thick main battery turrets thick faces thick sides radar initially consisted set replaced set system service history admiral ordered shipyard wilhelmshaven naval popular social democrats communists german bill passed build second money ordered secured social democrats prevent political crisis keel laid june construction number ship launched april launching christened daughter admiral ship namesake completed slightly year half later november day commissioned german fleet old battleship removed service crew transferred newly commissioned commissioning november admiral placed command ship spent remainder conducting sea trials training crew new catapult landing sail system operate heavy seas installed october july officer later head foreign intelligence october ship ready major cruise october visited returning kiel november following summer cruised english channel visiting stockholm return voyage spanish civil war admiral overseas deployment began july sent spain evacuate german civilians caught midst spanish civil war august served sister ship non intervention patrols republican held coast spain served tours duty non intervention patrol june official objective control influx war spain recorded soviet ships carrying supplies republicans protected ships delivering german weapons nationalist forces deployment spain served ship gunnery officer attacked aircraft admiral ordered bombard republican held port anniversary battle jutland admiral flying imperial war flag arrived opened fire shore batteries naval installations ships harbor june relieved sister ship admiral allowing return wilhelmshaven july returned mediterranean august october september replaced ship commanding officer world war outbreak world war september admiral remained anchor outside wilhelmshaven heavy cruiser admiral hipper september groups bombers attacked ships group surprised anti aircraft gunners aboard admiral managed shoot bomb struck ship deck failed explode detonated water near ship remaining bombs failed explode second group confronted alerted german defenses shot bombers admiral emerged attack undamaged november ship commanding officer admiral underwent refit sister ships set commerce raiding operations atlantic admiral modified early months including installation new bow heavy command tower replaced lighter structure reclassified heavy cruiser additional anti aircraft guns installed updated radar equipment july raf bombers attacked admiral battleship failed score hits july ship pronounced ready service atlantic sortie admiral sailed october combat sortie night october slipped broke open atlantic radio intercept equipment identified convoy sailing admiral located convoy november armed merchant cruiser sole escort convoy issued report german attempted prevent attacking convoy convoy ordered cover smoke screen admiral scored hits bay wireless equipment steering gear shells second struck bridge killed commander admiral quickly sank delay allowed majority convoy escape germans sank convoy ships december admiral encountered sank ship long tons displacement ship sent distress signal german deliberately allowed draw british naval forces area wanted lure british warships area draw attention away admiral hipper exited aircraft carriers cruisers neptune dragon armed merchant cruiser castle hunt german british december january admiral supply ships auxiliary cruiser prizes raiders transferred prisoners january admiral captured allied merchant ships totalling gross register tons grt including norwegian oil tanker spent christmas sea mid atlantic miles making foray indian_ocean february february admiral auxiliary cruiser atlantis supply ship nmi east madagascar raiders exchanged information allied merchant traffic area parting company february admiral steamed north madagascar found merchant vessels took grt oil tanker prize sank grt greek ship grt canadian cruiser managed send distress signal admiral sank february encountered sank fourth ship following day steamer able send distress signal sank british cruiser patrolling area received messages admiral victims glasgow launched reconnaissance aircraft spotted admiral february vice admiral commander deployed carrier cruisers australian join hunt turned south east evade reaching march british abandoned hunt february clear admiral withdrawn area admiral sailed northwards breaking march cruisers fiji nigeria reached bergen norway march spent day destroyer escort joined ship voyage kiel reached april course raiding operation steamed nautical miles sank seventeen merchant ships total grt far successful german capital ship commerce entire war returning germany left ship replaced june loss battleship importantly royal_navy destruction german supply ship network aftermath operation forced planned atlantic raiding operation admiral sister end abandoned september admiral briefly moved oslo september squadron raf equipped bombers mounted pair unsuccessful attacks ship september ship left oslo returned deployment norway february admiral heavy cruiser destroyers steamed norway stopping briefly ships proceeded trondheim february british submarine torpedoed causing damage operation norway admiral took july july ship sortied attempt intercept arctic convoy admiral formed group admiral hipper composed route rendezvous point destroyers ran aground forcing entire group abandon operation admiral detached join admiral hipper british detected german departure ordered convoy aware surprise lost germans broke surface attack turned destruction boats luftwaffe convoy thirty transports sunk august conducted sortie soviet shipping attack targets opportunity length mission distances involved destroyer escort operation destroyers escort admiral reached point return norway boats patrolled gate germans originally intended send admiral sister ship run aground previous month unavailable operation operational plan called strict radio silence ensure surprise maintained required total tactical operational control ship shore based commands unable direct mission august admiral destroyer escort left course pass north entering encountered heavy ice addition searching merchant shipping scout paths ice fields august encountered soviet admiral sank sent distress signal german ship turned south days later arrived port admiral damaged ships port shelled harbor facilities considered sending landing party ashore firing soviet shore batteries convinced abandon plan breaking bombardment decided return reached port august having achieved significant successes october admiral destroyers left proceeded trondheim stopped repairs admiral continued germany served ship acting commander end november december admiral returned wilhelmshaven major overhaul attacked slightly damaged raf bombers consequently admiral moved exposed port february took command ship end admiral return baltic ship final commander took command admiral april november admiral destroyers 2nd flotilla relieved cruiser destroyers supporting german forces fighting soviets island baltic launched air attacks german forces successfully repelled heavy anti aircraft fire ship shot night november german naval forces completed evacuation island troops evacuated island early february admiral stood torpedo boats support german forces fighting soviet advances february ships began soviet positions february german forces launched local counterattack admiral torpedo boats provided artillery support targeting soviet positions near german attack temporarily restored land connection ship guns badly worn march need repair march admiral departed eastern baltic guns kiel carried civilian refugees wounded soldiers minefield prevented reaching kiel passengers despite worn gun barrels ship shelled soviet forces outside remaining ammunition ship loaded refugees left successfully minefields way kiel arriving march stern turret guns replaced shipyard early april repair process ship crew went ashore night april general raf bombing raid aircraft struck harbor kiel admiral hit bombs capsized partially broken scrap end war hull left place buried rubble attack construction new number casualties loss unknown
German cruiser Admiral Scheer