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German battleshipTirpitz

Coordinates:69°38′49″N18°48′27″E/ 69.64694°N 18.80750°E/69.64694; 18.80750
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A recognition drawing ofTirpitzprepared by the US Navy
History
Germany
NamesakeAlfred von Tirpitz
BuilderKriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven
Laid down2 November 1936
Launched1 April 1939
Commissioned25 February 1941
FateSunk byRoyal Air Forcebombers on 12 November 1944
General characteristics
Class and typeBismarck-classbattleship
Displacement
Length
Beam36 m (118 ft 1 in)
Draft9.30 m (30 ft 6 in) standard[b]
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed30knots(56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range8,870nmi(16,430 km; 10,210 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Complement
  • 103 officers
  • 1,962 enlisted men[a]
Sensors and
processing systems		FuMO 23
Armament
Armour
  • Belt:320 mm (13 in)
  • Turrets:360 mm (14 in)
  • Main deck:100 to 120 mm (3.9 to 4.7 in)
  • Upper deck: 50 mm (2 in)
Aircraft carried4 ×Arado Ar 196floatplanes
Aviation facilities1 double-endedcatapult

Tirpitz(German pronunciation:[ˈtɪʁpɪt͡s]ⓘ) was the second of twoBismarck-classbattleshipsbuilt forNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine(navy) prior to and during the Second World War. Named after Grand AdmiralAlfred von Tirpitz,the architect of theKaiserliche Marine(Imperial Navy), the ship was laid down at theKriegsmarinewerftinWilhelmshavenin November 1936 and herhullwas launched two and a half years later. Work was completed in February 1941, when she was commissioned into the German fleet. Like her sister ship,Bismarck,Tirpitzwas armed with a main battery of eight 38-centimetre (15 in)gunsin four twinturrets.After a series of wartime modifications she was 2000 tonnes heavier thanBismarck,making her the heaviest battleship ever built by a European navy.[3]

After completingsea trialsin early 1941,Tirpitzbriefly served as the centrepiece of the Baltic Fleet, which was intended to prevent a possible break-out attempt by theSoviet Baltic Fleet.In early 1942, the ship sailed to Norway to act as a deterrent against an Allied invasion. While stationed in Norway,Tirpitzwas also intended to be used to intercept Allied convoys to theSoviet Union,and two such missions were attempted in 1942. This was the only feasible role for her, since theSt Nazaire Raidhad made operations against theAtlantic convoylanes too risky.Tirpitzacted as afleet in being,forcing the BritishRoyal Navyto retain significant naval forces in the area to contain the battleship.[4]

In September 1943,Tirpitz,along with the battleshipScharnhorst,bombarded Allied positionsonSpitzbergen,the only time the ship used her main battery in an offensive role. Shortly thereafter, the ship was damaged inan attack by British mini-submarinesand subsequently subjected to a series of large-scale air raids. On 12 November 1944, BritishLancaster bombersequipped with 12,000-pound (5,400 kg)"Tallboy" bombsscored two direct hits and a near miss which caused the ship tocapsizerapidly. A deck fire spread to the ammunition magazine for one of the main battery turrets, which caused a large explosion. Figures for the number of men killed in the attack range from 950 to 1,204. Between 1948 and 1957, the wreck was broken up by a joint Norwegian and German salvage operation.

Design[edit]

Main article:Bismarck-class battleship

The twoBismarck-classbattleshipswere designed in the mid-1930s by the GermanKriegsmarineas a counter to French naval expansion, specifically the twoRichelieu-class battleshipsFrance had started in 1935. Laid down after the signing of theAnglo-German Naval Agreementof 1935,Tirpitzand hersisterBismarckwere nominally within the 35,000-long-ton(36,000t) limit imposed by theWashington regimethat governed battleship construction in theinterwar period.The ships secretly exceeded the figure by a wide margin, though before either vessel was completed, the international treaty system had fallen apart following Japan's withdrawal in 1937, allowing signatories to invoke an "escalator clause" that permitted displacements as high as 45,000 long tons (46,000 t).[5]

Recognition drawing prepared by the US Navy

Tirpitzdisplaced42,900 t (42,200 long tons)as builtand 52,600 t (51,800 long tons)fully loaded,with a length of 251 m (823 ft 6 in), abeamof 36 m (118 ft 1 in) and a maximumdraftof 10.60 m (34 ft 9 in).[c]Her standard crew numbered 103 officers and 1,962 enlisted men; during the war this was increased to 108 officers and 2,500 men. She was powered by threeBrown, Boveri & Ciegearedsteam turbines,each driving ascrew propeller,with steam provided by twelve oil-fired Wagner superheatedwater-tube boilers.Her propulsion system developed a total of 163,023PS(160,793shp;119,903kW) and yielded a maximum speed of 30.8 knots (57.0 km/h; 35.4 mph) on speed trials.[7]

She was armed with eight38 cm SK C/34L/52 guns arranged in four twingun turrets:twosuperfiringturrets forward—Anton and Bruno—and two aft—Caesar and Dora.[d]Her secondary armament consisted of twelve15 cm L/55guns, sixteen10.5 cm L/65and sixteen3.7 cm (1.5 in)L/83, and initially twelve2 cm (0.79 in) C/30anti-aircraft guns. The number of 2 cm guns was eventually increased to 58. After 1942, eight 53.3 cm (21 in) above-watertorpedo tubeswere installed in two quadruple mounts, one mount on each side of the ship.[1]

As built,Tirpitzwas equipped with Model 23 search radars[e]mounted on the forward, foretop, and rear rangefinders. These were later replaced with Model 27 and then Model 26 radars, which had a larger antenna array. A Model 30 radar, known as theHohentwiel,was mounted in 1944 in her topmast, and a Model 213Würzburgfire-control radar was added on her stern 10.5 cm (4.1 in) Flak rangefinders.[10]

The ship'smain beltwas 320 mm (13 in) thick and was covered by a pair of upper and main armoured decks that were 50 mm (2 in) and 100 to 120 mm (3.9 to 4.7 in) thick, respectively. The 38 cm turrets were protected by 360 mm (14 in) thick faces and 220 mm (8.7 in) thick sides.[2]

Service history[edit]

Tirpitzsliding down the slipway at her launch

Tirpitzwas ordered asErsatz Schleswig-Holsteinas a replacement for the oldpre-dreadnoughtSchleswig-Holstein,under the contract name "G".[2]TheKriegsmarinewerftshipyard inWilhelmshavenwas awarded the contract, where the keel was laid on 20 October 1936.[11]The hull was launched on 1 April 1939; during the elaborate ceremonies, the ship was christened by Ilse von Hassell, the daughter of AdmiralAlfred von Tirpitz,the ship's namesake.[12]Adolf von Trotha,a former admiral in theImperial German Navy,spoke at the ship's launching, which was also attended byAdolf Hitler.[13]Fitting-outwork was completed by February 1941.[12]British bombers repeatedly attacked the harbour in which the ship was being built; no bombs struckTirpitz,but the attacks slowed construction work.[14]Tirpitzwas commissioned into the fleet on 25 February forsea trials,[1]which were conducted in the Baltic.[12]

After sea trials,Tirpitzwas stationed inKieland performed intensive training in the Baltic. While the ship was in Kiel, Germanyinvaded the Soviet Union.A temporary Baltic Fleet was created to prevent the breakout of the Soviet fleet based inLeningrad.Tirpitzwas briefly made theflagshipof the squadron, which consisted of theheavy cruiserAdmiral Scheer,thelight cruisersKöln,Nürnberg,Leipzig,andEmden,several destroyers, and twoflotillasofminesweepers.[14]The Baltic Fleet, under the command ofVice AdmiralOtto Ciliax,[13]patrolled offÅlandfrom 23 to 26 September 1941, after which the unit was disbanded andTirpitzresumed training.[15]During the training period,Tirpitztested her primary and secondary guns on the oldpre-dreadnought battleshipHessen,[16]which had been converted into a radio-controlledtarget ship.[17]The BritishRoyal Air Force(RAF) continued to launch unsuccessful bombing raids onTirpitzwhile she was stationed in Kiel.[18]

Deployment to Norway[edit]

Tirpitzcamouflaged in theFættenfjordin Norway

Grand AdmiralErich Raeder,the commander of theKriegsmarine,proposed on 13 November 1941 thatTirpitzbe deployed to Norway. The ship would be able to attack convoys bound for the Soviet Union, and act as afleet in beingto tie down British naval assets and deter an Allied invasion of Norway. Hitler, who had forbidden an Atlantic sortie after the loss ofBismarck,agreed to the proposal. The ship was taken into dock for modifications for the deployment. The ship's anti-aircraft battery was strengthened, and the 10.5 cm guns on the superstructure next to thecatapultwere moved outboard to increase their field of fire. The two quadruple 53.3 cm torpedo tube mounts were also installed during this refit.[19]The ship's commander,Kapitän zur See(KzS–Captain at Sea)Karl Topp,[20]pronounced the ship ready for combat operations on 10 January 1942.[18]The following day,Tirpitzleft for Wilhelmshaven, a move designed to conceal her actual destination.[19]

The ship left Wilhelmshaven at 23:00 on 14 January and made forTrondheim.[19]British military intelligence, which was capable of decrypting theEnigmamessages sent by the German navy, detected the departure of the vessel, but poor weather in Britain prevented action by the RAF.[21]AdmiralJohn Tovey,the commander in chief of the BritishHome Fleet,was not made aware ofTirpitz's activities until 17 January, well after the ship had arrived in Norway.[22]On 16 January, British aerial reconnaissance located the ship in Trondheim.Tirpitzthen moved to theFættenfjord,just north-east of Trondheim.[23]The movement was codenamed Operation Polarnacht (Polar Night); the battleship was escorted by the destroyersZ4 Richard Beitzen,Z5 Paul Jakobi,Z8 Bruno HeinemannandZ29for the voyage.[24]TheNorwegian resistance movementtransmitted the location to London.[25]She was moored next to a cliff, which protected the ship from air attacks from the southwest. The ship's crew cut down trees and placed them aboardTirpitzto camouflage her.[23]The crew also frequently hid the entire ship fromaerial reconnaissanceand attacks inside a cloud of artificial fog, created using water andchlorosulfuric acid.[26][27]Additional anti-aircraft batteries were installed around the fjord, as were anti-torpedo nets and heavy booms in the entrance to the anchorage.[28]Tirpitzwas known as the "Lonely Queen of the North" because she was so rarely deployed,[29]and life for her crew was very monotonous. Frequent fuel shortages curtailed training and kept the battleship and her escorts moored behind their protective netting. The crew was primarily occupied with maintaining the ship and continuously manning anti-aircraft defences. Sports activities were organised to keep the crew occupied and physically fit.[30]

Operations against Allied convoys[edit]

Several factors hinderedTirpitz's freedom of operation in Norway. The most pressing were shortages of fuel and the withdrawal of the German destroyer forces to supportOperation Cerberus,the movement of the battleshipsScharnhorstandGneisenauand the heavy cruiserPrinz Eugenthrough theEnglish Channel.These caused a planned attack against the outboundconvoy PQ 8at the end of January to be abandoned.[31]A planned British air attack at the end of January by four-engined heavy bombers was disrupted by poor weather over the target, which prevented the aircraft from finding the ship.[32]In early February,Tirpitztook part in the deceptions that distracted the British in the run-up to Operation Cerberus. These included steaming out of the fjord and the appearance of preparations for a sortie into theNorth Sea.[33]Later that month, the ship was reinforced by the heavy cruisersAdmiral ScheerandPrinz Eugenand several destroyers.Prinz Eugenhad been torpedoed by a British submarine at the entrance to the Fættenfjord, and was temporarily out of action.[34]

Tirpitzunder way, probably in 1941

In March 1942TirpitzandAdmiral Scheer,along with the destroyersZ14 Friedrich Ihn,Z5 Paul Jakobi,Z7 Hermann SchoemannandZ25and a pair oftorpedo boats,[24]were intended to attack the homebound convoy QP 8 and the outboundConvoy PQ 12as part ofUnternehmen Sportpalast(Operation Sports Palace).[31][35]Admiral Scheer,[31]with a design speed of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph),[36]was too slow to operate withTirpitzand was left in port,[31]as was the destroyerPaul Jakobi.The two torpedo boats were also released from the operation.[24]On 5 March,Luftwaffereconnaissance aircraft spotted PQ 12 nearJan Mayen Island;the reconnaissance failed to note the battleshipHMSDuke of Yorkor the battlecruiserHMSRenown,both of which were escorting the convoy, along with four destroyers.[31]

Unknown to the Germans, Admiral Tovey was providing distant support to the convoys with the battleshipHMSKing George V,the aircraft carrierHMSVictorious,the heavy cruiserHMSBerwick,and six destroyers. Enigma intercepts again forewarned the British ofTirpitz's attack, which allowed them to reroute the convoys. Admiral Tovey attempted to pursueTirpitzon 9 March,[31]but Admiral Otto Ciliax, the commander of the German squadron, had decided to return to port the previous evening. An air attack was launched early on the 9th; twelveFairey Albacoretorpedo bombers attacked the ship in three groups, andTirpitzsuccessfully evaded the torpedoes. Only three men were wounded in the attack.[37]Tirpitz's anti-aircraft gunners shot down two of the British aircraft.[38]After the conclusion of the attack,Tirpitzmade forVestfjord,and from there to Trondheim, arriving on the evening of 13 March.[39]On 30 March, thirty-threeHalifax bombersattacked the ship; they scored no hits, and five aircraft were shot down.[40]The RAF launched a pair of unsuccessful strikes in late April. On the night of 27–28 April, thirty-one Halifaxes and twelveLancastersattacked; five of the bombers were shot down. Another raid, composed of twenty-three Halifaxes and eleven Lancasters, took place the following night. Two of the bombers were shot down by the German anti-aircraft defences.[41]

The actions ofTirpitzand her escorting destroyers in March used up 8,230 tonnes (8,100 long tons) offuel oil,which greatly reduced the available fuel supply. It took the Germans three months to replenish the fuel spent in the attempt to intercept the two Allied convoys.Convoy PQ 17,which left Iceland on 27 June bound for the Soviet Union, was the next convoy targeted byTirpitzand the rest of the German fleet stationed in Norway,[39]duringUnternehmen Rösselsprung(Operation Knight's Move).[42]Escorting the convoy were the battleshipsDuke of YorkandUSSWashingtonand the carrierVictorious.[39]Tirpitz,Admiral Hipper,and six destroyers sortied from Trondheim, while a second task force consisting ofLützow,Admiral Scheer,and six destroyers operated fromNarvikand Bogenfjord.[43]Lützowand three of the destroyers struck uncharted rocks while en route to the rendezvous and had to return to port. Shortly afterTirpitzleft Norway, the Soviet submarineK-21fired two or four torpedoes at the ship, all of which missed.[44][45]The Soviets claimed two hits on the battleship.[46]Swedish intelligence had meanwhile reported the German departures to theBritish Admiralty,which ordered the convoy to disperse. Aware that they had been detected, the Germans aborted the operation and turned over the attack toU-boatsand the Luftwaffe. The scattered vessels could no longer be protected by the convoy escorts, and the Germans sank 21 of the 34 isolated transports.Tirpitzreturned toAltafjordvia theLofoten Islands.[44]

Tirpitz,escorted by several destroyers, steaming in theBogenfjordin October 1942

FollowingRösselsprung,the Germans movedTirpitztoBogenfjordnear Narvik. By this time, the ship needed a major overhaul. Hitler had forbidden the ship to make the dangerous return to Germany, and so the overhaul was conducted in Trondheim. On 23 October, the ship left Bogenfjord and returned to Fættenfjord outside Trondheim. The defences of the anchorage were further strengthened; additional anti-aircraft guns were installed, and double anti-torpedo nets were laid around the vessel. The repairs were conducted in limited phases, soTirpitzwould remain partially operational for the majority of the overhaul. Acaissonwas built around the stern to allow the replacement of the ship's rudders.[44]During the repair process, the British attempted toattack the battleshipwith twoChariothuman torpedoes,but before they could be launched, rough seas caused them to break away from the fishing vessel which was towing them.[47]By 28 December, the overhaul had been completed, andTirpitzbegan sea trials. She conducted gunnery trials on 4 January 1943 inTrondheim Fjord.[48]On 21 February, Topp was promoted toRear Admiraland was replaced by CaptainHans Meyer;five days later the battleshipScharnhorstwas ordered to reinforce the fleet in Norway. Vice AdmiralOskar Kummetzwas given command of the warships stationed in Norway.[49]

By the timeScharnhorstarrived in Norway in March 1943, Allied convoys to the Soviet Union had temporarily ceased. To give the ships an opportunity to work together, AdmiralKarl Dönitz,who had replaced Raeder in the aftermath of theBattle of the Barents Seaon 31 December 1942, orderedan attackonSpitzbergen,which housed a British weather station and refuelling base.[48]Spitzbergen was defended by a garrison of 152 men from theNorwegian Armed Forces in exile.[50]The two battleships, escorted by ten destroyers, left port on 6 September; in aruse de guerre,Tirpitzflew thewhite ensignon the approach to the island the following day.[51]During the bombardment,Tirpitzfired 52 main-battery shells and 82 rounds from her 15 cm secondaries.[52]This was the first and only time the ship fired her main battery at an enemy surface target.[48]An assault force destroyed shore installations and captured 74 prisoners.[50][53]By 11:00, the battleships had destroyed their targets and headed back to their Norwegian ports.[48]

British attacks onTirpitz[edit]

Operation Source[edit]

See also:List of Allied attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz
Main article:Operation Source
Tirpitzin theOfotfjord/Bogenfjord

The British were determined to neutraliseTirpitzand remove the threat she posed to theAllied arctic convoys.Following the repeated, ineffectual bombing attacks and the failed torpedo attack in October 1942, the British turned to the newly designedX Craftmidget submarines.[48]The planned attack,Operation Source,included attacks onTirpitz,Scharnhorst,andLützow.[54]The X Craft were towed by large submarines to their destinations, where they could slip under anti-torpedo nets and each drop two powerful two-tonneminesonto the sea bed under the target. Ten vessels were assigned to the operation, scheduled for 20–25 September 1943. Only eight of them reachedKåfjordin Norway for the attack, which began early on 22 September.[48]Three of the vessels,X5,X6,andX7,successfully breachedTirpitz's defences, two of which—X6andX7—managed to lay their mines.X5was detected 200 m (660 ft) from the nets and sunk by a combination of gunfire and depth charges.[55]

The mines damaged the ship extensively. The first exploded abreast of turret Caesar, and the second detonated 45 to 55 m (148 to 180 ft) off the port bow.[56]A fuel oil tank was ruptured, shell plating was torn, a large indentation was formed in the bottom of the ship, and bulkheads in thedouble bottombuckled. Some 1,430 t (1,410 long tons) of water flooded the ship in fuel tanks and void spaces in the double bottom of the port side, which caused alistof one to two degrees, which was balanced by counter-flooding on the starboard side. The flooding damaged all of the turbo-generators in generator room No. 2, and all apart from one generator in generator room No. 1 were disabled by broken steam lines or severed power cables. Turret Dora was thrown from its bearings and could not be rotated; this was particularly significant, as there were no heavy-lift cranes in Norway powerful enough to lift the turret and place it back on its bearings.[57]The ship's twoArado Ar 196floatplanes were completely destroyed. Repairs were conducted by the repair shipNeumark;historiansWilliam Garzkeand Robert Dulin remarked that the successful repair effort was "one of the most notable feats of naval engineering during the Second World War".[58]Repairs lasted until 2 April 1944; full speed trials were scheduled for the following day in Altafjord.[59]

Operation Tungsten[edit]

Tirpitzunder attack by British carrier aircraft on 3 April 1944, inOperation Tungsten
Main article:Operation Tungsten

The British were aware thatNeumarkand the repair crews left in March, which intimatedTirpitzwas nearly operational.[59]A major air strike—Operation Tungsten—involving the fleet carriersVictoriousandFuriousand the escort carriersEmperor,Fencer,Pursuer,andSearcher,[60]was set for 4 April 1944, but rescheduled a day earlier when Enigma decrypts revealed thatTirpitzwas to depart at 05:29 on 3 April for sea trials.[59]The attack consisted of 40Barracudadive-bombers carrying 500-pound (230 kg), 600-pound (270 kg) and 1,600-pound (730 kg) armour-piercing bombs and 40 escorting fighters in two waves, scoring fifteen direct hits and two near misses.[60][61]The aircraft achieved surprise, and only one was lost in the first wave; it took twelve to fourteen minutes for all ofTirpitz''s anti-aircraft batteries to be fully manned. The first wave struck at 05:29, as tugs were preparing to assist the ship out of her mooring. The second wave arrived over the target an hour later, shortly after 06:30. Despite the alertness of the German anti-aircraft gunners, only one other bomber was shot down.[62]

The air strikes did not penetrate the main armour but nonetheless caused significant damage to the ship's superstructure and inflicted serious casualties. William Garzke and Robert Dulin report the attack killed 122 men and wounded 316 others,[62]while Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz report 132 fatalities and 270 wounded men, including the ship's commander,KzSHans Meyer.[63]Two of the 15 cm turrets were destroyed by bombs, and both Ar 196 floatplanes were destroyed. Several of the bomb hits caused serious fires aboard the ship. Concussive shock disabled the starboard turbine engine, and saltwater used to fight the fires reached the boilers and contaminated the feed water. Some 2,000 t (2,000 long tons) of water flooded the ship, primarily through the two holes in the side shell created by shell splinters from near misses. Water used to fight the fires also contributed to the flooding.[64]Dönitz ordered the ship be repaired, regardless of the cost, despite the fact that he understoodTirpitzcould no longer be used in a surface action because of insufficient fighter support. Repair work began in early May; destroyers ferried important equipment and workers from Kiel to Altafjord over the span of three days. By 2 June, the ship was again able to steam under her own power, and by the end of the month gunnery trials were possible. During the repair process, the 15 cm guns were modified to allow their use against aircraft, and specially fuzed 38 cm shells for barrage anti-aircraft fire were supplied.[65]

Operations Planet, Brawn, Tiger Claw, Mascot and Goodwood[edit]

Tirpitzmoored inKaafjord,visible centre right in a British aerial reconnaissance photograph in spite of artificial smoke generated on shore
Main articles:Operation MascotandOperation Goodwood (naval)

A series of carrier strikes was planned over the next three months, but bad weather forced their cancellation. A repeat of Operation Tungsten, codenamed Operation Planet, was scheduled for 24 April. Operation Brawn, which was to have been carried out by 27 bombers and 36 fighters fromVictoriousandFurious,was to have taken place on 15 May, and Operation Tiger Claw was intended for 28 May.FormidableandFuriouswere joined byIndefatigableforOperation Mascot,which was carried out in bad weather on 17 July by 62 bombers and 30 fighters. In late August the weather improved, allowing theGoodwood series of attacks.Operations Goodwood I and II were launched on 22 August; a carrier force consisting of the fleet carriersFurious,IndefatigableandFormidableand the escort carriersNabobandTrumpeterlaunched a total of 38 bombers and 43 escort fighters between the two raids.[60]

The attacks failed to inflict any damage onTirpitzand three of the attacking aircraft were shot down.[60][65]Goodwood III followed on 24 August, composed of aircraft from the fleet carriers only. Forty-eight bombers and 29 fighters attacked the ship and scored two hits which caused minor damage.[60]One, a 1,600-pound bomb, penetrated the upper and lower armour decks and came to rest in the No. 4 switchboard room. Its fuze had been damaged and the bomb did not detonate. The second, a 500-pound (230 kg) bomb, exploded causing superficial damage. Six aircraft were shot down in the attack.[66][67]Goodwood IV followed on 29 August, with 34 bombers and 25 fighters fromFormidableandIndefatigable.Heavy fog prevented any hits from being scored.[60]Tirpitz's gunners shot down oneFireflyand aCorsair.The battleship expended 54 rounds from her main guns, 161 from the 15 cm guns and up to 20 per cent of her light anti-aircraft ammunition.[68]

Operations Paravane and Obviate[edit]

Black and white aerial photograph showing a body of water with a large warship near the shore
Tirpitzcentre left at her last mooring, off the island ofHåkøyain November 1944
Main articles:Operation ParavaneandOperation Obviate

The ineffectiveness of the great majority of the strikes launched by theFleet Air Armin mid-1944 led to the task ofTirpitz's destruction being transferred to the RAF'sNo. 5 Group.The RAF used Lancaster bombers to carry 6-short-ton (5.4 t)Tallboy bombsto penetrate the ship's heavy armour.[69]The first attack,Operation Paravane,took place on 15 September 1944; operating from a forward base atYagodnikin Russia, 23 Lancasters (17 each carrying one Tallboy and six each carrying twelveJW mines), scored a single hit on the ship's bow.[60]The Tallboy penetrated the ship, exited the keel, and exploded in the bottom of the fjord. The bow was flooded with 800 to 1,000 t (790 to 980 long tons) of water, causing a serious increase intrimforward. The ship was rendered unseaworthy and was limited to 8 to 10 knots (15 to 19 km/h; 9.2 to 11.5 mph). Concussive shock caused severe damage to fire-control equipment. The damage persuaded the naval command to repair the ship for use only as a floating gun battery. Repair work was estimated to take nine months, but patching of the holes could be effected within a few weeks, allowingTirpitzto be moved further south toTromsø.On 15 October, the ship made the 200 nmi (370 km; 230 mi) trip to Tromsø under her own power, the last voyage of her career.[70]

The RAF made a second attempt on 29 October, after the ship was moored offHåkøyaIsland outside Tromsø. Thirty-two Lancasters attacked the ship with Tallboys duringOperation Obviate.[60]As on Operation Paravane,No. 9 SquadronandNo. 617 Squadroncarried out the attack together, which resulted in only one near miss,[70]partially the result of bad weather over the target.[71]The underwater explosion damaged the port rudder and shaft and caused some flooding.Tirpitz's 38 cm fragmentation shells proved ineffective in countering the high-level bombers; one aircraft was damaged by ground-based anti-aircraft guns.[70]Following the attack, the ship's anchorage was significantly improved. A large sandbank was constructed under and around the ship to prevent her from capsizing, and anti-torpedo nets were installed.Tirpitzretained a one-degree list to port from earlier damage, and this was not corrected by counter-flooding to retain as much reserve buoyancy as possible. The ship was also prepared for her role as a floating artillery platform: fuel was limited to what was necessary to power the turbo-generators, and the crew was reduced to 1,600 officers and enlisted men.[72]

Operation Catechism[edit]

Main article:Operation Catechism
Universal Newsreelabout the attack onTirpitz

Operation Catechism,the final British attack onTirpitz,took place on 12 November 1944.[60]The ship again used her 38 cm guns against the bombers, which approached the battleship at 09:35;Tirpitz's main guns forced the bombers to disperse temporarily, but could not break up the attack.[73]A force of 32 Lancasters from Nos. 9 and 617 Squadrons dropped 29 Tallboys on the ship, landing two direct hits and one near miss.[60]Several other bombs landed within the anti-torpedo net barrier and caused significant cratering of the seabed; this removed much of the sandbank that had been constructed to prevent the ship from capsizing. One bomb penetrated the ship's deck between turrets Anton and Bruno but failed to explode. A second hitamidshipsbetween the aircraft catapult and the funnel and caused severe damage. A very large hole was blown in the ship's side and bottom; the entire section of belt armour abreast of the bomb hit was completely destroyed. A third bomb may have struck the port side of turret Caesar.[73]

The amidships hit caused significant flooding and quickly increased the port list to between 15 and 20 degrees. In ten minutes the list increased to 30 to 40 degrees, and the captain issued the order to abandon ship. The list increased to 60 degrees by 09:50; this appeared to stabilise temporarily. Eight minutes later, a large explosion rocked turret Caesar. The turret roof and part of the rotating structure were thrown 25 m (82 ft) into the air and into a group of men swimming to shore, crushing them.Tirpitzrapidly rolled over and buried her superstructure in the sea floor.[74]In the aftermath of the attack, 82 men trapped in the upturned hull were rescued by cutting through the exposed bottom.[60]Figures for the death toll vary from approximately 950 to 1,204.[f]Approximately 200 survivors of the sinking were transferred to the heavy cruiserLützowin January 1945.[77]

Tirpitzcapsized

The performance of the Luftwaffe in the defence ofTirpitzwas heavily criticised after her loss. MajorHeinrich Ehrler,the commander of III./Jagdgeschwader 5(3rd Wing of the 5th Fighter Group), was blamed for the Luftwaffe's failure to intercept the British bombers. He was court-martialled in Oslo and threatened with the death penalty. Evidence was presented that his unit had failed to help the Kriegsmarine when requested. He was sentenced to three years in prison, but was released after a month, demoted, and reassigned to anMe 262fighter squadron in Germany.[78]Ehrler was exonerated by further investigations which concluded poor communication between the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe had caused the fiasco;[79]the aircrews had not been informed thatTirpitzhad been moved off Håkøya two weeks before the attack.[80]The wreck ofTirpitzremained in place until after the war, when a joint German-Norwegian company began salvage operations. Work lasted from 1948 until 1957;[1]fragments of the ship were sold by a Norwegian company.[20]Ludovic Kennedywrote in his history of the vessel that she "lived an invalid's life and died a cripple's death".[81]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^Crew could be augmented up to 108 officers and 2,500 enlisted men.[1]
  2. ^Tirpitz's draft at full load was 10.60 metres (34 ft 9 in).[2]
  3. ^According to naval historians Gerhard Koop and Klaus-Peter Schmolke,Tirpitzdisplaced 53,500 tonnes (52,700 long tons) at full load in 1944.[6]
  4. ^SK stands forSchiffskanone(ship's gun), C/34 stands forConstructionjahr(Construction year) 1934, and L/52 denotes the length of the gun in terms ofcalibres,meaning that the length of the gun is 52 times its internal diameter.[8]
  5. ^Named FuMO forFunkmessortungsgerät(Radio direction-finding device).[9]
  6. ^John Sweetman states that 1,000 out of a crew of 1,900 were killed,[75]while Niklas Zetterling and Michael Tamelander estimated nearly 1,000 deaths.[76]Siegfried Breyer andErich Gröneragree on 1,204 deaths,[1][60]and Gordon Williamson gives the death toll at 971.[20]William Garzke and Robert Dulin place the number of deaths at "about 950".[74]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^abcdeGröner,p. 35.
  2. ^abcGröner,p. 33.
  3. ^Garzke & Dulin,p. 203.
  4. ^Kemp,p. 153.
  5. ^Garzke & Dulin,pp. 203–208.
  6. ^Koop & Schmolke,p. 18.
  7. ^Gröner,pp. 33, 35.
  8. ^Campbell,p. 219.
  9. ^Williamson,p. 42.
  10. ^Williamson,p. 43.
  11. ^Sieche,p. 44.
  12. ^abcWilliamson,p. 35.
  13. ^abHildebrand Röhr & Steinmetz,p. 239.
  14. ^abGarzke & Dulin,p. 247.
  15. ^Garzke & Dulin,pp. 247–248.
  16. ^Sweetman,p. 11.
  17. ^Gröner,p. 20.
  18. ^abSweetman,p. 12.
  19. ^abcGarzke & Dulin,p. 248.
  20. ^abcWilliamson,p. 40.
  21. ^Sweetman,p. 16.
  22. ^Sweetman,p. 17.
  23. ^abGarzke & Dulin,pp. 248–250.
  24. ^abcHildebrand Röhr & Steinmetz,p. 240.
  25. ^Ottosen,pp. 39–41.
  26. ^Hartl et al.
  27. ^Amos, Jonathan (11 April 2018)."Nazi legacy found in Norwegian trees".Archivedfrom the original on 20 July 2023.Retrieved15 April2018.
  28. ^Sweetman,p. 19.
  29. ^Winston, George, (1 May 2018) "The Effects of the Lonely Queen Still Seen Among the Trees of NorwayArchived3 October 2023 at theWayback Machine",War History Online; accessed 2020.04.01.
  30. ^Zetterling & Tamelander,p. 207.
  31. ^abcdefGarzke & Dulin,p. 250.
  32. ^Sweetman,pp. 23–24.
  33. ^Sweetman,pp. 24–25.
  34. ^Sweetman,pp. 25–26.
  35. ^Sweetman,p. 27.
  36. ^Gröner,p. 60.
  37. ^Garzke & Dulin,pp. 250–251.
  38. ^Rohwer,p. 149.
  39. ^abcGarzke & Dulin,p. 253.
  40. ^Rohwer,p. 156.
  41. ^Rohwer,p. 162.
  42. ^Sweetman,p. 54.
  43. ^Garzke & Dulin,pp. 253–255.
  44. ^abcGarzke & Dulin,p. 255.
  45. ^Polmar & Noot,pp. 115–116.
  46. ^Blair,p. 644.
  47. ^Bishop,pp. 165–172.
  48. ^abcdefGarzke & Dulin,p. 258.
  49. ^Sweetman,pp. 73–74.
  50. ^abTorkildsen,p. 221.
  51. ^Sweetman,p. 76.
  52. ^Sweetman,p. 77.
  53. ^Sweetman,pp. 76–77.
  54. ^Zetterling & Tamelander,pp. 195–196.
  55. ^Garzke & Dulin,pp. 258–259.
  56. ^Garzke & Dulin,p. 259.
  57. ^Garzke & Dulin,pp. 259–261.
  58. ^Garzke & Dulin,p. 262.
  59. ^abcGarzke & Dulin,p. 264.
  60. ^abcdefghijklBreyer,p. 26.
  61. ^Brown 2009,pp. 25, 27.
  62. ^abGarzke & Dulin,p. 265.
  63. ^Hildebrand Röhr & Steinmetz,p. 243.
  64. ^Garzke & Dulin,pp. 265–267.
  65. ^abGarzke & Dulin,p. 267.
  66. ^Garzke & Dulin,pp. 267–268.
  67. ^Brown 2009,p. 28.
  68. ^Brown 1977,p. 39.
  69. ^Sweetman,pp. 132–139.
  70. ^abcGarzke & Dulin,p. 268.
  71. ^Sweetman,p. 193.
  72. ^Garzke & Dulin,p. 270.
  73. ^abGarzke & Dulin,p. 272.
  74. ^abGarzke & Dulin,p. 273.
  75. ^Sweetman,p. 248.
  76. ^Zetterling & Tamelander,p. 327.
  77. ^Prager,p. 287.
  78. ^Morgan & Weal,p. 60.
  79. ^Schuck,p. 177.
  80. ^Hafsten,p. 221.
  81. ^Van der Vat,p. 508.

References[edit]

  • Bishop, Patrick (2012).Target Tirpitz.HarperPress.ISBN978-0-00-731924-4.
  • Blair, Clay(1996).Hitler's U-Boat War.Vol. 1: The Hunters, 1939–1942. New York: Random House.ISBN978-0-304-35260-9.
  • Breyer, Siegfried (1989).Battleship "Tirpitz".West Chester: Schiffer Pub.ISBN978-0-88740-184-8.
  • Brown, David (1977).Tirpitz: The Floating Fortress.Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-0-85368-341-4.
  • Brown, J. D. (2009).Carrier Operations in World War II.Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-1-59114-108-2.
  • Campbell, John (1985).Naval Weapons of World War II.London: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN978-0-87021-459-2.
  • Garzke, William H. & Dulin, Robert O. (1985).Battleships: Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II.Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-0-87021-101-0.
  • Gröner, Erich(1990).German Warships: 1815–1945.Vol. I: Major Surface Vessels. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-0-87021-790-6.
  • Hafsten, Bjørn (1991).Flyalarm: Luftkrigen over Norge 1939–1945.Oslo: Sem & Stenersen.ISBN978-82-7046-058-8.
  • Hartl, Claudia; Konter, Oliver; St George, Scott; Kirchhefer, Andreas; Scholz, Denis; Esper, Jan."Warfare Dendrochronology – Trees as Witnesses of the Tirpitz Attacks"(PDF).copernicus.org.European Geosciences Union.Retrieved12 April2018.
  • Hildebrand, Hans H.; Röhr, Albert & Steinmetz, Hans-Otto (1993).Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe (Volume 7).Ratingen, Germany: Mundus Verlag.ISBN978-3-8364-9743-5.
  • Kemp, Paul (1998).The Encyclopedia of 20th Century Conflict Sea Warfare.London: Arms and Armour.ISBN978-1-85409-221-2.
  • Koop, Gerhard & Schmolke, Klaus-Peter (1998).Battleships of the Bismarck Class: Bismarck and Tirpitz, Culmination and Finale of German Battleship Construction.Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-1-55750-049-6.
  • Morgan, Hugh & Weal, John (1998).German Jet Aces of World War 2.Oxford: Osprey Publishing.ISBN978-1-85532-634-7.
  • Ottosen, Kristian (1983).Theta Theta: Et Blad Fra Motstandskampens Historie 1940–1945.Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.ISBN978-82-00-06823-5.
  • Polmar, Norman & Noot, Jurrien (1991).Submarines of the Russian and Soviet Navies, 1718–1990.Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-0-87021-570-4.
  • Prager, Hans Georg (2002).Panzerschiff Deutschland, Schwerer Kreuzer Lützow: ein Schiffs-Schicksal vor den Hintergründen seiner Zeit(in German). Hamburg: Koehler.ISBN978-3-7822-0798-0.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen(2005).Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two.Annapolis: US Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-1-59114-119-8.
  • Schuck, Walter(2009).Luftwaffe Eagle – From the Me 109 to the Me 262.Ottringham: Hikoki Publications.ISBN978-1-902109-06-0.
  • Sieche, Erwin (1987). "Germany 1922–1946". In Sturton, Ian (ed.).Conway's All the World's Battleships: 1906 to the Present.London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 28–49.ISBN978-0-85177-448-0.
  • Sweetman, John (2004).Tirpitz: Hunting the Beast.Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing Limited.ISBN978-0-7509-3755-9.
  • Torkildsen, Torbjørn (1998).Svalbard: vårt nordligste Norge(in Norwegian) (3rd ed.). Oslo: Aschehoug.ISBN978-82-03-22224-5.
  • Van der Vat, Dan (1988).The Atlantic Campaign.Edinburgh: Birlinn.ISBN978-1-84158-124-8.
  • Williamson, Gordon (2003).German Battleships 1939–45.Oxford: Osprey Publishing.ISBN978-1-84176-498-6.
  • Zetterling, Niklas & Tamelander, Michael (2009).Tirpitz: The Life and Death of Germany's Last Super Battleship.Havertown: Casemate.ISBN978-1-935149-18-7.

Further reading[edit]

  • Knowles, Daniel (2018).Tirpitz: The Life and Death of Germany's Last Great Battleship.Stroud: Fonthill Media.ISBN978-1-78155-669-6.

External links[edit]

69°38′49″N18°48′27″E/ 69.64694°N 18.80750°E/69.64694; 18.80750

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=German_battleship_Tirpitz&oldid=1232925351"