| Revision as of 00:00, 28 May 2006 editFlapeyre (talk | contribs)241 editsm →History← Previous edit | Revision as of 00:48, 28 May 2006 edit undoSuperDeng (talk | contribs)1,937 edits rv, the spreading of misinformation and standard boxNext edit → | ||
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|9-280 mm (11 in) (3x3)<br> 12-150 mm (5.9 in) (4x2, 4x1)<br> 14-105 mm (4.1 in) AA (7x2)<br> 16-37 mm AA (8x2)<br> 10-20 mm AA (later 38)<br> 6-533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes | ||
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| War began before ''Scharnhorst's'' modification work was completed. Her first wartime operation was a sweep into the ]-] passage in late November 1939 with ''Gneisenau'' in which she sank the British ] ]. In the spring of 1940, ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau'' covered the invasion of ]. They engaged the British battlecruiser ] on ] ], with no conclusive results. They sank the carrier ] and her escorting ]s ] and ] on ] at around 64 degrees N off Norway. In this action, ''Scharnhorst'' was torpedoed by ''Acasta''. She was further damaged by a bomb a few days later and was under repair for most of the rest of 1940. In late December 1940, ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau'' attempted to pass through the British blockade into the north Atlantic shipping lanes, but turned back when ''Gneisenau'' was damaged by heavy seas. | War began before ''Scharnhorst's'' modification work was completed. Her first wartime operation was a sweep into the ]-] passage in late November 1939 with ''Gneisenau'' in which she sank the British ] ]. In the spring of 1940, ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau'' covered the invasion of ]. They engaged the British battlecruiser ] on ] ], with no conclusive results. They sank the carrier ] and her escorting ]s ] and ] on ] at around 64 degrees N off Norway. In this action, ''Scharnhorst'' was torpedoed by ''Acasta''. She was further damaged by a bomb a few days later and was under repair for most of the rest of 1940. In late December 1940, ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau'' attempted to pass through the British blockade into the north Atlantic shipping lanes, but turned back when ''Gneisenau'' was damaged by heavy seas. | ||
| From ] until ] ], ''Scharnhorst'' and ] operated in the Atlantic under the command of Admiral ]. On ] they broke through the ] and the next day reached southern ]. Convoy ] was attacked on ], but the attack was broken off when the ] battleship ] was sighted. Twelve days later |
From ] until ] ], ''Scharnhorst'' and ] operated in the Atlantic under the command of Admiral ]. On ] they broke through the ] and the next day reached southern ]. Convoy ] was attacked on ], but the attack was broken off when the ] battleship ] was sighted. Twelve days later on the ] four Allied merchant ships were sighted and sunk east of ]. By operating in a region of the Atlantic where British air cover was weak to non-existent, the German ships manage to elude the Royal Navy and between the ] and the ] of March they attacked convoy ] only breaking off the attack when the battleship ] was sighted. An unescorted convoy of tankers, was attacked south-east of Newfoundland on the ], and the next day another mixed convoy was detected and attacked with the sinking of 13 ships, 4 by the ''Scharnhorst''. This was the last engagement before the battlecruisers entered the French port of ] on the ]. The ''Scharnhorst'' sunk 8 ships with total tonage of 49,300 out of the squadron's total of 22 ships with a combined tonage of 115,600<ref> from </ref>. | ||
| While in Brest, the German ships were the targets of repeated air attacks. The resulting damage and trouble with defective boiler superheater tubes kept ''Scharnhorst'' non-operational into late 1941, when it was decided to send the two battlecruisers and the heavy cruiser ] back to Germany. Since it was too risky to attempt via the North Atlantic, on ]-] ], the three big ships, escorted by dozens of minesweepers and other small craft, made a daring dash — the "]" — through the ], called ], to reach Germany. Caught off guard, the British were unable to stop the ships with air and surface attacks, though both ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau'' were damaged by mines during the latter part of the voyage. | While in Brest, the German ships were the targets of repeated air attacks. The resulting damage and trouble with defective boiler superheater tubes kept ''Scharnhorst'' non-operational into late 1941, when it was decided to send the two battlecruisers and the heavy cruiser ] back to Germany. Since it was too risky to attempt via the North Atlantic, on ]-] ], the three big ships, escorted by dozens of minesweepers and other small craft, made a daring dash — the "]" — through the ], called ], to reach Germany. Caught off guard, the British were unable to stop the ships with air and surface attacks, though both ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau'' were damaged by mines during the latter part of the voyage. | ||
| Repair work, a grounding, and her always troublesome steam powerplant kept ''Scharnhorst'' out of action until March 1943, when she went to northern Norway to join the battleship '']'' and other German ships threatening the ] route to the ]. Training exercises over the next several months climaxed in a bombardment of ] on ] ], together with the |
Repair work, a grounding, and her always troublesome steam powerplant kept ''Scharnhorst'' out of action until March 1943, when she went to northern Norway to join the battleship '']'' and other German ships threatening the ] route to the ]. Training exercises over the next several months climaxed in a bombardment of ] on ] ], together with the ]. | ||
| ==The ]== | ==The ]== | ||
| ] ]] | |||
| On ] 1943, ''Scharnhorst'' and several ]s, under the command of Konteradmiral (Rear Admiral) ], put to sea with the purpose of attacking the ]-bound Arctic convoys JW 55B and RA 55A north of Norway. Unfortunately for the Germans, their orders were decoded by the British ] and the ] were able to direct their forces to intercept. The next day, in heavy weather and unable to locate the convoy, Bey detached the destroyers and sent them south, leaving ''Scharnhorst'' alone. Less than two hours later, the ship encountered the convoy's escort force of the ]s ], ], and ]. Under cover of snow, the British cruisers opened fire. After several exchanges of salvoes, ''Scharnhorst's'' radar was disabled, leaving her unable to return accurate fire in low visibility. ''Norfolk'' suffered minor damage. | On ] 1943, ''Scharnhorst'' and several ]s, under the command of Konteradmiral (Rear Admiral) ], put to sea with the purpose of attacking the ]-bound Arctic convoys JW 55B and RA 55A north of Norway. Unfortunately for the Germans, their orders were decoded by the British ] and the ] were able to direct their forces to intercept. The next day, in heavy weather and unable to locate the convoy, Bey detached the destroyers and sent them south, leaving ''Scharnhorst'' alone. Less than two hours later, the ship encountered the convoy's escort force of the ]s ], ], and ]. Under cover of snow, the British cruisers opened fire. After several exchanges of salvoes, ''Scharnhorst's'' radar was disabled, leaving her unable to return accurate fire in low visibility. ''Norfolk'' suffered minor damage. | ||
Revision as of 00:48, 28 May 2006
| Scharnhorst Scharnhorst firing at HMS Glorious 8 June 1940 | |
| Career | .svg){kind=small}
|
|---|---|
| Ordered: | 25 January 1934 |
| Laid down: | 15 June 1935 |
| Launched: | 3 October 1936 |
| Commissioned: | 7 January 1939 |
| Fate: | Sunk in the Battle of North Cape on 26 December 1943 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 31,552 tonnes (standard) 38,900 tonnes (full load) |
| Length: | 235.4 m (772.3 ft) overall 229.8 m (753.9 ft) waterline |
| Beam: | 30 m (98.4 ft) |
| Draft: | 9.93 m (32.5 ft) at 37,500 long tons (38,100 tonnes) |
| Armament: | 9-280 mm (11 in) (3x3) 12-150 mm (5.9 in) (4x2, 4x1) 14-105 mm (4.1 in) AA (7x2) 16-37 mm AA (8x2) 10-20 mm AA (later 38) 6-533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes |
| Aircraft: | 3 Arado Ar196A-3, 1 catapult |
| Propulsion: | 3 Brown-Boveri geared turbines; 3 three-bladed propellers, 4.8 m (15.75 ft) diameter; 161,164 SHP (120.18 MW) = 33 kt |
| Range: | 10,100 nm at 19 kt (18,700 km at 35 km/h) |
| Complement: | 1,968 (60 officers, 1909 enlisted) |
Scharnhorst was a 31,500 tonne Gneisenau class battlecruiser of the German Kriegsmarine, named after the Prussian general and army reformer Gerhard von Scharnhorst and to commemorate the World War I armoured cruiser SMS Scharnhorst.
History
The ship was built at Wilhelmshaven, Germany, launched on 3 October 1936, and commissioned on 7 January 1939. After initial service, she was modified in mid-1939, with a new mainmast located further aft and her straight bow replaced by an "Atlantic bow" to improve her seaworthiness. However, her relatively low freeboard ensured that she was always very "wet" when at sea. Her armour was equal to that of a battleship and if it hadn't been for her relatively small calibre guns she would have been classified as a battleship by the British. The German navy always classified Scharnhorst and Gneisenau as battleships. Her nine 280 mm (11 in), main guns were no match for the 381 mm (15 in) guns of most of the battleships of her day. The choice of armament was a leftover from their original design as "enlarged pocket battleships". She was scheduled to replace her triple 280 mm (11 in) turrets with twin 380 mm (15 in) turrets in the early forties, but this would have taken two years and was prevented by the outbreak of the Second World War. The inferior armament would hamper her role as a commerce raider against convoys because the British could counter her threat by escorting them with battleships.
War began before Scharnhorst's modification work was completed. Her first wartime operation was a sweep into the Iceland-Faroes passage in late November 1939 with Gneisenau in which she sank the British Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Rawalpindi. In the spring of 1940, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau covered the invasion of Norway. They engaged the British battlecruiser Renown on 9 April 1940, with no conclusive results. They sank the carrier HMS Glorious and her escorting destroyers Acasta and Ardent on 8 June at around 64 degrees N off Norway. In this action, Scharnhorst was torpedoed by Acasta. She was further damaged by a bomb a few days later and was under repair for most of the rest of 1940. In late December 1940, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau attempted to pass through the British blockade into the north Atlantic shipping lanes, but turned back when Gneisenau was damaged by heavy seas.
From 22 January until 22 March 1941, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau operated in the Atlantic under the command of Admiral Gunther Lutjens. On 3 February they broke through the Denmark Strait and the next day reached southern Greenland. Convoy HX-106 was attacked on 8 February, but the attack was broken off when the Royal Navy battleship HMS Ramillies was sighted. Twelve days later on the 22 February four Allied merchant ships were sighted and sunk east of Newfoundland. By operating in a region of the Atlantic where British air cover was weak to non-existent, the German ships manage to elude the Royal Navy and between the 7th and the 9th of March they attacked convoy SL-67 only breaking off the attack when the battleship HMS Malaya was sighted. An unescorted convoy of tankers, was attacked south-east of Newfoundland on the 15 March, and the next day another mixed convoy was detected and attacked with the sinking of 13 ships, 4 by the Scharnhorst. This was the last engagement before the battlecruisers entered the French port of Brest on the 22 March. The Scharnhorst sunk 8 ships with total tonage of 49,300 out of the squadron's total of 22 ships with a combined tonage of 115,600.
While in Brest, the German ships were the targets of repeated air attacks. The resulting damage and trouble with defective boiler superheater tubes kept Scharnhorst non-operational into late 1941, when it was decided to send the two battlecruisers and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen back to Germany. Since it was too risky to attempt via the North Atlantic, on 11-13 February 1942, the three big ships, escorted by dozens of minesweepers and other small craft, made a daring dash — the "Channel Dash" — through the English Channel, called Operation Cerberus, to reach Germany. Caught off guard, the British were unable to stop the ships with air and surface attacks, though both Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were damaged by mines during the latter part of the voyage.
Repair work, a grounding, and her always troublesome steam powerplant kept Scharnhorst out of action until March 1943, when she went to northern Norway to join the battleship Tirpitz and other German ships threatening the Arctic convoy route to the USSR. Training exercises over the next several months climaxed in a bombardment of Spitzbergen on 8 September 1943, together with the Tirpitz.
The Battle of North Cape
On Christmas day 1943, Scharnhorst and several destroyers, under the command of Konteradmiral (Rear Admiral) Erich Bey, put to sea with the purpose of attacking the Russia-bound Arctic convoys JW 55B and RA 55A north of Norway. Unfortunately for the Germans, their orders were decoded by the British codebreakers and the Admiralty were able to direct their forces to intercept. The next day, in heavy weather and unable to locate the convoy, Bey detached the destroyers and sent them south, leaving Scharnhorst alone. Less than two hours later, the ship encountered the convoy's escort force of the cruisers HMS Belfast, Norfolk, and Sheffield. Under cover of snow, the British cruisers opened fire. After several exchanges of salvoes, Scharnhorst's radar was disabled, leaving her unable to return accurate fire in low visibility. Norfolk suffered minor damage.
In order to try to get around the cruisers to the convoy, Bey ordered Scharnhorst to take a southeast course away from the cruisers. In the late afternoon, the convoy's covering force, including the British battleship Duke of York, made contact and opened fire. Despite suffering the loss of its hangar and a turret, Scharnhorst temporarily increased its distance from its pursuers. The Duke of York caught up again and fired again - the second salvo wrecked the "A" turret, detonating the charges in "A" magazine which led to the same in "B" magazine. Partial flooding of the magazines quenched the explosions. At 18:20 another round from Duke of York destroyed a boiler room, reducing Scharnhorst's speed to about 22 knots and leaving her open to attacks from the destroyers. The cruiser Jamaica and the destroyers Musketeer, Matchless, Opportune, and Virago closed and launched torpedoes. This was followed by further gunfire and a final wave of torpedoes. Scharnhorst suffered a series of crippling blows, capsizing and sinking at 19:45 hours on 26 December with her propellers still turning. Of a total complement of 1,968 men, only 36 survivors were rescued from the frigid seas; 30 by HMS Scorpion and 6 by Virago.
Later that evening Admiral Bruce Fraser briefed his officers on board Duke of York: "Gentlemen, the battle against Scharnhorst has ended in victory for us. I hope that if any of you are ever called upon to lead a ship into action against an opponent many times superior, you will command your ship as gallantly as Scharnhorst was commanded today".
(Ironically in 1793 Gerhard von Scharnhorst had served as a young lieutenant under the Duke of York in the Netherlands.)
On 3 October 2000, the submerged wreck of Scharnhorst was located at about 72° 16′ North latitude, 28° 41′ East longitude, approximately 70 nautical miles (130 km) north-northeast of North Cape at a depth of nearly 300 m and photographed by the Norwegian Navy.
References
- This article is in large part derived from a public domain publication of the Naval Historical Center, Department of the U.S. Navy .
Bibliography
- Claasen, A.R.A. Hitler's Northern War: The Luftwaffe's Ill-Fated Campaign, 1940-1945. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2001. pp 228-234. ISBN 0-7006-1050-2
- Willliam H. Garzke, Jr., and Robert O. Dulin, Jr., Battleships: Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 1985). Includes the design and operational histories, information on the guns, and other design and statistical information about the ship.
- Siegfried Breyer, Battleships and Battlecruisers 1905-1970 (Doubleday and Company; Garden City, New York, 1973) (originally published in German as Schlachtschiffe und Schlachtkreuzer 1905-1970, J.F. Lehmanns, Verlag, Munchen, 1970). Contains various line drawings of the ship as designed and as built.
- Fritz-Otto Busch, The Sinking of the Scharnhorst (Robert Hale, LTD., London, 1956) ISBN 0-8600-71308, the story of the Battle of North Cape and the final battle as told by a Scharnhorst survivor.
Notes
- The battlecruiser classification came from the Royal Navy, the German Kriegsmarine classification was battleship.
- Scharnhorst General Information from www.scharnhorst-class.dk
External links
- Royal Navy: The Second World War 1939-1945
- Scharnhorst Chronology and External Diagrams at KBismarck.com
- Operation "Berlin"
- Maritimequest Scharnhorst Photo Gallery