Lot Essay
Tirpitz, Scharnhorst and Admiral Hipper were the products of German naval expansion in the 1930's and even though each achieved a measure of it's objectives, none reached its full potential and all were eventually lost to the Allies.
Tirpitz, sister to Bismarck, was built at the Wilhelmshaven Naval Yard, launched in April 1939 and completed 1941. Impressively armed and heavily armoured, she could make 29 knots and posed a deadly threat to anything the Royal Navy could send against her. Based in Norway from early 1942, she played an important rôle in the so-called 'fleet in being' until bombed and sunk by R.A.F. Lancasters at her moorings off Haakoy Island, near Tromsö, on 12 November 1944.
The battlecruiser Scharnhorst, 34,841 tons, was also built at Wilhelmshaven and completed in January 1939 after numerous changes of design and equipment due to continual reappraisals of her rôle by the German High Command. Beginning her wartime service with the notorius sinking of the lightly-gunned auxiliary criuser Rawalpindi on 23 November 1939, the Norwegian campaign of 1940 culminated in her sinking the aircraft carrier Glorious on 8 June. A three-month sortie into the Atlantic early in 1941 cost the Allies 22 ships and the next year saw her celebrated 'Channel dash' with her sister Gneisenau. Finally cornered off the North Cape whilst lying in wait for Arctic convoys, Scharmhorst was surprised by the battleship Duke of York and sunk after a classic action on 26 December 1943.
Admiral Hipper, a heavy cruiser of 14,050 tons, was laid down in 1935 and completed in April 1939. After a moderately successful career as a convoy raider, she was bombed and badly damaged in her Kiel drydock in April 1945 and scuttled early the following month to prevent her falling into Allied hands.
H.M.S. Devonshire, 9750 tons, was a 'London' cruiser built at Devenport and completed in 1929. Entering service with a complement of 700 men, she was mostly in the Mediterranean up to 1939 but was transferred into the 1st Cruiser Squadron of the Home Fleet when War broke out. In action off Norway in 1940 and the Arctic 1941, she also captured the German Armed Merchant Cruiser Atlantis in the South Atlantic on 22 November 1941. Receiving another battle honour for Diego Suarez in 1942, she survived the War and served as a Cadets' Training Ship until scrapped in 1954.
H.M.S. Newcastle, 9,100 tons and also a heavy cruiser, was built by Vickers Armstrong on the Tyne and completed in 1937. Joining the 2nd Cruiser Squadron of the Home Fleet upon completion, she stayed with that unit until 1940. Serving in the South Atlantic in 1941, she was sent to join the Eastern Fleet in 1942 but was badly damaged in a torpedo attack that June. Returning to duty in the Far East in March 1943, she remained there until the War ended. rebuilt in 1950-52, she returned to the Far East until 1958 and was scrapped the following year.
H.M.S. Cavalier, a 'C' class destroyer of 1,710 tons, was built by White's at Cowes, isle of Wight, and launched on 25th July 1944. Completed too late to see much wartime service, she was sent to the Far East where she participated in both the lead-up to and the aftermouth of the Japanese surrender. In commission until sold for conversion to a museum ship in 1977, she is currently in the news as the result of a successful bid to preserve her at Chatham.
Tirpitz, sister to Bismarck, was built at the Wilhelmshaven Naval Yard, launched in April 1939 and completed 1941. Impressively armed and heavily armoured, she could make 29 knots and posed a deadly threat to anything the Royal Navy could send against her. Based in Norway from early 1942, she played an important rôle in the so-called 'fleet in being' until bombed and sunk by R.A.F. Lancasters at her moorings off Haakoy Island, near Tromsö, on 12 November 1944.
The battlecruiser Scharnhorst, 34,841 tons, was also built at Wilhelmshaven and completed in January 1939 after numerous changes of design and equipment due to continual reappraisals of her rôle by the German High Command. Beginning her wartime service with the notorius sinking of the lightly-gunned auxiliary criuser Rawalpindi on 23 November 1939, the Norwegian campaign of 1940 culminated in her sinking the aircraft carrier Glorious on 8 June. A three-month sortie into the Atlantic early in 1941 cost the Allies 22 ships and the next year saw her celebrated 'Channel dash' with her sister Gneisenau. Finally cornered off the North Cape whilst lying in wait for Arctic convoys, Scharmhorst was surprised by the battleship Duke of York and sunk after a classic action on 26 December 1943.
Admiral Hipper, a heavy cruiser of 14,050 tons, was laid down in 1935 and completed in April 1939. After a moderately successful career as a convoy raider, she was bombed and badly damaged in her Kiel drydock in April 1945 and scuttled early the following month to prevent her falling into Allied hands.
H.M.S. Devonshire, 9750 tons, was a 'London' cruiser built at Devenport and completed in 1929. Entering service with a complement of 700 men, she was mostly in the Mediterranean up to 1939 but was transferred into the 1st Cruiser Squadron of the Home Fleet when War broke out. In action off Norway in 1940 and the Arctic 1941, she also captured the German Armed Merchant Cruiser Atlantis in the South Atlantic on 22 November 1941. Receiving another battle honour for Diego Suarez in 1942, she survived the War and served as a Cadets' Training Ship until scrapped in 1954.
H.M.S. Newcastle, 9,100 tons and also a heavy cruiser, was built by Vickers Armstrong on the Tyne and completed in 1937. Joining the 2nd Cruiser Squadron of the Home Fleet upon completion, she stayed with that unit until 1940. Serving in the South Atlantic in 1941, she was sent to join the Eastern Fleet in 1942 but was badly damaged in a torpedo attack that June. Returning to duty in the Far East in March 1943, she remained there until the War ended. rebuilt in 1950-52, she returned to the Far East until 1958 and was scrapped the following year.
H.M.S. Cavalier, a 'C' class destroyer of 1,710 tons, was built by White's at Cowes, isle of Wight, and launched on 25th July 1944. Completed too late to see much wartime service, she was sent to the Far East where she participated in both the lead-up to and the aftermouth of the Japanese surrender. In commission until sold for conversion to a museum ship in 1977, she is currently in the news as the result of a successful bid to preserve her at Chatham.