Английская Википедия:German cruiser Prinz Eugen
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:For Шаблон:Use shortened footnotes Шаблон:Use dmy dates
Шаблон:Infobox ship imageШаблон:Infobox ship careerШаблон:Infobox ship careerШаблон:Infobox ship characteristicsШаблон:Lang (Шаблон:IPA-de) was an Шаблон:Sclass heavy cruiser, the third of a class of five vessels. She served with Nazi Germany's Шаблон:Lang during World War II. The ship was laid down in April 1936, launched in August 1938, and entered service after the outbreak of war, in August 1940. She was named after Prince Eugene of Savoy, a distinguished 18th-century general in the service of the Holy Roman Empire. She was armed with a main battery of eight Шаблон:Cvt guns and, although nominally under the Шаблон:Convert limit set by the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, actually displaced over Шаблон:Convert.
Шаблон:Lang saw action during Operation Rheinübung, an attempted breakout into the Atlantic Ocean with the battleship Шаблон:Ship in May 1941. The two ships destroyed the British battlecruiser Шаблон:HMS and moderately damaged the battleship Шаблон:HMS in the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Шаблон:Lang was detached from Шаблон:Lang during the operation to raid Allied merchant shipping, but this was cut short due to engine troubles. After putting into occupied France and undergoing repairs, the ship participated in Operation Cerberus, a daring daylight dash through the English Channel back to Germany. In February 1942, Шаблон:Lang was deployed to Norway, although her time stationed there was curtailed when she was torpedoed by the British submarine Шаблон:HMS days after arriving in Norwegian waters. The torpedo severely damaged the ship's stern, which necessitated repairs in Germany.
Upon returning to active service, the ship spent several months training officer cadets in the Baltic before serving as artillery support for the retreating German Army on the Eastern Front. After the German collapse in May 1945, she was surrendered to the British Royal Navy before being transferred to the US Navy as a war prize. After examining the ship in the United States, the US Navy assigned the cruiser to the Operation Crossroads nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll. Having survived the atomic blasts, Шаблон:Lang was towed to Kwajalein Atoll, where she ultimately capsized and sank in December 1946. The wreck remains partially visible above the water approximately two miles northwest of Bucholz Army Airfield, on the edge of Enubuj. One of her screw propellers was salvaged and is on display at the Laboe Naval Memorial in Germany.
Design
The Шаблон:Sclass of heavy cruisers was ordered in the context of German naval rearmament after the Nazi Party came to power in 1933 and repudiated the disarmament clauses of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1935, Germany signed the Anglo–German Naval Agreement with Great Britain, which provided a legal basis for German naval rearmament; the treaty specified that Germany would be able to build five Шаблон:Convert "treaty cruisers".Шаблон:Sfn The Шаблон:Langs were nominally within the 10,000-ton limit, though they significantly exceeded the figure.Шаблон:Sfn
Шаблон:Lang was Шаблон:Convert long overall, and had a beam of Шаблон:Convert and a maximum draft of Шаблон:Convert. After launching, her straight bow was replaced with a clipper bow, increasing the length overall to Шаблон:Convert. The new bow kept her foredeck much drier in heavy weather.Шаблон:Sfn The ship had a design displacement of Шаблон:Convert and a full-load displacement of Шаблон:Convert. Шаблон:Lang was powered by three sets of geared steam turbines, which were supplied with steam by twelve ultra-high pressure oil-fired boilers. The ship's propulsion system was rated for a top speed of Шаблон:Convert from Шаблон:Convert.Шаблон:Sfn As designed, her standard complement consisted of 42 officers and 1,340 enlisted men.Шаблон:Sfn
The ship's primary armament was eight [[20.3 cm SK C/34 naval gun|Шаблон:Cvt SK L/60]] guns mounted in four twin turrets, placed in superfiring pairs forward and aft.Шаблон:Efn Her anti-aircraft battery consisted of twelve Шаблон:Convert L/65 guns, twelve Шаблон:Convert guns, and eight Шаблон:Convert guns. The ship also carried a pair of triple Шаблон:Cvt torpedo launchers abreast of the rear superstructure. For aerial reconnaissance, she was equipped with three Arado Ar 196 seaplanes and one catapult.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s armored belt was Шаблон:Convert thick; her upper deck was Шаблон:Convert thick and her main armored deck was Шаблон:Convert thick. The main battery turrets had Шаблон:Convert thick faces and 70 mm thick sides.Шаблон:Sfn
Service history
Шаблон:Lang was ordered by the Шаблон:Lang from the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel.Шаблон:Sfn Her keel was laid down on 23 April 1936,Шаблон:Sfn under construction number 564 and the contract name "Шаблон:Lang J".Шаблон:Sfn She was originally to be named after Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, the Austrian victor of the Battle of Lissa, though considerations over the possible insult to Italy, defeated by Tegetthoff at Lissa, led the Kriegsmarine to adopt Prinz Eugen as the ship's namesake.Шаблон:Sfn She was launched on 22 August 1938,Шаблон:Sfn in a ceremony attended by the Governor (Шаблон:Lang) of the Ostmark, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, who made the christening speech. Also present at the launch were Adolf Hitler, the Regent of Hungary, Admiral Miklós Horthy (who had commanded the battleship Шаблон:SMS from 24 November 1917 to 1 March 1918), and his wife Magdolna Purgly, who performed the christening.Шаблон:Sfn As built, the ship had a straight stem, though after her launch this was replaced with a clipper bow. A raked funnel cap was also installed.Шаблон:Sfn
Commissioning was delayed slightly due to light damage sustained during a Royal Air Force attack on Kiel on the night of 1 July 1940. Шаблон:Lang suffered two relatively light hits in the attack,Шаблон:Sfn but she was not seriously damaged and was commissioned into service on 1 August.Шаблон:Sfn The cruiser spent the remainder of 1940 conducting sea trials in the Baltic Sea.Шаблон:Sfn In early 1941, the ship's artillery crews conducted gunnery training. A short period in dry dock for final modifications and improvements followed.Шаблон:Sfn In April, the ship joined the newly commissioned battleship Шаблон:Ship for maneuvers in the Baltic. The two ships had been selected for Operation Rheinübung, a breakout into the Atlantic to raid Allied commerce.Шаблон:Sfn
On 23 April, while passing through the Fehmarn Belt en route to Kiel,Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Lang detonated a magnetic mine dropped by British aircraft. The mine damaged the fuel tank, propeller shaft couplings,Шаблон:Sfn and fire control equipment.Шаблон:Sfn The planned sortie with Шаблон:Lang was delayed while repairs were carried out.Шаблон:Sfn Admirals Erich Raeder and Günther Lütjens discussed the possibility of delaying the operation further, in the hopes that repairs to the battleship Шаблон:Ship would be completed or Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s sistership Шаблон:Ship would complete trials in time for the ships to join Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang. Raeder and Lütjens decided that it would be most beneficial to resume surface actions in the Atlantic as soon as possible, however, and that the two ships should sortie without reinforcement.Шаблон:Sfn
Operation Rheinübung
By 11 May 1941, repairs to Шаблон:Lang had been completed. Under the command of Шаблон:Lang (KzS—Captain at Sea) Helmuth Brinkmann, the ship steamed to Gotenhafen, where the crew readied her for her Atlantic sortie. On 18 May, Шаблон:Lang rendezvoused with Шаблон:Lang off Cape Arkona.Шаблон:Sfn The two ships were escorted by three destroyers—Шаблон:Ship, Шаблон:Ship, and Шаблон:Ship—and a flotilla of minesweepers.Шаблон:Sfn The Luftwaffe provided air cover during the voyage out of German waters.Шаблон:Sfn At around 13:00 on 20 May, the German flotilla encountered the Swedish cruiser Шаблон:HSwMS; the cruiser shadowed the Germans for two hours in the Kattegat.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Lang transmitted a report to naval headquarters, stating: "Two large ships, three destroyers, five escort vessels, and 10–12 aircraft passed Marstrand, course 205°/20'."Шаблон:Sfn The Шаблон:Lang (OKM—Naval High Command) was not concerned about the security risk posed by Шаблон:Lang, though Lütjens believed operational security had been lost.Шаблон:Sfn The report eventually made its way to Captain Henry Denham, the British naval attaché to Sweden, who transmitted the information to the Admiralty.Шаблон:Sfn
The code-breakers at Bletchley Park confirmed that an Atlantic raid was imminent, as they had decrypted reports that Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang had taken on prize crews and requested additional navigational charts from headquarters. A pair of Supermarine Spitfires were ordered to search the Norwegian coast for the German flotilla.Шаблон:Sfn On the evening of 20 May, Шаблон:Lang and the rest of the flotilla reached the Norwegian coast; the minesweepers were detached and the two raiders and their destroyer escorts continued north. The following morning, radio-intercept officers on board Шаблон:Lang picked up a signal ordering British reconnaissance aircraft to search for two battleships and three destroyers northbound off the Norwegian coast.Шаблон:Sfn At 7:00 on the 21st, the Germans spotted four unidentified aircraft that quickly departed. Shortly after 12:00, the flotilla reached Bergen and anchored at Grimstadfjord. While there, the ships' crews painted over the Baltic camouflage with the standard "outboard gray" worn by German warships operating in the Atlantic.Шаблон:Sfn
While in Bergen, Шаблон:Lang took on Шаблон:Convert of fuel; Шаблон:Lang inexplicably failed to similarly refuel.Шаблон:Sfn At 19:30 on 21 May, Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang, and the three escorting destroyers left port.Шаблон:Sfn By midnight, the force was in the open sea and headed toward the Arctic Ocean. At this time, Admiral Raeder finally informed Hitler of the operation, who reluctantly allowed it to continue as planned. The three escorting destroyers were detached at 04:14 on 22 May, while the force steamed off Trondheim. At around 12:00, Lütjens ordered his two ships to turn toward the Denmark Strait to attempt the breakout into the open waters of the Atlantic.Шаблон:Sfn
By 04:00 on 23 May, Lütjens ordered Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang to increase speed to Шаблон:Convert to make the dash through the Denmark Strait.Шаблон:Sfn Upon entering the Strait, both ships activated their FuMO radar detection equipment sets.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Lang led Шаблон:Lang by about Шаблон:Convert; mist reduced visibility to Шаблон:Convert. The Germans encountered some ice at around 10:00, which necessitated a reduction in speed to Шаблон:Convert. Two hours later, the pair had reached a point north of Iceland. The ships were forced to zigzag to avoid ice floes. At 19:22, hydrophone and radar operators aboard the German warships detected the cruiser Шаблон:HMS at a range of approximately Шаблон:Convert.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s radio-intercept team decrypted the radio signals being sent by Suffolk and learned that their location had indeed been reported.Шаблон:Sfn
Admiral Lütjens gave permission for Шаблон:Lang to engage Suffolk, though the captain of the German cruiser could not clearly make out his target and so held fire.Шаблон:Sfn Suffolk quickly retreated to a safe distance and shadowed the German ships. At 20:30, the heavy cruiser Шаблон:HMS joined Suffolk, but approached the German raiders too closely. Lütjens ordered his ships to engage the British cruiser; Шаблон:Lang fired five salvoes, three of which straddled Norfolk and rained shell splinters on her decks. The cruiser laid a smoke screen and fled into a fog bank, ending the brief engagement. The concussion from the 38 cm guns disabled Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s FuMo 23 radar set; this prompted Lütjens to order Шаблон:Lang to take station ahead so she could use her functioning radar to scout for the formation. The British cruisers tracked Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang through the night, continually relaying the location and bearing of the German ships.Шаблон:Sfn
Battle of the Denmark Strait
The harsh weather broke on the morning of 24 May, revealing a clear sky. At 05:07 that morning, hydrophone operators aboard Шаблон:Lang detected a pair of unidentified vessels approaching the German formation at a range of Шаблон:Convert, reporting "Noise of two fast-moving turbine ships at 280° relative bearing!".Шаблон:Sfn At 05:45, lookouts on the German ships spotted smoke on the horizon; these turned out to be from Шаблон:HMS and Шаблон:HMS, under the command of Vice Admiral Lancelot Holland. Lütjens ordered his ships' crews to battle stations. By 05:52, the range had fallen to Шаблон:Convert and Hood opened fire, followed by Prince of Wales a minute later.Шаблон:Sfn Hood engaged Шаблон:Lang, which the British thought to be Шаблон:Lang, while Prince of Wales fired on Шаблон:Lang.Шаблон:Efn
The British ships approached the Germans head on, which permitted them to use only their forward guns, while Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang could fire full broadsides. Several minutes after opening fire, Holland ordered a 20° turn to port, which would allow his ships to engage with their rear gun turrets. Both German ships concentrated their fire on Hood. About a minute after opening fire, Шаблон:Lang scored a hit with a high-explosive 20.3 cm shell, detonating unrotated projectile ammunition and starting a large fire on Hood, which was quickly extinguished.Шаблон:Sfn Holland then ordered a second 20° turn to port, to bring his ships on a parallel course with Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang. By this time, Шаблон:Lang had found the range to Hood, so Lütjens ordered Шаблон:Lang to shift fire and target Prince of Wales to keep both of his opponents under fire. Within a few minutes, Шаблон:Lang scored a pair of hits on the battleship and reported that a small fire had been started.Шаблон:Sfn
Lütjens then ordered Шаблон:Lang to drop behind Шаблон:Lang, so she could continue to monitor the location of Norfolk and Suffolk, which were still some Шаблон:Convert to the east. At 06:00, Hood was completing her second turn to port when Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s fifth salvo hit. Two of the shells landed short, striking the water close to the ship, but at least one of the 38 cm armor-piercing shells struck Hood and penetrated her thin upper belt armor. The shell reached HoodШаблон:'s rear ammunition magazine and detonated Шаблон:Convert of cordite propellant.Шаблон:Sfn The massive explosion broke the back of the ship between the main mast and the rear funnel; the forward section continued to move forward briefly before the in-rushing water caused the bow to rise into the air at a steep angle. The stern similarly rose upward as water rushed into the ripped-open compartments.Шаблон:Sfn After only eight minutes of firing, Hood had disappeared, taking all but three of her crew of 1,419 men with her.Шаблон:Sfn
After a few more minutes, during which Prince of Wales scored three hits on Шаблон:Lang, the damaged British battleship withdrew. The Germans ceased fire as the range widened, though Captain Ernst Lindemann, Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s commander, strongly advocated chasing Prince of Wales and destroying her.Шаблон:Sfn Lütjens firmly rejected the request, and instead ordered Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang to head for the open waters of the North Atlantic.Шаблон:Sfn After the end of the engagement, Lütjens reported that a "Battlecruiser, probably Hood, sunk. Another battleship, King George V or Renown, turned away damaged. Two heavy cruisers maintain contact."Шаблон:Sfn At 08:01, he transmitted a damage report and his intentions to OKM, which were to detach Шаблон:Lang for commerce raiding and to make for St. Nazaire for repairs.Шаблон:Sfn Shortly after 10:00, Lütjens ordered Шаблон:Lang to fall behind Шаблон:Lang to discern the severity of the oil leakage from the bow hit. After confirming "broad streams of oil on both sides of [[[:Шаблон:Lang]]Шаблон:'s] wake",Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Lang returned to the forward position.Шаблон:Sfn
Separation and return to France
With the weather worsening, Lütjens attempted to detach Шаблон:Lang at 16:40. The squall was not heavy enough to cover her withdrawal from Wake-Walker's cruisers, which continued to maintain radar contact. Шаблон:Lang was therefore recalled temporarily.Шаблон:Sfn The cruiser was successfully detached at 18:14. Шаблон:Lang turned around to face Wake-Walker's formation, forcing Suffolk to turn away at high speed. Prince of Wales fired twelve salvos at Шаблон:Lang, which responded with nine salvos, none of which hit. The action diverted British attention and permitted Шаблон:Lang to slip away.Шаблон:Sfn
On 26 May, Шаблон:Lang rendezvoused with the supply ship Шаблон:Lang to refill her nearly empty fuel tanks.Шаблон:Sfn She had by then only 160 tons fuel left, enough for a day.Шаблон:Sfn Afterwards the ship continued further south on a mission against shipping lines.Шаблон:Sfn Before any merchant ship was found, defects in her engines showed and on 27 May, the day Шаблон:Lang was sunk, she was ordered to give up her mission and make for a port in occupied France.Шаблон:Sfn On 28 May Шаблон:Lang refueled from the tanker Шаблон:Lang. The same day more engine problems showed up, including trouble with the port engine turbine, the cooling of the middle engine and problems with the starboard screw, reducing her maximum speed to 28 knots.Шаблон:Sfn The screw problems could only be checked and repaired in a dock and thus Brest, with its large docks and repair facilities, was chosen as destination. Despite the many British warships and several convoys in the area (at least 104 units were identified on the 29th by the ship's radio crew) Шаблон:Lang reached the Bay of Biscay undiscovered, and on 1 June the ship was joined by German destroyers and aircraft off the coast of France south of Brest;Шаблон:Sfn and escorted to Brest, which she reached late on 1 June where she immediately entered dock.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
Operation Cerberus and Norwegian operations
Brest is not far from bases in southern England and during their stay in Brest Шаблон:Lang and the battleships Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Ship were repeatedly attacked by Allied bombers.Шаблон:Sfn The Royal Air Force jokingly referred to the three ships as the Brest Bomb Target Flotilla, and between 1 August and 31 December 1941 it dropped some 1200 tons of bombs on the port.Шаблон:Sfn On the night of 1 July 1941,Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Lang was struck by an armor-piercing bomb that destroyed the control center deep down under the bridge. The attack killed 60 men and wounded more than 40 others.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The loss of the control center also made the main guns useless and repairs lasted until the end of the year.Шаблон:Sfn
The continuous air attacks led the German command to decide Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang would have to move to safer bases as soon as they were repaired and ready. Meanwhile, the Шаблон:Lang operation had demonstrated the risks of operating in the Atlantic without air cover. In addition, Hitler saw the Norwegian theater as the "zone of destiny", so he ordered the three ships' return to Germany in early 1942 so they could be deployed there.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The intention was to use the ships to interdict Allied convoys to the Soviet Union, as well as to strengthen the defenses of Norway.Шаблон:Sfn Hitler insisted they would make the voyage via the English Channel, despite Raeder's protests that it was too risky.Шаблон:Sfn Vice Admiral Otto Ciliax was given command of the operation. In early February, minesweepers swept a route through the Channel, though the British failed to detect the activity.Шаблон:Sfn
At 23:00 on 11 February, Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang, and Шаблон:Lang left Brest. They entered the Channel an hour later; the three ships sped at Шаблон:Convert, hugging the French coast along the voyage. By 06:30, they had passed Cherbourg, at which point they were joined by a flotilla of torpedo boats.Шаблон:Sfn The torpedo boats were led by Шаблон:Lang Erich Bey, aboard the destroyer Шаблон:Ship. Шаблон:Lang (General of Fighter Force) Adolf Galland directed Luftwaffe fighter and bomber forces (Operation Donnerkeil) during Cerberus.Шаблон:Sfn The fighters flew at masthead-height to avoid detection by the British radar network. Liaison officers were present on all three ships. German aircraft arrived later to jam British radar with chaff.Шаблон:Sfn By 13:00, the ships had cleared the Strait of Dover but, half an hour later, a flight of six Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers, with Spitfire escort, attacked the Germans. The British failed to penetrate the Luftwaffe fighter shield, and all six Swordfish were destroyed.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
Off Dover, Шаблон:Lang came under fire from British coastal artillery batteries, though they scored no hits. Several Motor Torpedo Boats then attacked the ship, but Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s destroyer escorts drove the vessels off before they could launch their torpedoes. At 16:43, Шаблон:Lang encountered five British destroyers: Шаблон:HMS, Шаблон:HMS, Шаблон:HMS, Шаблон:HMS, and Шаблон:HMS. She fired her main battery at them and scored several hits on Worcester, but she was forced to maneuver erratically to avoid their torpedoes.Шаблон:Sfn Nevertheless, Шаблон:Lang arrived in Brunsbüttel on the morning of 13 February, completely undamaged,Шаблон:Sfn but suffering the only casualty in all three big ships, killed by aircraft gunfire.Шаблон:Sfn
On 21 February 1942, Шаблон:Lang, the heavy cruiser Шаблон:Ship, and the destroyers Шаблон:Ship, Шаблон:Ship, Шаблон:Ship, Шаблон:Ship, and Шаблон:Ship steamed to Norway.Шаблон:Sfn After stopping briefly in Grimstadfjord, the ships proceeded on to Trondheim. Two days later, while patrolling off the Trondheimsfjord, the British submarine Шаблон:HMS torpedoed Шаблон:Lang.Шаблон:Sfn The torpedo struck the ship in the stern, killing fifty men, causing serious damage, and rendering the ship unmaneuverable. However, on her own power she managed to reach Trondheim and from there was towed to Шаблон:Ill, where, over the next few months, emergency repairs were effected. Her entire stern was cut away and plated over and two jury-rigged rudders, operated manually by capstans, were installed.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
On 16 May, Шаблон:Lang made the return voyage to Germany under her own power. While en route to Kiel, the ship was attacked by a British force of 19 Bristol Blenheim bombers and 27 Bristol Beaufort torpedo bombers commanded by Wing Commander Mervyn Williams, though the aircraft failed to hit the ship.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Lang was out of service for repairs until October; she conducted sea trials beginning on 27 October.Шаблон:Sfn Hans-Erich Voss, who later became Hitler's Naval Liaison Officer, was given command of the ship when she returned to service.Шаблон:Sfn In reference to her originally planned name, the ship's bell from the Austrian battleship Шаблон:SMS was presented on 22 November by the Italian Шаблон:Lang (Rear Admiral) de Angeles.Шаблон:Sfn Over the course of November and December, the ship was occupied with lengthy trials in the Baltic. In early January 1943, the Шаблон:Lang ordered the ship to return to Norway to reinforce the warships stationed there. Twice in January Шаблон:Lang attempted to steam to Norway with Шаблон:Lang, but both attempts were broken off after British surveillance aircraft spotted the two ships. After it became apparent that it would be impossible to move the ship to Norway, Шаблон:Lang was assigned to the Fleet Training Squadron. For nine months, she cruised the Baltic training cadets.Шаблон:Sfn
Service in the Baltic
As the Soviet Army pushed the Wehrmacht back on the Eastern Front, it became necessary to reactivate Шаблон:Lang as a gunnery support vessel; on 1 October 1943, the ship was reassigned to combat duty.Шаблон:Sfn In June 1944, Шаблон:Lang, the heavy cruiser Шаблон:Lang, and the 6th Destroyer Flotilla formed the Second Task Force, later renamed Task Force Thiele after its commander, Шаблон:Lang August Thiele. Шаблон:Lang was at this time under the command of KzS Hans-Jürgen Reinicke; throughout June she steamed in the eastern Baltic, northwest of the island of Utö as a show of force during the German withdrawal from Finland. On 19–20 August, the ship steamed into the Gulf of Riga and bombarded Tukums.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Four destroyers and two torpedo boats supported the action, along with Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s Ar 196 floatplanes; the cruiser fired a total of 265 shells from her main battery.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s bombardment was instrumental in the successful repulse of the Soviet attack.Шаблон:Sfn
In early September, Шаблон:Lang supported a failed attempt to seize the fortress island of Hogland. The ship then returned to Gotenhafen, before escorting a convoy of ships evacuating German soldiers from Finland.Шаблон:Sfn The convoy, consisting of six freighters, sailed on 15 September from the Gulf of Bothnia, with the entire Second Task Force escorting it. Swedish aircraft and destroyers shadowed the convoy, but did not intervene. The following month, Шаблон:Lang returned to gunfire support duties. On 11 and 12 October, she fired in support of German troops in Memel.Шаблон:Sfn Over the first two days, the ship fired some 700 rounds of ammunition from her main battery. She returned on the 14th and 15th, after having restocked her main battery ammunition, to fire another 370 rounds.Шаблон:Sfn
While on the return voyage to Gotenhafen on 15 October, Шаблон:Lang inadvertently rammed the light cruiser Шаблон:Ship amidships north of Hela.Шаблон:Sfn The cause of the collision was heavy fog.Шаблон:Sfn The light cruiser was nearly cut in half,Шаблон:Sfn and the two ships remained wedged together for fourteen hours.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Lang was taken to Gotenhafen, where repairs were effected within a month.Шаблон:Sfn Sea trials commenced on 14 November.Шаблон:Sfn On 20–21 November, the ship supported German troops on the Sworbe Peninsula by firing around 500 rounds of main battery ammunition. Four torpedo boats—T13, T16, T19, and T21—joined the operation.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Lang then returned to Gotenhafen to resupply and have her worn-out gun barrels re-bored.Шаблон:Sfn
The cruiser was ready for action by mid-January 1945, when she was sent to bombard Soviet forces in Samland.Шаблон:Sfn The ship fired 871 rounds of ammunition at the Soviets advancing on the German bridgehead at Cranz held by the XXVIII Corps, which was protecting Königsberg. She was supported in this operation by the destroyer Z25 and torpedo boat Шаблон:Ship.Шаблон:Sfn At that point, Шаблон:Lang had expended her main battery ammunition, and critical munition shortages forced the ship to remain in port until 10 March, when she bombarded Soviet forces around Gotenhafen, Danzig, and Hela. During these operations, she fired a total of 2,025 shells from her 20.3 cm guns and another 2,446 rounds from her 10.5 cm guns. The old battleship Шаблон:SMS also provided gunfire support, as did Шаблон:Lang after 25 March. The ships were commanded by Шаблон:Lang Bernhard Rogge.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
The following month, on 8 April, Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang steamed to Swinemünde.Шаблон:Sfn On 13 April, 34 Lancaster bombers attacked the two ships while in port. Thick cloud cover forced the British to abort the mission and return two days later. On the second attack, they succeeded in sinking Шаблон:Lang with a single Tallboy bomb hit.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Lang then departed Swinemünde for Copenhagen,Шаблон:Sfn arriving on 20 April. Once there, she was decommissioned on 7 May and turned over to Royal Navy control the following day.Шаблон:Sfn For his leadership of Шаблон:Lang in the final year of the war, Reinicke was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 21 April 1945.Шаблон:Sfn During her operational career with the Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang lost 115 crew members; 79 men were killed in action, 33 were killed in accidents and three died of other causes. Of these 115 crew members, four were officers, seven were cadets or ensigns, two were petty officers, 22 were junior petty officers, 78 were sailors and two were civilians.Шаблон:Sfn
On 27 May 1945, Шаблон:Lang and the light cruiser Шаблон:Ship—the only major German naval vessels to survive the war in serviceable condition—were escorted by the British cruisers Шаблон:HMS and Шаблон:HMS to Wilhelmshaven. On 13 December, Шаблон:Lang was awarded as a war prize to the United States, which sent the ship to Wesermünde.Шаблон:Sfn The United States did not particularly want the cruiser, but it did want to prevent the Soviet Union from acquiring it.Шаблон:Sfn Her US commander, Captain Arthur H. Graubart, recounted later how the British, Soviet and US representatives in the Control Commission all claimed the ship and how in the end the various large prizes were divided in three lots, Шаблон:Lang being one of them. The three lots were then drawn lottery style from his hat with the British and Soviet representatives drawing the lots for other ships and Graubart being left with the lot for Шаблон:Lang.Шаблон:Sfn The cruiser was commissioned into the US Navy as the unclassified miscellaneous vessel USS Шаблон:Lang with the hull number IX-300. A composite American-German crew consisting of 574 German officers and sailors, supervised by eight American officers and eighty-five enlisted men under the command of Graubart,Шаблон:Sfn[1] then took the ship to Boston, departing on 13 January 1946 and arriving on 22 January.Шаблон:Sfn
After arriving in Boston, the ship was extensively examined by the US Navy.Шаблон:Sfn Her very large GHG passive sonar array was removed and installed on the submarine Шаблон:USS for testing.Шаблон:Sfn American interest in magnetic amplifier technology increased again after findings in investigations of the fire control system of Шаблон:Lang.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The guns from turret Anton were removed while in Philadelphia in February.Шаблон:Sfn On 1 May the German crewmen left the ship and returned to Germany. Thereafter, the American crew had significant difficulties in keeping the ship's propulsion system operational—eleven of her twelve boilers failed after the Germans departed. The ship was then allocated to the fleet of target ships for Operation Crossroads in Bikini Atoll. Operation Crossroads was a major test of the effects of nuclear weapons on warships of various types. The trouble with Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s propulsion system may have influenced the decision to dispose of her in the nuclear tests.[1]Шаблон:Sfn
She was towed to the Pacific via Philadelphia and the Panama Canal,[1] departing on 3 March.Шаблон:Sfn The ship survived two atomic bomb blasts: Test Able, an air burst on 1 July 1946 and Test Baker, a submerged detonation on 25 July.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Lang was moored about Шаблон:Convert from the epicenter of both blasts and was only lightly damaged by them;Шаблон:Sfn the Able blast only bent her foremast and broke the top of her main mast.Шаблон:Sfn She suffered no significant structural damage from the explosions but was thoroughly contaminated with radioactive fallout.Шаблон:Sfn The ship was towed to the Kwajalein Atoll in the central Pacific, where a small leak went unrepaired due to the radiation danger.Шаблон:Sfn On 29 August 1946, the US Navy decommissioned Шаблон:Lang.Шаблон:Sfn
By late December 1946, the ship was in very bad condition; on 21 December, she began to list severely.[1] A salvage team could not be brought to Kwajalein in time,Шаблон:Sfn so the US Navy attempted to beach the ship to prevent her from sinking, but on 22 December, Шаблон:Lang capsized and sank.[1] Her main battery gun turrets fell out of their barbettes when the ship rolled over. The ship's stern, including her propeller assemblies, remains visible above the surface of the water.Шаблон:Sfn The US government denied salvage rights on the grounds that it did not want the contaminated steel entering the market.Шаблон:Sfn In August 1979, one of the ship's screw propellers was retrieved and placed in the Laboe Naval Memorial in Germany.Шаблон:Sfn The ship's bell is currently held at the National Museum of the United States Navy, while the bell from Шаблон:Lang is held in Graz, Austria.Шаблон:Sfn
Beginning in 1974, the US government began to warn about the danger of an oil leak from the ship's full fuel bunkers. The government was concerned about the risk of a severe typhoon damaging the wreck and causing a leak. Starting in February 2018, the US Navy, including the Navy's Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit One, US Army, and the Marshall Islands conducted a joint oil removal effort with the salvage ship Шаблон:USNS, which had cut holes into the ship's fuel tanks to pump the oil from the wreck directly into the oil tanker Humber.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The US Navy announced that the work had been completed by 15 October 2018; the project had extracted approximately Шаблон:Convert of fuel oil, which amounted to 97 percent of the fuel remaining aboard the wreck. Lieutenant Commander Tim Emge, the officer responsible for the salvage operation, stated that "There are no longer active leaks... the remaining oil is enclosed in a few internal tanks without leakage and encased by layered protection."Шаблон:Sfn
Footnotes
Notes
Citations
References
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Further reading
Шаблон:Admiral Hipper class cruiser Шаблон:1946 shipwrecks Шаблон:Good article Шаблон:Coord
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- Ships involved in Operation Crossroads
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