Английская Википедия:German cruiser Admiral Hipper
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Other ships Шаблон:Use shortened footnotes Шаблон:Use dmy dates
Шаблон:Infobox ship imageШаблон:Infobox ship careerШаблон:Infobox ship characteristicsШаблон:Lang was the lead ship of the Шаблон:Sclass of heavy cruisers which served with Nazi Germany's Шаблон:Lang during World War II. The ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1935 and launched February 1937; Шаблон:Lang entered service shortly before the outbreak of war, in April 1939. The ship was named after Admiral Franz von Hipper, commander of the German battlecruiser squadron during the Battle of Jutland in 1916 and later commander-in-chief of the German High Seas Fleet. 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 a significant amount of action during the war, notably present during the Battle of the Atlantic. She led the assault on Trondheim during Operation Weserübung; while en route to her objective, she sank the British destroyer Шаблон:HMS. In December 1940, she broke out into the Atlantic Ocean to operate against Allied merchant shipping, though this operation ended without significant success. In February 1941, Шаблон:Lang sortied again, sinking several merchant vessels before eventually returning to Germany via the Denmark Strait. The ship was then transferred to northern Norway to participate in operations against convoys to the Soviet Union, culminating in the Battle of the Barents Sea on 31 December 1942, where she sank the destroyer Шаблон:HMS and the minesweeper Шаблон:HMS but was in turn damaged and forced to withdraw by the light cruisers Шаблон:HMS and Шаблон:HMS.
Disappointed by the failure to sink merchant ships in that battle, Adolf Hitler ordered the majority of the surface warships scrapped, though Admiral Karl Dönitz was able to persuade Hitler to retain the surface fleet. As a result, Шаблон:Lang was returned to Germany and decommissioned for repairs. The ship was never restored to operational status, however, and on 3 May 1945, Royal Air Force bombers severely damaged her while she was in Kiel, Germany. Her crew scuttled the ship at her moorings, and in July 1945, she was raised and towed to Heikendorfer Bay. She was ultimately broken up for scrap in 1948–1952; her bell is currently on display at the Laboe Naval Memorial near Kiel.
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 the installation of a clipper bow during fitting out, her overall length increased to Шаблон:Convert. 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 top speed was Шаблон:Convert, at Шаблон:Convert.Шаблон:Sfn Her standard complement consisted of 42 officers and 1,340 enlisted men.Шаблон:Sfn
Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s primary armament was eight [[20.3 cm SK C/34 naval gun|Шаблон:Convert SK L/60]] guns mounted in four twin gun 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. She had four triple Шаблон:Convert torpedo launchers, all on the main deck next to the four range finders for the anti-aircraft guns.Шаблон:Sfn
Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s armored belt was Шаблон:Convert thick; her upper deck was Шаблон:Convert thick while the main armored deck was Шаблон:Convert thick. The main battery turrets had Шаблон:Convert thick faces and 70 mm thick sides.Шаблон:Sfn The heaviest armor with Шаблон:Convert thickness was applied to the vertical surfaces of the conning tower, while the horizontal surfaces were limited to Шаблон:Convert.Шаблон:Sfn
The initial design of Шаблон:Lang included an aircraft hangar for one aircraft. During building, the requirements were changed and an aircraft hangar was constructed for two floatplanes that could be stored side by side. The wider aircraft hangar forced the rearrangement of the middle pair of 10.5 cm guns from the superstructure deck to the upper deck, which restricted their arc of fire towards the rear.Шаблон:Sfn The ship was equipped with three Arado Ar 196 seaplanes and one catapult.Шаблон:Sfn In 1941 the aircraft hangar was reduced with place for just one Arado and in total only two Arado floatplanes were carried.Шаблон:Sfn
Service history
Шаблон:Lang was ordered by the Шаблон:Lang from the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg.Шаблон:Sfn Her keel was laid on 6 July 1935,Шаблон:Sfn under construction number 501.Шаблон:Sfn The ship was launched on 6 February 1937, and was completed on 29 April 1939, the day she was commissioned into the German fleet.Шаблон:Sfn The Commander-in-Chief of the Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang (Grand Admiral) Erich Raeder, who had been Franz von Hipper's chief of staff during World War I, gave the christening speech and his wife Erika Raeder performed the christening.Шаблон:SfnШаблон: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
Шаблон:Lang (Captain at Sea) Hellmuth Heye was given command of the ship at her commissioning.Шаблон:Sfn After her commissioning in April 1939, Шаблон:Lang steamed into the Baltic Sea to conduct training maneuvers. The ship also made port calls to various Baltic ports, including cities in Estonia and Sweden. In August, the ship conducted live fire drills in the Baltic. At the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, the ship was still conducting gunnery trials. She was briefly used to patrol the Baltic, but she did not see combat, and was quickly returned to training exercises.Шаблон:Sfn In November 1939, the ship returned to the Blohm & Voss dockyard for modifications; these included the replacement of the straight stem with a clipper bow and the installation of the funnel cap.Шаблон:Sfn
Sea trials in the Baltic resumed in January 1940, but severe ice restrained the ship to port. On 17 February, the Kriegsmarine pronounced the ship fully operational, and on the following day, Шаблон:Lang began her first major wartime patrol Шаблон:Sfn during Operation Nordmark. She joined the battleships Шаблон:Ship and Шаблон:Ship and the destroyers Шаблон:Ship and Шаблон:Ship in a sortie into the North Sea off Bergen, Norway. A third destroyer, Шаблон:Ship, was forced to turn back after sustaining damage from ice. The ships operated under the command of Admiral Wilhelm Marschall.Шаблон:Sfn The ships attempted to locate British merchant shipping, but failed and returned to port on 20 February.Шаблон:Sfn
Operation Weserübung
Following her return from the North Sea sortie, Шаблон:Lang was assigned to the forces tasked with the invasion of Norway, codenamed Operation Weserübung.Шаблон:Sfn The ship was assigned as the flagship of Group 2, along with the destroyers Шаблон:Ship, Шаблон:Ship, Шаблон:Ship, and Шаблон:Ship. KzS Heye was given command of Group 2 during the operation.Шаблон:Sfn The five ships carried a total of 1,700 Wehrmacht mountain troops, whose objective was the port of Trondheim; the ships loaded the troops in Cuxhaven.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The ships steamed to the Schillig roadstead outside Wilhelmshaven, where they joined Group 1, consisting of ten destroyers, and the battleships Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang under the command of Vice Admiral Günther Lütjens,Шаблон:Sfn which were assigned to cover Groups 1 and 2. The ships steamed out of the roadstead at midnight on the night of 6–7 April.Шаблон:Sfn
Between 14:25 and 14:48 on 7 April, the ships were unsuccessfully attacked West of the Skagerrak by twelve bombers. By evening the weather had deteriorated and several destroyers could not keep up the high ( 27 knots ) speed and remained behind the main force. On 8 April at 09:15 one of the trailing destroyers, the Шаблон:Ship signalled a fight with a British destroyer and at 09:22 Lütjens ordered the Шаблон:Lang to investigate.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Upon arriving on the scene, Шаблон:Lang was initially misidentified by the British destroyer Шаблон:HMS to be a friendly vessel, which allowed the German ship to close the distance and fire first. Шаблон:Lang rained fire on Glowworm, scoring several hits. Glowworm attempted to flee, but when it became apparent she could not break away from the pursuing cruiser, she turned toward Шаблон:Lang and fired a spread of torpedoes, all of which missed. The British destroyer scored one hit on Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s starboard bow before a rudder malfunction set the ship on a collision course with the German cruiser.Шаблон:Sfn The collision with Glowworm tore off a Шаблон:Convert section of Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s armored belt on the starboard side, as well as the ship's starboard torpedo launcher.Шаблон:Sfn Minor flooding caused a four degree list to starboard, though the ship was able to continue with the mission.Шаблон:Sfn GlowwormШаблон:'s boilers exploded shortly after the collision, causing her to sink quickly. Forty survivors were picked up by the German ship.Шаблон:Sfn At 11:14 Шаблон:Lang broke off the rescue operationШаблон:Sfn and set course toward TrondheimШаблон:Sfn with her four destroyers, whilst Group 1 set course for Narvik. Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang took a position South of the Lofoten in the Vestfjorden to cover both landings.Шаблон:Sfn The British destroyer had survived long enough to send a wireless message to the Royal Navy headquarters, which allowed the battlecruiser Шаблон:HMS time to move into position to engage Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang, though the German battleships used their superior speed to break off contact.Шаблон:Sfn
Group 2 was sighted at 14:50 by a Short Sunderland, and signal intelligence indicated enemy ships were operating nearby. In order to clarify the situation, Шаблон:Lang launched at 17:50 an Arado seaplane in the direction of Trondheim. The Arado reported no activity in the approaches to Trondheim and then made an emergency landing in Eide, since the weather was too bad to land at Шаблон:Lang in open sea.Шаблон:Sfn After trying to purchase fuel from locals, the aircrew were detained and handed over to the police. The Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service captured the Arado, which was painted in Norwegian colors and used by the Norwegians until 18 April when it was evacuated to Britain.Шаблон:Sfn
When steaming at maximum speed through the long and narrow Trondheim Fjord towards Trondheim, Шаблон:Lang successfully passed herself off as a British warship long enough to get past the Norwegian coastal artillery batteries. After the ships forced the most narrow part of the fjord between 04:04 and 04:14, one Norwegian battery belatedly opened fire but to no effect. Шаблон:Lang responded with two salvoes from the rear turrets. The two remaining Arado seaplanes were flown off to scout and check the suitable places for airplane and seaplane bases. One of the airplanes also attacked a coastal battery with bombs. The cruiser entered the harbor and anchored at 05:25 to debark the mountain troops.Шаблон:Sfn A German tanker which was scheduled to refuel Group 2 at Trondheim failed to show up, and the ships had to remain in harbor because of fuel shortage. On 10 April an Arado seaplane from Шаблон:Lang brought orders from Lütjens to attempt a breakout and return to Germany together with the two battleships during the following night. Шаблон:Lang left Trondheim at 21:30, escorted by Шаблон:Lang. The two ships steamed first Northwest to clear the Norwegian coast. On 11 April at 02:50, Шаблон:Lang returned to Trondheim because of the bad weather and fuel shortage. In the bad weather Шаблон:Lang was able to take a short, direct route to Germany. The ship joined Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang only at 08:00 on 12 April and they reached Wilhelmshaven at 22:00, Шаблон:Lang with only 125 out of 3005 cubic meters of fuel remaining.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Lang went into drydock where it was discovered the ship had been damaged more severely by the collision with Glowworm than had previously been thought. Nevertheless, repairs were completed in the span of two weeks.Шаблон:Sfn
Operation Juno
Marschall organized a mission to seize Harstad in Northern Norway in early June 1940; Шаблон:Lang, the battleships Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang, and the four destroyers Шаблон:Ship, Шаблон:Ship, Шаблон:Ship and Шаблон:Lang were tasked with the operation.Шаблон:Sfn The ships departed from Kiel on 4 June. Three days later, Шаблон:Lang and the four destroyers refueled from the supply ship Шаблон:Lang.Шаблон:Sfn The plan was to attack the British base at Harstadt in the morning of 9 June, but shortly after midnight of 8 June the plan was changed: a reconnaissance plane reported no ships in Harstadt and since the German ships also detected highly increased convoy radio transmissions, Marschall deduced that the British are evacuating Harstadt. Instead of raiding Harstadt, Marschall decided to operate against the evacuation convoy.Шаблон:Sfn While in search of the convoy, the German force first encountered the tanker Oil Pioneer at 06:45 on 8 June, which was escorted by the trawler HMT Juniper. Шаблон:Lang sank Juniper with gunfire and Шаблон:Lang sank Oil Pioneer. At 10:52, Шаблон:Lang encountered and sank the empty troopship Orama.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Despite launching their Ar 196 reconnaissance planes, the German ships failed to find the convoy, and at 13:00, Шаблон:Lang and the four destroyers returned to Trondheim to cover and protect the German forces there, whilst the battleships refueled from Шаблон:Lang and continued the operation.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Towards the evening Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang found a British force consisting of the British aircraft carrier Шаблон:HMS and two escorting destroyers, Шаблон:HMS and Шаблон:HMS. All three British ships were sunk but Шаблон:Lang was heavily damaged by a torpedo hit and both German battleships returned to Trondheim on 9 June as well.Шаблон:Sfn
On 10 June, Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang left Trondheim with the four destroyers in a second attempt to attack evacuating convoys but they returned to Trondheim the next day, having failed to locate any British vessels.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn On 13 June, fifteen Blackburn Skuas from 800 Naval Air Squadron and 803 Naval Air Squadron took off from the British aircraft carrier Шаблон:HMS to attack the German ships at Trondheim. The bombers hit Шаблон:Lang with a dud bomb and lost eight of their number to fighters and anti-aircraft guns.Шаблон:Sfn The anti-aircraft gunners of Шаблон:Lang shot down one of the attacking British bombers.Шаблон:Sfn In order to cover the return of the damaged Шаблон:Lang to Germany, Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang left Trondheim on 20 June for a raid towards the Iceland-Faeroes passage, but Шаблон:Lang was torpedoed and damaged by the submarine Шаблон:HMS and both ships returned to Trondheim the same dayШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
On 25 July, Шаблон:Lang steamed out on a commerce raiding patrol in the area between Spitzbergen and Tromsø; the cruise lasted until 9 August.Шаблон:Sfn The Arado seaplanes could find a few ships, but these were all neutrals. No British ships were found. On 31 July one of the Arados was lost in an accident. The next day, Шаблон:Lang encountered the Finnish freighter Ester Thorden, which was found to be carrying Шаблон:Convert of gold. The ship was seized and sent to occupied Norway with a prize crew.Шаблон:Sfn On 5 August Шаблон:Lang received orders to return immediately to Germany. The cruiser first replenished from Шаблон:Lang before heading for the Norwegian coast. On 10 August Шаблон:Lang arrived in Wilhelmshaven.Шаблон:Sfn
Operation Nordseetour
The overhaul in Wilhelmshaven was completed on 9 September and with a new commanding officer, Wilhelm Meisel, the cruiser made ready to participate in Operation Sea Lion, the planned invasion of the United Kingdom. Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s role would have been a diversionary foray into the North Sea, Operation Herbstreise or "Autumn Journey", with the aim of luring the British Home Fleet away from the intended invasion routes in the English Channel. Following the postponement of that operation, on 24 September the ship left Wilhelmshaven on a mission break out into the Atlantic Ocean to raid merchant traffic.Шаблон:Sfn The engine oil feed system caught fire and was severely damaged. The fire forced the crew to shut down the ship's propulsion system until the blaze could be brought under control; this rendered Шаблон:Lang motionless for several hours on the open sea. British reconnaissance failed to locate the ship, and after the fire was extinguished, the ship returned to Hamburg's Blohm & Voss shipyard, where repairs lasted slightly over a week.Шаблон:Sfn
The ship made a second attempt to break out into the Atlantic that was designated Operation Nordseetour. On 30 November Шаблон:Lang escorted by five torpedo boats left Germany for Bergen in Norway, where she refueled from the tanker Шаблон:Lang on 1 December. The German cruiser then proceeded towards a position South of Jan Mayen where she refueled several times from the tanker Шаблон:Lang whilst waiting for convenient bad weather to break through the Denmark Strait into the North Atlantic. During a gale in the night of 6 December, she navigated the Denmark Strait undetected.Шаблон:Sfn After a refueling by the tanker Шаблон:Lang on 12 December, Meisel started searching for the convoy HX 94 which according to Шаблон:Lang intelligence was nearby. Шаблон:Lang encountered a few independent sailing vessels but as his orders were to attack only convoys, Meisel did not attack and remained undetected. In deteriorating weather, the convoy was not found. Between refueling twice from the Шаблон:Lang on 16 and 20 December, Шаблон:Lang searched for the convoys SC 15 and HX 95 but again nothing was found because of bad weather. Finally Meisel decided to leave the North Atlantic convoy lanes and to operate on the shipping lanes between the United Kingdom and West Africa, where the B-Dienst had reported the convoys SL 58 and SLS 58. An Arado floatplane was launched to search for the convoys, but the plane went missing and nothing was found. On 23 December the Шаблон:Lang operated between the Azores and Spain.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
On 24 December at dusk, Шаблон:Lang detected with her DeTe radar Convoy WS 5AШаблон:Sfn some Шаблон:Convert west of Cape Finisterre.Шаблон:Sfn She shadowed the convoy during the night with her radar with the intention to attack at dawn. During the night a large escort was visually detected and unsuccessfully attacked with three torpedoes.Шаблон:Sfn Convoy WS 5A was however not one of the regular merchant convoys but a heavily guarded troopship convoy consisting of twenty ships. Five of the twenty ships were allocated to Operation Excess. The convoy was protected by a powerful escort composed of the heavy cruiser Шаблон:HMS and the light cruisers Шаблон:HMS and Шаблон:HMS. The aircraft carriers Шаблон:HMS and Шаблон:HMS were part of the convoy, but not operational as they were transferring crated aircraft.Шаблон:Sfn When Шаблон:Lang attacked in the morning,Шаблон:Sfn she was surprised to make contact with Berwick. A torpedo attack on Berwick failed,Шаблон:Sfn but with her main guns she badly damaged the Шаблон:GRT transport Empire Trooper,Шаблон:Sfn and lightly damaged the freighter Arabistan, before spotting other ships steaming toward her. Believing these ships to be destroyers preparing for a torpedo attack, she quickly withdrew, using her main guns to keep the escorts at bay.Шаблон:Sfn Ten minutes later, Berwick reappeared off Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s port bow;Шаблон:Sfn the German cruiser fired several salvos from her rear turretsШаблон:Sfn and scored hits on the British cruiser's rear turrets, waterline, and forward superstructure. Шаблон:Lang then disengaged, to prevent the 'British destroyers' from closing to launch a torpedo attack.Шаблон:Sfn
By this time, the ship was running low on fuel, and so she put into Brest in occupied France on 27 December,Шаблон:Sfn escorted by the torpedo boat Шаблон:Ship.Шаблон:Sfn While en route, Шаблон:Lang encountered and sank the independent sailing 6,078 GRT passenger ship Шаблон:SS on 25 December.Шаблон:Sfn Another round of routine maintenance work was effected while the ship was in Brest, readying her for another sortie into the Atlantic shipping lanes.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn On 4 January Шаблон:Lang was detected by British air reconnaissance in Brest. The same night a major air raid was mounted with 53 Vickers Wellington, Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and Handley Page Hampden bombers but due to cloud and heavy Flak there was no success.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn In the night of 10 January there was a smaller attack with twelve Whitleys and in the night of 12 January 26 Wellingtons and Hampdens, all without success. The British failed to detect the departure of Шаблон:Lang from Brest on 1 February and continued the attacks. On 4 February a Wellington wrongly claimed a hit on a cruiser in Brest.Шаблон:Sfn
Second Atlantic operation
Шаблон:See alsoThe Шаблон:Lang had initially sought to send the battleships Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang to operate in concert with Шаблон:Lang, but Шаблон:Lang suffered storm damage in December that prevented the participation of the two ships.Шаблон:Sfn Repairs were effected quickly, however, and the two battleships embarked upon a second attempt end January.Шаблон:Sfn On 1 February 1941, Шаблон:Lang embarked on her second Atlantic sortie,Шаблон:Sfn with orders to operate on the convoy lanes between the United Kingdom and West-Africa. The ship was allowed to operate against both lightly escorted convoys and independent sailing vessels, with the hope that her appearance in these waters would draw away British forces from guarding the Denmark Strait, so that Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang could easily break out into the Atlantic.Шаблон:Sfn Between 4 and 10 February Шаблон:Lang patrolled off the Azores but no ships were found. She was refueled several times by the tanker Шаблон:Ship.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Upon learning that the British Force H had sortied from Gibraltar deep into the Mediterranean to bombard La Spezia, Meisel understood that the convoys between the UK, Gibraltar and West Africa were left uncovered with heavy units and he decided to operate closer to Gibraltar,Шаблон:Sfn where U-boat and Luftwaffe had attacked convoy HG 53.Шаблон:Sfn On 11 February, Шаблон:Lang encountered and sank the straggling 1,236 GRT English ship Iceland.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
That evening around midnight, she picked up on her radar the unescorted convoy SLS 64, which contained nineteen merchant ships. The following morning, Шаблон:Lang attacked the convoy and posing as a British cruiser could approach the convoy to close distance before opening fire at 06:19. The surprised ships dispersed at once. At the start of the fight Шаблон:Lang kept between three and five km distance to the ships, but once munition was running low, she closed in order to fire more accurately. After ships were hit with cannon fire and stopped, they were finished off with torpedoes. Шаблон:Lang fired all of her twelve torpedoes and claimed all torpedoes had hit.Шаблон:Sfn At 07:18 only six ships were still in sight of which only two were steaming. Meisel decided to break off the fight and depart before British forces closed in.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The British reported only seven ships were lost, totaling 32,806 GRT along with damage to two more.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Efn The Germans claimed Шаблон:Lang had sunk thirteen of the nineteen freighters totalling 79,000 GRT,Шаблон:Sfn while some survivors reported fourteen ships of the convoy were sunk.Шаблон:Sfn
Following the attack on convoy SLS 64, Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s fuel stocks were running low. Meisel feared that approaching British forces will block the way to the tanker at the AzoresШаблон:Sfn and therefore returned to Brest on 15 February. Since the bigger dry docks had to be kept free for the eventual return of Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang was docked in a smaller one, but when moving into that dock she damaged her starboard screw on uncharted wreckage. A spare screw had to be transferred from Kiel and this caused additional delay.Шаблон:Sfn British bombers were regularly attacking the port, however, and the Шаблон:Lang therefore decided Шаблон:Lang should return to Germany, where she could be better protected.Шаблон:Sfn On 15 March, the ship slipped out of Brest, unobserved, and steered to a rendezvous point South of Greenland with the tanker Шаблон:Lang. The refueling was delayed to 21 March because of bad weather. Since the heavy cruiser Шаблон:Ship was also returning from a raid to Germany around the same time, there was a concern the two ships might hinder each other so Шаблон:Lang got orders to make the breakthrough via the Denmark Strait before 28 March.Шаблон:Sfn She managed to do so on the 24 March.Шаблон:Sfn and two days later stopped to refuel in Bergen.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn By 28 March, the cruiser was docked in Kiel, having made the entire journey without being detected by the British.Шаблон:Sfn
Upon arrival, the ship went into the Шаблон:Lang shipyard for an extensive overhaul, which lasted for seven months. Raeder intended to continue to send the Шаблон:Lang on North Atlantic raids and as her operations so far had been dominated by the constant need to refuel, it was decided to augment her fuel capacity from 3050 to 3700 cubic meters.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The aircraft hangar was also adapted at this time, the large hangar for two floatplanes with folded wings which proved difficult to handle in operations, was replaced by a smaller hangar for just one floatplane, the spare room being taken up by refueling gear and extra food storage room.Шаблон:Sfn After completion of the refit, Шаблон:Lang conducted sea trials in the Baltic before putting into Gotenhafen on 21 December for some minor refitting. In January 1942, the ship had her steam turbines overhauled at the Blohm & Voss shipyard; a degaussing coil was fitted to the ship's hull during this overhaul. By March, the ship was again fully operational.Шаблон:Sfn By then the strategic situation had altered completely: due to British air reconnaissance and developments in radar it was no longer viable to execute raids in the North Atlantic. Instead the German surface fleet concentrated in Norway as a deterrent against an Allied invasion and to attack Arctic convoys to Russia.Шаблон:Sfn
Deployment to Norway
On 19 March 1942, Шаблон:Lang steamed to Trondheim, escorted by the destroyers Шаблон:Ship, Шаблон:Ship, and Шаблон:Ship and the torpedo boats Шаблон:Ship, Шаблон:Ship, and Шаблон:Ship. Several British submarines were patrolling the area, but failed to intercept the German flotilla. Шаблон:Lang and her escorts reached their destination on 21 March.Шаблон:Sfn There, they joined the heavy cruisers Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Ship, though the latter had been torpedoed by the British submarine Шаблон:HMS on 23 FebruaryШаблон:Sfn and returned to Germany for repairs on 16 May.Шаблон:Sfn At the same time the heavy cruiser Шаблон:Ship transferred from Germany to Norway.Шаблон:Sfn In begin March, the battleship Шаблон:Ship had been operating against the Arctic convoy PQ 12 during Operation Sportpalast and had depleted the already very low German fuel stocks. As a result, operations above destroyer level were impossible and the Шаблон:Lang remained in port for the next months.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
In July fuel stocks were sufficient to allow operations again and the Germans intended to attack the next convoy PQ 17 with the complete surface fleet in Operation Rösselsprung.Шаблон:Sfn On 1 July the convoy was located by the B-Dienst and detected by U-boats. The next day, the first stage of Operation Rösselsprung was set in motion when German forces concentrated in Altafjord from where they could sortie against the convoy.Шаблон:Sfn On 2 July, Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang, the destroyers Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Ship and Шаблон:Lang, and the torpedo boats Шаблон:Ship and T15 left Trondheim for Altafjord, followed on 3 July by the cruisers Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang and the destroyers Z24, Шаблон:Ship, Шаблон:Ship, Шаблон:Ship, Z30 and Шаблон:Ship coming from NarvikШаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn in order to avoid British reconnaissance, the German fleet did not steer into open waters but remained close to the coast. In fog Шаблон:Lang ran aground in the narrow Tjeldsundet, and the destroyers Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang struck uncharted rocks at Grimsöy in Vestfjorden and all these ships fell out for the operation.Шаблон:Sfn The destroyers Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang arrived also on 3 July in Altafjord.Шаблон:Sfn
Escorting the convoy were the battleships Шаблон:HMS and Шаблон:USS and the aircraft carrier Шаблон:HMS.Шаблон:Sfn Since aircraft from the Victorious had nearly torpedoed Шаблон:Lang during Operation Sportpalast, Hitler explicitly forbade to launch the next stage of operation Rösselsprung, the actual attack on the convoy, as long as the aircraft carrier was not disabled by the Luftwaffe.Шаблон:Sfn Swedish intelligence had meanwhile reported the German departures to the British Admiralty, which ordered the convoy to disperse in the evening of 4 July. In the morning of 5 July the Germans became aware that the escorts were withdrawing and the merchants were continuing independently. The second stage of Operation Rösselsprung was initiated at 11:37 and Шаблон:Lang left Altafjord together with the German fleet. During the evening it became clear that they had been detected and reported by the British submarine Шаблон:HMS and a Consolidated PBY Catalina from No. 201 Squadron RAF, although an attack by the Soviet submarine K-21 went unnoticed.Шаблон:Sfn The Germans aborted the operation and left the merchants over to the U-boats and the Luftwaffe, which sank 21 of the 34 fleeing transports.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
Due to commitments in the Mediterranean with Operation Pedestal, the Royal Navy was not able to provide sufficient escorts for the next Arctic convoy and the sailing of convoy PQ-18 was delayed until September. The convoy was located on 8 September and on 10 September the Germans set Operation Doppelschlag in motion: all available surface units were ordered to the Altafjord from where they would launch their attack against the convoy. Шаблон:Lang left Narvik together with the Шаблон:Lang, the light cruiser Шаблон:Ship and the destroyers Шаблон:Ship and Z27, and arrived on 11 September in the Altafjord.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang were under repair and remained in Narvik. On their way, the ships were first detected by the British submarine Шаблон:HMS. and then unsuccessfully attacked by the British submarine Шаблон:HMS.Шаблон:Sfn The Norwegian submarine Шаблон:HNoMS and the British submarine Шаблон:HMS sighted the German fleet but were unable to attack. The destroyers Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang, Z29 and Z30 also arrived in Altafjord on 11 September,Шаблон:Sfn but then the operation was once more cancelled because Hitler did not want to risk losses to the surface fleet.Шаблон:Sfn
In Operation Zarin, the cruiser laid a minefield on 24–28 September off the north-west coast of Novaya Zemlya, escorted by the destroyers Z23, Z28, Z29, and Z30 Шаблон:Sfn The goal of the operation was to funnel merchant traffic further south, closer to the reach of German naval units in Norway. After her return to port, Шаблон:Lang was transferred to Bogen Bay near Narvik for repairs to her propulsion system.Шаблон:Sfn
On 28–29 October, Шаблон:Lang and the destroyers Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang were transferred further north from Narvik to the Altafjord.Шаблон:Sfn Because the Allied could not provide sufficient escorts for the next Arctic convoy PQ-19, they decided to cancel the convoy and instead on 29 October thirteen freighters sailed independently from Iceland to the USSR. From the USSR 23 empty ships also tried to return independently to Iceland. Against this traffic the Germans started Operation Hoffnung on 5 November: Шаблон:Lang and the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, composed of Z27, Z30, Шаблон:Lang, and Шаблон:Lang, patrolled for Allied shipping in the Arctic. Шаблон:Lang Oskar Kummetz commanded the squadron from Шаблон:Lang. On 7 November, the cruiser's Arado floatplane located the 7,925 GRT Soviet tanker Шаблон:Lang and its escort, the auxiliary warship BO-78. Kummetz dispatched the destroyer Z27 to sink the two Soviet ships.Шаблон:Sfn On 9 November the ships are back in the Kaafjord.Шаблон:Sfn
Battle of the Barents Sea
In December 1942, convoy traffic to the Soviet Union resumed. Raeder ordered a plan, Operation Regenbogen, to use the available surface units in Norway to launch an attack on the convoys. The first convoy of the month, JW 51A, passed to the Soviet Union without incident. However, the second, convoy JW 51B, was spotted by the submarine Шаблон:GS south of Bear Island. Raeder ordered the forces assigned to Operation Regenbogen into action.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Lang, again served as Kummetz's flagship; the squadron comprised Шаблон:Lang and the destroyers Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang, Z29, Z30, and Шаблон:Ship.Шаблон:Sfn The force left Altafjord at 18:00 on 30 December, under orders to avoid confrontation with even an equal opponent.Шаблон:Sfn
Kummetz's plan was to divide his force in half; he would take Шаблон:Lang and three destroyers north of the convoy to attack it and draw away the escorts. Шаблон:Lang and the remaining three destroyers would then attack the undefended convoy from the south. At 09:15 on the 31st, the British destroyer Шаблон:HMS spotted the three destroyers screening for Шаблон:Lang; the Germans opened fire first. Four of the other five destroyers escorting the convoy rushed to join the fight, while Шаблон:HMS laid a smoke screen to cover the convoy. Шаблон:Lang fired several salvos at Achates, raining shell splinters on the destroyer that severed steam lines and reduced her speed to Шаблон:Convert. Kummetz then turned back north to draw the destroyers away. Captain Robert Sherbrooke, the British escort commander, left two destroyers to cover the convoy while he took the remaining four to pursue Шаблон:Lang.Шаблон:Sfn
Rear Admiral Robert Burnett's Force R, centered on the cruisers Шаблон:HMS and Шаблон:HMS, standing by in distant support of the Allied convoy,Шаблон:Sfn raced to the scene. The cruisers engaged Шаблон:Lang, which had been firing to port at the destroyer Шаблон:HMS. Burnett's ships approached from Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s starboard side and achieved complete surprise.Шаблон:Sfn In the initial series of salvos from the British cruisers, Шаблон:Lang was hit three times.Шаблон:Sfn One of the hits damaged the ship's propulsion system; the No. 3 boiler filled with a mix of oil and water, which forced the crew to turn off the starboard turbine engine. This reduced her speed to Шаблон:Convert. The other two hits started a fire in her aircraft hangar. She fired a single salvo at the cruisers before turning toward them, her escorting destroyers screening her with smoke.Шаблон:Sfn After emerging from the smoke screen, Шаблон:Lang was again engaged by Burnett's cruisers. Owing to the uncertainty over the condition of his flagship and the ferocity of the British defense, Kummetz issued the following order at 10:37: "Break off action and retire to the west."Шаблон:Sfn Mistakenly identifying Sheffield as Шаблон:Lang, the destroyer Шаблон:Lang approached too closely and was sunk.Шаблон:Sfn Meanwhile, Шаблон:Lang closed to within Шаблон:Convert of the convoy, but due to poor visibility, she held her fire. She then received Kummetz's order, and turned west to rendezvous with Шаблон:Lang. Шаблон:Lang inadvertently came alongside Sheffield and Jamaica, and after identifying them as hostile, engaged them. The British cruisers turned toward Шаблон:Lang and came under fire from both German cruisers. Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s firing was more accurate and quickly straddled Sheffield, though the British cruiser escaped unscathed. Burnett quickly decided to withdraw in the face of superior German firepower; his ships were armed with Шаблон:Convert guns, while Шаблон:Lang and Шаблон:Lang carried Шаблон:Convert and Шаблон:Convert guns, respectively.Шаблон:Sfn
Based on the order issued at the outset of the operation to avoid action with a force equal in strength to his own, poor visibility, and the damage to his flagship, Kummetz decided to abort the attack. In the course of the battle, the British destroyer Achates was sunk by the damage inflicted by Шаблон:Lang. The Germans also sank the minesweeper Шаблон:HMS and damaged the destroyers Шаблон:HMS, Obedient, and Obdurate. In return, the British sank Шаблон:Lang and damaged Шаблон:Lang, and forced the Germans to abandon the attack on the convoy.Шаблон:Sfn In the aftermath of the failed operation, a furious Hitler proclaimed that the Шаблон:Lang's surface forces would be paid off and dismantled, and their guns used to reinforce the fortifications of the Atlantic Wall. Admiral Karl Dönitz, Raeder's successor, persuaded Hitler to retain the surface fleet, however.Шаблон:Sfn After returning to Altafjord, emergency repairs to Шаблон:Lang were effected, which allowed her to return to Bogen Bay on 23 January 1943.Шаблон:Sfn That day, Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang, and the destroyer Шаблон:Lang left the Altafjord to return to Germany. The three ships stopped in Narvik on 25 January, and in Trondheim from 30 January to 2 February.Шаблон:Sfn After resuming the voyage south, the ships searched for Norwegian blockade runners in the Skagerrak on 6 February before putting into port at Kiel on 8 February.Шаблон:Sfn On 28 February, the ship was decommissioned in accordance with Hitler's decree.Шаблон:Sfn
Fate
Шаблон:Lang received only basic repairs so that in April the ship could be towed to Pillau in the Baltic, to put her out of the reach of Allied bombers. On 1 March 1944 the Шаблон:Lang was recommissioned in her damaged state as a training ship for cadets in Gotenhafen. During the next five months Шаблон:Lang executed gunnery and sea training in the Baltic. In September she was reported conditionally operational and on 27 October the cadets graduated. In November there were plans drafted to use her for shore bombardments, but as the Soviet army pushed the Germans back on the Eastern Front, her crew was drafted into construction work on the defenses of the city, further impairing Шаблон:LangШаблон:'s ability to enter active service. The Royal Air Force also laid an extensive minefield around the port, which forced the ship to remain in the harbor.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
By the end of 1944, the ship was due for another overhaul; work was to have lasted for three months. The Soviet Army had advanced so far, however, that it was necessary to move the ship farther away from the front, despite the fact that she had only one working turbine.Шаблон:Sfn On 29 January 1945, the ship left Gotenhafen with 1,377 refugees embarked,Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn escorted by the torpedo boat Шаблон:Ship. On the evening of the 30th, Шаблон:Lang received a distress call from the sinking transport Шаблон:Lang, which was also carrying refugees. The cruiser did not stop to pick up survivors due to the threat of the submarine that sank Шаблон:Lang; it would instead become one of the worst maritime disasters in history.Шаблон:Sfn
Шаблон:Lang arrived in Kiel on 2 February and entered the Шаблон:Lang shipyard for refitting. On 3 April, RAF bombers attacked the harbor and hit the Шаблон:Lang with one bomb which failed to penetrate the armor deck but caused six deaths amongst the crew. In the night of 9 April the RAF attacked the port with 591 heavy bombers.Шаблон:Sfn The bombers hit several ships in the harbor: Шаблон:Lang capsized, the light cruiser Шаблон:Ship was hit, and Шаблон:Lang was severely damaged by three bomb hits.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Munitions for her heavy artillery was brought aboard with the idea to operate her as a floating battery, but her crew scuttled the wrecked ship at her moorings at 04:25 on 3 May.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn In July 1945, after the end of the war, Шаблон:Lang was raised and towed to Heikendorfer Bay and subsequently broken up for scrap in 1948–1952. Her bell was on display at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.Шаблон:Sfn The bell has since been returned to Germany and is on display at the Laboe Naval Memorial near Kiel.Шаблон:Sfn
Footnotes
Notes
Citations
References
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
Further reading
Шаблон:Admiral Hipper class cruiser Шаблон:Blohm + Voss Шаблон:May 1945 shipwrecks Шаблон:Good article Шаблон:Authority control
- Английская Википедия
- Страницы с неработающими файловыми ссылками
- Admiral Hipper-class cruisers
- Ships built in Hamburg
- 1937 ships
- World War II cruisers of Germany
- Scuttled vessels of Germany
- Maritime incidents in May 1945
- Страницы, где используется шаблон "Навигационная таблица/Телепорт"
- Страницы с телепортом
- Википедия
- Статья из Википедии
- Статья из Английской Википедии
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