KMS Scharnhorst

KMS Scharnhorst History

After the First World War, the Royal Navy continued to guard its trade routes with a powerful fleet of cruisers. In response to the threat of cruisers backed by British battleships, the German Navy developed the concept of the "Panzerschiff" or "pocket battleship" - the construction of naval ships with considerable power, limited by the Treaty of Versailles signed by the major powers after the First World War limit Germany's future warfare capabilities).

The German-class cruiser group consisted of the ships KMS Deutschland, KMS Admiral Scheer and KMS Admiral Graf Spee, built between 1929 and 1936. Each displacement 10,600 to 12,340 tons standard length - heavier than the maximum 10,000 tons allowed by the treaty - all three have 6 x 11" (28 cm) main guns in two triple turrets.

The construction of the German class sparked a naval arms race with France, which fought back with two fast Dunkirk-class battleships. These went from the standard 26,500 tons to 35,500 tons and were proven to be capable of speeds of up to 31 knots (8 x 13-inch guns) with more firepower.

Germany fought back again, scrapping the proposed 4th and 5th Deutsche-class ships in favor of a larger new design - the Scharnhorst class. These twins are 160.5 feet long and displace 22,700 tons larger than the previous German class.

In 1935, the only ship named Scharnhorst was an 18,000-ton cruise ship used by the Third Reich for vacations for workers and military personnel and their families. In January 1936, a new battlecruiser Scharnhorst was launched with her sister ship KMS Gneisenau.

Both displace 32,100 ton standard (or 38,100 LT) fully loaded with 9 x 11" (28 cm/54.5 caliber) SK C/34 guns (so some consider the KMS Scharnhorst to be battleship class and not listed as battlecruiser).

The order for the construction of the battleship "D" or Scharnhorst was placed in the naval shipyard in Wilhelmshaven in late January 1934 and in Kiel on 15 June 1935. The armor of the Scharnhorst class is heavier, accounting for 40% of the total weight of the ship. Diesel engines were considered, but due to the huge demand for power to steer the vessel, a superheated high pressure steam system was required. Scharnhorst was built at Kriegsmarine Werft in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, with hull number "125".

She spent 16 months building the pier before setting sail on October 3, 1936. About 27 months later, on January 7, 1939, Scharnhorst was commissioned and assigned to Captain Otto Silliax.

KMS Scharnhorst had a distinctive profile when she was put into service, including a massive bridge superstructure, three triple main turrets (two front, one rear) and a large funnel. The conning tower is near the funnel and two rear catapults, plus a mast.

She has a total length of 766 feet, a beam length of 98 feet 4 inches, and a water depth of 24 feet 7 inches. Her displacement is 26,000 tons standard.

Her main guns consist of 9 x 11" guns in three triple turrets - two at the front (named Anton and Bruno) and one at the rear (Caesar). The turrets have a maximum elevation angle of 42.5 degrees, with a limited range of 37,000 yards removed. The extra cruiser bow prevented Anton from firing directly forward. Her secondary guns consisted of 12 x 5.9" guns (8 x dual turrets and 4 x single shields). These can be raised to 60 degrees and have a maximum range of 27,000 yards.

Scharnhorst carried a 14 x 4.1 inch anti-aircraft gun (AA) with a range of up to 17,000 yards. These are supported by 16 x 1.5 inch anti-aircraft guns.

Her two catapults provided four seaplane reconnaissance planes, although in 1939 this was reduced to one catapult and two Arado Ar196A-3 seaplanes, while a pylon was added.

To protect her from submarine or mine attack as well as from enemy battleship guns, Scharnhorst is equipped with a 7.8 to 12.6 inch thick Krupp Cement Steel (KC) steel armor belt for protection her waterline. This KC belt assembly protects the ship from a 16-inch (406 mm) shell, which weighs 2,240 lb (1,016 kg) and is fired from a range of 12,000 yards (11,000 m).

Her main turret is armored 14.3 inches up and down, 10.6 inches on the sides, 6.2 inches on top, and 10 inches on the turret. The deck armor used to protect the lower cabin and ammunition compartments has 4 to 5.9 inch plates.

Initial sea trials were conducted in the North Sea in the first half of 1939, and the evaluation indicated that the new boilers needed some work. In addition, poor seaworthiness (due to low freeboard and bow trim) was reported. As a result, KMS Scharnhorst was sent back to the dock at the German Naval Shipyard in Wilhelmshaven for repairs.

On April 1, 1939, Scharnhorst was sent to Wilhelmshaven for repairs and arrived there to launch the new battleship KMS Tirpitz. Scharnhorst is Germany's largest active naval warship, serving as the flagship of the fleet when launched.

Adolf Hitler himself promoted General Erich Raeder to the rank of admiral in a ceremony that took place on the quarterdeck of the Scharnhorst.

After launch and promotion, Scharnhorst was refitted in August 1939. As a result of the tests, an aircraft hangar was added and the tail modified. On September 2, 1939, the Scharnhorst was sent back to sea for her overhaul.

The overheated boiler tubes were still found to be defective, and Wilhelmshaven engineers were on board to oversee modifications and repairs. With the work done, KMS Scharnhorst is ready to go to sea.

On 21 November, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, escorted by destroyers, entered the North Atlantic to locate and attack British ships in the strait between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. In addition, the fleet was called upon to assist the German ironclad KMS Deutschland to return to Germany (due to engine problems) and, if possible, to assist in the return of any German merchant ships.

The 16,000-ton British freighter HMS Rawalpindi patrols Icelandic waters north of the Faroe Islands on 23 November. Rawalpindi has been converted into an armed merchant cruiser (8 x 6 inch guns from Battleship I) and has 276 officers and men. Around 1:30 pm, the ship seen on the horizon was on the starboard side. The warship sailed east halfway between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. The British ship was targeting the unknown vessel, as the German pocket battleship KMS Deutschland had previously reported in the same waters.

The "Operation Station" was ordered, and the captain (Captain Kennedy) gave the order to change course at full speed to the fog bank. Observing the warship in question trying to break the escape route, Kennedy ordered another change of course, starboard toward the iceberg with the idea of ??using him as a shield "Scharnhorst was rapidly approaching and motioned for Rawalpindi to stop.

A warning shot was fired from the bow of the British ship. Captain Kennedy did not stop or respond to the Scharnhorst." o A second signal flashed. The news was also ignored by Rawalpindi.

Rawalpindi determined that the second ship found on the starboard side was the German battlecruiser KMS Gneisenau. Captain Kennedy, now sandwiched between two powerful German warships, decided not to surrender, saying "we will fight with them". A third signal was sent to Rawalpindi to "give up your boat" - this signal was also ignored. Everyone on the Scharnhorst bridge thought the captain of the Rawalpindi was crazy for fighting two battlecruisers with 18 modern 11-inch guns.

After two more signals to abandon ship, a stream of 6-inch shells rained down on Gneisenau, and a reply was received. A second salvo then opened fire on Scharnhorst.

The Scharnhorst responded and hit the Rawalpindi on the ship's deck, destroying the radio room and killing almost everyone on the bridge except Captain Kennedy. Scharnhorst's second and third salvos destroyed the main battery control station, one starboard gun and the power supply to the ship's systems. With no power, the turrets were ordered to fire independently and all available hands were required to transport 6" shells from the magazine to the turret. Rawalpindi's cannons were hit one by one with 11-inch shells, paralyzing them. Rawalpindi was burning from bow to stern, and Captain Kennedy ordered the ship to put down its smokescreen.

Soon the captain died, and the Rawalpindi died in the water. Word of mouth (power outage) ordered to abandon ship. As the ship was lowered, Scharnhorst's guns found the forward magazines, causing Rawalpindi to explode in half and sink.

The Scharnhorst was ordered to rescue the survivors and found only 38 - 238 people killed in the operation.

British ships were sent to assist in the arrival of Rawalpindi, but were unable to search for survivors until German ships evacuated the area. Two destroyers, HMS Derry and HMS Newcastle, were in the shadow of two German battleships, while three British warships - HMS Warspite, HMS Hood and HMS Repulse - sailed into the area. British ships were not equipped with radar, so Scharnhorst and Gneisenau escaped in the storm

Scharnhorst returned to Germany and was held in home waters for security reasons, while Operation Wetheruban was being planned. On April 7, 1940, almost the entire German surface fleet was assembled in the southeastern fjord of the North Sea to capture Denmark and Norway. The German naval invasion force included everything from battleships to electronic boats and needed to transport 120,000 German troops, their weapons and supplies.

The Scharnhorst and Gneisenau missions were the main cover for the invasion of the port cities of Narvik and Trondheim.

A severe storm damaged Scharnhorst in action when her starboard bulkhead warped. Cracks and metal fatigue were soon discovered in the bows of both ships, as well as structural damage to masts and superstructures. On April 9, when Gneisenau contacted a ship on radar, both ships headed for the battle station just before dawn. When the enemy was identified as HMS Renown and its fleet of nine "H" class destroyers, the enemy opened fire and the main guns on the Scharnhorst returned fire. Scharnhorst's radar malfunctioned and she was unable to track her target and was forced to retreat.

The German cruiser managed to escape, but Scharnhorst's turret "Anton" was damaged by rough waves on the bow. Scharnhorst's starboard turbines also failed, forcing both frigates to slow down to 25 knots. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau returned to Wilhelmshaven, Germany, arriving at the port on 2 April.

Scharnhorst had her weapons and propulsion systems overhauled upon her return.

Operation Juno was an ongoing naval operation at the end of the Norwegian campaign. When the ships left, the British evacuated Norway, unknown to the Germans.

Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper and a 4-destroyer Screen were tasked with attacking the British base at Harstad and supporting them in Norway 6,000 German troops in the port city of Narvik. The carrier HMS Glorious was part of a troop escort from Norway to Scapa Flow.

Her captain requested that the escort escort be released and return to Scapa Flow independently with his two destroyers. Troop escort will be escorted by the aircraft carrier Ark Royal.

HMS Glorious Captain D'Oyly-Hughes is new to carrier service and has more experience with submarines. Glory in the Norwegian Sea with destroyers HMS Acasta and HMS Ardent on her way back to England. She was not running at maximum efficiency as 6 of her 18 boilers failed, reducing her ability to achieve flanking speed.

Captain D'Oyly-Hughes felt that the small fleet was not in danger and did not occupy the lookout position of Tall Crows Nest. D'Oyly-Hughes also decided to rest his pilots and did not launch a Combat Air Patrol (CAP) over the carrier for protection and over-the-horizon reconnaissance. On board are 10 Hurricane monoplanes, 19 Gladiator biplanes and 5 Swordfish torpedo bombers, which are stored in a hangar below deck.

No one was left on the flight deck for an emergency launch in the event of an attack.

In 1823, the destroyer HMS Ardent witnessed two approaching German capital ships, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Captain D'Oyly-Hughes on the Glory was warned and ordered to bring the plane to the deck to strike against the approaching threat.

At 18:32, Scharnhorst fired her first salvo from the 11-inch gun, hitting Glorious's flight deck before any planes took off. Her second salvo hit the carrier with the longest range on record (26,300 yards).

Both ships opened fire on Ardent, Acasta torpedoed Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, Scharnhorst was hit aft by a torpedo fired from Acasta, killing 50 sailors in the battle and allowing a flood of water into her stern turret (Caesar disabled), gloriously, both destroyers sank with 1,519 losses - only 45 survived the battle, Scharnhorst was torpedoed for the next five months The dry dock was spent and the subsequent flooding was repaired.