KMS Tirpitz

History of KMS Tirpitz

By 1935, Germany - now under the firm control of Adolf Hitler - withdrew from the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty was enacted after the end of World War I hostilities, for which Germany took most of the blame and crippled the once-proud world power's ability to wage war. Like all other aspects of the German military before World War II, the German Navy (German Navy) stepped up its engagement in the war and planned to have two 35,000-ton battleships, (F) "Bismarck" and (G) "Tirpitz" ". Tirpitz became the second ship in the duo's Bismarck-class, named after Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz - the father of the German Grand Fleet in World War I.

KMS Tirpitz joins KMS Bismarck

When completed, Tirpitz was the largest and last battleship the Germans built - even longer and heavier than the famous KMS Bismarck. Discussions surrounding her design included increasing the total displacement to 37,200 tons. However, Admiral Erich Johann Albert Raeder (1876-1960) instructed the designers not to exceed the original 35,000-ton design, as the hull dimensions had to match the available port depths of the existing locks and German dock facilities. The German Naval Planning Office believes that the ship design cannot be reduced below 37,200 tons due to normal construction methods, which always seems to add to the weight of any ship built. Raeder reluctantly agreed to increase the tonnage, but it was for the guns.

At the same time, building authorities inspected the four different main propulsion units of the Tirpitz thrusters. They are as follows: 1) High pressure steam gear turbine with 12 boilers in 6 boiler rooms before the turbine room, 2) Similar to (1) but with all 12 boiler rooms in 3 boiler rooms before the turbine room, 3) Similar to (2) but with a boiler between the front turbine chamber and 4) the turbine electric drive.

The building authority has determined that (2) is the best propulsion unit for the new ship. Some in the team wanted (4), but the excess weight of the turbo was a major design issue. On June 6, 1935, a meeting to review the ship's secondary armament was held, and the design team again brought up the main discussion of propulsion.

Admiral Reid learned of new encouraging results regarding turbo-electric propulsion. The machine built by Lloyd Liner Scharnhorst rethinks this method of propulsion, although turbo propulsion is 600 tons heavier than the conventional geared turbine used.

The German Office of Naval Construction still had reservations about the weight of the turbine-electric drive and was considering mounting the secondary guns in the casement rather than in the turret to save tonnage. Raeder disagreed that protection around the secondary gun should be sacrificed, and directed the planning office to look elsewhere and save the required weight before considering the interesting turbo-electric powertrain.

In August 1935, the building authority presented Raeder with a new plan called "A13". The report outlines improvements and includes a sketch of a three-shaft turbo-electric propulsion system. Raeder reviewed the plan and agreed to make changes to his Tirpitz. This decision led to a number of planning issues, including armor thickness, reductions in the length of the fort, and even the positioning of the living quarters within the hull.

In June 1936, difficulties encountered during the weight reduction phase forced the planning department to decide to abandon turbo-electric propulsion in favor of geared turbines for German battleships.

Of course, Raeder feels that so far, due to the indecision of the planning department, a lot of time has been wasted and the construction drawings must now be redrawn. With the introduction of conventional turbines, Raeder took the opportunity to reverse the initial thinning of the main armor belt from 300mm back to 320mm thick.

Additional savings in weight variation were achieved by using welded armor decks instead of rivets, allowing for increased armor on the main magazine - from 95mm to 100mm - and sloping sections from 110mm to 120mm. By 1936, as ships began building rolled armor, the thickness of the armor could no longer be changed. Belt lengths range from 145 mm (5.709 in) to a maximum of 320 mm (12.598 in). Decks vary from 50 mm (1.569 in) to 120 mm (4.724 in) and bulkheads are 220 mm (8.661 in). Anti-aircraft turrets - various 16x30mm anti-aircraft guns, 16x37mm anti-aircraft guns, 92x20mm anti-aircraft guns - protected by 342 mm (13.465 in).

All secondary 12 x 5.9 in guns are 130 mm (5.709 in), the main turret is 8 x 15 in and the armor is 360 mm (14.173 in). After adding the superstructure and armament, the Tirpitz had a fully loaded displacement of 53,500 tons and a total barrel length of 832 feet.

She has a top speed of 30.8 knots and a range of 8,870 nautical miles at 19 knots.

Two rows of four 21-inch torpedo tubes are mounted on the main deck behind the aircraft launch catapult. The ship is equipped with up to six seaplanes for spotting targets of opportunity and enemy scouts on the "horizon". The aircraft were launched via 1 fixed double-headed catapult mounted amidships, and the aircraft were recovered by cranes after landing alongside the ship using their integral pontoons. There are two separate hangers next to the chimney, and a larger one under the main mast.

The vessel can support four to six Arado Ar 196 seaplanes as required.

The completed new steam plant consists of 12 x 2 pairs of boilers located in 6 front and rear boiler rooms. These boilers were built for Tirpitz by Blohm & Voss in Deschimag (Blohm and Voss were also known for their many large airship designs during the war).

The geared turbine unit is a three-shaft unit with the central turbine room furthest away and the side turbines in separate compartments behind the boiler room. The normal full power rating is 265 rpm per shaft, providing 38,300 shp and 46,000 shp maximum power.

Electricity is provided by four main generator rooms on the lower platform deck. No. 1 is on starboard and No. 2 is on port, each with 4 500 kW generator sets. Generator rooms 3 and 4 are also equipped with three 690 kW turbine generators.

Tirpitz's oil depot has a capacity of 8,297 tons, but only 7,780 tons can be pumped out. Endurance ratings are estimated at 8,600 nautical miles at 15 knots, 8,150 nautical miles at 21 knots and 3,750 nautical miles at 30 knots.

However, due to unknown and constantly changing factors, it is impossible to estimate the number of wars.

The 380mm SKC/34 main gun is a new Krupp design, weighing 112kg and firing 800kg projectiles. The Tirpitz carried 130 projectiles per gun. The ammunition carried by other firearms varies.

Design plans call for 12 x 105 rounds for the 150mm gun, 16 x 400 rounds for the 37mm gun, and 16 x 2,000 rounds for the 37mm gun.

The fire control system has three main gun control positions. The forward position occupies half of the conning tower on the command bridge. Another is at the top of the foremast tower and the third is behind the superstructure deck. The front position is equipped with a 7 m base stereo rangefinder and the other positions are equipped with a 10 m pattern unit. Two positions - one at the front and one at the rear - are equipped with two Zeilsaule C38s and a Star Shell Director to control nighttime operations.

Two main gyro chambers provide stable data to the control station. Two 3-meter base night ranging systems are built into the "wings" of the Admiralsbrucke. Seven Siemens 150cm searchlights were also installed, one on the front of the conning tower, four on the funnel platform and two next to Flack Tower C.

Tirpitz begins

The Tirpitz was launched on 1 April 1939 as a commercial fighter against Allied merchant ships in the North Atlantic. Hitler was an infantryman during World War I, so had no direct naval experience to draw upon.

When Hitler listened to his admirals and generals, he made most of his war-planning decisions based on his intuition a fatal mistake, to be sure.

Capital ships like the Tirpitz represented the naval power of the time, and German battleships were necessary to counter the Royal Navy. When the legendary KMS Bismarck sank in May 1941, Hitler lost faith in the commercial fighter mission plan. Tirpitz was ready for action, and concerns about the mission were evident as her sea trials took place in the sheltered waters of the Baltic Sea. German spies learned that the British Admiralty had issued an order that an attack on Tirpitz would require at least two King George V battleships and an aircraft carrier.

Clearly, the British were concerned about the threat posed by Tirpitz and were ready to deploy several major naval resources against her and her frigates.

In September 1941, Tirpitz became the flagship of the Baltic Fleet, supported by the heavy cruiser KMS Admiral Scheer and the light cruisers KMS Koln, KMS Nurnberg, KMS Emden and KMS Leipzig. The fleet was stationed near the island of Aland to counter the actions of the Soviet fleet stationed in Leningrad.

Hitler thought that the invasion of Europe would be through the coastal defenses of Norway rather than France. It was decided to use Tirpitz as a threat to Atlantic and Arctic convoys, and to provide protection from anticipated incursions.

On the night of 14 January 1942, Tirpitz left Wilhelmshaven for Trondheim, escorted by destroyers KMS Richard Beitzen, KMS Paul Jacobi, KMS Bruno Heinemann and KMS Z-29. The operation was carried out through the Kiel Canal, so the Swedish Coast Guard did not notice the slipped fleet.

The Royal Navy was quickly alerted and aware of the danger of a Tirpitz eruption, with no capital ships in the area and no capital ships in the area, launched from northern Scotland on 30 January 1941 Air Raid, 9 76 Seven Short Stirling Bombers of No. 15 Squadron Handlery Page Halifax. The mission could not find the target.

Hitler sent Vice Admiral Otto Silliax to command the German Navy as commander-in-chief of the battleships. The German submarine spotted British convoy PQ-12 heading for Russia, while convoy PQ-8 was returning from Murmansk.

The PQ-12 had a total of 31 ships near Iceland, sailing to Russia in the Arctic to provide vital lease supplies. Admiral Silliax receives the team report and prepares for "Operation Sportpalast".

On March 3, 1942, Tirpitz and destroyers Z-25, Hermann Sherman and Paul Jacobi left the Fatenfjord in Trondheim under the command of Siliax.

A British submarine spotted the enemy formation and notified the Home Fleet, which in turn sent the battleships HMS King George V and HMS Duke of York as well as the battlecruiser HMS Renown, the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, a heavy cruiser and ten Two destroyers against Tirpitz. Bad weather saved the convoy from detection by the Germans and saved German troops from the British fleet along the way. On March 9, when they found themselves just a few miles apart, the weather had just been clear enough that Victor could fire 12 torpedoed albacore aircraft against the German ships.

The plane carried out a torpedo attack, but luck - and the inherent speed of the Tirpitz - allowed her to dodge all the torpedoes when she shot down two attack aircraft on her return to Trondheim.

The Tirpitz's new strategy

After receiving follow-up reports, Redel reported the results of the Sportpalast operation to Hitler, but only one conclusion was clear - Tirpitz was vulnerable. Hitler was shy after losing the Bismarck and ordered Admiral Raeder to issue an order to Siliax that the Tirpitz would only engage with the battleship if the battleship had the support of the Luftwaffe and knowledge of the enemy navy. Convoy fighting. Hitler's interim order effectively eliminated Tirpitz's main threat to Allied shipping in the Atlantic and elsewhere, although the British Home Fleet was unaware of the order.

Keeping Tirpitz away from the Atlantic meant she didn't need as much fuel, so Tirpitz surrendered on March 10 to destroyers KMS Schoemann, KMS Friedrich Ihn and KMS Z-25 and torpedo boats T-5 and T- 1,722 tons of fuel oil12.

The Tirpitz was dispatched to northern Norwegian waters, based on fjords, mainly in Kafjord, a branch of the Alta fjord. She was primarily used as a threat to take resources from the Royal Navy and the United States Navy. On June 27, 1942, German intelligence received word of the PQ-17 convoy and developed an attack plan against the Tirpitz fleet and nine destroyers. KMS Admiral Hipper, KMS Admiral Scheer and KMS Lutzow were gathering in the Altenfjord when the convoy was spotted. On July 1, Tirpitz and the escort left Trondheim, shortly after a British U-boat observed the sortie and notified the Admiralty.

Tirpitz was very worried after receiving the news, and decided to disperse the fleet, leaving the merchant ships unprotected. With the PQ-17 dispersed, the German U-boats were able to sink 24 ships over the next 10 days. On 5 July, Tirpitz made a brief sortie and, after being spotted, was ordered to return to port without firing. However, fear of Tirpitz led to the destruction of the convoy by other elements. Tirpitz in drydock in Narvik, Trondheim, Norway, from July 8 to September 1943.

After repairs, German troops landed on Spitsbergen in September 1943. Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, and nine destroyers were assigned to support the landings as inshore bombardments. This was the first and only time Tirpitz fired on an enemy target.