GERMAN BATTLESHIP TIRPITZ

Tirpitz was a German battleship, the keel of which was laid in 1936 and launched in April 1939. The battleship entered the rope service in the German Navy (German Kriegsmarine) in February 1941. The ship was 254 meters long, 36 meters wide, and had a full displacement of 53,500 tons. Tirpitz's top speed was around 30-31 knots. The main armament was 8 380 mm guns in four twin turrets, and the secondary armament included: 12 150 mm guns or 16 105 mm guns. The Tirpitz was the second Bismarck-class ship. It was ordered to replace in line the old battleship Schleswig-Holstein, completely obsolete in the 1930s - the same one whose volleys on Westerplatte started World War II in Europe. At the time of launching, Tirpitz was the largest German ship. It had good armor, and its main or secondary armament was in no way inferior to its counterparts on British ships. Shortly after entering service - in June and July 1941 - he insured the activities of the German troops as part of Operation Barbarossa, but no more serious actions against the Soviet fleet took place at that time. Following these actions, Tirpitz was forwarded to the base in Trondheim, Norway at the turn of 1941 and 1942, from where he began to operate against Allied convoys sailing with Lend-and-lease to Murmansk via the North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea. In July 1942, the mere departure from the port of the battleship Tirpitz led to the dispersion of the PQ-17 convoy, which was then decimated by German planes and U-boats. Undoubtedly, Tirpitz's presence in the northern waters was a great nuisance for the Royal Navy, and it involved 5-7 British battleships! It is no coincidence that the German ship was nicknamed "Lonely Lord of the North". Accordingly, in 1943-1944 the British undertook several actions with miniature submarines, which led to damage to the ship. However, Tirpitz was not sunk until November 12, 1944, as a result of a raid by heavy Lancaster-class bombers.