Schlachtschiff Tirpitz

by José M. Rico

The Tirpitz, second and last battleship of the Bismarck class, was the largest warship built in Germany. She was commissioned on February 1941, and afterwards went to the Baltic to conduct sea trials. At the beginning of 1942, she was sent to Norway in order to repel a possible allied invasion, and to attack the Russia-bound Arctic convoys. As part of the "Fleet in being", her mere presence forced the Allies to maintain a considerable force in Scapa Flow that could be otherwise employed in other theatres of operations. In July 1942, she was indirectly responsible for the destruction of convoy PQ-17 without firing a single shot. In September 1943, while anchored in Altenfiord, she was attacked by British midget submarines and put out of action for the first time. Later submitted to continuous aerial bombings, the Tirpitz was finally sunk on 12 november 1944 after being hit by 5.4-ton "Tallboy" bombs.

Career Timeline

02 Nov 1936: Lay down on Slipway 2 at the Kriegsmarine Werft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven. Construction number S 128.

01 Apr 1939: Launched. Christened by Frau von Hassell, daughter of Grand Admiral Tirpitz.

25 Feb 1941: At 1140 the ship is commissioned under Captain Karl Topp.

09 Mar 1941: Leaves Wilhelshaven for Kiel.

10 Mar 1941: Tirpitz anchors in Brunsbüttel roads.

11-12 Mar 1941: Tirpitz passes through the Kiel Canal.

16 Mar 1941: Begins her trials in the Baltic with base in Gotenhafen.

05 May 1941: Adolf Hitler visits the Tirpitz in Gotenhafen.

21 July - 2 Aug 1941: Inside Dock C at Deutsche Werke Kiel.

2 Aug - 17 Sep 1941: At Kiel.

23-26 Sep 1941: As flagship of the Baltic Fleet remains off Aaland Island with the heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer, the light cruisers Köln, Nürnberg, Emden, and Leipzig to prevent any sortie of the soviet fleet based in Leningrad.

27 Sep 1941: Arrives at Gotenhafen.

Oct 1941: While in Gotenhafen, the antiaircraft battery is increased. In addition two quadruple torpedo mounts are installed on the upper deck to each side of the ship amidships (section X).

1-9 Nov 1941: Inside Dock C at Deutsche Werke Kiel.

9-30 Nov 1941: At Deutsche Werke Kiel.

21 Dec - 10 Jan 1941: At Gotenhafen.

11 Jan 1941: Arrives at Kiel.

12 Jan 1942: Leaves Kiel for Wilhelmshaven.

12-13 Jan 1942: Passes through the Kiel Canal.

14 Jan 1942: Arrives at Wilhelmshaven. At night leaves Wilhelmshaven escorted by the destroyers Richard Beitzen, Paul Jacobi, Bruno Heinemann, and Z-29, and sails to Trondheim.

16 Jan 1942: Arrives at Trondheim and anchors in the Faettenfjord a branch of the bigger Aasfjord.

16 Jan-5 Mar 1942: Remains in Trondheim.

30-31 Jan 1942: Seven British Stirlings of the No. 15 Squadron and nine Halifaxes of No. 76 Squadron, attempt to attack the Tirpitz in Faettenfjord but fail to locate the battleship.

06 Mar 1942: Operation Sportpalast. In the morning leaves Trondheim under the command of Vice-Admiral Otto Ciliax, together with the destroyers Z-25, Friedrich Ihn, and Hermann Schoemann to intercept the British convoys QP-8 (with 15 ships) and PQ-12 (with 16 ships) in the Arctic. In the afternoon she is sighted off the coast by the British submarine Seawolf.

08 Mar 1942: In the afternoon, Vice-Admiral Ciliax decides to cancel the operation and return to Trondheim.

09 Mar 1942: Shortly after 0900, while en route to Trondheim, the Tirpitz is attacked by 12 Albacore torpedo biplanes of the 817th and 832th Squadrons from carrier Victorious. The battleship successfully avoids all torpedoes and shoots down two Albacores. In the afternoon she anchors in Vestfjord near Narvik.

12 Mar 1942: Leaves Vestfjord at midnight and heads for Trondheim.

13 Mar 1942: At 2100 arrives at Trondheim and anchors in Faettenfjord.

30-31 Mar 1942: 33 Halifax bombers attempt to attack the Tirpitz in Faettenfjord without success. Six aircraft fail to return to their base.

27-28 Apr 1942: Attacked by 29 Halifax and 11 Lancaster in Faettenfjord without success. Five aircraft fail to return to their base.

28-29 Apr 1942: Attacked again by 23 Halifax and 11 Lancaster in Faettenfjord without success. This time two aircraft fail to return to their base.

02 July 1942: Operation Rösselsprung. At 1800, the Tirpitz leaves Trondheim under the command of Admiral Otto Schniewind and sails North, together with the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, the destroyers Friedrich Ihn, Hans Lody, Karl Galster, Theodor Riedel and the torpedo boats T-7 and T-15. Their mission is to join in Altenfiord (Altafjord) with the battle group from Narvik under the command of Admiral Oskar Kummetz and comprised of the heavy cruisers Lützow and Admiral Scheer, and the destroyers Z-24, Z-27, Z-28, Z-29, and Z-30 to attack the convoy PQ-17 with 34 merchantmen. During their voyage to Altenfiord the destroyers Hans Lody, Karl Galster, and Theodor Riedel of the Tirpitz group run on to rocks and are discarded for the operation. The Lützow also runs on to rocks and returns to Narvik.

04 July 1942: Tirpitz's group joins Admiral Scheer's in Altenfiord. At 2215 PQ-17 scatters.

05 July 1942: At 1100, Tirpitz, Scheer, Hipper, the destroyers Friedrich Ihn, Richard Beitzen, Z-24, Z-27, Z-28, Z-29, Z-30, and the torpedo boats T-7 and T-15 leave Altenfiord. The Soviet submarine K-21 attacks Tirpitz with torpedoes at 1702, but obtains no hits. At 2130 the Germans cancel their mission and return home. Finally the German battle group does not engage any enemy ships, but the Luftwaffe and the U-boats manage to sink 22 merchantmen which carry 430 tanks, 210 planes and 3,350 vehicles.

08 July 1942: The Fleet anchors at Narvik.

23 Oct 1942: Tirpitz departs Bogenfjord in Narvik and sails to Trondheim for a refit.

11 Mar 1943: Leaves Trondheim and sails back to Bogenfjord in Narvik, where she joins the Scharnhorst and the heavy cruiser Lützow.

23 Mar 1943: Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, Lützow and six destroyers run trials in Altenfiord until July.

06 Sep 1943: Operation Sizilien. Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, and the destroyers Z-27, Z-29, Z-30, Z-31, Z-33, Erich Steinbrinck, Karl Galster, Hans Lody and Theodor Riedel, leave Altafjord under the command of Admiral Kummetz, to attack the allied installations on the island of Spitzbergen.

08 Sep 1943: The German battle group bombards Spitzbergen and destroy the port facilities.

09 Sep 1943: The German ships arrive safely at Altenfiord and the Tirpitz anchors in Kaafiord.

22 Sep 1943: The Tirpitz is attacked by the British midget submarines X-5, X-6, and X-7 in Kaafiord. After passing through the protective torpedo nets, X-6 places two mines of two tons each under the battleship's keel, and X-7 another one. The three midget submarines are sunk but the damage sustained is important and the battleship is out of action for the next six months. As a result of this attack 1 man loses his life and 40 other are wounded.

Nov 1943-Feb 1944: Repair work in Altenfiord.

12 Feb 1944: Attacked by four soviet bombers in Altenfiord without success.

15 Mar 1944: Begins her trials in Altenfiord.

03 Apr 1944: At 0528, Tirpitz is attacked by 40 bombers from the carriers Victorious, Furious, Emperor, Searcher, Fencer, and Pursuer. She is hit by 10 bombs of 225 kg and 4 of 775 kg. 132 dead and 316 wounded. At 0636 there is a second wave with no success.

01 July 1944: Ready to begin her trials again.

31 July-1 Aug 1944: Conducts her last trials with the destroyers Z-29, Z-31, Z-33, Z-34, and Z-39.

22 Aug 1944: Attacked by 32 Barracudas from carriers Indefatigable, Furious, Formidable, Nabob, and Trumpeter with no success.

24 Aug 1944: Attacked by 33 Barracudas from carriers Indefatigable, Furious, and Formidable. Two hits. 8 dead and 13 wounded.

29 Aug 1944: Attacked by 26 Barracudas, with no success.

15 Sep 1944: Attacked by 27 Lancaster from Yagodnik near Archangel. Tirpitz is hit on the forecastle by a 5.4-ton "Tallboy" bomb. The damage is severe and the battleship is no longer seaworthy.

15 Oct 1944: After temporary repairs in the bow, the Tirpitz sails at 8 knots to Tromsö fiord and anchors off Haaköy Island to remain there as a floating battery.

29 Oct 1944: Attacked by 32 Lancaster of the 617th Dam Buster Squadron without success.

12 Nov 1944: Attacked by 32 Lancaster. Shortly after 0940, the Tirpitz is hit by two "Tallboy" bombs on the port side amidships. Four other bombs near-miss the battleship. At 0952 the ship capsizes at 69º 36' north, 18º 59' east. 971 dead.

1948-1957: The wreck of the Tirpitz is broken up by British, Norwegian and German firms.

Holders of high awards
Holders of the German Cross in Gold (2)
  Fassbender, Alfred, 18.11.1944, Kapitänleutnant, Flakleiter Schlachtschiff "Tirpitz"
  Junge, Wolf, 06.09.1944, Kapitän zur See, Kdt. Schlachtschiff "Tirpitz"

Technical Data

Displacement: standard 42,900 mt, full load 52,600 mt.

Dimensions: Waterline length 241.72 m, overall length 253.6 m, beam 36 m, maximum draft 10.61 m, height 15 m.

Armour: main belt 315 mm, main turrets 130-360 mm, upper deck 50-80 mm, armour deck 80-120 mm, conning tower 220-350 mm, torpedo bulkhead 45 mm.

Armament: 8 x 38cm/L47, 12 x 15cm/L55, 16 x 10.5cm/L65, 16 x 3.7cm/L83, 20 x 2cm (78 in 1944), 8 x 53.3cm torpedoes.

Aircraft: 4 x Arado ar 196.

Propulsion plant: 12 Wagner boilers , three Brown Bovery turbine sets, 163,026 hp (maximum obtained).

Speed: 30.8 knots (maximum obtained).

Endurance: 9,280 nm at 16 knots, 8,870 nm at 19 knots, 6,693 nm at 24 knots, 4,728 nm at 28 knots.

Fuel capacity: 8,297 mt.

Crew: 2,608 (108 officers and 2,500 men)

Ships badge

Schlachtschiff Tirpitz off the coast of Norway

(Courtesy of Serge Machielse)

Officers of Schlachtschiff Tirpitz

(Courtesy of Josef Fregosi)

The crew of Schlachtschiff Tirpitz

(Courtesy of Josef Fregosi)

Reference material on this unit

Jochen Brennecke - Schlachtschiff Tirpitz

Siegfried Breyer - Battleship Tirpitz

Gerhard Koop & Klaus-Peter Schmolke - The Battleship Tirpitz

Gerhard Koop & Klaus-Peter Schmolke - Battleships of the Bismarck Class: Bismarck and Tirpitz

John Sweetman - Tirpitz: Hunting the Beast

M. J. Whitley - German Capital Ships of World War Two