Heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper

German heavy cruiser class Hipper: Admiral Hipper, Blücher, Prinz Eugen.
History, development, service, specifications, pictures and 3D model.

German heavy cruiser Hipper class

Hipper class (3 ships: Admiral Hipper, Blücher, Prinz Eugen)
Type: Heavy cruiser.

History

The Treaty of Versailles forbade the construction of heavy German warships. However, in 1935, the British-German Naval Treaty was ratified, which allows the Kriegsmarine to build up to 35% of the tonnage of the Royal Navy in the corresponding warship class.

According to the Washington Treaty, Germany could build 5 cruisers. These were laid down as the Hipper class. However, Germany was more interested in building combative vessels than on compliance with international treaty provisions.

The 10,000-tons limit was exceeded considerably by the ship in any case. The first draft has been prepared in 1934, when the Germans also started planning the Bismarck class.
As the particular object of the Hipper class it was intended to keep the French heavy cruisers in check and to prevent that troops and supplies from North Africa would be shipped to France. The first two ships, Admiral Hipper and Blücher, were completed with the even stem and cap less chimneys as they were typical of German designs before WW2. The Blücher was sunk before their planned change, while at the Admiral Hipper later the stem was extended and the chimney was given an essay. In addition, two further anti-aircraft laying equipment came on board.

The Prinz Eugen had a longer hull, from the very beginning four anti-aircraft laying equipment, a chimney pot and a protruding stem. All ships of the class possessed bow and sides beads, a powerful torpedo weapon and a passive bow sonar.

They have been designed at a time when most countries did not build cruisers with 20.3 cm (8in) guns anymore, and so they were superior to the older designs in many ways. Undoubtedly, they were better than the first French cruisers built under the provisions of the Washington Treaty. But with the smaller, but better armored Algerie they would get into troubles. By approximately equal size, and only built a little later, the American Baltimore class carried heavier weapons, a thicker armor and with one plane more, she was clearly inferior. Especially disappointed in the drafting was the relatively small operation range, which turned out along with the trouble-prone machine installation as a major handicap when used as raiders, although Germany had built up a large network of tankers in the Atlantic.
Apart from these the cruisers could very well operate independently, they had a powerful main artillery (the Prinz Eugen scored before the battleship Bismarck hits on the British battle cruiser Hood) and an excellent guided anti-aircraft weaponry.

Following the signing of the Russo-German Pact of 1939, the last three units of the Hipper class (not yet finished) were proposed to sell to Russia in exchange for raw materials. After all, only the least advanced constructed Lützow was sold. The Prinz Eugen was completed according to the design, while Seydlitz should be converted to an aircraft carrier.

Germany had already launched down the 23,200 t large Graf Zeppelin and laid down a sister ship. Nevertheless, the Germans did not recognize the crucial importance that fell to the inclusion of an air component in the naval forces. Therefore, its construction went ahead only sporadically. As the loss of the Bismarck became clear how necessary were sea-based air forces, the work on Graf Zeppelin resumed and also began with the reconstruction of Seydlitz. At this time, however, the Allies had gained a great superiority at sea, and none of the carriers has ever been ready.

Admiral Hipper

Admiral Hipper

The heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper in the port of Kristiansand, Norway, September 1940. This and the following three photos were taken by the grandfather of the author.

Arado Ar 196 floatplane flying over heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper.

Admiral Hipper takes an Arado Ar196 seaplane on board

The reconnaissance aircraft Arado Ar 196 is almost aboard the Admiral Hipper.

Heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen under air cover camouflage in the port of Brest.

Flakvierling of the Cruiser ‘Prinz Eugen’ in action against British bombers in the harbour of Brest, France 1941.

Ship propeller of Prince Eugen in the Naval Museum Laboe (Germany)

The main sorties of the Prinz Eugen in WW2:

• June 1-2, 1940: receives two bomb hits.
• April 23, 1941: damaged by mines.
• May 18, 1941: went on the cruise along with Bismarck.
• May 23, 1941: Prinz Eugen runs before Bismarck, while the German warships are shaded by the RN cruisers Suffolk and Norfolk.
• May 24, 1941: Battle of Denmark Strait, the ship made the first hit in the British battlecruiser Hood. Prinz Eugen is sacked after the battle of Bismarck for independent operation in the Atlantic.
• June 1, 1941 – February 11, 1942: stay at Brest.
• 11 to 13 February 1942: Channel breakthrough with Battlecruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, damaging the British destroyer Worcester.
• 21 to 23 February 1942: transferred to Norway.
• February 23, 1942: Torpedoed by the British submarine Trident; the rear was seriously damaged.
• February-March 1942: emergency repairs in Norway.
• May-October 1942: repair in Kiel, where a new tail is used.
• May 1943 – Mai 1944: Fleet Training Squadron.
• June 1944 – April 1945: fire support for ground units on the Baltic coast. On October 14, 1944, Leipzig is accidentally rammed.
• April 1945: Relocation to Copenhagen.
• May 9, 1945: Surrendered at Copenhagen. On December 13, 1945, the ship was delivered to the USA, transferred in January 1946 to North America, crossing in March the Panama Canal and is used on June 17 as a target ship at the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. On December 22, 1947, she is sunk in the Kwajalein lagoon.

Admiral Hipper participated in operations in the Norwegian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. From 1944 she was in the Baltic Sea. Damaged seriously by bombs, she was scuttled by her crew.
Norwegian coastal batteries sunk Blücher in the Oslo Fjord in 1940. Neither Lützow still Seydlitz (which was recovered by the Russians) were completed. Both ships were scrapped later.

Heavy cruiser Blücher

The German heavy cruiser Blücher was a prominent warship in the Kriegsmarine (Navy of Nazi Germany) during World War II.

Design and Specifications

Class and Designation: Blücher was the second of the Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers.
Displacement: Approximately 14,050 tons (standard load) and up to 18,200 tons (full load).
Dimensions: Length of 202.8 meters (665 feet), a beam of 21.3 meters (70 feet), and a draught of 7.2 meters (24 feet).
Armament: The main battery consisted of eight 20.3 cm (8 inch) SK C/34 guns in four twin turrets, supplemented by twelve 10.5 cm (4.1 inch) SK C/33 dual-purpose guns, twelve 3.7 cm (1.5 inch) SK C/30 anti-aircraft guns, and eight 2 cm (0.79 inch) C/30 anti-aircraft guns. She also carried twelve torpedo tubes.

Service History

Commissioning: Blücher was commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 20 September 1939.
Operation Weserübung: The most significant operation involving Blücher was the invasion of Norway in April 1940. The ship was part of the task force assigned to capture Oslo, the Norwegian capital.

Sinking

Date of Sinking: Blücher was sunk on 9 April 1940 during the invasion of Norway.
Battle of Drøbak Sound: As the German task force entered the Oslofjord, Blücher was engaged by Norwegian coastal defenses at the Oscarsborg Fortress, commanded by Colonel Birger Eriksen. The fortress’ defenses included outdated but effective torpedoes and artillery.
Damage and Sinking: Blücher was hit by two torpedoes and multiple artillery shells. The damage caused severe fires and internal explosions, leading to the ship’s sinking. Blücher eventually capsized and sank, resulting in significant loss of life.

Aftermath

Strategic Impact: The sinking of Blücher delayed the German capture of Oslo, allowing the Norwegian government and royal family to escape and later continue resistance from abroad. It also showcased the vulnerability of even modern warships to well-positioned coastal defenses.
Wreck: The wreck of Blücher lies at the bottom of the Oslofjord and has been the subject of several dives and surveys. It remains a war grave and is considered an important historical site.

Blücher’s brief but dramatic service in World War II underscores the complexities and perils of naval warfare during the period. Her sinking highlighted both the tactical challenges of amphibious operations and the enduring significance of coastal fortifications.

Animated 3D Model of Blücher

Specifications for Admiral Hipper class

Specifications:

Armament:

Armour Protection:

Service statistics:

References and literature

Fighting Ships of the World (Antony Preston)
Kriegsschiffe von 1900 bis heute – Technik und Einsatz (Buch und Zeit Verlagsgesellschaft)
The Illustrated Directory of Warships from 1860 to the present day (David Miller)
Kriegsschiffe 1939-45 (Heyne-Bildpaperback)
Flotten des 2. Weltkrieges (Antony Preston)
Die Schlacht im Atlantik (Andrew Kershaw)
Seemacht – eine Seekriegsgeschichte von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart (Elmar B. Potter, Admiral Chester W.Nimitz)
The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II (Chris Bishop)
Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1940 to the Present – An Illustrated Encyclopedia (Roger Chesneau)