The cruiser is hit at short range on the port side. Her keel was laid on 15 Au­gust 1936, under con­struc­tion num­ber 246. The support of the Blücher by the flanking move would have brought my formation between the British battlecruisers and the battle squadrons which were probably behind. By this time, every main battery gun turret except the rear mount had been silenced. The ship had a single rudder with which to steer. Blücher had just passed Drøbakgrunnen (Drøbak shallows) and was in a turn to port. [25] To counter it, Beatty's 1st Battlecruiser Squadron, Rear Admiral Gordon Moore's 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron and Commodore William Goodenough's 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron were to rendezvous with Commodore Reginald Tyrwhitt's Harwich Force at 08:00 on 24 January, approximately 30 nmi (56 km; 35 mi) north of the Dogger Bank.[25]. Admiral Ingenohl's reputation suffered greatly as a result of his timidity. [23], Both the British and the Germans were disappointed that they failed to effectively engage their opponents. [4] The ship was launched on 8 June 1937, and was completed slightly over two years later, on 20 September 1939, the day she was commissioned into the German fleet. [18] At 03:20, CET on 15 December 1914, Blücher, Moltke, Von der Tann, the new battlecruiser Derfflinger, and Seydlitz, along with the light cruisers Kolberg, Strassburg, Stralsund, Graudenz, and two squadrons of torpedo boats left the Jade estuary. [11] As built, the ship had a straight stem, though after her launch this was replaced with a clipper bow increasing the overall length to 205.90 meters (675.5 ft). The ship was launched on She was designed to match what German intelligence incorrectly believed to be the specifications of the British Invincible-class battlecruisers. Konteradmiral (counter admiral) Richard Eckermann—the Chief of Staff of the High Seas Fleet—insisted on the operation, and so Ingenohl relented and ordered Hipper to take his battlecruisers to the Dogger Bank. She was completed in September 1939, shortly after the outbreak of World War II. [14], As with other German capital ships of the period, Blücher was equipped with Krupp cemented armor. [17] Five minutes later, the guns at the Rauøy battery fired four rounds at the approaching Germans, but visibility was poor and no hits were scored. [9] However, she suffered from severe roll, and with the rudder hard over, she heeled over up to 10 degrees from the vertical and lost up to 55 percent of her speed. Although they were unaware of the exact plans, the cryptographers of Room 40 were able to deduce that Hipper would be conducting an operation in the Dogger Bank area. [e] This confusion allowed the German light cruisers to escape and alerted Hipper to the location of the British battlecruisers. [19] Shortly after midnight (Norwegian time), an order from the Commanding Admiral to extinguish all lighthouses and navigation lights was broadcast over the NRK (Norsk rikskringkasting) [Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation]. The German ships try to evade to the southeast, with this maneuver, the Blücher is the last ship of the formation. [18], The German flotilla steamed on at a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). [21], The R-boats were ordered to engage Rauøy, Bolærne and the naval port and city of Horten. Graudenz and Stralsund were assigned to the forward screen, while Kolberg and Rostock were assigned to the starboard and port, respectively. The German torpedo boat Albatros attacked Pol III and set her on fire, but not before the Norwegian patrol boat raised the alarm with a radio report of being attacked by unknown warships. On 5 April, she was deemed to be ready for action, and was therefore assigned to the forces participating in the invasion of Norway. The British submarine HMS D5 responded to the bombardment, but struck one of the mines laid by Stralsund and sank. The Blücher was sunk before their planned change, while at the Admiral Hipper later … Blücher then capsized and sank with major loss of life. The British submarine Triton spotted the convoy steaming through the Kattegat and Skagerrak, and fired a spread of torpedoes; the Germans evaded the torpedoes, however, and proceeded with the mission. [2] The earliest armored cruiser—Fürst Bismarck—was rushed through production specifically to be deployed to China to assist in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. Steam was provided by eighteen coal-fired, marine-type water-tube boilers, which were also divided into three boiler rooms. [29] Naval historian Erich Gröner states that the number of casualties is unknown,[10] and Henrik Lunde gives a loss of life figure ranging between 600 and 1,000 soldiers and sailors. [16], The forward conning tower was the most heavily armored part of the ship. To install click the Add extension button. Since the bunkers were half empty, the fire burned merrily. Only one boiler remained, but the steam pipes through Boilers 1 and 2 and Turbine Room 2/3 had been damaged and Turbine 1 had lost power. Blücher is a shipwreck of the German cruiser located deep inside of south coast of Norway, which lies at a depth of 92 m. Only persons with technical level of training can dive in this place. Mrs. Erdmann, widow of Fregattenkapitän (Frigate Captain) Alexander Erdmann, former commander of SMS Blücher who had died in the ship's sinking, performed the christening. The turbines were supplied with steam by twelve ultra-high pressure oil-fired boilers. Turbine 1 and generator room 3 stopped for lack of steam and only the outboard shafts from turbine room 2/3 were operational. The ship was named after the Prussian Fiel… The ship had a beam of 24.5 m (80 ft 5 in), and with the anti-torpedo nets mounted along the sides of the ship, the beam increased to 25.62 m (84 ft 1 in). The Germans, on the other hand, lost a powerful heavy cruiser, 650-800 dead, approximately 50 wounded, and around 1000 were taken prisoner. The ship had a standard crew of 41 officers and 812 enlisted men, with an additional 14 officers and 62 sailors when she served as a squadron flagship. Their high explosive shells weighed 10 kg (22 lb),[14] and were loaded with a 3 kg (6.6 lb) RPC/12 propellant charge. [26] Aurora challenged Kolberg with a searchlight, at which point Kolberg attacked Aurora and scored two hits. [6], One week after the final decision was made to authorize construction of Blücher, the German naval attache obtained the actual details of the new British ships, called the Invincible class. SMS Blücher[a] was the last armored cruiser built by the German Empire. [9] These guns could engage targets out to 13,500 m (14,800 yd). Design Probably rightly regarded as the first true battlecruiser of the German navy, For example, at the, raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby, Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby, "German 8.8 cm/45 (3.46") SK L/45, 8.8 cm/45 (3.46") Tbts KL/45, 8.8 cm/45 (3.46") Flak L/45", List of ships of the Imperial German Navy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SMS_Blücher&oldid=1017096500, Articles containing explicitly cited English-language text, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 3,350 nmi (6,200 km; 3,860 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph), This page was last edited on 10 April 2021, at 20:03. SMS Blücher was the last armored cruiser built by the German Empire. [9] Their rate of fire was 4–5 rounds per minute. In 1991 the leakage rate increased to 50 liters (11 imp gal; 13 U.S. gal) per day, threatening the environment. The fire spread to one of her anti-aircraft gun magazines, causing a large explosion, and then spread further to the ship's fuel bunkers. Four of these guns were mounted in casemates near the bridge, four in casemates in the bow, another four in casemates at the stern, and the remaining four were mounted in pivot mounts in the rear superstructure. As the fire spread, it detonated explosives carried for the infantry, hindering firefighting efforts. However, the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron flagship, Aurora, hit Blücher twice with torpedoes. [15] The guns had a maximum range of 10,700 m (11,700 yd). [19], Blücher remains at the bottom of the Drøbak Narrows, at a depth of 64 metres (35 fathoms). The belt tapered down to zero at either end of the ship. Vice Admiral Beatty's four battlecruisers, supported by the 3rd Cruiser Squadron and the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron, along with the 2nd Battle Squadron's six dreadnoughts, were to ambush Hipper's battlecruisers. The 15 cm turret casemates were protected by 14 cm of armor. Blücher was the only warship lost during the battle. The ships were designed to engage the reconnaissance forces of rival navies, as well as fight in the line of battle. The main range finder in the top of the battle mast was knocked out of alignment, but Blücher had four more major rangefinders. On 3 September 1914, Blücher, along with seven pre-dreadnought battleships of the IV Squadron, five cruisers, and 24 destroyers sailed into the Baltic in an attempt to draw out a portion of the Russian fleet and destroy it. [11] The guns could be depressed to −5° and elevated to 30°, providing a maximum range of 19,100 m (20,900 yd). The ship was designed to carry 900 t (890 long tons) of coal, though voids in the hull could be used to expand the fuel supply to up to 2,510 t (2,470 long tons) of coal. [3], On 26 May 1906, the Reichstag authorized funds for Blücher, along with the first two Nassau-class battleships. Built in 1937, had a … Beatty, in the stricken Lion, ordered the remaining battlecruisers to "Engage the enemy's rear", but signal confusion caused the ships to target Blücher alone. [9] The torpedoes carried a 110 kg (240 lb) warhead and had two speed settings, which affected the range. The intention was to protect the ship from looters.[33]. Two old 28 cm (11 in) coastal guns in the Oscarsborg Fortress engaged the ship at very close range, scoring two hits, as did several smaller guns in other batteries. Her keel was laid on 15 August 1936, under construction number 246. By the end of the month, the ship was ready for sea trials; she steamed to Gotenhafen in the Baltic Sea. These guns had a life expectancy of around 7,000 rounds. Would you like Wikipedia to always look as professional and up-to-date? [23] At a distance of 500 m (1,600 ft) Blücher entered the narrows between KopÃ¥s and Hovedbatteriet, the main battery, at Kaholmen. Plastic sprue, Decalsheet (waterslide) Subsequent armored cruisers—with the exception of the two Scharnhorst-class ships—served with the fleet in the reconnaissance force. The first German Battlecruiser ? [21] Despite the apparent loss of surprise, the Blücher proceeded further into the fjord to continue with the timetable to reach Oslo by dawn. [31] A further twenty men would also die as prisoners of war.[32]. [3] The ship had a design displacement of 16,170 t (15,910 long tons; 17,820 short tons) and a full load displacement of 18,200 long tons (18,500 t). The battery crews asked for orders, but the commander of the fortress, Birger Eriksen, concluded: "The fortress has served its purpose". Completed in September 1939, she was sunk … The shell failed to penetrate the armor, but had concussion effect and temporarily disabled the left gun. [14], Blücher was also equipped with four 45 cm (18 in) torpedo tubes. [9], Documents from the German naval archives generally indicate satisfaction with Blücher's minor pitch and gentle motion at sea. The heavy cruiser Blücher was sunk in Oslofjord by Norwegian shore batteries, ... Two hours later, the single German cruiser moored in the harbor was … They were supplied with a total of 3,200 rounds, or 200 shells per gun,[9] and could fire at a rate of 15 shells per minute. Under heavy fire from the British ships, she was sunk, and British destroyers began recovering the survivors. The turret layout for the main guns mirrored that of the early German Dreadnought battleships with the hexagonal layout necessitated by the space taken up the the reciprocating machinery. Fearing the prospect of a nighttime torpedo attack, Admiral Ingenohl ordered the ships to retreat. Article by DestinationsJourney. The armored belt was supplemented by a 3.5 cm (1.4 in) torpedo bulkhead,[9] though this only ran between the forward and rear centerline gun turrets. It will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the WIKI 2 technology. 1 Introduction 2 Namesake 3 Attributes 4 Quotes 5 Trivia 6 External Links Blücher is the second of Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers Named after Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. After completing a series of sea trials and training exercises, the ship was pronounced ready for service with the fleet on 5 April 1940. SMS Blücher was the last armored cruiser of the German Kaiserliche Marine. German Cruiser KMS Blücher - Destination's Journey Blücher was a heavy cruiser of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. The naval contingent of TF 5 consisted of the heavy cruisers Blücher and Lützow, the light cruiser Emden, three torpedo boats (small destroyers), eight R-boats (small minesweepers), and two auxiliaries (armed trawlers). The armored deck was between 5–7 cm (2.0–2.8 in) in thickness; more important areas of the ship were protected with thicker armor, while less critical portions of the deck used the thinner armor. Two minutes later, the German ships began returning fire, primarily concentrating on Lion, from a range of 18,000 yd (16,000 m). Named for Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, the Prussian victor of the Battle of Waterloo, the ship was laid down in August 1936 and launched in June 1937. [25] After the first salvo from the 15 cm batteries in Drøbak, the steering from the bridge was disabled. The  Admiral Hipper class of heavy cruisers was ordered in the context of German naval rearmament after the Nazi Party came to power in 1933 and repudiated the disarmament clauses of the Treaty of Versailles. [30], The loss of Blücher and the damage done to Lützow caused the German force to withdraw. The Kagero ship profile of the German Armored Cruiser SMS BLUCHER is the best one to date. [4] The ship was ordered under the provisional name "E". Electrical power for the ship was supplied by six turbo-generators that provided up to 1,000 kilowatts, rated at 225 volts. The ship served in the I Scouting Group for most of her career, including the early portion of World War I. Named for Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, the Prussian victor of the Battle of Waterloo, the ship was laid down in August 1936 and launched in June 1937. Room 40 began decrypting German signals, and on 14 December, intercepted messages relating to the plan to bombard Scarborough. The German Kriegsmarine, Blücher Information, Heavy Cruiser, Blücher, Schwerer Kreuzer 1939-1940, Admiral Hipper class [5][c], Blücher was 161.1 m (528 ft 7 in) long at the waterline and 161.8 m (530 ft 10 in) long overall. [17] The guns at Bolærne fired only one warning shot at 23:32. [18], Admiral Friedrich von Ingenohl, commander of the German High Seas Fleet, decided that another raid on the English coast should be carried out in the hopes of luring a portion of the Grand Fleet into combat where it could be destroyed. One of the three 28 cm (11 in) guns at Oscarsborg Fortress, Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in April 1940. [20] The German ships had been ordered to fire only in the event they were directly fired on first. The last German armoured cruiser and often considered a mid step to a battlecruiser. [14] Between 00:30 and 02:00, the flotilla stopped and 150 infantrymen of the landing force were transferred to the escorts R17 and R21 (from Emden) and R18 and R19 (from Blücher). The source code for the WIKI 2 extension is being checked by specialists of the Mozilla Foundation, Google, and Apple. [22], The Germans were unable to locate the source of the gunfire. Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper, the commander of the German squadron, decided to abandon Blücher to the pursuing enemy ships in order to save his more valuable battlecruisers. [14] The first was high above the bridge, hitting the battle station for the commander of the anti-aircraft guns. At 0518 hours, as the Germans near the Drøbak narrows, the Blücher comes under fire from the Norwegian shore batteries (3 x 28cm guns) at Oskarsborg fortress. She was built as a response to what German intelligence at the time believed were the specifications of the British Invincible class battlecruisers. [23] One of the cruisers in the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron spotted Stralsund and signaled a report to Beatty. Blücher was larger than preceding armored cruisers and carried more heavy guns, but was unable to match the size and armament of the battlecruisers which replaced armored cruisers in the British Royal Navy and German Imperial Navy (Kaiserliche Marine). [2], As launched, Blücher was 202.80 meters (665.4 ft) long overall, had a beam of 21.30 m (69.9 ft) and a maximum draft of 7.74 m (25.4 ft). [19], On 26 August 1914, the German light cruiser Magdeburg had run aground in the Gulf of Finland; the wreck was captured by the Russian navy, which found code books used by the German navy, along with navigational charts for the North Sea. The ship led the flotilla of warships into the Oslofjord on the night of 8 April, to seize Oslo, the capital of Norway. The ship's top speed was 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) at 132,000 shaft horsepower (98,000 kW). German armored cruisers—referred to as Grosse Kreuzer (large cruisers)—were designed for several tasks. It is necessary to be particularly careful due to poor visibility. "L/60" denotes the length of the gun in terms of, Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage, "Blucher" protected by law to prevent looting, Sunk by Norwegian coastal defence batteries in the. Though the ship would be much larger and more powerful than previous armored cruisers, Blücher retained that designation in an attempt to conceal its more powerful nature. [a] Her anti-aircraft battery consisted of twelve 10.5 cm (4.1 in) L/65 guns, twelve 3.7 cm (1.5 in) guns, and eight 2 cm (0.79 in) guns. Each light cruiser had a half-flotilla of torpedo boats attached. [31] She continued to resist stubbornly; Blücher repulsed attacks by the four cruisers of the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron and four destroyers. These documents were then passed on to the Royal Navy. We have created a browser extension. Rear Admiral Eckermann was removed from his post and Admiral Ingenohl was forced to resign. [17], On 2 November 1914, Blücher—along with the battlecruisers Moltke, Von der Tann, and Seydlitz, and accompanied by four light cruisers, left the Jade Bight and steamed towards the English coast. Several artifacts have been raised from the wreck, including one of her Arado 196 floatplanes, which was recovered during an operation to pump out leaking fuel oil from the ship in 1994. The armored cruiser Yorck made a navigational error that led her into one of the German minefields. Blücher was larger than preceding armored cruisers and carried more heavy guns, but was unable to match the size and armament of the battlecruisers which replaced armored cruisers in the British and German navies. He was replaced by Admiral Hugo von Pohl. [31], By the time Beatty regained control over his ships, after having boarded HMS Princess Royal, the German ships had too great a lead for the British to catch them; at 13:50, he broke off the chase. But as I was informed that in my flagship turrets C and D were out of action, we were full of water aft, and that she had only 200 rounds of heavy shell left, I dismissed any further thought of supporting the Blücher. You could also do it yourself at any point in time. She served as a training ship for naval gunners starting in 1911. The second 28 cm shell struck near the aircraft hangar and started a major fire. [8] Despite this, Blücher was typically deployed with the German battlecruiser squadron. [13] The trials lasted until mid-December, after which the ship returned to Kiel for final modifications. One was placed in the bow, one in the stern, and the other two were placed on the broadside, all below the waterline. [31] The ship's screws were removed in 1953, and there have been several proposals to raise the wreck since 1963, but none have been carried out. She expended some of the fuel en route to Norway, and some was lost in the sinking, but she was constantly leaking oil. [10], Blücher was equipped with twelve 21 cm (8.27 in) SK L/45[d] quick-firing guns in six twin turrets, one pair fore and one pair aft, and two pairs in wing turrets on either side of the superstructure. [22], By this time, Beatty's battlecruisers were in position to block Hipper's chosen egress route, while other forces were en route to complete the encirclement. However, the three leading German battlecruisers, Seydlitz, Derfflinger, and Moltke, had concentrated their fire on Lion and scored several hits; two of her three dynamos were disabled and the port side engine room had been flooded. [6][7], Blücher's armored belt was 70 to 80 mm (2.8 to 3.1 in) thick; her upper deck was 12 to 30 mm (0.47 to 1.18 in) thick while the main armored deck was 20 to 50 mm (0.79 to 1.97 in) thick. [34] Admiral Hipper had originally intended to use his three battlecruisers to turn about and flank the British ships, in order to relieve the battered Blücher, but when he learned of the severe damage to his flagship, he decided to abandon the armored cruiser. Immediately upon entering service, Blücher was assigned to the task force that supported the invasion of Norway in April 1940. [19] Jürgen Rohwer meanwhile states that 125 seamen and 195 soldiers died in the sinking. [9] Each shell weighed 108 kg (238 lb), and was 61 cm (24 in) in length. Any such course, now that no intervention from our Main Fleet was to be counted on, was likely to lead to further heavy losses. However, all damage was on the port side. [26] At 04:34 two torpedoes from a concealed and unknown battery at the Oscarsborg fortress scored hits on the ship. [13] The shells were 45.3 kg (99.9 lb),[14] and were loaded with a 13.7 kg (30.2 lb) RPC/12 propellant charge in a brass cartridge. According to Conway’s all the world fighting ships 1906-1921 and many other sources, SMS Blücher is rated as an “armoured cruiser”. Upon reaching the British coast, Hipper's battlecruisers split into two groups. [9] The first operation in which Blücher took part was an inconclusive sweep into the Baltic Sea against Russian forces. Behind the entire length of the belt armor was an additional 3 cm (1.2 in) of teak. Blücher was or­dered by the Kriegs­ma­rine from the Deutsche Werke ship­yard in Kiel. The battlecruisers under my command found themselves, in view of the prevailing [East-North-East] wind, in the windward position and so in an unfavourable situation from the outset ...[26], Hipper turned south to flee, but was limited to 23 kn (43 km/h; 26 mph), which was Blücher's maximum speed at the time. Completed in September 1939, she was sunk by Norwegian shore defenses on 9 April 1940. [23] The 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron, which had been screening for Beatty's ships, detached to pursue the German cruisers, but a misinterpreted signal from the British battlecruisers sent them back to their screening positions. The Blücher leads the group, followed by the Lützow, Emden and the torpedo boats. [29] At 11:48, Indomitable arrived on the scene, and was directed by Beatty to destroy the battered Blücher, which was already on fire and listing heavily to port. Blücher increased speed to 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) in an attempt to get past the Norwegian guns. The coal in the bunkers was set on fire. In January 1940, she resumed her exercises in the Baltic, but by the middle of the month, severe ice forced the ship to remain in port. [35], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}54°33′30″N 05°27′50″E / 54.55833°N 5.46389°E / 54.55833; 5.46389, See also: List of ships of the Imperial German Navy, Armored cruiser of the German Imperial Navy, Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in January 1915, Bombardment of Scarborough, Hartlepool, and Whitby. Seydlitz, Moltke, and Blücher went north to shell Hartlepool, while Von der Tann and Derfflinger went south to shell Scarborough and Whitby. German Cruiser BLÜCHER: Number: 0480: Scale: 1:720 : Type: Full kit : Released: 1981 | Rebox (Unknown what changed) Packaging: Rigid box (Top opener) Topic: Heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper-class » Cruisers (Ships) No Norwegian casualties were suffered during the engagement, but 450 to 600 German sailors from Blücher perished. [f] The pursuing British battlecruisers were steaming at 27 kn (50 km/h; 31 mph), and quickly caught up to the German ships. Boiler 1 had already been destroyed by gunfire. Congratulations on this excellent venture… what a great idea! Its sides were 25 cm (9.8 in) thick and it had a roof that was 8 cm thick. [14], Night had fallen by the time the German flotilla reached the approaches to the Oslofjord. At 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph), the weapon had a range of 2,000 m (2,200 yd) and at 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph), the range was reduced to 1,500 m (1,600 yd). The German cruiser attempted to lure the Russian ships back towards Blücher so that she could destroy them, but the Russians refused to take the bait and instead withdrew to the Gulf of Finland. At 08:14, Kolberg spotted the light cruiser Aurora and several destroyers from the Harwich Force. [9], The ship had a designed maximum speed of 24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph), but during her trials, she achieved 25.4 knots (47.0 km/h; 29.2 mph). [9] The armored belt was 18 cm (7.1 in) thick in the central portion of the ship where propulsion machinery, ammunition magazines, and other vitals were located, and tapered to 8 cm (3.1 in) in less important areas of the hull. Blücher was powered by three sets of Blohm & Voss geared steam turbines that drove three propellers. The vessel was put into service Sept 20th 1939, and was according to the German naval command too inexperienced to participate in the “Operation Weserübung”. The three engines were segregated in individual engine rooms. Frau Erd­mann, widow of Fre­gat­tenkapitän Alexan­der Er… Blücher was the second of five  Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine (War Navy), built after the rise of the Nazi Party and the repudiation of the Treaty of Versailles. [10] When Blücher left Germany, she had about 2,670 cubic meters (94,000 cu ft) of oil on board. [23], According to Kummetz's report, the first torpedo hit Boiler Room 2, just under the funnel, and the second hit Turbine Room 2/3 (the turbine room for the side shafts). [21] During the bombardment of Hartlepool, Seydlitz was hit three times and Blücher was hit six times by the coastal battery. [16] At 23:30 (Norwegian time) the south battery on Rauøy spotted the flotilla in the searchlight and fired two warning shots. Aurora returned fire and scored two hits on Kolberg in retaliation. At a speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph), her range was cut down to 3,250 nmi (6,020 km; 3,740 mi). [14], On 5 April 1940, Konteradmiral (Rear Admiral) Oskar Kummetz came aboard the ship while she was in Swinemünde. Consequently, its ships′ engines could not operate at maximum performance. Blücher was built at the Kaiserliche Werft shipyard in Kiel between 1907 and 1909, and commissioned on 1 October 1909. [31] Kaiser Wilhelm II was enraged by the destruction of Blücher and the near sinking of Seydlitz, and ordered the High Seas Fleet to remain in harbor. The guns were supplied with a total of 1,020 shells, or 85 rounds per gun. She was armed with a main battery of eight 20.3 cm (8.0 in) guns and, although nominally under the 10,000-long-ton (10,000 t) limit set by the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, actually displaced over 16,000 long tons (16,000 t). Two torpedoes fired by a torpedo battery in the fortress struck the ship, causing serious damage. 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Line of battle specifications of the Mozilla Foundation, Google, and commissioned the... Was assigned to the Royal Navy their rate of fire was 4–5 rounds per minute 13 U.S. gal ) day. On the Blücher leads the Group, followed by the end of the ship ordered... The southeast, with figures ranging from 747 to around 1,000 Baltic naval Sta­tion ), ad­mi­ral Con­rad,. < < Older Topic Newer Topic > > the German Empire casemates were by. Zeppelin began bombing them, mistaking the sinking Navy 1935-1945 ) Blücher ; Box contents reached approaches... Government therefore decided to remove as much oil as possible from the 15 cm batteries in Drøbak, ship. One of the Mozilla Foundation, Google, and Apple forced to resign quickly! Which to steer large-caliber shells and several destroyers from the Harwich force 2 technology Hartlepool Whitby. Beatty quickly ordered evasive maneuvers, which sunk in the line of battle Kriegsmarine... Intelligence incorrectly believed to be particularly careful due to poor visibility 16 ], oil... And 70 mm thick sides catapult and the torpedo boats of pneumonia while in British.! Room 40 began decrypting German signals, and British destroyers began recovering the survivors HMS responded! Ship was equipped with four 45 cm ( 24 in ) 110 kg 240... In a turn to port as fight in the top of the period, Blücher was a heavy of... British ships to retreat eastward of 629 were rescued, along with the magic of the Dogger Bank.! In a turn to port 163rd Infantry Division also boarded 50 liters ( 11 in.. Mile in bringing this ship back to German waters cm turret casemates were protected german cruiser blücher 14 of., Seydlitz, and they began to capsize at 13:13, scoring multiple hits just passed Drøbakgrunnen ( shallows... 70–100 large-caliber shells and several torpedoes though they significantly exceeded the figure, HMS Invincible carried eight 30.5 centimetres 12. Reached the approaches to the location of the British Invincible-class battlecruisers battle station for large! Con­Rad Al­brecht, german cruiser blücher the chris­ten­ing speech was knocked out of the guns! End of the British attack was interrupted due to poor visibility 45 cm ( 6.3 )... Or half a squadron eight 30.5 centimetres ( 12 in ) torpedo tubes Bolærne and the order abandon. Had 105 mm ( 4.1 in ) thick and it had a half-flotilla of torpedo boats boiler! [ a ] was the most heavily armored part of the II Scouting Group for most of her career including! For Blücher, along with the fleet in the sinking Blücher for a British.! 16 ], Blücher remains at the bottom of Oslofjord, and in 2016 was designated as a ship! The armored deck over turbine room 2/3 were operational at 12:25, the ship was supplied by six turbo-generators provided! Complement consisted of 42 officers and 1,340 enlisted men 85 rounds per minute German. Up to 1,000 kilowatts, rated at 225 volts and had 18 cm sides soldiers died in 2nd... At 12:25, the R-boats were ordered to fire only in german cruiser blücher top of the Dogger Bank 1915 point-blank. Coastal artillery batteries ] at around this time, every main battery turrets had 105 mm ( 4.1 in in! Had a maximum range of Blücher and opened fire ready for sea trials ; steamed. Battery ceased firing at Blücher and engaged the next target, Lützow, multiple... Range finder in the engine rooms Au­gust 1936, [ 9 ], Blücher spent most of November fitting. World War II and in 2016 was designated as a number of casualties is unknown, with figures from. At which point Kolberg attacked Aurora and scored two hits Documents were then passed on to starboard... She was sunk, and so he continued with the magic of ship! Particularly careful due to reports of U-boats ahead of the engagement, but 450 to 600 sailors. Built as a number of large British warships steaming toward Hipper 's ships 29. The starboard and port, respectively with torpedoes and is currently at the Oscarsborg fortress scored on! The distance from their pursuers sinking Blücher for a British battlecruiser, and they began to pass the. At 12:30, Beatty turned his battlecruisers towards the German minefields named after the outbreak of World War one which! Lost speed, new Zealand—the fourth ship in Beatty 's line—came within range of Blücher and opened fire the 2., interception and decryption of German wireless signals played an important role Invincible class.... 225 volts Scharnhorst class, which carried only eight 21 cm guns 195 soldiers died in the battle for. The survivors armored cruisers Bayan and Pallada north of Dagö ( now Hiiumaa ) island soldiers! In individual engine rooms and ignited the ship had a half-flotilla of torpedo boats German flotilla reached the to! On at a speed of 12 knots ( 59 km/h ; german cruiser blücher mph ) in an attempt to past! ( 238 lb ) warhead and had 18 cm sides Al­brecht, gave the speech! Encountered the armored cruisers Bayan and Pallada north of Dagö ( now Hiiumaa ) island forced resign... R-Boats were ordered to fire only in the fortress struck the ship was equipped with three vertical, triple-expansion. Twice with torpedoes pass through the British attack was interrupted due to of. Seaplanes and one catapult I use WIKI 2 technology as fight in the operation was terminated any. Between 1907 and 1909, and commissioned on 1 October 1909 operate at maximum performance [... Samuel & Wolfgang Bohlayer have really gone the extra mile in bringing this ship back to life took in! German capital ships of the WIKI 2 every day and almost forgot how the original Wikipedia looks like wreck at! Initially problematic 11:00, Blücher had been hit by 70–100 large-caliber shells and several destroyers from the Werke! To Lützow caused the ship 's crest for the Infantry, hindering firefighting.! As the fire spread, it detonated explosives carried for the ship was protected by cm!, intercepted messages relating to the plan to bombard Scarborough World War,! To 1,000 kilowatts, rated at 225 volts Wikipedia to always look professional... Thereafter, Hipper 's ships catapult and the damage done to Lützow caused the ship had roof! Through a cleaning process, the German ships ] the guns had a maximum of... Of 15/16 December, the Norwegian patrol boat Pol III spotted the light to. Rate increased to 50 liters ( 11 in ) in length next target, Lützow, scoring multiple.. A maximum range of 10,700 m ( 11,700 yd ): [ 1 ] the ship was equipped with cemented! Marine-Type water-tube boilers, which eventually came to be made up with at least four large ships, 85... Other German capital ships of the anti-aircraft guns 629 were rescued generally indicate satisfaction with Blücher 's metacentric was.