History

TIRPITZ OPERATIONAL HISTORY: 02 November 1936: Lay down on Slipway 2 at the Kriegsmarine shipyard in Wilhelmshaven. Construction number S 128. 01 April 1939: Launched. Christened by Frau von Hassell, daughter of Grand Admiral Tirpitz. 25 February 1941: At 1140 the ship is commissioned under Captain Karl Topp. 09 March 1941: Leaves Wilhelshaven for Kiel. 10 March 1941: Tirpitz anchors in Brunsbüttel roads. 11-12 March 1941: Tirpitz passes through the Kiel Canal. 16 March 1941: Begins her trials in the Baltic with base in Gotenhafen. 05 May 1941: Adolf Hitler visits the Tirpitz in Gotenhafen. 21 July - 2 August 1941: Inside Dock C at Deutsche Werke Kiel. 2 August - 17 September 1941: At Kiel. 23-26 September 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 September 1941: Arrives at Gotenhafen. October 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 November 1941: Inside Dock C at Deutsche Werke Kiel. 9-30 November 1941: At Deutsche Werke Kiel. 21 December - 10 January 1941: At Gotenhafen. 11 January 1941: Arrives at Kiel. 12 January 1942: Leaves Kiel for Wilhelmshaven. 12-13 January 1942: Passes through the Kiel Canal. 14 January 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 January 1942: Arrives at Trondheim and anchors in the Fættenfjord a branch of the bigger Åsenfjord. 16 January-5 March 1942: Remains in Trondheim. 30-31 January 1942: Seven British Stirlings of the No. 15 Squadron and nine Halifaxes of No. 76 Squadron, attempt to attack the Tirpitz in Fættenfjord but fail to locate the battleship. 24 February 1942: C-in-C of Battleships, Vice-Admiral Otto Ciliax, with staff embarks. 06 March 1942: Operation Sportpalast. At 1200 hours the Tirpitz casts off from Fættenfjord and leaves Trondheim under the command of Vice-Admiral Otto Ciliax, together with the destroyers Z-25, Hermann Schoemann, and Paul Jacobi, in order 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. 07 March 1942: At 1800 hours, the Russian steamer Ijora is torpedoed and sunk by the destroyer Friedrich Ihn. 08 March 1942: In the afternoon, Vice-Admiral Ciliax decides to cancel the operation and return to Trondheim. 09 March 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. At 1957 hours in the evening she anchors in Bogen Bay near Narvik. 10 March 1942: Until 0500 hours, Tirpitz transfers 1,422 tons of fuel-oil to the destroyers Z-25, Schoemann, and the torpedo boats T-5 and T-12. Later between 1300 and 1600 hours, transfers another 300 tons to the destroyer Friedrich Ihn. 12 March 1942: Tirpitz weighs anchor at midnight and heads for Trondheim. 13 March 1942: At 2100 arrives at Trondheim and anchors in Fættenfjord. 30-31 March 1942: 33 Halifax bombers attempt to attack the Tirpitz in Fættenfjord without success. Six aircraft fail to return to their base. 27-28 April 1942: Attacked by 29 Halifax and 11 Lancaster in Fættenfjord without success. Five aircraft fail to return to their base. 28-29 April 1942: Attacked again by 23 Halifax and 11 Lancaster in Fættenfjord 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 Kaafjord a branch of the bigger 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 36 merchantmen. During their voyage to Kaafjord 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 Kaafjord. 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 Kaafjord/Altafjord. 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 carrying 430 tanks, 210 planes, 3,350 vehicles and over 99,000 tons of material. 08 July 1942: The Fleet enters the Ofotfjord and anchors in Bogen Bay near Narvik. 23 October 1942: Tirpitz departs Bogen and sails South to Trondheim for a refit. 11 March 1943: Leaves Trondheim and sails back to Bogen in Narvik, where she joins the Scharnhorst and the heavy cruiser Lützow. 23 March 1943: Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, Lützow and six destroyers are transferred to Kaafjord in Alta where they run trials until July. 06 September 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 Kaafjord under the command of Admiral Kummetz, to attack the allied installations on the island of Spitzbergen. 08 September 1943: The German battle group bombards Spitzbergen and destroy the port facilities. 09 September 1943: The German ships arrive safely at Altafjord and the Tirpitz anchors in Kaafjord. 22 September 1943: The Tirpitz is attacked by the British midget submarines X-5, X-6, and X-7 in Kaafjord. 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. November 1943-February 1944: Repair work in Kaafjord. 12 February 1944: Attacked by four soviet bombers in Kaafjord without success. 15 March 1944: Begins her trials in Altafjord. 03 April 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 August 1944: Conducts her last trials with the destroyers Z-29, Z-31, Z-33, Z-34, and Z-39. 22 August 1944: Attacked by 32 Barracudas from carriers Indefatigable, Furious, Formidable, Nabob, and Trumpeter with no success. 24 August 1944: Attacked by 33 Barracudas from carriers Indefatigable, Furious, and Formidable. Two hits. 8 dead and 13 wounded. 29 August 1944: Attacked by 26 Barracudas, with no success. 15 September 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 October 1944: After temporary repairs in the bow, the Tirpitz leaves Kaafjord and sails at 8 knots to Tromsø where she anchors off Håkøy Island to remain there as a floating battery. 29 October 1944: Attacked by 32 Lancaster of the 617th Dam Buster Squadron without success. 12 November 1944: Attacked by 32 Lancaster. Shortly after 0940, the Tirpitz is hit by three "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 the Norwegian company Hövding.