Scharnhorst

Interesting and rare picture John
I wonder why they put 'four' bow anchors on her instead of two heavy ones, I wonder what the logic behind this was.
Also note the two large domes either side of the bridge, were these direction finders?
The mid ship guns 'appear' to be have just fired.
What was the big boom hanging out the port side just by the first big turret guns? did they support some sort of defense underwater netting.?

These balls are the directors for the secondary gun batteries :- 150mm and heavy AA 110mm - it is a heavy AA gun 110mm that has just fired.
Scharnhorst in common with all larger warships had three anchors
The large boom is the boat boom, ships boats were moored to these to keep them off the hull thus preventing damage in open roadsteads

Although classed as a battle-cruiser due to her 283mm /11" main guns the armour of these ship was such that they should be classed as battleships, there was an intention to fit them with nine 15" guns in triple turrest.
The thickness of the side armour belt (12.6&quot is seen in the step in the hull amidships - that is the side armour belt bolted to the hull.

Built by Marinewerft, Wilhelmshaven laid down 14th Feb 1934 launched 03 Oct 1936 and commissioned 07th Jan 1939
L 235.4 ( after bow modified) B 30.00 Draft 9.93 mts Disp 26,000 ( as told to the outside world ) In reality 31,552 tonns standrad and 37,225 full load
Machinery : Triple 3 bladed 4.45 mtr screws. Brown-Boveri geared turbines, 12 Wagner three drum type O/F boilers 125,000 SHP 32 knots bunkerage 6,200 tonnes giving 7,000 miles at 20 knots.
Armament : Main battery, Nine 228mm / 11" SK C34 guns in three triple turrets firing a 727 lb shell to 39,000 yards - if you wish to see one of these in the flesh there is one on the Belfast.
Secondary battery, Twelve 150mm ( six inch) in six twin turrets,
Heavy AA Fourteen 110mm ( 4.3&quot in seven twin turrets, light AA |: sixteen 37mm in eight twin mounts and 10 20mm in five twin mounts.
and reflect their roles in commerce raiding two sets triple 21" torpedo tubes.

Scharnhorst met her end at the Hands of Admiral Sir Bruce Frazer in the battleship Duke of York on the 26th dece 1943 off the North cape of her crew of nearly two thousand brave men just 36 survived 1932 died.

Admiral Bey on the Scharhorst was foutmanouevred and outfought first by Admiral Burnett in his force of three cruisers : Norfolk ( 8 x 8&quot and Sheffield and Belfast (2 x 12x 6&quot, Burnetts ships forced the Scharnhorst away from the convoy they were guarding, although these three ships scored serious hits on the Scharhorst, Norfolk was hit in return, sheffiled had engine problems and at one time Belfast was the only ship engaging ( that alone qualifies her as worth keeping in my eyes).
These three ships then drove Scharhorst south into the trap set by Fraser in the DOY with the cruiser Jamaica and four destroyers.
Scharnhorst nearly escaped due to her higher speed but a hit in her boiler rooms slowed her down and DOY pounded her to a a gunless wreck and the destroyers finished her off with torpedoes in all she was hit by more than 30 14" shells and 11 torpedoes.

hi Steve my brother was on one of them destroyers that helped to sink the SCHARHORST his ship was called the H.M.S. SAVAGE sam 2182sw

Small world Sam,
the S class ships played a key and brave part ,the other ships were Scorpion Saumarez and the Norwegian Stord, the final torpedoes came from the Cruisers and another four destroyers which arrived at the end : Matchless, Musketeer, Opportune and Virago, altogether 55 torpedoes were fired.

thanks for that Steve yes he passed away last year and he would not say much about it when i ask him what was it like out there. sam2182sw

Thanks for the info Steve, whatever anyone says she was a mighty beast!
Regards
mIKE

jOHN when i was 3rd hand on the hull trawler h20 st chad we lost the full set of trawl gear on this wreck on cape bank norway it looks like a good fish mark on the ecko sounder said the old man five mins later bang-bang both warps parted?

No two ways, a powerful and majestic warship.