Tirpitz

1. Lead

The Tirpitz was the second and last battleship of the German Bismarck class, and one of the largest and most powerful battleships of the Second World War. Named for Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the founder of the German Navy, the ship was commissioned on 25 February 1941, and it was, with its sister ship Bismarck, the largest battleship ever built in Germany, displacing about 52,600 tons at full load, armed with eight 380 mm guns, and protected by armour up to 320 mm thick. Unlike Bismarck, which was sunk on its first mission, in May 1941, Tirpitz spent most of the war in Norwegian fjords, where it threatened the Arctic convoys that carried supplies from Britain and the United States to the Soviet Union, and where it tied down a large part of the Royal Navy, which had to keep battleships, carriers and destroyers in northern waters, in case Tirpitz sailed. The ship was attacked again and again — by midget submarines, by carrier aircraft and by Royal Air Force Lancaster bombers — and it was finally sunk on 12 November 1944, by Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron, the “Dambusters”, using Tallboy bombs, in Tromsø fjord, in Norway, with the loss of about 1,000 of its crew.

The story of Tirpitz is a story of a ship that was, in Churchill’s words, “the Beast”, and that was feared far beyond its actual achievements, because its mere existence forced the Allies to divert ships, aircraft and men to watch it, and to attack it, again and again, at great cost. Tirpitz sank only one merchant ship, and it fired its main guns in anger only once, in a raid on Spitsbergen in September 1943, but it was, for three years, the most important ship in the German Navy, and the ship that the Royal Navy most wanted to sink. Its sinking, in November 1944, was a triumph for the Royal Air Force, and it was the end of the German battleship as a threat to the Arctic convoys, and it was a reminder that a battleship, no matter how large and how powerful, could be sunk by aircraft, and that the age of the battleship was over.

2. Key Facts

Type	Battleship (Bismarck class)
Origin	Germany
Builder	Kriegsmarinewerft, Wilhelmshaven
Laid down	2 November 1936
Launched	1 April 1939
Commissioned	25 February 1941
Sunk	12 November 1944 (Tromsø, Norway)
Displacement	About 42,900 tons standard; about 52,600 tons full load
Length	251.0 m
Beam	36.0 m
Draught	About 10.2 m
Crew	About 2,600 (wartime, including air group)
Propulsion	3 × steam turbines, 150,170 shp; 12 boilers
Speed	About 30.8 knots
Range	About 8,870 nautical miles at 19 knots
Armour	Belt 320 mm; deck 100–120 mm; turrets 360 mm; conning tower 350 mm
Armament	8 × 380 mm (4 × 2); 12 × 150 mm; 16 × 105 mm AA; 16 × 37 mm AA; 20 × 20 mm AA
Aircraft	4 × Arado Ar 196 floatplanes; 1 catapult

3. Background and Development

The Bismarck Class and the Z Plan

Tirpitz was the second ship of the Bismarck class, which was designed in the 1930s, under the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935, which allowed Germany to build battleships of up to 35,000 tons, although the Bismarck class, at 42,900 tons standard, exceeded that limit, and Germany, which had begun to rearm, did not care. The Bismarck class was designed to be the core of the German Navy’s Z Plan, which was Admiral Raeder’s plan to build a fleet of battleships, carriers and cruisers, that would challenge the Royal Navy, and that would allow Germany to control the seas. The Z Plan was never completed, because the war began in 1939, before the fleet could be built, and only two Bismarck-class battleships were completed, Bismarck and Tirpitz, and they were the largest and most powerful battleships ever built in Germany, and they were the ships that the Royal Navy most feared, in the first years of the war.

Building Tirpitz at Wilhelmshaven

Tirpitz was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven, and this section covers her construction, her launch and commissioning, and the fate of her sister ship, which shaped everything that followed. She was laid down on 2 November 1936, launched on 1 April 1939 in a ceremony attended by Adolf Hitler, and commissioned on 25 February 1941 under Captain Karl Topp, and her construction took more than four years, delayed by the war, by the need to build U-boats and other ships, and by the bombing of Wilhelmshaven, so that she was not fully ready for service until early 1942, when she was sent to Norway. She was named for Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, who had built the German Navy before the First World War, and her name was a reminder of Germany’s naval ambitions. Her sister ship, Bismarck, commissioned in August 1940, was sunk on her first mission in May 1941, after sinking HMS Hood, and the lesson was learned: Tirpitz was never sent on an Atlantic mission like Bismarck‘s, but was kept in Norway, protected by fjords, anti-aircraft guns and smoke screens, where she threatened the Arctic convoys without sailing far from her base.

Launch and Commissioning

Tirpitz was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven, and it was laid down on 2 November 1936, launched on 1 April 1939, in a ceremony attended by Adolf Hitler, and commissioned on 25 February 1941, under the command of Captain Karl Topp. The ship’s construction took more than four years, and it was delayed by the war, and by the need to build U-boats and other ships, and by the bombing of Wilhelmshaven, and the ship was not fully ready for service until early 1942, when it was sent to Norway, where it would spend most of the war. Tirpitz was named for Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, who had built the German Navy before the First World War, and who was a hero in Germany, and the ship’s name was a reminder of Germany’s naval ambitions, and of the fleet that Tirpitz had built, and that had been destroyed at Jutland and at Scapa Flow.

The Sister Ship Bismarck

Tirpitz‘s sister ship, Bismarck, was commissioned in August 1940, and it was sunk on its first mission, in May 1941, in the Battle of the Denmark Strait and in the Atlantic, after it had sunk the British battlecruiser HMS Hood, and after it had been hunted by the Royal Navy, which had sent every available ship to sink it. Bismarck‘s sinking was a blow to the German Navy, and it was a lesson that the Germans learned: a battleship, no matter how large and how powerful, could be sunk by aircraft and by a superior force, and Tirpitz, which was commissioned three months before Bismarck was sunk, was never sent on a mission like Bismarck‘s, in the Atlantic, where it would have been hunted by the Royal Navy, and it was kept in Norway, where it was protected by fjords, by anti-aircraft guns and by smoke screens, and where it threatened the Arctic convoys, without ever having to sail far from its base.

The Threat to the Arctic Convoys

Tirpitz was sent to Norway in January 1942, and it was based in fjords near Trondheim and later near Tromsø, where it was protected by the steep sides of the fjords, by anti-aircraft guns on the shore, by smoke screens that hid it from aircraft, and by torpedo nets in the water, which protected it from submarines. From Norway, Tirpitz threatened the Arctic convoys, which carried supplies from Britain and the United States to the Soviet Union, through the Barents Sea, to Murmansk and Archangel, and which were essential to the Soviet war effort, and which were attacked by German U-boats, by German aircraft and, it was feared, by Tirpitz itself. The Royal Navy, which had to protect the convoys, had to keep battleships, carriers and destroyers in northern waters, in case Tirpitz sailed, and the ship’s mere existence tied down a large part of the Royal Navy, and forced the Allies to divert ships, aircraft and men to watch it, and to attack it, again and again, at great cost.

4. Design

Hull, Armour and Main Guns

Tirpitz was 251 metres long, 36 metres wide, and it displaced about 42,900 tons standard and about 52,600 tons at full load, and it was powered by three steam turbines, which gave a total of 150,170 shaft horsepower and a speed of about 30.8 knots, which was fast for a battleship, and which allowed it to outrun any British battleship, except for the King George V class, which was almost as fast. The ship’s armour consisted of a belt of 320 mm, which protected its magazines and its machinery, a deck of 100 to 120 mm, turrets of 360 mm, and a conning tower of 350 mm, which was the thickest armour on any German ship, and which protected the ship’s command. The ship’s main armament consisted of eight 380 mm guns, in four twin turrets, two forward and two aft, which could fire a shell of about 800 kilograms to a range of about 36,000 metres, and which were the most powerful guns on any German ship, and which were feared by the Royal Navy, which had no battleship that could match them, except for the King George V class, which had 356 mm guns.

Secondary Armament and Aircraft

Beyond her eight 380 mm main guns, Tirpitz carried a large secondary and anti-aircraft armament and her own aircraft, and this section describes those weapons and the life of the men who served them. She was armed with 12 150 mm guns for use against surface ships, and with 16 105 mm, 16 37 mm and 20 20 mm anti-aircraft guns against aircraft, which were her main defence against the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm, and her anti-aircraft armament was increased during the war as the threat from aircraft grew, until by 1944 she had more anti-aircraft guns than any other German ship, protected by smoke screens and by fighter cover when she was at anchor. She also carried four Arado Ar 196 floatplanes, launched from a catapult and used for reconnaissance, which were her eyes when she was at sea. Life aboard was hard: her crew of about 2,600 men lived in crowded, hot and noisy compartments, worked in shifts around the clock, ate in crowded mess decks and slept in compartments that smelled of fuel and sweat, and they spent most of the war at anchor in a fjord, bored, cold and afraid, waiting for an order to sail that never came.

Anti-Aircraft Guns and Floatplanes

Tirpitz was also armed with 12 150 mm guns, which were used against surface ships, and 16 105 mm anti-aircraft guns, 16 37 mm anti-aircraft guns and 20 20 mm anti-aircraft guns, which were used against aircraft, and which were the ship’s main defence against the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm, which attacked it again and again. The ship’s anti-aircraft armament was increased during the war, as the threat from aircraft grew, and by 1944 it had more anti-aircraft guns than any other German ship, and it was protected by smoke screens and by fighter cover, when it was at anchor in a fjord. The ship also carried four Arado Ar 196 floatplanes, which were launched from a catapult, and which were used for reconnaissance, and which were the ship’s eyes, when it was at sea, and which allowed it to find convoys and to avoid British ships.

Life Aboard Tirpitz

Life aboard Tirpitz was hard, and it was typical of life aboard a large warship. The ship’s crew of about 2,600 men lived in the ship’s compartments, which were crowded, hot and noisy, and they worked in shifts, around the clock, to keep the ship and its weapons ready for combat, and they ate in mess decks that were crowded, and they slept in compartments that were hot and that smelled of fuel and of sweat. The men who served on Tirpitz were young, they were highly trained, and they knew that their ship was a target for British aircraft and submarines, and that their chances of survival depended on the ship’s anti-aircraft guns and on the fjord that protected it. The men of Tirpitz spent most of the war at anchor, in a fjord, waiting for an order to sail that never came, and they were bored, they were cold, and they were afraid, and they knew that their ship, which was the most powerful ship in the German Navy, was also the most hunted ship in the world.

The Fjord Fortress

Tirpitz was protected, when it was at anchor, by the fjord in which it lay, by anti-aircraft guns on the shore, by smoke screens that hid it from aircraft, by torpedo nets in the water, and by fighter cover, when it was available. The fjord’s steep sides made it difficult for aircraft to attack the ship, because they had to fly down into the fjord, and they were exposed to anti-aircraft fire, and the smoke screens, which were generated by smoke generators on the shore, hid the ship from view, and the torpedo nets, which were hung in the water around the ship, protected it from torpedoes fired by submarines and by aircraft. The fjord fortress was Tirpitz‘s main defence, and it was the reason why the ship survived for so long, despite being attacked again and again, by midget submarines, by carrier aircraft and by Lancaster bombers, and it was only when the Lancasters, flying from Scotland, dropped Tallboy bombs on the ship, in November 1944, that the fjord fortress was finally overcome.

5. Variants

The Bismarck Class

Variant	Years	Key features	Ships
Bismarck	1940–1941	First ship; sunk May 1941	1
Tirpitz	1941–1944	Second ship; heavier AA armament; sunk Nov 1944	1
Bismarck class (planned)	—	Further ships planned, never built	0

Tirpitz was the second and last ship of the Bismarck class, and there were no other ships in the class, although further ships were planned, under the Z Plan, and were never built, because the war began before they could be laid down. The two ships, Bismarck and Tirpitz, were almost identical, except that Tirpitz had a heavier anti-aircraft armament, and it had a different arrangement of its secondary guns, and it was slightly heavier, at 42,900 tons standard, against Bismarck‘s 41,700 tons. The two ships are often confused, but they are easy to tell apart: Bismarck was sunk in May 1941, on its first mission, while Tirpitz survived until November 1944, in Norway, and Bismarck is remembered for sinking HMS Hood, while Tirpitz is remembered for threatening the Arctic convoys and for being sunk by Lancasters.

Tirpitz in 1944

By 1944, Tirpitz was at her most heavily armed and her most threatened, and this section covers her last year, from the floating fortress she had become to the move that left her exposed. She had the heaviest anti-aircraft armament of any German ship, with 16 105 mm guns, 16 37 mm guns and 20 20 mm guns, and she was protected by smoke screens, by fighter cover, and by a fjord guarded with torpedo nets and anti-aircraft guns on the shore, with a crew trained to fight aircraft and experienced from the attacks of 1943 and 1944. That armament, however, could not save her from the Tallboy bombs, which were dropped from high altitude by Lancasters flying above the range of her guns and which could penetrate her armour. In her last months she was moved from Kaafjord, near Alta, to Tromsø, where she was anchored in a wider fjord that was less well protected, with smoke screens that were less effective, because the Germans feared an attack by Soviet forces advancing in northern Norway and wanted to use her as a floating battery to defend Tromsø. The move proved to be a mistake, because Lancasters flying from Scotland could reach Tromsø, and they sank her there on 12 November 1944, with the loss of about 1,000 of her crew.

The Heaviest Anti-Aircraft Armament

By 1944, Tirpitz had the heaviest anti-aircraft armament of any German ship, with 16 105 mm guns, 16 37 mm guns and 20 20 mm guns, and it was protected by smoke screens and by fighter cover, and it was anchored in a fjord that was protected by torpedo nets and by anti-aircraft guns on the shore. The ship’s anti-aircraft armament was increased during the war, as the threat from aircraft grew, and by 1944 it was a floating fortress, with more guns than any other ship, and with a crew that was trained to fight aircraft, and that had fought them again and again, in the attacks on the ship in 1943 and 1944. The ship’s anti-aircraft armament, however, could not save it from the Tallboy bombs, which were dropped from high altitude, by Lancasters that flew above the range of the ship’s guns, and which penetrated the ship’s armour and sank it.

The Last Months

In the last months of its life, Tirpitz was moved from Kaafjord, near Alta, to Tromsø, where it was anchored in a fjord that was less well protected, and where it was more vulnerable to attack from the air, because the fjord was wider and because the smoke screens were less effective. The move was made because the Germans feared that the ship would be attacked by Soviet forces, who were advancing in northern Norway, and because they wanted to use the ship as a floating battery, to defend Tromsø, and because they believed that the ship was safer at Tromsø than at Kaafjord. The move proved to be a mistake, because the Lancasters, flying from Scotland, could reach Tromsø, and they attacked the ship on 12 November 1944, and sank it, with the loss of about 1,000 of its crew, in one of the most famous actions of the Royal Air Force in the Second World War.

6. Operational History

Norway and the Arctic Convoys, 1942–1943

Tirpitz arrived in Norway in January 1942, and it was based in fjords near Trondheim, where it threatened the Arctic convoys, which carried supplies to the Soviet Union, and where it tied down a large part of the Royal Navy. In March 1942, Tirpitz sailed to attack Convoy PQ-12, but it was not found, and it returned to its fjord, and in July 1942, the threat of Tirpitz caused the Admiralty to order Convoy PQ-17 to scatter, which led to the loss of 24 of its 35 merchant ships, to U-boats and to aircraft, in one of the worst convoy disasters of the war. Tirpitz did not sink any of the ships of PQ-17, but its mere existence caused the convoy to scatter, and it was, in the words of one historian, “the ship that sank PQ-17 without firing a shot”. Tirpitz‘s threat to the convoys was its main contribution to the war, and it was a contribution that was made without the ship ever having to sail far from its base, and without it ever having to fire its main guns in anger, except once, at Spitsbergen, in September 1943.

The Raid on Spitsbergen

In September 1943, Tirpitz, accompanied by the battlecruiser Scharnhorst and by destroyers, sailed to Spitsbergen, in the Arctic Ocean, where it bombarded the Allied base at Barentsburg, and where it fired its main guns in anger for the only time in its career, and where it destroyed the base and sank a small number of ships. The raid on Spitsbergen was Tirpitz‘s only offensive operation, and it was a success, in that it destroyed the base, but it was also a sign of the ship’s limitations: it had to be escorted by Scharnhorst and by destroyers, it was at risk from British submarines and aircraft, and it returned to its fjord, where it was attacked, a few weeks later, by British midget submarines, in Operation Source, which damaged it badly and put it out of action for six months. The raid on Spitsbergen was Tirpitz‘s finest hour, and it was also its last offensive operation, and after it, the ship never sailed on an offensive mission again.

Operation Source and the Carrier Attacks

The first serious damage to Tirpitz came from below the water, and the attacks that followed came from the air, and this section covers both: the midget submarines of Operation Source, and the carrier aircraft that struck her again and again in 1944. In September 1943, six British midget submarines, the X-craft, were towed to Norway, and on 22 September 1943, in Operation Source, X-6 and X-7 reached Tirpitz in Kaafjord and placed explosive charges under her hull, which flooded her compartments, damaged her machinery and put her out of action for six months, though their crews were captured and the other X-craft were lost. It was the first time Tirpitz was seriously damaged, and the beginning of the end, for she would never be fully repaired. In 1944, the Fleet Air Arm attacked her in Operations Tungsten, Planet, Brawn, Tiger Claw and Mascot, with Barracuda dive bombers escorted by fighters, and the attacks damaged her and killed many of her crew but did not sink her, because her armour was too thick for the bombs carrier aircraft could carry, the fjord defences were strong, and the smoke screens hid her. The carrier attacks kept her out of action and forced the Germans to spend men and materials on repairing and defending her, and they were the precursor to the Lancaster attacks, with Tallboy bombs too large for a carrier aircraft to carry, which finally sank her.

The Midget Submarines

In September 1943, six British midget submarines, known as X-craft, were towed to Norway, and they attacked Tirpitz in Kaafjord, in Operation Source, on 22 September 1943. Two of the X-craft, X-6 and X-7, reached Tirpitz and placed explosive charges under its hull, which exploded and damaged the ship badly, flooding its compartments, damaging its machinery and putting it out of action for six months. The crews of X-6 and X-7 were captured, and the other X-craft were lost, but the attack was a success, and it was one of the most daring actions of the war, and it showed that even a battleship, protected by torpedo nets and by anti-aircraft guns, could be damaged by a small submarine, crewed by four men, who had sailed for days, underwater, to reach it. Operation Source was the first time that Tirpitz was seriously damaged, and it was the beginning of the end for the ship, which would never be fully repaired, and which would be attacked again and again, until it was finally sunk.

The Fleet Air Arm Attacks

In 1944, the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm attacked Tirpitz again and again, with carrier aircraft, in Operations Tungsten, Planet, Brawn, Tiger Claw and Mascot, in which Barracuda dive bombers, escorted by fighters, attacked the ship in its fjord, and damaged it, and killed many of its crew, but did not sink it. The carrier attacks were brave, and they were carried out at great cost, with many aircraft lost, but they did not sink Tirpitz, because the ship’s armour was too thick for the bombs that the carrier aircraft could carry, and because the fjord’s defences were too strong, and because the smoke screens hid the ship from view. The carrier attacks, however, damaged Tirpitz and kept it out of action, and they forced the Germans to spend men and materials on repairing it, and on defending it, and they were a precursor to the Lancaster attacks, which would finally sink the ship, with bombs that were too large for a carrier aircraft to carry, and that could penetrate the ship’s armour.

The Sinking, 12 November 1944

On 12 November 1944, 31 Lancaster bombers of 9 Squadron and 617 Squadron, the “Dambusters”, flying from Scotland, attacked Tirpitz at Tromsø, with Tallboy bombs, which weighed 5,400 kg each, and which were the largest bombs used in the war. Three Tallboy bombs hit Tirpitz, and they penetrated its armour, and they caused a massive explosion, and the ship capsized and sank, with the loss of about 1,000 of its crew, in one of the most famous actions of the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The sinking of Tirpitz was a triumph for the Royal Air Force, and it was the end of the German battleship as a threat to the Arctic convoys, and it was a reminder that a battleship, no matter how large and how powerful, could be sunk by aircraft, and that the age of the battleship was over. The wreck of Tirpitz remained in Tromsø fjord, where it was partly salvaged after the war, and where it is still remembered today, as a memorial to the men who died on it, and to the men who sank it.

7. Performance and Specifications

Speed, Armour and Guns

Specification	Tirpitz
Displacement (standard)	About 42,900 tons
Displacement (full load)	About 52,600 tons
Length	251.0 m
Beam	36.0 m
Speed	About 30.8 knots
Range	About 8,870 nautical miles at 19 knots
Power	150,170 shp
Main guns	8 × 380 mm
Secondary guns	12 × 150 mm
Anti-aircraft guns	16 × 105 mm; 16 × 37 mm; 20 × 20 mm
Belt armour	320 mm
Deck armour	100–120 mm
Turret armour	360 mm
Crew	About 2,600

The table shows Tirpitz‘s strengths: it was large, it was fast, it was heavily armed and heavily armoured, and it had a long range, which allowed it to operate far from home. The figures are the values most commonly given in the published histories, and they vary slightly between sources, because different sources give different displacements and different speeds, and because the ship was modified during the war, with more anti-aircraft guns and with different equipment. The reader should treat the numbers as approximate, and as a guide to the ship’s capability rather than as exact measurements for a single ship.

Comparison with British Battleships

Compared with British battleships, Tirpitz was larger, faster and better armed than the King George V class, which was the Royal Navy’s most modern battleship, and which displaced about 42,000 tons, had a speed of about 28 knots, and was armed with ten 356 mm guns, against Tirpitz‘s eight 380 mm guns. Tirpitz was also larger and better armed than the Nelson class, which displaced about 34,000 tons, had a speed of about 23 knots, and was armed with nine 406 mm guns, which were larger than Tirpitz‘s guns, but which were mounted in a ship that was slower and less well protected. Tirpitz‘s advantage was its combination of speed, armour and firepower, which made it, on paper, the most powerful battleship in European waters, and which was the reason why the Royal Navy feared it, and why it tied down so many British ships, in case it sailed.

Why Tirpitz Was Sunk by Aircraft

Tirpitz was sunk by aircraft because aircraft could attack it from above, where its armour was thinnest, and because the Tallboy bombs, which weighed 5,400 kg, could penetrate its armour, and because the Lancasters that dropped them flew above the range of its anti-aircraft guns, and because the ship, which was at anchor in a fjord, could not manoeuvre to avoid the bombs. The sinking of Tirpitz is a reminder that a battleship, no matter how large and how powerful, is vulnerable to aircraft, and that the age of the battleship, which had lasted for centuries, was over, and that the aircraft carrier, and the aircraft that it carried, had become the capital ship of the modern navy. Tirpitz‘s sinking, like Bismarck‘s sinking, was a lesson that the navies of the world learned, and that they have not forgotten, even today, when battleships are no longer built, and when aircraft carriers are the largest ships in the world.

The 380 mm Gun in Detail

The Tirpitz’s main guns were eight 380 mm guns, in four twin turrets, which could fire a shell of about 800 kilograms, to a range of about 36,000 metres, at a rate of about 2 rounds per minute, per gun, and which were the most powerful guns on any German ship. The guns were aimed with a fire-control system that calculated the target’s range, speed and course, from data provided by rangefinders, and they were loaded by a crew that worked in the turret, and in the magazines below, and that handled shells that weighed about 800 kilograms, which was heavy work, and which required a team of men, working together, to load the gun, and to fire it, accurately, at long range. The 380 mm guns were the Tirpitz’s main weapon, and they were the reason why the ship was feared, and why the Royal Navy kept battleships in northern waters, in case the Tirpitz sailed, and why the ship tied down so many British ships, for three years, without ever having to fire its guns in anger, except once, at Spitsbergen.

8. Operators

Germany

Tirpitz was used by the German Navy, the Kriegsmarine, from its commissioning on 25 February 1941 to its sinking on 12 November 1944, and it was operated by the German Navy in Norway, where it was based in fjords near Trondheim and Tromsø, and where it threatened the Arctic convoys. The ship’s crew were German sailors, trained in the German Navy, and they served on the ship for its three years in Norway, in conditions that were cold, boring and dangerous, and they knew that their ship was a target for British aircraft and submarines, and that their chances of survival depended on the fjord that protected it and on the anti-aircraft guns that defended it. Tirpitz was a German ship, built in Germany, crewed by Germans, and it became a symbol of the German Navy, and of Germany’s naval ambitions, and of the fleet that Germany had tried to build, and that had been destroyed, in the Second World War.

The Allies Who Sank Her

Tirpitz was sunk by the Royal Air Force, but she was hunted by the Royal Navy, and this section explains how the two services, and the Soviet Union, worked together to sink her. The Royal Navy kept battleships, carriers and destroyers in northern waters in case she sailed, attacked her with midget submarines and with carrier aircraft, and provided the intelligence that allowed the Royal Air Force to find her and to sink her, in a hunt that lasted three years, from 1942 to 1944, and that was one of the longest hunts in naval history. The sinking was a joint effort, involving ships, submarines and aircraft, and no single service could have done it alone. The Soviet Union, which received supplies from the Arctic convoys that Tirpitz threatened, also contributed, by providing intelligence, by attacking German bases in Norway, and by advancing in northern Norway in 1944, which forced Tirpitz to move from Kaafjord to Tromsø, where she was more vulnerable to attack from the air. The sinking was therefore not only a British victory, but an Allied victory, involving Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union, and the convoys themselves were an Allied effort, in which all three countries played a part.

The Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force

Tirpitz was sunk by the Royal Air Force, but it was hunted by the Royal Navy, which kept battleships, carriers and destroyers in northern waters, in case it sailed, and which attacked it with midget submarines and with carrier aircraft, and which provided the intelligence that allowed the Royal Air Force to find it and to sink it. The Royal Navy’s hunt for Tirpitz was one of the longest hunts in naval history, and it involved ships, submarines and aircraft, and it lasted for three years, from 1942 to 1944, and it ended with the ship’s sinking, by Lancasters, in November 1944. The Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force worked together to sink Tirpitz, and their cooperation is a reminder that the sinking of a battleship, in the Second World War, was a joint effort, involving ships, submarines and aircraft, and that no single service could have done it alone.

The Soviet Union and the Arctic Convoys

The Soviet Union, which received supplies from the Arctic convoys that Tirpitz threatened, also contributed to the hunt for Tirpitz, by providing intelligence, by attacking German bases in Norway, and by advancing in northern Norway, in 1944, which forced Tirpitz to move from Kaafjord to Tromsø, where it was more vulnerable to attack from the air. The Soviet advance in northern Norway was one reason why Tirpitz was moved, and why it was sunk, and it is a reminder that the sinking of Tirpitz was not only a British victory, but an Allied victory, involving Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union, and that the Arctic convoys, which Tirpitz threatened, were an Allied effort, in which all three countries played a part.

9. Legacy and Influence

The Beast That Tied Down a Navy

Tirpitz‘s legacy is, above all, its reputation as “the Beast”, and as the ship that tied down a large part of the Royal Navy, for three years, without ever having to sail far from its base, and without ever having to fire its main guns in anger, except once, at Spitsbergen. Tirpitz showed that a ship’s value is not only its achievements, but its existence, and that a powerful ship, in being, can force an enemy to divert ships, aircraft and men to watch it, and to attack it, and that it can have a strategic effect far beyond its tactical achievements. Tirpitz‘s legacy is therefore a legacy of strategy, as well as a legacy of combat, and it is taught in naval schools as an example of a “fleet in being”, a fleet that, by existing, influences the enemy’s actions, without ever having to fight a battle.

The End of the Battleship

Tirpitz‘s sinking, like Bismarck‘s sinking, showed that a battleship, no matter how large and how powerful, could be sunk by aircraft, and that the age of the battleship was over. The sinking of Tirpitz by Lancasters, using Tallboy bombs, was one of the most famous actions of the Royal Air Force, and it was a reminder that aircraft had become the capital ship of the modern navy, and that battleships, which had been the capital ships for centuries, were obsolete. The Tirpitz‘s sinking is taught in naval schools as an example of the vulnerability of battleships to air attack, and of the importance of air power in naval warfare, and it is a lesson that navies have not forgotten, even today, when battleships are no longer built, and when aircraft carriers are the largest ships in the world.

Tirpitz in Popular Culture

In popular culture Tirpitz is remembered as “the Beast”, and it appears in films, in books and in television programmes about the Arctic convoys and about the hunt for Tirpitz, where it is shown as the ship that the Royal Navy most wanted to sink. The ship’s story is told in the film Above Us the Waves, which tells the story of Operation Source, and in the books of the men who attacked it, and in the museums that commemorate the Arctic convoys, where Tirpitz is remembered as the threat that the convoys faced, and as the ship that was sunk by Lancasters, in one of the most famous actions of the Royal Air Force. Tirpitz‘s place in popular culture is a measure of its fame, and it ensures that the ship will be remembered, not only as a battleship, but as a symbol of the Arctic convoys and of the hunt that sank it.

The Arctic Convoys in Memory

The Arctic convoys, which carried supplies from Britain and the United States to the Soviet Union, through the Barents Sea, to Murmansk and Archangel, are remembered in Britain, in the United States and in Russia, as one of the most dangerous and most important operations of the Second World War, in which merchant sailors, who were civilians, sailed in ships that were attacked by U-boats, by aircraft and, it was feared, by the Tirpitz, and in which many died, in the cold waters of the Arctic, far from home. The convoys’ story is told in the museums that commemorate them, in Britain and in Russia, where the Tirpitz is remembered as the threat that the convoys faced, and as the ship that was sunk by Lancasters, in one of the most famous actions of the Royal Air Force, and where the merchant sailors who died are remembered, as heroes, who sailed in the Arctic, in winter, to supply the Soviet Union, in its war against Germany.

10. Surviving Examples

The Wreck at Tromsø

Tirpitz was sunk on 12 November 1944, and its wreck remained in Tromsø fjord, where it was partly salvaged after the war, and where it is still remembered today, as a memorial to the men who died on it. The wreck was salvaged in the late 1940s and 1950s, by a Norwegian company, which cut up the ship and sold its steel, and which left only a small part of the wreck on the seabed, where it can still be seen at low tide, in Tromsø fjord. The wreck is not a museum ship, and it cannot be visited, except by divers, but it is remembered in Tromsø, where a memorial stands on the shore, and where visitors can learn about the ship and about the men who died on it, and about the Lancasters that sank it. The wreck of Tirpitz is a reminder that the ship, which was once the most powerful ship in the German Navy, is now a wreck on the seabed, in a fjord in Norway, far from the sea in which it was built to fight.

Memorials and Artefacts

Tirpitz herself is a wreck on the seabed, so her story today is told by memorials and by the objects salvaged from her, and this section guides the reader to both. A memorial stands on the shore at Tromsø, near where the ship was sunk, a simple stone with a plaque that tells the story of the ship, of her sinking, and of the men who died, about 1,000 of whom are still in the wreck, which is remembered as a war grave protected by Norwegian law. Other memorials are in Germany, where the ship’s crew are remembered, and in Britain, where the men who sank her are remembered, and in the museums that commemorate the Arctic convoys, where Tirpitz is remembered as the threat the convoys faced. Artefacts from the ship are held in museums in Norway, in Germany and in Britain, including her bell, held in a museum in Norway, and her guns, which were salvaged and are displayed in museums, and the Tallboy bombs that sank her, which are displayed in the Royal Air Force Museum in London. For most visitors, the easiest way to learn about Tirpitz is to visit the memorial at Tromsø, or the Royal Air Force Museum, where the Tallboy bomb is displayed and the story of the ship and her sinking is told in full.

Tromsø and Other Memorials

A memorial to Tirpitz stands on the shore at Tromsø, near where the ship was sunk, and it is visited by people who come to learn about the ship and about the men who died on it. The memorial is a simple stone, with a plaque that tells the story of the ship, and of its sinking, and of the men who died, about 1,000 of whom are still in the wreck, and who are remembered as a war grave, which is protected by Norwegian law. Other memorials to Tirpitz are in Germany, where the ship’s crew are remembered, and in Britain, where the men who sank it are remembered, and in the museums that commemorate the Arctic convoys, where Tirpitz is remembered as the threat that the convoys faced. The memorials are a reminder that Tirpitz, which was a ship of war, is now a memorial to the men who died in the war, on both sides, and that its story is a story of loss, as well as a story of victory.

Artefacts in Museums

Artefacts from Tirpitz are held in museums in Norway, in Germany and in Britain, including the ship’s bell, which is held in a museum in Norway, and the ship’s guns, which were salvaged and which are displayed in museums, and the Tallboy bombs that sank it, which are displayed in the Royal Air Force Museum in London. The artefacts are a reminder that Tirpitz, which was once a ship, is now a collection of artefacts, in museums, and that its story is told not by the ship itself, which is a wreck on the seabed, but by the objects that were salvaged from it, and by the men who served on it and who sank it. For most visitors, the easiest way to learn about Tirpitz is to visit the memorial at Tromsø, or the Royal Air Force Museum in London, where the Tallboy bomb that sank it is displayed, and where the story of the ship and of its sinking is told in full.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Tirpitz?
Tirpitz was the second and last battleship of the German Bismarck class, commissioned on 25 February 1941. It spent most of the war in Norwegian fjords, threatening the Arctic convoys, and it was sunk on 12 November 1944 by Lancaster bombers.

How was Tirpitz sunk?
Tirpitz was sunk on 12 November 1944 by 31 Lancaster bombers of 9 Squadron and 617 Squadron, using Tallboy bombs, at Tromsø in Norway. Three Tallboy bombs hit the ship, and it capsized and sank, with the loss of about 1,000 of its crew.

What happened to Convoy PQ-17?
In July 1942, the threat of Tirpitz caused the Admiralty to order Convoy PQ-17 to scatter, which led to the loss of 24 of its 35 merchant ships, to U-boats and to aircraft. Tirpitz did not sink any of the ships, but its mere existence caused the convoy to scatter.

What was Operation Source?
Operation Source was the attack on Tirpitz by British midget submarines, X-craft, on 22 September 1943, in Kaafjord, Norway. Two X-craft placed explosive charges under the ship, which damaged it badly and put it out of action for six months.

Where is Tirpitz today?
The wreck of Tirpitz lies in Tromsø fjord, in Norway, where it was partly salvaged after the war. A memorial stands on the shore at Tromsø, near where the ship was sunk.

What guns did Tirpitz carry?
Tirpitz carried eight 380 mm guns in four twin turrets, 12 150 mm guns, and a large anti-aircraft armament of 105 mm, 37 mm and 20 mm guns.

Sources

1. Wikipedia, “German battleship Tirpitz” — commissioning, specifications, Arctic convoys, Operation Source and sinking on 12 November 1944.
2. Royal Air Force Museum, London — the Tallboy bombs and the sinking of Tirpitz by 617 Squadron.
3. John Sweetman, Tirpitz: Hunting the Beast (Sutton Publishing, 2000) — the hunt for Tirpitz and the attacks on it.
4. Niklas Zetterling and Michael Tamelander, Tirpitz: The Life and Death of Germany’s Last Super Battleship (Casemate, 2009) — design, service in Norway and sinking.
5. David Brown, Tirpitz: The Floating Fortress (Arms and Armour Press, 1977) — the fjord fortress and the carrier attacks.
6. Imperial War Museum, London — the Arctic convoys and Convoy PQ-17.