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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: spaceduck on Wednesday 06 October 10 16:11 BST (UK)

Title: which German Ship is this?
Post by: spaceduck on Wednesday 06 October 10 16:11 BST (UK)
this photo was given to me some years ago, i know it is a famous German ship but i can't remember which one he told me it was. Any help appreciated
Title: Re: which German Ship is this?
Post by: Salty on Wednesday 06 October 10 16:29 BST (UK)
Just googled the Graf Spee and it looks very much like her. Have checked out all the other well known German battleships and I am pretty certain I have the right one.

Salty
Title: Re: which German Ship is this?
Post by: spaceduck on Wednesday 06 October 10 17:17 BST (UK)
Hi Salty,
Thanks for looking, I have just looked at the Graf Spee and it certainly looks to have a similar outline but the photo looks to have two forward facing gun turrets and the pictures of the Graf Spee only show one
Regards
Trevor
Title: Re: which German Ship is this?
Post by: Pete Keane on Wednesday 06 October 10 18:04 BST (UK)
The picture shows a battleship - graf spee was a 'pocket' battleship, heavy cruiser really.

There is a link here which might help you narrow it down:

http://www.wehrmacht-history.com/kriegsmarine/battleships.htm

Pete
Title: Re: which German Ship is this?
Post by: spaceduck on Wednesday 06 October 10 18:37 BST (UK)
Hi Pete,
thanks for the info, the outline of the ship looks like it could be either the Scharnhorst or the Gneisenau.
regards
Trevor
Title: Re: which German Ship is this?
Post by: Berlin-Bob on Wednesday 06 October 10 18:45 BST (UK)
Do these help ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_battleship_Scharnhorst
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_battleship_Gneisenau
On the Gneisenau link, under 'Construction', there is a profile of the ship

we had a query recently about the Gneisenau, but that was about a "civilian" ship.

Bob
Title: Re: which German Ship is this?
Post by: spaceduck on Wednesday 06 October 10 18:54 BST (UK)
Thanks Bob,
It looks as though it could be either of these ships, they both have a very similar profile and the photo isn't as sharp as it could be.
Regards

Trevor
Title: Re: which German Ship is this?
Post by: apwright on Monday 11 October 10 20:48 BST (UK)
It's not German.
She's the French battleship Richelieu. (She did fight for the Axis - once - at Casablanca when under Vichy control.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_battleship_Richelieu_(1939)
http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/richelieu_class.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Richelieu-1.jpg
The telltale is the slanting funnel-top at the back.
Her sister-ship Jean Bart didn't have her second turrent until after refitting in the USA later in the war, and had shorter radar installations on the first "tower".

Adrian
Title: Re: which German Ship is this?
Post by: spaceduck on Monday 11 October 10 22:07 BST (UK)
Thanks Adrian, Just goes to show that you shouldn't believe everything you are told.

Regards

Trevor
Title: Re: which German Ship is this?
Post by: spaceduck on Wednesday 13 October 10 16:18 BST (UK)
The debate will continue, I have been informed that the Scharnhorst was fitted with a sloping funnel top in 1943 and the photo could be her .

Further update to stop any doubt, I have heard from german-navy.de who confirm that the ship in the photo is the French battleship Richelieu. Thanks to everyone for their interest and info.

Regards
Trevor