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German cruiser Seydlitz

German cruiser Seydlitz
Launching of Seydlitz
Launching of Seydlitz
History
Nazi Germany
Name: Seydlitz
Namesake: Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz
Builder: Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau, Bremen
Laid down: 29 December 1936
Launched: 19 January 1939
Fate: Scuttled incomplete, 29 January 1945
General characteristics (as cruiser)
Class and type: Admiral Hipper-class cruiser
Displacement:
  • Design:
    • 17,600 t (17,300 long tons; 19,400 short tons)
  • Full load:
    • 19,800 long tons (20,100 t)
Length: 210 m (689 ft 0 in) overall
Beam: 21.80 m (71 ft 6 in)
Draft: Full load: 7.90 m (25.9 ft)
Propulsion:
  • 3 × Blohm & Voss steam turbines
  • 3 × three-blade propellers
  • 100,000 hp (75 MW)
Speed: 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Complement:
  • 42 officers
  • 1340 enlisted
Armament:
Armor:
  • Belt: 70 to 80 mm (2.8 to 3.1 in)
  • Armor deck: 20 to 50 mm (0.79 to 1.97 in)
  • Turret faces: 105 mm (4.1 in)
Aircraft carried: 3 aircraft
Aviation facilities: 1 catapult
General characteristics (as aircraft carrier)
Class and type: none
Displacement:
  • Design:
    • 17,139 t (16,868 long tons; 18,893 short tons)
Length: 216 m (708 ft 8 in) overall
Draft: Full load: 6.65 m (21.8 ft)
Armament:
  • 10 × 10.5 cm guns
  • 10 × 3.7 cm guns
  • 24 × 2 cm guns
Aircraft carried: 20 aircraft

Seydlitz was a heavy cruiser of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine, fourth in the Admiral Hipper class, but was never completed. The ship was laid down in December 1936 and launched in January 1939, but the outbreak of World War II slowed her construction and fitting-out work was finally stopped in the summer of 1940 when she was approximately 95 percent complete. The unfinished ship remained pier-side in the shipyard until March 1942, when the Kriegsmarine decided to pursue aircraft carriers over surface combatants. Seydlitz was among the vessels chosen for conversion into auxiliary aircraft carriers.

Renamed Weser, the ship was to have had a complement of ten Bf 109 fighters and ten Ju 87 divebombers. Work was not completed, however, and the incomplete vessel was towed to Königsberg where she was eventually scuttled. The ship was seized by the advancing Soviet Army and was briefly considered for cannibalization for spare parts to complete her sistership Lützow for the Soviet Navy. This plan was also abandoned, and the ship was broken up for scrap.

Seydlitz was ordered by the Kriegsmarine from the Deschimag shipyard in Bremen.Seydlitz was originally designed as a light cruiser version of the Admiral Hipper class heavy cruisers, armed with twelve 15 cm (5.9 in) guns instead of the Admiral Hipper's eight 20.3 cm (8.0 in) guns. The Kriegsmarine decided, however, to complete the ship identically to Admiral Hipper on 14 November 1936. Her keel was laid on 29 December 1936, under construction number 940. The ship was launched on 19 January 1939, but after the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, work was halted when the ship was approximately 95 percent complete.


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