Germany Tirpitz Battleship 1944    1/700

The Tirpitz was a German battleship whose keel was laid in 1936 and which was launched in April 1939. The battleship entered service with the German Navy (German Kriegsmarine) in February 1941. The ship was 254 meters long, 36 meters wide, and had a total displacement of 53,500 tons. The Tirpitz's top speed was around 30-31 knots. Its primary armament consisted of 8,380 mm guns in four twin turrets, and its secondary armament comprised either 12,150 mm guns or 16,105 mm guns.

The Tirpitz was the second ship of the Bismarck class. It was ordered to replace the old battleship Schleswig-Holstein in the line of command, which had become completely obsolete in the 1930s—the same ship whose salvos on Westerplatte started World War II in Europe. At the time of its launch, the Tirpitz was the largest German ship. It had good armor, and its primary or secondary armament was inferior to its counterparts on British ships. Shortly after entering service—in June and July 1941—it secured the activities of German forces as part of Operation Barbarossa, but more serious actions against the Soviet fleet did not take place at that time. Following these actions, the Tirpitz was transferred to the base in Trondheim, Norway, around 1941 and 1942, from where it began operating against Allied convoys sailing Lend-and-Lease to Murmansk via the North Atlantic and the Norwegian Sea. In July 1942, the mere departure of the battleship Tirpitz from port led to the dispersal of the PQ-17 convoy, which was subsequently decimated by German aircraft and U-boats. Undoubtedly, the presence of the Tirpitz in northern waters was a major nuisance to the Royal Navy, and 5-7 British battleships were involved! It is no coincidence that the German ship was given the nickname "Lonely Lord of the North". Accordingly, the British undertook various actions with miniature submarines in 1943-1944, which resulted in damage to the ship. However, the Tirpitz was not sunk until November 12, 1944, as a result of a raid by heavy Lancaster-class bombers.