Posted on 07/28/2006 9:07:33 AM PDT by managusta
The Polish navy says it is almost certain that it has located the wreck of Nazi Germany's only aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin.
A Polish firm searching for oil first detected the wreck in the Baltic Sea, 55km (34 miles) offshore.
The ship's whereabouts had been a mystery since the end of World War II.
The navy investigated and said it was 99% certain that the wreck was the Graf Zeppelin. The ship, built in 1938, never saw action in the war.
The navy said it was unlikely that the 250-metre (820-foot) wreck would be recovered from the seabed, as it was at a depth of more than 80 metres (264 feet).
"Technically it's impossible to pull it out of the water," a spokesman for the Polish navy, Lieutenant Commander Bartosz Zajda told the Associated Press news agency.
After the oil company Petrobaltic discovered the wreck, the Polish navy mounted a two-day expedition to the site north of the Polish port of Wladyslawowo.
Experts used remote-controlled underwater robots and sonar photographic and video equipment to gather digital images.
The navy spokesman said there were a number of characteristics matching those of the German warship.
However, the experts were still waiting to find the name on one side of the shipwreck before declaring with absolute certainty that it was that of Graf Zeppelin.
The 33,000-ton ship, able to reach a speed of 33 knots, fitted Hitler's grandiose ambitions, but the German U-boats took priority in the battle at sea.
There are conflicting theories about how it was sunk.
Some experts believe the Germans scuttled it in Szczecin (Stettin) in April 1945, just before the Soviet Army captured the city.
Others say the Soviet navy used the ship for target practice and sank it as part of a training exercise in 1947.
As US Gen. Carl Spaatz so eloquently put it, "I'd hate to see how it would have gone if Hitler hadn't been on our side."
So true.
Hitler lost the war. The Allies were given enough time to regroup and build up. If Germany had built a good surface navy, D Day would have been impossible.
I find that hard to believe.
Stalin was not stupid, nor were his admirals.
They would not have sunk such a valuable piece of hardware on a lark. Unless I am sorely mistaken, the Soviet Navy had a grand total of zero aircraft carriers in 1948.
More likely the US sank it before the Soviets could use it.
Hitler had many flaws. He failed to see the value in a strong navy. He dismissed plans for an A-Bomb as, "Jewish Physics." We were lucky that he had so many shortcomings. Many people don't realize it, but as he began his land war, the German Army wasn't even fully mechanized. Some vehicles were still horse-drawn. Yes..he started to fight six years before he was ready.
looks kinda small
They still had horses till the end.
Scary isn't it. The US fought Germany and Japan with better equipment in many cases, but still had trouble.
Was it found by their paratroopers?
Is that a Zoolander reference?
Germany had some great weapons. But it's strongest asset was it's troops. They fought well, and they fought hard.
Micromanaging is the marque of a real paranoid loser............re: Klintoons..............
Six H-class battleships- At 140,000-tons and armed with eight 20-inch main guns, these monsters would have been twice as big as the Japanese Yamato-class super-battleships.
Three battlecruisers- slightly larger and faster than the Bismarck-class battleships, these vessels would have the same armament, but not as much armor.
Four aircraft carriers- Roughly the same size as the American Lexington-class carriers, these vessels would carry only half the aircraft of their American counterparts, but would have heavier armor to allow it to survive battle damage that would have sunk an American carrier.
Twelve panzerschiffe> or pocket-battleships- The Deutchland-class pocket battleships were one of the most unique warship designs in modern times. Essentially a junior-weight battlecruiser, these ships were designed to out fight anything they couldn't out run. While this wasn't always the case (ie the Graf Spee), these vessels were extremely effective as commerce raiders and forced the Royal Navy to divert much of its battlefleet to deal with them.
In addition, large numbers of cruisers and destroyers were intended to be constructed, along with a U-boat fleet of two hundred fifty submarines.
You should see the crew!
It was the best pic I could find that showed the structure of the flight deck.
From what I've read... it stopped being 'worked on' in 1942... partially stripped for parts in 1943... and scuttled in 1945. It was raised by the Russians to haul loot back home... then struck a mine and sank in 1947.
Actully my ad hoc "rate the carries spreadsheet" puts it in the same range as the USS Essex, the IJN Taiho, and the 1946 Soviet "Light" Carrier project.
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