Heavy Cruisers: Prinz Eugen

[Brian James]

Admiral Hipper Class Heavy Cruiser USS Prinz Eugen pictured in the Panama Canal on her way to an atomic test on March 15th 1946.
On May 27th, 1945, Prinz Eugen was escorted by HMS Dido and HMS Devonshire To Wilhelmshaven.
On December 13th 1945, Prinz Eugen was awarded as a war prize to the United States, which sent the ship to Wesermünde. The United States did not particularly want the Cruiser, but it did want to prevent the Soviet Union from acquiring it.
Her U.S. commander, Captain Arthur H. Graubart, recounted later how the British, Soviet and US representatives in the Control Commission all claimed the ship and how in the end the various large prizes were divided in three lots,Prinz Eugen being one of them. The three lots were then drawn lottery style from his hat with the British and Soviet representatives drawing the lots for other ships and Graubart being left with the lot for Prinz Eugen.
She was commissioned into the US Navy as the unclassified miscellaneous vessel USS Prinz Eugen with the hull number IX-300. A composite American-German crew consisting of 574 German officers and sailors, supervised by eight American officers and eighty-five enlisted men under the command of Graubart, then took the ship to Boston, departing on January 13th 1946 and arriving on January 22nd.
After arriving in Boston, she was extensively examined by the United States Navy. Her very large GHG passive sonar array was removed and installed on USS Flying Fish for testing. American interest in magnetic amplifier technology increased again after findings in investigations of the fire control system of her.The guns from turret Anton were removed while in Philadelphia in February 1946.
On May 1st 1946 the German crewmen left the ship and returned to Germany. Thereafter, the American crew had significant difficulties in keeping the ship's propulsion system operational—eleven of her twelve boilers failed after the Germans departed.She was then allocated to the fleet of target ships for Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll.

[designeraccd]

Here she is, ready to glow in the dark! DFO

[designeraccd]

Before she became a GLOW light, the German penchant for clean showed thru!! DFO

[designeraccd]

Here is a unfamiliar shot of PRINZ EUGEN at Copenhagen in 1945. DFO

[Pelican]

Tallboy Bomb from 1945 Attack on German Cruiser Lützow Detonated in Polish Canal

The largest World War II bomb ever found in Poland exploded underwater on Tuesday as navy divers tried to defuse it with a remote control device. No one was injured in the 9explosion.

During World War II, the British developed the tallboy, an “earthquake bomb” designed to be used against large, heavily fortified structures. It also proved to be very effective against ships. The 12,000-pound bomb was packed with 5,200 pounds of high explosive and could only be carried in specially modified Avro Lancaster heavy bombers.

On April 16, 1945, RAF heavy bombers attacked the German heavy cruiser Lützow with tallboy bombs near Świnoujście, Poland. One of the bombs, which missed the cruiser, remained buried in the middle of the main shipping channel of the Piast Canal for 74 years. The bomb was discovered during the preparatory works for deepening the Świnoujście-Szczecin fairway in September 2019. The attempt to defuse the bomb resulted in the explosion.

The Piast Canal connects the Baltic Sea with the Oder River on Poland’s border with Germany.

See:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-thvNP ... e=emb_logo

Apols if this is on the wrong thread?

[designeraccd]

This is/was the cruiser (pocket battleship) LUTZOW. The area was German, but post WW2 it became part of Poland. This was one of three similar heavy cruisers, but NOT one of the 3 completed ADM. HIPPERs, of which PRINZ EUGEN was the last. Hope this helps.......... DFO

[Pelican]

T.U. for the info kind Sir.

[designeraccd]

Here is a fairly unknown view of PRINZ EUGEN, in the back ground, fitting out. Probably 1939. Also, a midships view of her at the yard in 1939. DFO

[Brian James]

Lead Ship,Heavy Cruiser Admiral Hipper pictured fitting out at Blohm & Voss Shipyards,Hamburg in the summer of 1939...*Note the hulk of the old Gazelle Class Light Cruiser SMS Amazone alongside.

[designeraccd]

Here's the PRINZ EUGEN going thru the Panama Canal postwar..........DFO