Of the Bismarck-class with as sister ship Bismarck. Building ordered as the Ersatz Schleswig-Holstein under the contract name ‘G‘. Laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven on 2 November 1936, launched on 1 April 1939, baptized by a daughter of the late admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, commissioned on 25 February 1941, several attacked by aircrafts and finally sunk by Lancaster bombers of the British Royal Air Force during Operation Catechism lying in the Altafjord, Norway on 12 November 1944 and broken up between 1948 and 1957.
Displacement 42.900 tons (standard)-52.600 tons (full load) which make her the heaviest battleship ever built by an European navy and as dimensions 241,60 (waterline)-251 (over all) x 36 x 9,30 metres ot 792.8-823.6 x 118.1 x 30.6 feet. The horsepower of 163.026 hp delivered by 3 geared Brown, Boveri &Cie steam turbines and 12 Wagner superheated boilers allowed with the 3 screws a speed of 30 knots and with a speed of 19 knots a range of 8.870 nautical miles. The crew numbered 2.065 included 103 officers. The armour consisted of a 32cm/13” thick belt, 10-12cm/3.9-4.7” thick main deck, a 5cm/2” thick upper deck and the gun turrets protected by 36cm/14” thick armour. The 4 Arado Ar 196 floatplanes were launched with one double-ended catapult. The original armament consisted of 4x2-38cm/15” quick firing C/34 guns, 6x2-15cm/5.9” guns, 8x2-10,5cm/4.1” quick firing C/33 guns, 8x2-3,7cm/1.5” quick firing C/30 guns, 12x1-2cm/0.79” (later increased to even 58) Flak 30 guns. After 1942 were 2x4-53,3cm/21.0“ torpedo tubes on each side one.
