emperor_andreas wrote:Nice work! I'm guessing just one more and the Hippers are officially complete?
It ain't over until I say it's over!
Syzmo wrote:Top notch work as always! Can I just ask what the two pairs of ovals are on the bow below the waterline?
Sonar equipment
By May 1944 some repairs and improvements had been done to
Admiral Hipper: The main mast now carried the big version FuMO-26 radar, and the light AA had been improved with 40mm Bofors and 20mm twins. Spending the rest of 1944 in dock, the war got worse every day. In January 1945, despite still having two months’ worth of repairs ahead,
Admiral Hipper was put on alert and ready to leave within 18 hours on January 19th. This time limit was reduced to 3 hours by January 22nd and ammunition was brought back onboard. However, the cruiser was still far from combat ready, only one seaplane was available and only the two forward AA-rangefinder were operational. The order to evacuate came on January 29th and
Admiral Hipper left Gotenhafen at around 16:00, together with
T36 and over 1700 refugees on both ships. While driving west,
Admiral Hipper witnessed the attack on the passenger liner
Wilhelm Gustloff by the Soviet submarine
S13. Captain Henigst could only order his cruiser to move on, as
Admiral Hipper with her crippled engine rooms would be an easy target and left
T36 behind to assist with the rescue operations. On February 2nd
Admiral Hipper arrived in Kiel in the Deutsche Werke docks to continue her repairs.
