Graf Zeppelin (aircraft carrier)
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Graf Zeppelin was a German aircraft carrier laid down at the Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel on 28 December, 1935. She was launched in 1938. Named in honor of Graf (Count) Ferdinand von Zeppelin, the ship was launched on 8 December 1938, and was 85% complete by the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, with much of the fitting out being done in Stettin. Graf Zeppelin was, however, not completed and was never operational due to shifting construction priorities necessitated by the war. She remained in the Baltic for the duration of the war; with Germany's defeat imminent, the ship's custodian crew scuttled her just outside Stettin on 25 April, 1945. The Soviet Union raised the ship in March 1946, and she was ultimately sunk in weapons tests north of Poland 17 months later. The wreck was discovered by a survey ship in July 2006.
Specifications
- Displacement: 33,500 tonnes
- Length: 861 feet
- Speed: 65 kph
- Crew: 1,750
- Aircraft carried: 10 × Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters,20 × Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers,20 × Fieseler Fi 167 torpedo bombers
Gallery
Graf Zeppelin under construction 1938.
Graf Zeppelin launch 8 Dec 1938.
Graf Zeppelin being launched 8 Dec 1938.
Graf Zeppelin being fitted out after launch.
Graf Zeppelin docked. Work has ceased 1939.
Graf Zeppelin abandoned and moored on a buoy 1941.
