'Nazi aircraft carrier' located

BBC NEWS ^ | July 28 2006 | BBC NEWS

[managusta]

They never used it in action.

[Seydlitz]

Luckily for us, Hitler started the war six years before the Kriegsmarine building plan (the 'Z-Plan') was completed. When the war began, Adm. Raeder's comment was, "There is nothing left for us to to but die with honor."

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."

[redgolum]

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.

[Charlespg]

Its good for the allies and the Human race that hitler was a meddling fool when it came to new weapons

[Names Ash Housewares]

[wideawake]

Others say the Soviet navy used the ship for target practice and sank it as part of a training exercise in 1947.

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.

[xpertskir]

FINNALLY!!!
Concrete evidence that big oil are all NAZI'S

[ExtremeUnction]

If Germany had built a good surface navy, D Day would have been impossible.

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.

[Nihil Obstat]

looks kinda small

[redgolum]

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.

[JRios1968]

The Polish navy says it is almost certain that it has located the wreck of Nazi Germany's only aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin.

Was it found by their paratroopers?

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

Is that a Zoolander reference?

[grapeape]

Without evidence, I would lean toward the Germans sinking it themselves because they had a pattern of doing that.

[ExtremeUnction]

The US fought Germany and Japan with better equipment in many cases, but still had trouble.

Germany had some great weapons. But it's strongest asset was it's troops. They fought well, and they fought hard.

[Red Badger]

Its good for the allies and the Human race that hitler was a meddling fool when it came to new weapons

Micromanaging is the marque of a real paranoid loser............re: Klintoons..............

[Stonewall Jackson]

Here's a list of what the German Navy would have had if Hitler had waited until 1944 as he'd promised his admirals.

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.

[Names Ash Housewares]

You should see the crew!

It was the best pic I could find that showed the structure of the flight deck.

[johnny7]

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.

[Oztrich Boy]

"It's only a model"

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.

[fogofbobegabay]

The theory I have always thought to be the most likely was that it sank because overloaded with loot that shifted.

After the Soviet's occupied Germany and Eastern Europe, they spent the next few years systematically shipping home whole factories, railroad stock, power plants, ext. Real heavy stuff. Perfect cargo for the flight and hanger decks of an aircraft carrier
I am sure more than a few heads were lost a a result of the loss of so much loot.