Armor of the Admiral Hipper class cruisers

[Pr.Eugen]

It's part of a wake-damping system fitted to the starboard side of the ship. It produces the illusion of a much-reduced forward speed by altering the ship's wake foam and (night-time) phosphorescence trail astern, making the ship appear to be doing not more than about 15 knots when, in fact, it is nearly at full speed.

Very interesting idea ...

Does it have an official confirmation??

[Paul L]

But coming back to GHG, got any pictures, drawings, details of installations, etc? Any reason why Hipper and Blucher didn't get the equipment?

You are right ...
I also have never seen any pictures or drawings of placement GHG-system to PG...
Blucher was not likely GHG-system due to short life.
Hipper put to S-gerat, probably with GHG was a lot of papers on the hull.

Not sure what the last part means, can you explain? ...... "was a lot of papers on the hull"

[Pr.Eugen]

Not sure what the last part means, can you explain? ...... "was a lot of papers on the hull"

Excuse, my error...
Answered at night.

I wanted to write "lot of works"

[Paul L]

So your saying it took lots of work to install the GHG system on the Hipper after it was built?

[Pr.Eugen]

So your saying it took lots of work to install the GHG system on the Hipper after it was built?

I just assumed, why GHG-system could not mounted in "Hipper".

Actually, I'm interested in armored scheme of this cruisers, rather than their acoustics system.

[Paul L]

So your saying it took lots of work to install the GHG system on the Hipper after it was built?

I just assumed, why GHG-system could not mounted in "Hipper".

Actually, I'm interested in armored scheme of this cruisers, rather than their acoustics system.

So you don' t know if the Hipper had GHG system?

Here is a czech article on Hipper class with some details on armor lay out. Heres an rough English translation .

Armor protection


The projected heavy cruiser had armouring, which total weight without moving armouring artillery tower was 2,525 tons.
The main side armor armored band formed with a thickness of 80-70 mm, which protected the ship's side 6.5 meters from bow to stern to 167.5 meters and a height of 2095 meters above sea level. He was diverted from the vertical axis by 15 ° thus increasing the effective thickness of armor mainly to the impact of shells under large angles dopadovými. The sides of the ship above the main armored belt armor to protect the strength of 20 and 25 mm.
The main armored belt was hidden behind the outer armor plating thickness of 10 mm, which formed the bulge of the body, thereby increasing distance from the hip to 20 mm thick counter torpedo boats (maximum distance side of the ship and armored bulkhead was in the middle of the boat 3.7 meter).
Horizontal armor consisted of two armored ship decks. The upper deck armor was 30 mm thick and was used primarily to activation of bullets and bombs.
The main armored deck was also the thickness of the strength of 30 mm and followed the main part of the sloping side armor of the strength of 30 (50?) Mm. Sloping part of the main armored deck was used, among other things, to prevent projectiles that penetrated the main tanks in the lateral penetration to vital corpuscles ship (propulsion, munitions, etc.).
The towers were the main artillery armor back 60mm (Tower "D" 90mm), the ceiling of the tower was 70 mm, sloping front armor was 105 mm and 160 mm Unaccompanied Cello. Side armor artillery tower does not exceed 80 mm and 80 mm towers barbet. Conning tower armor protected by thick 150mm by 50 mm from the top to protect armor.

http://www.warshipsww2.eu/lode.php?lang ... dtrida=127


Here is another site....

http://navypedia.org/ships/germany/ger_cr_hipper.htm

Ship protection: 12.5°-inclined main belt between inner barbettes was 3.75m high and 80mm thick. It was closed by 80mm bulkheads. Thickness of fore 3.85m high belt was 40mm, decreasing to 20mm fwd from "A" barbette; 2.75m-high belt with 70mm thickness protected aft part of ship and was closed by 70mm aft bulkhead of steering gear compartment. 30mm main deck was connected with lower edge of main belt by 50mm slopes, thickness of this deck increased to 40mm outside citadel. There was 30mm upper deck. Turrets had 160mm faces (with 105mm inclined parts), 70mm sides (with 80mm inclined parts) and 80mm roofs, barbettes had 80mm armor. CT had 150mm sides and 50mm roof. Underwater protection consisted of bulges and 20mm longitudinal bulkhead.

[Pr.Eugen]

So you don' t know if the Hipper had GHG system?

At the moment I'm not interested in this question, sorry ...

Here is a czech article on Hipper class with some details on armor lay out. Heres an rough English translation .

Thanks, but I do know ...:)
I am interested in information about a specific area designated on the photos to start post of this thread

[Ersatz Yorck]

Looking at the line drawings in "Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815 - 1945" it appears that the "unidentified square thing" is depicted there on Admiral Hipper. It is a bit hard to tell, as the drawings are above water, but there is a square at the right location. Moreover, both the Blücher, Prinz Eugen, Lützow and Seydlitz appears to have a similar square thing in the same location. Not sure what it is though. It is definitely not a GHG, as they don't look like that at all. I do suspect that the object might appear more protruding than it is on account of the lighting in the photographs. Interesting question though. I wish someone came up with the right answer.

I am temted to go on a basement exploring expediton to dig up Schmalenbachs "Schwererer Kreuzer Prinz Eugen", it should be down there somewhere, he might mention something about it, though I suspect that might be a lengthy undertaking...

[Pr.Eugen]

I am temted to go on a basement exploring expediton to dig up Schmalenbachs "Schwererer Kreuzer Prinz Eugen", it should be down there somewhere, he might mention something about it, though I suspect that might be a lengthy undertaking...

In the Schmalenbach book no information about this.

[Antonio Bonomi]

Ciao all,

@ Pr.Eugen,

can you post here the drawing from Groner so we can see what you are looking for ?

GHG was not a box, .... but several microphones on the hull .....

If you tell me what are you looking for Adm Hipper maybe I can help you.

Bye Antonio

[Pr.Eugen]

can you post here the drawing from Groner so we can see what you are looking for ?

Hi, Antonio.
I am interested in this place in the armor belt of "Hipper".
Specifically, the thickness of armor.

[Antonio Bonomi]

Ciao all,

@ Pr.Eugen,

now I see.... it is just a bad realized drawing, ..... nothing special there, ... it is common on many books to find those type of errors and " drawing personalizations".

Moving to your real point of interest, so to the protection of Admiral Hipper, a couple of questions for me to realize what you have :

1 ) Do you have the AJ-Press ( Morskie ) book Nr. 33 Admiral Hipper class cz. 1 ????

2 ) Do you have the drawings by Bernand & Graefe verlag about Admiral Hipper ? The one that often are published by Koop/Schmolke ???


If I understand correctly you are looking for the hull various sections with all the plate thincknesses, am I correct ???

Bye Antonio

[Pr.Eugen]

1 ) Do you have the AJ-Press ( Morskie ) book Nr. 33 Admiral Hipper class cz. 1 ????

Yes, I have this book ...

2 ) Do you have the drawings by Bernand & Graefe verlag about Admiral Hipper ? The one that often are published by Koop/Schmolke ???

I have book by Koop/Schmolke about Admiral Hipper, but not have the original drawings by Bernand & Graefe.

If I understand correctly you are looking for the hull various sections with all the plate thincknesses, am I correct ???

You understood correctly.
I am interested in the thickness of the main belt armor at the bow (at the location of the turret"Anton" magazine).
Visually, it is thicker than 80 mm.

[Antonio Bonomi]

Hello everybody,

@ Pr.Eugen,

OK, I see so you have the view on AJ-Press book 33, so you have the drawings on page 34 and 35 on that book.

I am going to send you ( you have a private message from me ) the view of the hull from a Blucher book were you can see several sectiosn of the hull including the one of A turret barbette area.

You know already the various thincknesses from AJ-Press book, so I think that is no secret, even if I see the inclined 50 mm plate detail sometimes is missed, as they only draw the belt ( 80 mm ) and horizontal ( 30 mm ) thickness references.

I assume that on Prinz Eugen too the protection was not changed even if Adm Hipper and Blucher were one class ship design, ..... while Prinz Eugen, Seydlitz and Lutzow were a modified design with a longer hull, ... but I think the same protection scheme.

Bye Antonio

[Thorsten Wahl]

Hipper class had no external belt. The belt was hidden under the bulge of the "äußerer Wallgang"