Naval History Forums

Can anyone give me a bit of post-war history on the wreck of the Tirpitz?

My memory tells me she was pretty much salvaged and nothing is left today.

Hi Warshipbuilder

Try this

http://www.bobhenneman.info/Tirpitzwreck.htm

Or alternatively you can go over to John Asmussens site as he has a section on the Tirpitz wreck

http://www.bismarck-class.dk/tirpitz/tirpitz_menu.html

Scroll down to the bottom and look under the Miscellaneous sub heading.

Thanks for that Gary. Very interesting indeed.
In the old b&w film made about the exploits of the X craft, am I correct in remembering something about the wreck of at least one of these laying underneath Tirpitz after being abandoned by its crew, and if so, were any x-craft salvaged along with the ship's remains?

Or might it still be there somewhere?

Hi again Warshipbuilder.

I believe X-5 went missing and was never found nor was her fate ever established.

I would assume her wreck to be in and around the area

Ciao all,

X-Crafts attacked the Tirpitz on KaaFjord ( Alta ) and out of 3 midget sub's ( X-5, 6 and 7 ) only X-5 fate is unknown and the sub never found yet together with his crew.
One charge recently found could be of X-5.
The attack occurred on September 22nd, 1943.

Tirpitz wreck is in Tromso ( not in KaaFjord - Alta ) so a different city and a different anchor place the last one the battleship was moved on October 1944.
Tirpitz sunk on November 12th, 1944.

Just for the record.

Ciao Antonio

Ciao all,

just for everybody interested, there are 3 books about the Operation Source, the X-Craft attack that are very good :

1) Leonce Peillard - Sink the Tirpitz

2) Pamela Mellor & Frank Walker - The mystery of X-5

3) A. R.Jacobsen - X-Craft versus Tirpitz

anyone interseted on this story must read those books,...lots of very good informations.

Ciao Antonio

Is the wreck (or her remains) of the Tirpitz somehow visible at Google Earth? I spend some time looking around Tromso and didn´t find anything.

Ciao Karl and all,

NO !,.. almost invisible even on clear sunny sky days from the top,.. just a darker shadow on the water.

Here some references for you to use :

Tromsø, Sorbotn and the end of Tirpitz

viewtopic.php?t=436

Ciao Antonio

Quote:Is the wreck (or her remains) of the Tirpitz somehow visible at Google Earth? I spend some time looking around Tromso and didn´t find anything.


No, was complete broken up after the war ;the are still at place the remmants of the platform builded and utilised for the broken Up process by the demolition company , and some minor debris allround. Also still at place the craters done by the Tallboy bombs.Many people had confunded this platform as a part of the ship, but that´s wrong.The only fragments of the ship are the few debris present in the area in the bottom, minor metal fragments, pipes,etc.