The German cruiser that survived atomic blasts only to sink in the Pacific
In short: Designed to bypass naval treaties by significantly exceeding weight limits, the Prinz Eugen was a formidable heavy cruiser. After surviving the intense nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll, the vessel met a quiet end in the Marshall Islands, leaving only a partially visible wreck near Enubuj.
As the third of five vessels, the Prinz Eugen belonged to the Admiral Hipper-class of heavy cruisers. Although the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935 allowed for 'treaty cruisers' with a 10,000-long-ton limit, the Prinz Eugen was built to exceed this, displacing over 16,000 long tons. Launched in August 1938, the ship was named after Prince Eugene of Savoy, an 18th-century general for the Holy Roman Empire, after the Kriegsmarine decided that naming it after the Austrian victor Wilhelm von Tegetthoff might offend Italy.
During World War II, the cruiser participated in several high-stakes operations. In May 1941, it joined the battleship Bismarck for Operation Rheinübung, an attempt to raid Allied merchant shipping in the Atlantic. During the Battle of the Denmark Strait, the duo destroyed the British battlecruiser Hood and damaged the battleship Prince of Wales. The ship also survived a daring daylight dash through the English Channel during Operation Cerberus and a torpedo attack by the British submarine Trident in February 1942.
Once Germany collapsed in May 1945, the Royal Navy took the ship before handing it to the US Navy as a war prize. The US Navy used the cruiser for Operation Crossroads nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll following an inspection at the Boston Naval Shipyard. Remarkably, the ship survived the atomic blasts. However, after being towed to Kwajalein Atoll, it ultimately capsized and sank in December 1946. Its remains are still partly seen roughly two miles northwest of Enubuj's Bucholz Army Airfield edge.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: German cruiser Prinz Eugen
- Also: Wikidata — German cruiser Prinz Eugen · CC0
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