~ Scratch Built Waterline Model Of The German Battleship Scharnhorst ~
A large, well made waterline model of the German battleship ‘Scharnhorst’ (1935-1943).
The model is of solid wood construction with lots of detail.
It is mounted as at sea on a baseboard featuring a plaque reading ‘Scharnhorst’ to the front.
~ Dimensions ~
The ship has a length of 120cm (47 inches).
The base measures 130cm (51 inches) by 23cm (9 inches).
On base, the ship has a total height of 30cm (11 ¾ inches).
It weighs 5.25 Kg
~ Condition ~
The piece is in a very nice condition with no damage.
~ Scharnhorst ~
Scharnhorst was a German ‘capital’ ship, alternatively described as a battleship or battlecruiser, of Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included her sister ship Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15 June 1935 and launched a year and four months later on 3 October 1936. Completed in January 1939
Scharnhorst and Gneisenau operated together for much of the early portion of World War II, including sorties into the Atlantic to raid British merchant shipping. During her first operation, Scharnhorst sank the auxiliary cruiser HMS Rawalpindi in a short engagement (November 1939). Scharnhorst and Gneisenau participated in Operation Weserübung (April–June 1940), the German invasion of Norway. During operations off Norway, the two ships engaged the battlecruiser HMS Renown and sank the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious as well as her escort destroyers Acasta and Ardent. In that engagement Scharnhorst achieved one of the longest-range naval gunfire hits in history.
In early 1942, after repeated British bombing raids, the two ships made a daylight dash up the English Channel from occupied France to Germany. In early 1943, Scharnhorst joined the Bismarck-class battleship Tirpitz in Norway to interdict Allied convoys to the Soviet Union. Scharnhorst and several destroyers sortied from Norway to attack a convoy, but British naval patrols intercepted the German force.
During the Battle of the North Cape (26 December 1943), the Royal Navy battleship HMS Duke of York and her escorts sank Scharnhorst. Only 36 men were rescued, out of a crew of 1,968.
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