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The ''Scharnhorst'' class were the first capital ships, alternatively referred to as battlecruisers or battleships, built for Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' after World War I. The class comprised two vessels: the lead ship and . ''Scharnhorst'' was launched first, and so she is considered to be the lead ship by some sources; however, they are also referred to as the ''Gneisenau'' class in some other sources, as ''Gneisenau'' was the first to be laid down and commissioned. They marked the beginning of German naval rearmament after the Treaty of Versailles. The ships were armed with nine 28 cm (11 in) SK C/34 guns in three triple turrets, though there were plans to replace these weapons with six 38 cm (15 in) SK C/34 guns in twin turrets. The two ships were laid down in 1935, launched in late 1936, and commissioned into the German fleet by early 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. The two ships participated in Operation Weserübung, the German invasion of Norway. During operations off Norway, the two ships engaged the battlecruiser and sank the aircraft carrier on 8 June 1940. In the engagement with ''Glorious'', ''Scharnhorst'' achieved one of the longest-range naval gunfire hits in history. In early 1942, the two ships made a daylight dash up the English Channel from occupied France to Germany. In late 1942, ''Gneisenau'' was heavily damaged in an Allied air raid against Kiel. In early 1943, ''Scharnhorst'' joined the in Norway to interdict Allied convoys to the Soviet Union. ''Scharnhorst'' and several destroyers sortied from Norway to attack a convoy; the Germans were instead intercepted by British naval patrols. During the battle of North Cape, the Royal Navy battleship sank ''Scharnhorst''. In the meantime, repair work on ''Gneisenau'' had begun, and the ship was in the process of being rearmed. However, when ''Scharnhorst'' was sunk, work on her sister was abandoned. Instead, she was sunk as a blockship in Gotenhafen in 1945; the wreck was broken up for scrap in the 1950s. == Classification == They were the first class of German ships to be officially classified by the Kriegsmarine as ''Schlachtschiff'' (battleship). Previous German battleships were classified as ''Linienschiffe'' (ships of the line), and ''Panzerschiffe'' (armoured ship). Their adversary, the Royal Navy, rated them as battlecruisers though after the war classified them as battleships.〔BR 1736(48)(2) ''Naval Staff History Second World War, Home Waters and the Atlantic, Volume II, 9th April 1940 – 6th December 1941'', Historical Section Admiralty, pub 20 November 1961. pp. 14–15.〕 ''Jane's Fighting Ships 1940'' lists both the ''Scharnhorst'' and es as "Battleships (''Schlachtschiffe'')"〔''Jane's Fighting Ships 1940'' pp. 212–213.〕 Another adversary, the United States Navy, rated them as battleships. In English language reference works they are sometimes referred to as battleships and sometimes as battlecruisers. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Scharnhorst-class battleship」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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