Blücher

Sunk

Type	Heavy cruiser
Class	Admiral Hipper
War	Second World War
Main guns	8 × 20.3 cm (8 in) SK C/34 guns

Flagship of the force sent to take Oslo on 9 April 1940. In the narrows of the Oslofjord the old guns and torpedoes of Oscarsborg fortress hit her at close range, and she capsized and sank with hundreds of soldiers and sailors, giving the King and government time to escape the capital.

For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Kreuzer "Blücher" Kreuzer "Blücher" [Schwerer Kreuzer "Blücher" auf See, Ansicht der Steuerbord-Seite] Photo: Klein, A., CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons

Armament and specifications

Armament

8 × 20.3 cm (8 in) SK C/34 guns
12 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/33 guns
12 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 guns
8 × 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 guns
12 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes

Armour

Belt: 70 to 80 mm (2.8 to 3.1 in)
Armor deck: 20 to 50 mm (0.79 to 1.97 in)
Turret faces: 105 mm (4.1 in)

Laid down	15 August 1935
Launched	8 June 1937
Commissioned	20 September 1939
Displacement	Normal: 16,170 t (15,910 long tons) Full load: 18,500 t (18,200 long tons)
Length	203.20 m (666 ft 8 in) overall
Speed	32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Complement	42 officers 1,340 enlisted men

As built, from the ship's Wikipedia article. Figures there may cover later refits too.

Career

Launched

8 June 1937

Battle of Drøbak Sound

Sunk

9 April 1940

Kummetz's flagship; capsized in the narrows