Heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen bombarding Soviet positions in the Baltic in late 1944

Prinz Eugen was an Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser, the third of a class of five vessels. She served with Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down in April 1936, launched in August 1938, and entered service after the outbreak of war, in August 1940. She was named after Prince Eugene of Savoy, an 18th-century general in the service of Austria. She was armed with a main battery of eight 203mm guns and, although nominally under the 10,000-long-ton (limit set by the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, displaced over 16,000 long tons.

Prinz Eugen saw action during Operation Rheinübung, an attempted breakout into the Atlantic Ocean with the battleship Bismarck in May 1941. The two ships destroyed the British battlecruiser Hood and moderately damaged the battleship Prince of Wales in the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Prinz Eugen was detached from Bismarck during the operation to raid Allied merchant shipping, but this was cut short due to engine troubles. After putting into occupied France and undergoing repairs, the ship participated in Operation Cerberus, a daring daylight dash through the English Channel back to Germany. In February 1942, Prinz Eugen was deployed to Norway, although her time stationed there was curtailed when she was torpedoed by the British submarine Trident days after arriving in Norwegian waters. The torpedo severely damaged the ship's stern, which necessitated repairs in Germany.

Upon returning to active service, the ship spent several months training officer cadets in the Baltic before serving as artillery support for the retreating German Army on the Eastern Front. It is in this role that she can be seen in the footage, firing her main 203mm and secondary 105mm battery in order to help repulse Soviet attacks. The ship seen firing in the start of the clip is likely the heavy cruiser Lützow that together with Prinz Eugen formed the Second Task Force, later renamed Task Force Thiele after its commander, Vizeadmiral August Thiele, along with the 6th Destroyer Flotilla.

After the German collapse in May 1945, she was surrendered to the British Royal Navy before being transferred to the US Navy as a war prize. After examining the ship in the United States, the US Navy assigned the cruiser to the Operation Crossroads nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll. Having survived the atomic blasts, Prinz Eugen was towed to Kwajalein Atoll, where she ultimately capsized and sank in December 1946. The wreck remains partially visible above the water approximately two miles northwest of Bucholz Army Airfield, on the edge of Enubuj. One of her screw propellers was salvaged and is on display at the Laboe Naval Memorial in Germany.

[RoyalHungarianAF]

It was christened in 1938 by Hungarian regent Admiral Miklós Horthy's wife and became a very lucky ship. Horthy was the commander of the Austro-Hungarian battleship SMS Prinz Eugen from 24 November 1917 to 1 March 1918.

[icetea]

tnx for posting this this is never before seen footage.

[R.Lennartz]

Prinz Eugen der edle Ritter, what a beautiful ship, I've never seen this footage before.

[isaacm]

For when Avrora's ships don't want to get out of the way for the Iron Blood Navy to pass.

Have a great day!

[Aelxi]

Look! That luck vampire of Hipper class!

[Thorr-kljl]

I have been to the Naval Memorial in Laboe, Germany, and have seen the propeller of Prinz Eugen. Also on display there, is U-995, a Type VII U-boat. At home, I have a framed signed and numbered "art" print by Robert Taylor, "Offshore Bombardment". It shows Prinz Eugen in action against Stalin's Red Army troops along the Baltic Coast.

[alexandarvoncarsteinzarovi]

Shame she was never preserved, she fought beside KMS Bismarck in the Battle of the Denmark Straight, drew first blood on HMS Hood and wrecked Price of Wales, she deserved to be a museum ship
Oh well, hopefully, the rest of the American Navy shares the same fate as the USS Arizona (BB-39) in the coming years

[francescoguzzetta]

Quite surprising to see the big swastika on the bow.
It seems they needed friendly air identification.

Typically you see this in condition of air superiority. Are you sure the entire clip is from 1944?

[studinthemaking]

Did they send out other ships to escort her? Why didn’t the Russian send out planes to attack her?