Here, it was out of reach of the bombers of the British Royal Air Force. However, upon the start of World War II in September 1939, the ship was still not yet finished.īecause the building of U-boats had priority over the completion of the Graf Zeppelin, the ship was laid up in the port of Gdynia, Poland. While the work progressed to complete the aircraft carrier, the situation in Europe became worse. The 60mm steel deck was also yet to be covered with wooden planking. In addition, the elevators, which were needed to bring the 42 planes from the hangar to the deck, were yet to be installed. The Graf Zeppelin rode high on the water, as a lot of the upper superstructure and armaments had yet to be installed. After a few short speeches were made, the ship glided from the slipway while thousands of spectators cheered, wishing the ship godspeed. The family crest of the Von Zeppelin family was mounted on the bow of this mighty ship. Various film crews set up their cameras just before the launch, so they could capture this historic moment on film. For, on this day, the very first aircraft carrier in the history of the German navy was launched. Several hundred other invited guests as well as all the employees of the shipyard and their families also attended this auspicious day. When the dictator of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, arrived at the shipyard in Kiel on 8 December 1938, he was accompanied by Field Marshal Hermann Göring and Grand Admiral Eric Raeder. Most people do not know that the Germans built an aircraft carrier. It is more than a shipwreck, it is also one of the great mysteries of World War II. There have been a few times during my life as a diver that I have had the opportunity to dive an extraordinary wreck.
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