It was huge, but no one has been able to find it for a long time; now it is clear why.
Tirpitz (Bismarck class) was the most impressive Nazi warship and the largest battleship ever built by a European Navy.
Norwegians called it "Lonely Queen of the North" and Winston Churchill "The Beast". this warship was located in the north Norwegian fjord to atack British convoys carrying aid for the Soviet Union.
Such a warship should have been a easy target for allied bombers, but this huge boat could be surprisingly easy to hide.
German Tirpitz defense was releasing chlorosulfonic acid into the air, which attracted moisture and thus created a kind of smoke curtain or mist.
Tirpitz camuflaged by smoke curtain.
This "smoke" caused a great deal of damage to the surrounding trees that can be seen in their lives.
Scientists took samples of pines with six spots near the fjord. Woods away from the place where Tirpitz's bond was located were less affected by fog. But on location nearby warship, 60% of the trees did not produce growth rings in 1945, and some of the trees did not even grow a few years after the war. Scientists think trees have lost their needles under the influence of fog, which has hindered their ability to photosynthesis. While in the case of extreme cold, growth is also decreasing, trees are usually able to recover completely for up to five years. But in northern Scandinavia, trees need 12 years to recover.
Tirpitz suffered a certain amount of damage in Kåfjord, but a permanent alliance campaign to destroy it paid off at the end of 1944 when British fighter planes sunk him in Tromso Fjord, further to the west.
Sunken tirpitz