1945 On May 7th, prinz eugen and other German ships surrendered to Britain in Copenhagen. The next day, Germany formally surrendered, and the British took over these German warships on the same day. For the next 20 days, German sailors enjoyed the post-war peace and did almost nothing except routine maintenance and vigilance every day, so someone came up with a good way to kill time: learn to drive. The crew first persuaded the British guards, then found a truck on the dock and opened this temporary "driving training class". As for fuel, it's not a problem-there are many in the warehouse at the dock. After practicing for a few days, the exam began. The goal is to drive around the dock warehouse. Even if you pass the exam, the ending is naturally happy. Almost all drivers have got their driver's licenses.
On May 27th, the prinz eugen was ordered to set out. Together with Nuremberg, it docked in Port William under the escort of the British air defense cruiser Dido and the heavy cruiser Devon. When leaving, "Dido" sent a light signal to "Prince Eugen": I wish you all the best when you meet next time. But these two warships will never have a chance to "meet again."
Half a year later, according to the division of the captured Axis ships by the victors, the prinz eugen became the property of the US Navy and sailed for thurmond in 65438+February 65438+March. After the US Navy took over, it was conventionally divided into "unnamed auxiliary ship" (series IX), later renamed IX-300, and the official ship name was "USS Plinz Eugen" (USS Plinz Eugen). The German sailors breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the news. They are worried that the warships will be taken over by the Soviet Red Navy and they will be thrown into the prison camp. Now at least I have avoided going to jail.
US Navy Colonel Arthur Harrison Graubart became the last captain of the prinz eugen. After he took office, he brought a lot of American characteristics to IX-300: many American sailors were added, the daily supply became extremely rich, many coffee vending machines were installed on the ship, and there was a disgraceful change-a "living room for colored people" was left. Next, the Americans ordered the ship to be renovated, all weapons were reserved, and some crew members who left after Germany surrendered were recovered, which made German sailors think that some people speculated that the United States wanted to include her in its fleet, some people speculated that it would be sold to other countries, and some people speculated that a rich man had taken a fancy to this warship.
1946 65438+1October 13, the U.S navy "Plinz Eugen" set sail from thurmond, Wei under the control of the mixed crew of Germany and the United States. The crew, who were a little tired of long-term port life, were enthusiastic about it and arrived at their destination-Boston Port in the United States nine days later (during which "special accommodation for colored people" was not used). There were frequent mechanical failures on the way, and the German crew just took this opportunity to familiarize the American crew with warships and each other. After that, some German crew members finished the task and set off for home, while others stayed to help the next task.
German sailors had a good time in America. They met ordinary Americans for the first time, and ordinary Americans witnessed German soldiers for the first time. Americans and Germans are deeply interested in each other and are eager to know each other's real life conditions and experiences over the years. There was an episode. When the prinz eugen first arrived in Boston, an American said to a German sailor, "You look like us, and your behavior is the same." This sentence surprised the German boy: "What? Do Americans think Germans have knives in their mouths? " During their stay in Boston, the German captain and several crew members made a live program for the whole country at the invitation of the local radio station, which introduced the combat experience of the prinz eugen and the daily life of Germany before the war. When I was in Boston, the ultimate fate of this legendary warship was finally revealed by the almost omnipotent media: as a "white mouse" for the upcoming new weapon in the Pacific Ocean-a powerful atomic bomb experiment.
Soon, the prinz eugen was sent to Philadelphia, where it made the best preparations for the final "journey". At this point, the German sailors have left the United States for home, and now all the rest are German sailors with technical posts, and a large number of American personnel have boarded the ship. There are some obstacles in the communication between the two sides-such as the German-English name conversion of various posts and components. However, by early February, the prinz eugen was able to stand trial at sea, and many other personnel and experts of the US Navy were also on board. At this point, the ship's artillery system and radar system have been repaired and can be put into battle again at any time, but there is no chance again. In Philadelphia, Americans became interested in Plinz Eugen's main gun, and two 203mm main guns of turret A were dismantled for research. However, Americans are not interested in German radar and think that its working mode is far from that of American radar. Finally, for the safety of navigation in the future, it took two days to remove the original radar and replace it with an American radar. In these last days, the American media highlighted the good relations between the United States and Germany, such as "flowers blooming on former Nazi warships".
1946 In March, prinz eugen set sail for its final destination-Bikini Atoll in Marshall Islands. In the waters near the Panamanian balboa, the US Navy tested its sonar system (unlike the radar system, Americans have always been interested in the ship's sonar system). An American submarine playing the attacker fired 34 practice torpedoes, all of which were found and accurately located by prinz eugen's sonar system. In the meantime, Hollywood seized the opportunity to harass: a director asked a German sailor if he knew the rank of SS, but the Germans politely refused.
At the port of San Pedro, a group of German sailors set off for home again. Only the last necessary personnel are left, and when they arrive in San Diego, California, they will leave the ship and go home-the German crew was originally expected to go to Hawaii or bikini to see the last minute of the prinz eugen. 1 In May, the last German crew member bid farewell to this "lucky battleship". Graubart, the current captain and US Navy Colonel, shook hands with the crew.
1 946 July1day, the shooting range of "Prince Eugen" in bikini atoll is ready. At 7: 00 in the morning, Experiment A (Atomic Bomb Explosion Experiment) began. At 0900 hours, a B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on the target fleet. The atomic bomb detonated at 5 18 feet above the water, and some effect ships sank. However, the prinz eugen, which was only 1 194 yards away from the explosion center, was only slightly injured and still floated on the water.
On July 25th, prinz eugen took part in the second experiment: Experiment B (underwater explosion experiment of atomic bomb). At 8: 35 in the morning, the atomic bomb exploded at a depth of 90 feet underwater, and a large number of effect ships sank. However, the goddess of luck is still stubbornly protecting her "darling". IX-300, which is only 1990 yards away from the explosion center, is still floating on the water, even without obvious damage from the appearance. This "lucky battleship" remained lucky until the last moment. Due to the great destructive power of experiment B, the original experiment C-deep water nuclear explosion experiment was cancelled.
On August 29th, the tortured prinz eugen retired and was towed to Kwajalein Atoll in early September. This retired warship, which is basically intact but polluted by nuclear radiation, is moored near Kwajalein Atoll, and no one dares to approach it. It spends sunrise and sunset after sunrise in the South Pacific.
Perhaps the "internal injuries" suffered in the nuclear explosion experiment began to attack, or perhaps they were tired of waiting for this life to be corroded. More than three months later, on 65438+February 2 1 day, the stern of the "prinz eugen" was damaged by the storm, and it was seriously flooded and rolled 35 degrees. The next day, on the way to Ennubuji Reef in Kwajalein Atoll, prinz eugen capsized in a coral reef at east longitude 167 degrees 4 1 minute and south latitude 8 degrees 44 minutes.