![]() On the 4th April Scharnhorst and Gneisenau encountered the carrier HMS Glorious and her escorts - HMS Ardent and Acasta. Due a malfunctioning radar on Scharnhorst, the Germans had to escape from Renown using their superior speed but suffered water damage as a result. The ships encountered HMS Renown on the 9th April, Gneisenau being hit twice before the Germans returned fire. Scharnhorst was assigned to the invasion of Denmark and Norway alongside Gneisenau and Admiral Hipper. Heavy seas caused significant damage to Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, so the ships docked and underwent repairs. HMS Newcastle spotted the fleet, forcing the German ships to flee north from allied pursuers. Whilst on patrol, the fleet came across the armed merchant cruiser Rawalpindi and had Scharnhorst sink the ship. Scharnhorst's first operation was to patrol between Iceland and the Faroe Islands with her sister Gneisenau, the light cruiser Köln and nine destroyers. These plans, however, were never carried out. ![]() ![]() Scharnhorst was armed with nine 28 cm guns in triple turrets with plans to replace them with six 38 cm guns in twin turrets. Scharnhorst was the lead ship of her class, and a battleship built for the Kriegsmarine in the mid/late 1930s.
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