Tirpitz was a sister ship to the German battleship Bismarck named for Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz. She was launched after Bismarck but was deployed in a similar manner, being sent against Allied merchant shipping in the North Atlantic.
As a result of the Commando raid on Vaagso Tirpitz was sent to spent most of World War II in Norwegian fjords, offering a serious threat to Allied conveys to Russia and tying down Royal Navy resources but not venturing forth. The threat was sufficient that in a very risky operation British midget submarines planted explosive charges beneath Tirpitz in September 1943. This succeeded in disabling Tirpitz effectively for the duration of World War II. Repaired, she was finally sunk in Tromso fjord on November 11, 1944 by Avro Lancasters of RAF 617 and 9 Squadrons equipped with the Barnes Wallis tallboy bombs.
