SMS Von der Tann was the first battlecruiser built for the German Kaiserliche Marine, as well as Germany's first major turbine-powered warship. At the time of her construction, Von der Tann was the fastest dreadnought-type warship afloat, capable of reaching speeds of more than 27 knots. Built by Blohm and Voss in Hamburg, Von der Tann was one of the workhorses of the High Seas Fleet I Scouting Group. Von der Tann was designed in response to the British Invincible-class battlecruiser. While the German design had slightly lighter guns—28 cm (11 in), as opposed to the 30.5 cm (12 in) mounted on the British ships—Von der Tann was faster and significantly better-armoured. She set the precedent that German battlecruisers carried much heavier armour than their British equivalents, albeit at the cost of smaller guns. The ship participated in a number of fleet actions during the First World War, including the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916, where she destroyed the British battlecruiser HMS Indefatigable within the first few minutes of the engagement. Von der Tann was hit several times by large-calibre shells during the battle, but the damage was quickly repaired and the ship returned to the fleet in two months. Following the end of the war in 1918, Von der Tann, along with most of the High Seas Fleet, was interned at Scapa Flow pending a decision by the Allies as to the fate of the fleet. The ship met her end when the fleet was scuttled in 1919 to prevent them falling into British hands. The wreck of Von der Tann was raised in 1930, and scrapped at Rosyth from 1931 to 1934.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Von_der_Tann

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1279 BC:

According to estimations believed by most Egyptologists today, Ramesses II became Pharaoh of Egypt. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramesses_II

1223:

Mongol invasions: Mongol forces defeated a combined army of Kiev, Galich, and the Cumans on the banks of the Kalchik River in present-day Ukraine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Kalka_River

1669:

Citing poor eyesight, English naval administrator and Member of Parliament Samuel Pepys recorded his last entry in his diary, one of the most important primary sources for the English Restoration period. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Pepys

1889:

The South Fork Dam near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA, failed, unleashing a torrent of 18.1 million cubic meters (4.8 billion gallons) of water that killed over 2,200 people. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnstown_Flood

1977:

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was completed, a major U.S. oil pipeline connecting oil fields in northern Alaska to a sea port where the oil can be shipped to the Lower 48 states for refining. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Alaska_Pipeline_System

1997:

The Confederation Bridge spanning the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait officially opened, forming a 12.9-kilometre (8 mi) 'fixed link' between Prince Edward Island and the Canadian mainland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation_Bridge

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

implicit (adj): 1. Implied indirectly, without being directly expressed.

2. Contained in the essential nature of something but not openly shown.

3. Having no reservations or doubts; unquestioning or unconditional http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/implicit

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Be composed — be at ease with me — I am Walt Whitman, liberal and lusty as Nature,

Not till the sun excludes you do I exclude you, Not till the waters refuse to glisten for you and the leaves to rustle for you, do my words refuse to glisten and rustle for you. --Walt Whitman http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walt_Whitman