The Battle of North Cape how the Royal Navy sank the Scharnhorst

In the battle of North Cape, on Boxing day 1943, a British and Norwegian force defeated and sank Scharnhorst, a powerful and fast German capital ship.

Scharnhorst was referred to by the British at the time as a battlecruiser because of her speed, but by the Germans as a battleship. Whichever word you use she was a powerful and dangerous unit.

The video below refers particularly to the role of HMS Norfolk, a county class heavy cruiser a third Scharnhorst's size, which could never have defeated the German capital ship on her own but scored a critical hit which took out Scharnhost's forward radar. That hit was pivotal to the allied victory.

However, this was a victory which would not have been won without teamwork and the contribution of several allied vessels were essential.  

The video below does also describe some of the other units which took part in the operation, including the battleship HMS Duke of York which did much of the damage to the German ship, and the cruiser HMS Belfast, which at one point was the only unit maintaining contact with Scharnhorst as she tried to flee.

Of course, HMS Belfast still exists as a museum ship moored near the tower of London. If you want to learn more about the battle of North Cape, you can do a lot wore than visit HMS Belfast, where there is a display and film which gives a detailed history of the battle. 

Other allied ships involved included the cruisers HMS Sheffield and HMS Jamaica, and a number of destroyers, of which the Norwegian destroyer Stord, with particular bravery, launched torpedoes at the Scharnhorst from the very close range of 400 yards. Stord's officers and men were praised for their daring by senior British officers in their after-action reports.