Gneisenau

Gneisenau is the name of more than one ship in the history of the German Navy, named after the Prussian field marshal August Wilhelm Graf von Gneisenau. The name has been used for vessels across different eras, reflecting the tradition of commemorating prominent military figures in German naval history.

The most historically prominent uses are two ships from separate periods. The first was SMS Gneisenau, an armored cruiser of the Kaiserliche Marine from the early 20th century. She served during the First World War, participating in fleet operations and bombardment actions before being decommissioned after the war and subsequently disposed of in the interwar period.

The second and better known is the Kriegsmarine battleship Gneisenau, a Scharnhorst-class vessel built in the late 1930s. She operated in the Atlantic and North Sea, often with her sister ship Scharnhorst, and took part in operations intended to disrupt Allied shipping. In February 1942 she was part of the Channel Dash (also known as Cerberus), a breakout from Brest to Kiel through the English Channel with escorts. The ship later participated in additional wartime operations and sustained damage from air attacks and naval action. After the war, Gneisenau was surrendered to the Allies and was ultimately broken up for scrap.

Overall, the name Gneisenau reflects a pattern in German naval practice of naming ships after notable military figures, with two major vessels bearing the name across World Wars I and II.