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| KMS Gneisenau as finally completed with her graceful "Atlantic bow." |
On this day seventy-five years ago, the KMS Gneisenau was completed and commissioned for sea trials under the command of Kapitän zur See (KzS) Erich Förste. The trials revealed the ship was extremely "wet" forward, showing a dangerous tendency to ship considerable amounts of water in heavy seas. This caused flooding in the ship's bow and damage to the electrical systems in the forward main gun turret. As a result of these trials, KMS Gneisenau went back to the dockyard for modifications to her bow. Her original straight stem was replaced with a distinctive "Atlantic bow."
