Deutschland/Luetzow Class BB/CA

R V Jones, in his memories (Most Secret War, Hamish Hamilton, 1978) describes how the British Admirality sent L H Bainbridge-Bell to the River Plate to examine the radar installation aboard the wreck of the Graf Spee. According to Price (Instruments of Darkness, Kimber, 1967) the resultant report took one and a half years to pass through the official channels, a statement I find hard to believe considering that Bainbridge-Bell had been sent half around the world to abtain the information. It adds yet another intriguing possibility of further information, as this report, possibly including photos of Graf Spee's installation, may yet come to light.

The Deutschland (renamed Lützow in 1940) had a 2m x 6m mattress antenna for a FuMO 22 throughout her wartime career. From January 1942 until March 1944 she also had a Timor frame at the rear of her radar tower, as in the Scharnhorst. To follow German practice there should also have been fixed Sumatra antennas but they cannot be traced in photographs. 

It is noteworthy that the foretop radar of the armoured ships (later reclassified as heavy cruisers) were provided with the best positioning of any German heavy units. It was situated at the highest point in the ship, and the foremast was removed, and replaced by a short pole mast, to provide completely unobstructed all-around coverage. 

Admiral Scheer was similarly equipped before the removal of the top-heavy pyramidal armoured mast. After that she had a 2m x 4m FuMO 27 mattress antenna and a Timor frame, bearing in opposite directions, on the forward rangefinder tower. Three of the four fixed Sumatra antennas, spaced 90° apart, were fitted on small horizontal lattice constructions. Scheer also had a FuMO 27 antenna on the aft rangefinder tower.