SMS Prinz Eugen was a German Navy heavy cruiser commissioned in 1914. It played a significant role in World War I, participating in various naval battles and operations. After the war, the Treaty of Versailles transferred the ship to the French Navy, where it was renamed Duguay-Trouin. However, due to financial constraints, the French Navy never fully commissioned the ship. In 1937, the ship was sold to Nazi Germany and recommissioned as Prinz Eugen. During World War II, Prinz Eugen was involved in several operations, including the Battle of the Denmark Strait and the Battle of the North Cape. It also escorted the German battleship Bismarck during its fateful final voyage. Following the war, the ship was transferred to the US Navy as a war prize. In 1946, it was used in the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. Despite being heavily damaged by the tests, Prinz Eugen did not sink and was later towed to Kwajalein Atoll, where it capsized and sank in 1946. The ship's wreckage remains at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean as a popular diving site. SMS Prinz Eugen's tumultuous history reflects the shifting alliances and conflicts of the 20th century and its legacy continues to be studied by naval historians.

This description has been generated using GPT-3.5-TURBO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.