The Graf Zeppelin was Germany's only aircraft carrier in the Second World War - but it was never completed and never saw action. The ship was laid down at the Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel on 28 December 1936 as aircraft carrier "A" and launched two years later on 8 December 1936. It was planned that the ship would be completed by the end of 1940 - but this never happened. It is interesting to note that a German commission visited Japan in 1935 to inspect the Akagi and to obtain information on aircraft carrier-specific design details.

In April 1940, construction was halted as the focus of German naval construction shifted to submarines and work on all unfinished large surface ships was stopped. The guns already installed were used for coastal defence in Norway and the ship was transferred to Gotenhafen (Gdynia).

In 1942 it became clear that the German Kriegsmarine would need an aircraft carrier for further operations of the large surface units, and construction of the Graf Zeppelin was resumed. The ship was expected to be completed by the winter of 1943.
In December 1942 the Graf Zeppelin was moved back to Kiel to continue construction, but after the Battle of the Barents Sea against Convoy JW51B the construction of all major surface units was finally stopped, by this time the carrier was about 80% complete.

The carrier was moved to Stettin in April 1943, where it was sunk by its own crew on 25/04/1945. Captured by the Russians, Graf Zeppelin was renamed IA-101 (Floating Base No. 101) on 03.02.1947. On 16.08.1947 the carrier was sunk as a target ship off Swinemünde.

The wreck of the Graf Zeppelin was found in July 2006 about 55km north of Wladyslawowo (Poland) at 55,3N18,42E. The ship appears to be standing upright at a depth of 80m.