Admiral Scheer was a heavy cruiser (often termed a pocket battleship) which served with the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II. The vessel was named after Admiral Reinhard Scheer, German commander in the Battle of Jutland. She was laid down at the "Reichsmarinewerft" shipyard in Wilhelmshaven in June 1931 and completed by November 1934. Originally classified as an armored ship ("Panzerschiff") by the Reichsmarine, in February 1940 the Germans reclassified the remaining two ships of this class as heavy cruisers.