Schleswig-Holstein was a state of the Greater German Reich. Its capital, Kiel, was one of the major shipbuilding centers of the Third Reich, its predecessor the Weimar Republic, and its predecessor the German Empire. Its shipyards had contributed ships such as the battleship Gneisnau, pocket battleship Deutschland, and the cruiser Blücher. It was also constructing the Reichs first aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin.