[8], As built, the ships' anti-aircraft battery consisted of three 8.8 cm SK L/45 anti-aircraft guns in single mounts. Deutschland German battleship class, built 1903-08. At a range of 12,000 m (13,000 yd), the AP shells could penetrate armor plating up to 160 mm (6.3 in) thick. Afterward, Schleswig-Holstein was again removed from front-line service and used as a training ship, while Schlesien resumed her ice-breaking duties. [34], Repairs were completed by March 1941, and in June Lützow steamed to Norway. The first of the new ships was authorized in November 1928. Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds (1985). Certain elements not to scale. [7], The secondary battery consisted of fourteen 17 cm (6.7 in) guns mounted in casemates amidships. The Deutschland-class ships were initially classified as Panzerschiffe but the Kriegsmarine reclassified them as heavy cruisers in February 1940. The barbettes that held the turrets were armored with 250 mm (9.8 in) thick steel. Deutschland and Admiral Scheer had a standard draft of 5.78 m (19 ft 0 in) and a full-load draft of 7.25 m (23 ft 9 in). Schleswig-Holstein differed somewhat; her crew as a training ship numbered 31 officers and 565 men and up to 175 cadets. The five Deutschland-class battleships were the last pre-dreadnoughts built by the German Navy. Built by the Kriegsmarine, they were officially described as heavy cruisers of 10,000 tons in order to comply with the limitations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. The Deutschland(later renamed Lutzow) and her sisters Admiral Scheerand Admiral Graf Speeare an interesting class of ships. Electricity was supplied by four electric generators powered by two diesel engines. [12], Following their commissioning beginning in 1906, the ships joined the II Battle Squadron of the Heimatflotte (Home Fleet), which also included the Braunschweig-class ships. [19] In the darkness, the Germans had difficulty making out their targets and failed to score any hits; the British, however, managed to hit three of the Deutschlands. [10], The main battery gun turrets had armored sides that were 280 mm (11 in) thick and roofs that were 50 mm (2.0 in) thick. [8] This provided the guns with a maximum range of 36,475 m (39,890 yd). The Deutschland-class heavy cruiser comprised three ships; Deutschland, Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee - although the Deutschland was later renamed Lutzow. They ended their careers bombarding advancing Soviet forces on the Eastern Front; both ships were destroyed by British bombers in the final weeks of the war. Each gun was supplied with 130 armor-piercing shells, and fired at a rate of approximately 5 per minute. Nazi Germany (1931) – Deutschland, Graf Spee, Scheer. [8], The Kriegsmarine considered the ships to be good sea boats, with a slight roll. Deutschland Class Battleship. 2019 | Changed parts + Actions Stash. The Treaty of Versailles permitted Germany to retain several old battleships for coastal defense, including the four Deutschland-class ships. [3], The Reichsmarine held a conference to evaluate the designs in May 1925, though the results were inconclusive. Langsdorff committed suicide three days after the scuttling. By this time, only Schlesien and Schleswig-Holstein were still operating as warships; the four Braunschweig-class ships had been disposed of or converted into auxiliary ships. On 3 May she struck a mine outside Swinemünde; the following day she was scuttled by her crew in shallow water. The armored deck was improved as well, and some places had up to 70 mm thickness. [12][8] This savings allowed the armament and armor to be increased. Deutschland -class cruiser The Deutschland class was a series of three Panzerschiffe ("armored ships"), a form of heavily armed cruiser, built by the Reichsmarine officially in accordance with restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. They had a beam of 22.2 m (73 ft) and a draft of 8.21 m (26.9 ft) forward. Deutschland was commissioned into the fleet on 3 August of that year. Her first homeport was Swinemünde but she was transferred to Kiel in 1922. The Navy was permitted a force of six pre-dreadnought battleships and six light cruisers; the ships could not be replaced until they were twenty years old. [3], The Deutschland-class ships were 125.9 m (413 ft) long at the waterline and 127.6 m (419 ft) overall. The Deutschland class were actually heavily armed cruisers, but due to their heavy armament, were also known as “pocket battleships.” The Deutschland class ships were initially classified as Panzerschiffe or "armored ships", but the Kriegsmarine reclassified them as heavy cruisers in February 1940. The design speed for all of the ships was 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph), though on trials all five ships exceeded the figure. [5] This ship was boilered as in Braunschweig, with eight marine-type boilers and six cylindrical boilers. The guns fired 14.8 kg (33 lb) high-explosive shells at up to 12 rounds per minute. The casemate guns were protected by 35 mm (1.4 in) thick armor plating. Pommern was forced briefly to haul out of line. This ship served with the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II. Work began under construction number 219. 1/1800th scale Deutschland-class battleship model. Dreadnought Battleships. [11] Launched on 17 December 1906, Schleswig-Holstein was completed by July 1908 and commissioned on the 6th, the last ship of the five to join the fleet. ( 1980 ), by the end of the Imperial German Navy before the first major to. Accidentally started sliding down the first of the battleship squadron in January 1933 quickly building artillery! And two one deck higher merchant traffic a sortie into the fleet port of Danzig opposite the Polish military at... 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