List of heavy cruisers of Germany

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sea trials

The German navies of the 1920s through 1945—the Reichsmarine and later Kriegsmarine—built or planned a series of heavy cruisers starting in the late 1920s, initially classified as Panzerschiffe (armored ships). Four different designs—the Deutschland, D, P, and Admiral Hipper classes, comprising twenty-two ships in total—were prepared in the period, though only the three Deutschland-class ships and three of the five Admiral Hipper-class cruisers were ever built.

The terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, limited German warships to a displacement of 10,000 long tons (10,160 t). The first class of ships designed under these restrictions was the Deutschland class, designed in the late 1920s, and commonly referred to as "pocket battleships". They incorporated a series of radical innovations to save weight, including extensive use of welded construction and diesel engines. An improved version, the D class, was planned for 1934, but escalating design requirements in response to the French Dunkerque-class battleships resulted in the replacement of the D class with the two Scharnhorst-class battleships.

Plans for an improved Panzerschiff were renewed in 1937 with the P class. Initially intended to comprise twelve ships, the P class was a central component of

Grand Admiral Erich Raeder's Plan Z fleet, which was designed for a commerce war against Great Britain. Subsequent versions of Plan Z reduced the number of ships to eight and then removed them altogether, replacing them with the O-class battlecruisers by 1939. The five ships of the Admiral Hipper class were authorized under the terms of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, signed in 1935, which permitted Germany 50,000 long tons (51,000 t) of heavy cruisers. Of these ships, only three were completed; the outbreak of World War II
in September 1939 caused work to be halted on the last two ships.

In total, Germany completed six heavy cruisers, all of which saw extensive service with the fleet. The three Deutschland-class ships served on several

war prize and used in nuclear testing in the Bikini Atoll
.

Key
Armament The number and type of the primary armament
Armor The maximum thickness of the
armored belt
Displacement Ship displacement at full combat load[a]
Propulsion Number of shafts, type of propulsion system, and top speed generated
Cost Cost of the ship's construction
Service The dates work began and finished on the ship and its ultimate fate
Laid down The date the keel began to be assembled
Commissioned The date the ship was Commissioned

Deutschland class

Admiral Graf Spee in 1936
Main article: Deutschland-class cruiser

Initially ordered as Panzerschiffe, the three Deutschland-class ships were designed to meet the limitations imposed on the German Navy by the Treaty of Versailles.[2] The treaty limited large German warships to a displacement of 10,000 long tons (10,160 t), but did not restrict the caliber of main battery guns.[3] Several innovations were incorporated into the design, including extensive use of welding and all-diesel propulsion, which saved weight and allowed for the heavier main armament and armor.[4] Nevertheless, the ships exceeded the weight restriction by several thousand tons, though the German Navy claimed the vessels were within the limitations. The three ships, Deutschland, Admiral Scheer, and Admiral Graf Spee, were built between 1929 and 1936. Design changes were made over the course of the construction program, resulting in slightly differing characteristics of each ship.[5]

Commonly referred to as "pocket battleships" due to their heavy armament,[6] all three ships saw service in the non-intervention patrols during the Spanish Civil War in 1936–1938.[7] They served as commerce raiders early in World War II; Admiral Graf Spee was scuttled outside Montevideo in December 1939 following the Battle of the River Plate.[8] Deutschland conducted one cruise into the North Atlantic without significant success, before returning to Germany to be renamed Lützow. She and Admiral Scheer were also re-rated as heavy cruisers.[9] She then participated in Operation Weserübung, where she was badly damaged by Norwegian coastal batteries and a British torpedo.[10][11] After repairs, she was deployed to occupied Norway to operate against convoys to the Soviet Union.[12] There she was joined by Admiral Scheer, which had completed the most successful raiding cruise conducted by a major surface unit.[13] Both ships ultimately returned to German waters by the end of 1943, where they were sunk by British bombers in the final weeks of the war.[14] Lützow was re-floated by the Soviet Navy and expended as a target in July 1947.[15]

Summary of the Deutschland class
Ship Armament Armor Displacement Propulsion Cost Service
Laid down Commissioned Fate
Deutschland1 6 × 28 cm SK C/28 guns[16] 80 mm (3.1 in)[16] 14,290 long tons (14,519 t)[16] 2 shafts, 8 diesel engines, 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph)[16] 80,000,000 reichsmark[16] 5 February 1929[17] 19 May 1931[18] Sunk in Soviet weapons test, July 1947[15]
Admiral Scheer 15,180 long tons (15,424 t)[16] 90,000,000 reichsmark[16] 25 June 1931[17] 1 April 1933[14] Sunk on 9 April 1945, broken up for scrap[14]
Admiral Graf Spee 16,020 long tons (16,277 t)[16] 82,000,000 reichsmark[16] 1 October 1932[17] 30 June 1934[14] Scuttled on 17 December 1939[14]

1: Renamed Lützow in late 1939

D class

CG rendering of the D-class design
Main article: D-class cruiser (Germany)

In 1933, German dictator Adolf Hitler authorized the Reichsmarine to order designs for an improved version of the preceding Deutschland-class cruisers. The ships were intended to counter a new French naval construction program. Displacement increased to 20,000 long tons (20,321 t), but Hitler only allowed increases to armor, prohibiting additions to the ships' main battery.[19] Only one of the two ships was laid down, but it was canceled less than five months after the keel was laid.[20] It was determined that the designs should be enlarged to counter the new French Dunkerque-class ships, which necessitated a third triple turret. The construction contracts for both ships were superseded by the two Scharnhorst-class battleships.[20]

Summary of the D class
Ship Armament Armor Displacement Propulsion Cost Service
Laid down Commissioned Fate
D 6 × 28 cm guns[20] 220 mm (8.7 in)[20] 20,000 long tons (20,321 t)[20][b] Turbine propulsion,[c] 29 kn (54 km/h; 33 mph)[20] — 14 February 1934[20] — Work halted on 5 July 1934, broken up[20]
E — — — Work not begun[20]

P class

Main article: P-class cruiser

The P class, which was to have comprised twelve ships, was authorized in 1937.

Grand Admiral Erich Raeder's plans for a commerce war against Britain.[24] A revised version reduced the number of ships to eight, and another revision removed them entirely before work began, replacing them with three O-class battlecruisers. The O-class ships would have been significantly larger, faster, and more powerful. These ships, however, were also not built.[25]

Summary of the P class
Ship Armament Armor Displacement Propulsion Cost Service
Laid down Commissioned Fate
P1–P12 6 × 28 cm guns[22] 120 mm (4.7 in)[20] 25,689 long tons (26,101 t)[22] 12 diesel engines, 33 kn (61 km/h; 38 mph)[20] — — — Canceled on 27 July 1939[22]

Admiral Hipper class

Admiral Hipper on trials
Main article: Admiral Hipper-class cruiser

The Admiral Hipper class was the second and final group of heavy cruisers built by the German Navy. Their design was prepared in 1934–1936,

Leningrad during the German invasion of the Soviet Union before being damaged by German dive-bombers.[29] After being raised and repaired, the ship continued in limited service until the late 1950s, when she was scrapped, either in 1958–1959,[30] or 1960.[28]

Admiral Hipper and Blücher both participated in the invasion of Norway; the latter was sunk by Norwegian coastal guns outside

US Navy, which scuttled the ship after she survived two atomic bomb tests in the Bikini Atoll in 1946.[37]

Summary of the Admiral Hipper class
Ship Armament Armor Displacement Propulsion Cost Service
Laid down Commissioned Fate
Admiral Hipper 8 × 20.3 cm SK C/34 guns[38] 80 mm (3.1 in)[39] 18,200 long tons (18,492 t)[16] 3 shafts, 3 turbine engines, 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph)[16] 87,855,000 reichsmark[16] 6 July 1935[40] 29 April 1939[28] Scuttled 3 May 1945, broken up in 1948[28]
Blücher 18,200 long tons (18,492 t)[16] 85,860,000 reichsmark[16] 15 August 1936[41] 20 September 1939[28] Sunk on 9 April 1940[28]
Prinz Eugen 18,750 long tons (19,051 t)[16] 104,490,000 reichsmark[16] 23 April 1936[42] 1 August 1940[28] Sunk after US atomic tests, 22 December 1946[14]
Seydlitz 19,800 long tons (20,118 t)[16] 84,000,000 reichsmark[16] 29 December 1936[43] — Ceded to the Soviet Union, broken up after 1958[28]
Lützow 19,800 long tons (20,118 t)[16] 83,590,000 reichsmark[16] 2 August 1937[43] — Sold to the Soviet Union, broken up in 1958–1959 or 1960[28]

Footnotes

Notes

  1. ^ Historian Erich Gröner states that full load was defined as "[equal to] type displacement plus full load fuel oil, diesel oil, coal, reserve boiler feed water, aircraft fuel, and special equipment."[1]
  2. ^ This figure is as designed; the combat displacement is unknown.[20]
  3. ^ The details of the ships' propulsion system are unknown.[20]

Citations

  1. ^ Gröner, p. ix.
  2. ^ Bidlingmaier, p. 73.
  3. ^ Preston, p. 117.
  4. ^ Bidlingmaier, p. 75.
  5. ^ Gröner, pp. 60–62.
  6. ^ Williamson Pocket Battleships, p. 4.
  7. ^ Williamson Pocket Battleships, pp. 14, 24, 40.
  8. ^ Bidlingmaier, p. 93.
  9. ^ Whitley, p. 68.
  10. ^ Haar, pp. 136–137.
  11. ^ Williamson Pocket Battleships, p. 18.
  12. ^ Williamson Pocket Battleships, p. 19.
  13. ^ Hümmelchen, p. 101.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Gröner, p. 62.
  15. ^ a b Prager, pp. 317–320.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Gröner, p. 60.
  17. ^ a b c Sieche, p. 227.
  18. ^ Gröner, p. 61.
  19. ^ Garzke & Dulin, p. 128.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Gröner, p. 63.
  21. ^ Garzke & Dulin, p. 351.
  22. ^ a b c d Gröner, p. 64.
  23. ^ Gröner, pp. 63–64.
  24. ^ Sieche, p. 220.
  25. ^ Gröner, pp. 64, 68.
  26. ^ Gröner, pp. 65–66.
  27. ^ Williamson Heavy Cruisers, p. 5.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i Gröner, p. 67.
  29. ^ Philbin, pp. 127–128.
  30. ^ Budzbon, p. 328.
  31. ^ Williamson Heavy Cruisers, pp. 13, 33.
  32. ^ Williamson Heavy Cruisers, pp. 15–16.
  33. ^ Williamson Heavy Cruisers, pp. 38–39.
  34. ^ Williamson Heavy Cruisers, pp. 39–41.
  35. ^ Williamson Heavy Cruisers, pp. 17–19.
  36. ^ Williamson Heavy Cruisers, pp. 20–21, 41–42.
  37. ^ Williamson Heavy Cruisers, p. 42.
  38. ^ Gröner, p. 66.
  39. ^ Gröner, p. 65.
  40. ^ Williamson Heavy Cruisers, p. 12.
  41. ^ Williamson Heavy Cruisers, p. 22.
  42. ^ Williamson Heavy Cruisers, p. 37.
  43. ^ a b Williamson Heavy Cruisers, pp. 42–43.

References

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