Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
SMS Von der Tann
SMS Von der Tann was the first battlecruiser built for the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy), as well as Germany's first major turbine-powered warship. At the time of her construction, Von der Tann was the fastest dreadnought-type warship afloat, capable of reaching speeds in excess of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). She was designed in response to the British Invincible class. While the German design had slightly lighter guns—28 cm (11 in), compared to the 30.5 cm (12 in) Mark X mounted on the British ships—Von der Tann was faster and significantly better-armored. She set the precedent of German battlecruisers carrying much heavier armor than their British equivalents, albeit at the cost of smaller guns.
Von der Tann participated in a number of fleet actions during the First World War, including several bombardments of the English coast. She was present at the Battle of Jutland, where she destroyed the British battlecruiser HMS Indefatigable in the opening minutes of the engagement. Von der Tann was hit several times by large-caliber shells during the battle, and at one point in the engagement, the ship had all of her main battery guns out of action either due to damage or malfunction. Nevertheless, the damage was quickly repaired and the ship returned to the fleet in two months.
Following the end of the war in November 1918, Von der Tann, along with most of the High Seas Fleet, was interned at Scapa Flow pending a decision by the Allies as to the fate of the fleet. The ship met her end in 1919 when German caretaker crews scuttled their ships to prevent their division among Allied navies. The wreck was raised in 1930, and scrapped at Rosyth from 1931 to 1934.
The genesis of the battlecruiser Von der Tann began on 17 May 1906 with an order from Kaiser Wilhelm II for a design competition for a fast battleship that combined the speed of earlier armored cruisers with the firepower of a battleship. Wilhelm directed that the new ship should have a primary armament of at least four 28 cm (11 in) guns and a top speed of at least 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) faster than the latest battleships. He envisioned the new ship forming a fast division of the main fleet, which could also perform reconnaissance duties. He stated that the Nassau-class battleships then under development should be used as a basis for the new ship. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, then the State Secretary of the Reichsmarineamt (Imperial Navy Office), opposed the concept for a number of reasons, but the announcement on 31 May that the British Royal Navy's latest armored cruisers, the Invincible class, would be armed with eight 30.5 cm (12 in) guns brushed aside Tirpitz's objections.
The Kaiser's design competition could not be carried out, as the navy's design department was already busy completing work on what would become the Nassau class of dreadnought battleships. They would also soon need to begin work on the next armored cruiser, designated "F", to follow the latest cruiser Blücher, which was to be laid down in early 1907. But the Kaiser and his supporters would nevertheless significantly shape the project for cruiser "F". The General Navy Department agreed that future armored cruisers must be capable of fighting in the line of battle as a fast wing, which required battleship-grade armament. They suggested a ship armed with six or eight 28 cm (11 in) guns and capable of 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph). Arguments continued, including the publication of an article in the journal Marine-Rundschau in July 1906 by Waldemar Vollerthun, who argued that the two types—battleships and armored cruisers—were fundamentally incompatible due to their differing tactical roles.
Senior officers disagreed over the intended role of the new ship; Tirpitz envisioned the new ship as a replication of the British Invincibles, mounting heavier guns, lighter armor, and higher speed with the intention of using the ship as a fleet scout and to destroy the opposing fleet's cruisers. Tirpitz had no intention of using the ship in the main battle line. Wilhelm II however, along with most of the RMA, was in favor of incorporating the ship into the battle line after initial contact was made, which necessitated much heavier armor. The insistence upon the capability to fight in the battle line was a result of the numerical inferiority of the German High Seas Fleet to the Royal Navy. Initial proposals suggested a main battery of 30.5 to 34.3 cm (12.0 to 13.5 in) guns, but financial limitations necessitated the use of smaller, less expensive weaponry. The same 28 cm twin-gun turrets that had been developed for the last two Nassau-class battleships would be used for cruiser "F".
As the reality of the British introduction of the battlecruiser type sank in over the summer of 1906, Tirpitz eventually concluded on 18 July that he could no longer maintain his objections for military and political reasons. He instructed the General Navy Department, Construction Department, and the Weapons Department to prepare designs for a new cruiser armed with eight 30.5 cm guns, along with a new battleship armed with twelve of the guns. The projected cost of the former led Tirpitz to quickly abandon it, while latter became the Helgoland class. But on 4 September, he requested another cruiser design, this time with the armament scaled back to 28 cm guns. Other requirements included a secondary battery of eight or ten 15 cm (5.9 in) guns, displacement and price no greater than Nassau, and improved armor protection compared to Blücher.
Several proposals were presented in a meeting on 15 September, which resolved many of the disagreements over the ship's design. Rudolf von Eickstedt, the naval architect in charge of the Construction Department, argued that since the explosive trials for the proposed protection systems for Blücher had not been completed, the construction should be postponed to allow for any alterations to the design for cruiser "F". He also argued that guns of 21 cm or 24 cm (9.4 in) caliber would be sufficient to penetrate the armor of the new British battlecruisers. However, Admiral August von Heeringen, of the General Navy Department, stated that for the ship to be able to engage battleships, the 28 cm guns were necessary. Admiral Eduard von Capelle, the deputy director of the RMA, stated that depending on tests of the underwater protection system slated to be carried out in November, the main battery might have to be reduced in caliber to offset the weight of any improvements to the protection system that might need to be made. Tirpitz rejected the idea of a reduction in caliber, even if it required increasing displacement over the agreed-upon 19,000 metric tons (18,700 long tons).
Hub AI
SMS Von der Tann AI simulator
(@SMS Von der Tann_simulator)
SMS Von der Tann
SMS Von der Tann was the first battlecruiser built for the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy), as well as Germany's first major turbine-powered warship. At the time of her construction, Von der Tann was the fastest dreadnought-type warship afloat, capable of reaching speeds in excess of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). She was designed in response to the British Invincible class. While the German design had slightly lighter guns—28 cm (11 in), compared to the 30.5 cm (12 in) Mark X mounted on the British ships—Von der Tann was faster and significantly better-armored. She set the precedent of German battlecruisers carrying much heavier armor than their British equivalents, albeit at the cost of smaller guns.
Von der Tann participated in a number of fleet actions during the First World War, including several bombardments of the English coast. She was present at the Battle of Jutland, where she destroyed the British battlecruiser HMS Indefatigable in the opening minutes of the engagement. Von der Tann was hit several times by large-caliber shells during the battle, and at one point in the engagement, the ship had all of her main battery guns out of action either due to damage or malfunction. Nevertheless, the damage was quickly repaired and the ship returned to the fleet in two months.
Following the end of the war in November 1918, Von der Tann, along with most of the High Seas Fleet, was interned at Scapa Flow pending a decision by the Allies as to the fate of the fleet. The ship met her end in 1919 when German caretaker crews scuttled their ships to prevent their division among Allied navies. The wreck was raised in 1930, and scrapped at Rosyth from 1931 to 1934.
The genesis of the battlecruiser Von der Tann began on 17 May 1906 with an order from Kaiser Wilhelm II for a design competition for a fast battleship that combined the speed of earlier armored cruisers with the firepower of a battleship. Wilhelm directed that the new ship should have a primary armament of at least four 28 cm (11 in) guns and a top speed of at least 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) faster than the latest battleships. He envisioned the new ship forming a fast division of the main fleet, which could also perform reconnaissance duties. He stated that the Nassau-class battleships then under development should be used as a basis for the new ship. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, then the State Secretary of the Reichsmarineamt (Imperial Navy Office), opposed the concept for a number of reasons, but the announcement on 31 May that the British Royal Navy's latest armored cruisers, the Invincible class, would be armed with eight 30.5 cm (12 in) guns brushed aside Tirpitz's objections.
The Kaiser's design competition could not be carried out, as the navy's design department was already busy completing work on what would become the Nassau class of dreadnought battleships. They would also soon need to begin work on the next armored cruiser, designated "F", to follow the latest cruiser Blücher, which was to be laid down in early 1907. But the Kaiser and his supporters would nevertheless significantly shape the project for cruiser "F". The General Navy Department agreed that future armored cruisers must be capable of fighting in the line of battle as a fast wing, which required battleship-grade armament. They suggested a ship armed with six or eight 28 cm (11 in) guns and capable of 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph). Arguments continued, including the publication of an article in the journal Marine-Rundschau in July 1906 by Waldemar Vollerthun, who argued that the two types—battleships and armored cruisers—were fundamentally incompatible due to their differing tactical roles.
Senior officers disagreed over the intended role of the new ship; Tirpitz envisioned the new ship as a replication of the British Invincibles, mounting heavier guns, lighter armor, and higher speed with the intention of using the ship as a fleet scout and to destroy the opposing fleet's cruisers. Tirpitz had no intention of using the ship in the main battle line. Wilhelm II however, along with most of the RMA, was in favor of incorporating the ship into the battle line after initial contact was made, which necessitated much heavier armor. The insistence upon the capability to fight in the battle line was a result of the numerical inferiority of the German High Seas Fleet to the Royal Navy. Initial proposals suggested a main battery of 30.5 to 34.3 cm (12.0 to 13.5 in) guns, but financial limitations necessitated the use of smaller, less expensive weaponry. The same 28 cm twin-gun turrets that had been developed for the last two Nassau-class battleships would be used for cruiser "F".
As the reality of the British introduction of the battlecruiser type sank in over the summer of 1906, Tirpitz eventually concluded on 18 July that he could no longer maintain his objections for military and political reasons. He instructed the General Navy Department, Construction Department, and the Weapons Department to prepare designs for a new cruiser armed with eight 30.5 cm guns, along with a new battleship armed with twelve of the guns. The projected cost of the former led Tirpitz to quickly abandon it, while latter became the Helgoland class. But on 4 September, he requested another cruiser design, this time with the armament scaled back to 28 cm guns. Other requirements included a secondary battery of eight or ten 15 cm (5.9 in) guns, displacement and price no greater than Nassau, and improved armor protection compared to Blücher.
Several proposals were presented in a meeting on 15 September, which resolved many of the disagreements over the ship's design. Rudolf von Eickstedt, the naval architect in charge of the Construction Department, argued that since the explosive trials for the proposed protection systems for Blücher had not been completed, the construction should be postponed to allow for any alterations to the design for cruiser "F". He also argued that guns of 21 cm or 24 cm (9.4 in) caliber would be sufficient to penetrate the armor of the new British battlecruisers. However, Admiral August von Heeringen, of the General Navy Department, stated that for the ship to be able to engage battleships, the 28 cm guns were necessary. Admiral Eduard von Capelle, the deputy director of the RMA, stated that depending on tests of the underwater protection system slated to be carried out in November, the main battery might have to be reduced in caliber to offset the weight of any improvements to the protection system that might need to be made. Tirpitz rejected the idea of a reduction in caliber, even if it required increasing displacement over the agreed-upon 19,000 metric tons (18,700 long tons).