battleship Scharnhorst-class Battleship

[Solzhenitvsky 291]

Scharnhorst-class Battleship

 

Introduction

 

The Scharnhorst class were the first battleships built for the Kriegsmarine after the end of the first war, being a direct response to the French navy, specifically the battleship Dunkerque, two ships of the Scharnhorst class were built, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, they were the only German battleships built that they had main cannons arranged in triple towers, they had participation in several operations in the Atlantic with the objective of attacking British merchant ships, they also participated in Operation Weserübung, code name given the German invasion of Denmark and Norway.

 

Development

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Background

After the end of the First World War and the signing of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, Germany was severely limited in the construction of new ships for the Navy. This agreement prohibited Germany from building warships with a displacement of more than 10,000 tons. In the early 1930s, the aim of the German fleet was to replace the six obsolete pre-dreadnought battleships permitted by the Treaty of Versailles with new ships.
The French and USSR shipbuilding programs of the 1930s made German politicians think about building warships that exceeded the limits of Versailles restrictions. The Panzerschiff that were being built in Germany at the time (later reclassified to Heavy Cruisers) of the Deutschland class were inferior to the new French design of the Dunkerque class battleships, which surpassed the German ships at speed, going to 30 knots, in caliber, with cannons 330 mm and armor more than 220 mm. In connection with information about the new French ship project in Germany, it was decided to design a ship capable of effectively resisting new Dunkerque class ships.

 

Design and construction

In early 1933, Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany and immediately made it clear that he considered France the main opponent in shipbuilding. He gave the green light to the development and construction of two warships, an improved type of the Deutschland class with enhanced armor, a displacement of not more than 19,000 tons and two 283 mm triple towers. These ships received a letter designations D later renamed to Scharnhorst and E later renamed to Gneisenau.
During the year, active discussions were held on the design of the two new battleships, which generated three projects, 18,000 tons of displacement with six 280 mm guns, 22,000 tons with six 280 mm and 26,000 tons cannons and six 330 mm guns .
In the second half of 1933 it was decided to order two new ships with a displacement of 19,000 tons with six 283 mm guns, declaring them as 10,000 tons. It was decided to take all measures to conceal information about the displacement of ships, which went beyond the limitations of the Treaty of Versailles, at the end of 1933 Admiral Erich Raeder believed that ships should carry weapons with a caliber of 305 mm, but the the armaments department believed that the design and manufacture of new towers would be very critical in terms of time, and could delay development by another 4 years. Therefore, the ships received 283 mm cannons.
The new warships D and E were ordered on January 25, 1934, by the state shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, but Admiral Raeder was not satisfied with the designs of the new ships and in the middle of 1934, he managed to convince Hitler to stop the construction of the new ships and increase the displacement of the ships to 26,000 tons for the installation of a third main caliber tower. At the beginning of 1935 Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were reordered and in the middle of the same year they were deposited at the Kriegsmarinewerft shipyards in Wilhelmshaven and Deutsche Werke in Kiel, respectively. During the construction of the ships, it was clear that their displacement would significantly exceed the 26,000 ton project.
Scharnhorst was launched on October 3, 1936 and entered service on January 7, 1939; Gneisenau was launched on December 8, 1936 and entered service on May 21, 1938.

 

Images during construction

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Ship name	Project name / name during construction	Construction site	Ordered	Keel laying	Construction stopped	Resumed	Launched	Commissioned	Construction cost
Scharnhorst	D / Ersatz Elsass	Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven	25/01/1934	14/02/1934	05/07/1934	15/06/1935	03/10/1936	07/01/1939	143,471,000 Reichsmarks
Gneisenau	E / Ersatz Hesses	Deutsche Werke in Kiel	25/01/1934	14/02/1934	05/07/1934	05/05/1935	08/12/1936	21/05/1938	146,174,000 Reichsmarks

Service History

Scharnhorst

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Career

Scharnhorst had its first operation started on November 21, 1939, departing from Wilhelmshaven to patrol the area between Iceland and the Faroe Islands together with Gneisenau, cruiser Köln, and a few more destroyers, the purpose of the mission was also to relieve some pressure on the heavy cruiser Graf Spee on a mission in the South Atlantic. Two days later, Scharnrhost and Gneisenau find and engage the British auxiliary cruiser HMS Rawalpindi, with 4 hours of battle, the two German ships have their first victory by sinking Rawalpindi.
On April 7, 1940, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau left Wilhelmshaven to participate in Operation Weserübung, two days later they found the British battleship HMS Renown where they had a brief exchange of fire, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau used their superior speed to escape the Renown that the chased.
On June 8, 1940, German battleships, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, spotted the British aircraft carrier HMS Glorious commanded by Captain D'Oyly-Hughes, escorted by the destroyers Acasta and Ardent. At 16:32 it opens fire at 26,000 meters. Six minutes later, at 16:38, from 24,000 meters, the Glorious is hit in the flight deck starting a fire. Gneisenau opens fire at 16:42, and a few minutes later Glorious is hit again on the bridge, killing the captain and most of the people there. At 4:56 pm, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau cease fire temporarily due to the smoke screen cast by the escort destroyers. Glorious is attacked again, and at 17:20 it is hit in the central engine room. After that, Ardent launches eight torpedoes, but fails to get any hits and is sunk by the combined fire of both German battleships at 17:25. Meanwhile, the Acasta closes and, at around 5:30 pm, a torpedo hits Scharnhorst's starboard side, under the "Caesar" tower that was at the stern. The torpedo drills a 14x6 meter hole in the hull, and 2,500 tons of water enters the ship. As a result of this torpedo blow, the 28 cm tower was put out of action and 48 men died. After being heavily damaged the HMS Glorious capsizes and sinks at 18:10. Acasta is finally sunk at 18:20. In all, more than 1,500 British sailors lose their lives. During the battle, Scharnhorst spends shells of 212 x 28cm and 842 x 15cm.

On March 16, 1941, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau captured or sunk British merchants Simnia (6,197 GRT*), San Casimiro (8,046 GRT), British force (7,139 GRT), Athelfoam (6,554 GRT) and the Norwegian bianca (5,684 GRT) and Polykarb (6,405 GRT), all from a scattered train. The search continues and later the Norwegian Granli (1,577 GRT), the British Demeterton (5,200 GRT), the Prince of Sardinia (3,200 GRT), Silverfir (4,347 GRT), the royal crown (4,364 GRT), Empire Industry (3,648 GRT) and Rio Dorado (4,500 tonnes), the French Myson (4,564 GRT), the Dutch Mangkai (8,290 GRT) and the Chilean Dane (1,739 GRT)

On December 26, 1943 at 8:34 am, Scharnhorst is detected by the heavy cruiser HMS Norfolk at a distance of 30,000 meters. Soon after, the light force cruisers HMS Belfast and HMS Sheffield from "Force I" also get in touch. At 09:24, Belfast opens fire in Scharnhorst at 11,900 meters and is followed by Norfolk at 09:30. Scharnhorst responds by opening fire, but gets no hits. Scharnhorst is hit by two Norfolk 8-inch (203 mm) projectiles. A shell hits the battery deck, but does not explode. The other reaches the top and deactivates the radar device. Scharnhorst turns southeast at 30 knots and then north again. Shortly after 12:00, Scharnhorst runs again to the "Force I" cruisers and opens fire at around 12:30 with his main and secondary batteries. In this second engagement, Norfolk is hit twice by 28 cm cartridges. The turret "X" is out of action after a hit on the barbette, while another shell deactivates the radars and kills seven men. Sheffield is hit by splinters. At 12:41, Scharnhorst turns south and the fire ceases. In 16:17, the battleship HMS Duke of York of Force II (Admiral Fraser) obtains radar contact with Scharnhorst at 42,500 meters and after closing the range at 10,900 meters opens fire at 16:48. Almost immediately, the Scharnhorst is hit by a 14 inch (356 mm) projectile in the first turret, "Anton", which is out of action. Another shell from the Duke of York destroys the hangar. At 4:57 pm, Belfast and Norfolk open fire. Scharnhorst is hit repeatedly, but manages to increase the distance with "force II" to 19,600 meters. At 6:20 pm, a 14-inch projectile passes through the upper belt of Scharnhorst and strikes the boiler room which becomes a total loss. The speed drops to 22 knots. At 18:50, the "Force II" destroyers approach and land a torpedo hit on the starboard side of Scharnhorst and three more on the port side. The speed drops to 20 knots. Duke of York and cruiser HMS Jamaica open fire again at 19:01 from 9,600 meters, obtaining countless hits. Scharhorst still fires with the "Bruno" and "Caesar" towers, but he does not get hits. At 19:12, "Force I" cruisers open fire. After that, cruisers Jamaica and Belfast launch all their torpedoes in addition to other destroyers. The Scharnhorst finally turns and sinks at 7:45 pm just over 100 km north-northeast of North Cape, Norway. Only 36 men survived.
In 2000 Scharnhorst was found sunk to a depth of 290 meters by a joint expedition by the BBC, NRK and the Royal Norwegian Navy.

*gross register tonnage

 

Camouflage scheme

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Gneisenau

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Career

On 21 November 1939, he leaves Wilhelmshaven with his sister Scharnhorst, two days later they find and engage the 16,697 tonne British cruiser HMS Rawalpindi between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. Rawalpindi finally sinks about 4 hours after the start of the battle. The Germans take 27 survivors.
On April 9, 1940, after leaving Wilhelmshaven with Scharnhorst under the command of the Vizeadmiral Günther Lütjens, they are engaged by the British battlecruiser HMS Renown. In a brief exchange of fire, Gneisenau is hit by a 15-inch (381 mm) and two 4-inch (102 mm) projectiles from Renown. The 15-inch projectile hits the foretop platform and puts Gneisenau's main fire control out of action, killing five men, including the first artillery officer, Commander Hans-Georg von Buchka. The British battleship, in turn, is hit by two 28 cm shells, soon after, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau use their top speed to escape the Renown.

On June 8, 1940, around 4:00 pm, Scharnhorst sees the British aircraft carrier HMS Glorious (Captain D'Oyly-Hughes) escorted by the destroyers Acasta and Ardent. At 4:32 pm, Scharnhorst opens fire at 26,000 meters. Six minutes later, at 16:38, from 24,000 meters, the Glorious is hit in the flight deck starting a fire. Gneisenau opens fire at 16:42, and a few minutes later the Glorious is hit again on the bridge, killing the captain and most of the people there. At 16:56, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau temporarily interrupt the fire due to the smoke screen cast by the escort destroyers. Glorious is attacked again, and at 17:20 it is hit in the central engine room. After that, Ardent launches eight torpedoes, but fails to get hit and is sunk by the combined fire of both German battleships at 17:25. Meanwhile, Acasta closes and, at around 5:30 pm, hits a torpedo on the starboard side of Scharnhorst. Strongly damaged, Glorious sinks and sinks at 18:10. Acasta finally sinks at 18:20. In all, more than 1,500 British sailors lose their lives. During this action, Gneisenau spends 170 x 28cm shells.

On June 20, 1940, Gneisenau, Admiral Hipper and four destroyers leave Trondheim for Iceland. A few hours later, about 40 kilometers northwest of the island of Halten, Gneisenau is hit in the bow by a 21-inch (533 mm) MK VIII torpedo fired by the British submarine HMS Clyde (N12). 1,000 tons of water enter the ship and the speed is reduced to 18 knots. There were no victims. The German group returns to Trondheim.

On March 16, 1941, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau capture or sink British merchants Simnia (6,197 GRT), San Casimiro (8,046 GRT), British Strength (7,139 GRT), Athelfoam (6,554 GRT) and Norwegian Bianca (5,684 GRT) and Polykarb (6,405 GRT), all from a scattered train. The search continues and later the Norwegian Granli (1,577 GRT), the British Demeterton (5,200 GRT), the Sardinian Prince (3,200 GRT), the Silverfir (4,347 GRT), the Royal Crown (4,364 GRT), the Empire Industry (3,648 GRT) and Rio Dorado (4,500 tonnes), the French Myson (4,564 GRT), the Dutch Mangkai (8,290 GRT) and the Danish Chilean Reefer (1,739 GRT).

On the night of 26-27 February 1942, at the Deutsche Werke dock in Kiel, the British launched a heavy air strike on the ship. The ship was hit by a single bomb in her forecastle that penetrated the armored deck and exploded. Fragments of red-hot bombs ignited loads of propellers in the front turret and caused a huge explosion. The tower was launched from the support and the entire section of the arch was burned. The team partially flooded the magazine to avoid a more catastrophic explosion. The explosion killed 112 men and wounded 21 others.

Extensive damage convinced the Navy Staff to rebuild Gneisenau to mount the six 38 cm cannons, instead of repairing the ship. On April 4, the ship went to Gotenhafen, escorted by the training ship Schlesien and the icebreaker Castor. Gneisenau is formally decommissioned on July 1, 1942. Hitler, irritated by the failure of German surface invaders at the Battle of the Barents Sea in December 1942, ordered that all work be stopped. Gneisenau was disarmed and its 28 and 15 cm towers were used in batteries on land. Gneisenau remained unused in Gotenhafen until the end of the war, when the Soviet army advanced into the city of Gneisenau on March 28, 1945, it was flooded and used as a blockship. After the war, the Polish government ordered the ship to be removed and completely demolished.

 

Camouflage scheme

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Specifications

 

Type: Battleship

Class: Scharnhorst-class

Origin of the Name Scharnhorst: Gerhard Johann von Scharnhorst

Origin of the Name Gneisenau: August Wilhelm Anton Graf Neidhardt von Gneisenau

Ordered: January 25, 1934 both

Builder: 

• Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven - Scharnhorst
• Deutsche Werke in Kiel - Gneisenau

Launched: 

• October 3, 1936 - Scharnhorst
• December 8 1936 - Gneisenau

Commissioned: 

• January 7, 1939 - Scharnhorst
• May 7 1938 - Gneisenau

Construction cost: 

• 143,471,000 Reichsmarks - Scharnhorst
• 146,174,000 Reichsmarks - Gneisenau

Decommissioned: July 1 1942 Gneisenau

Fate: 

• Sunken on 26 December 1943 - Scharnhorst
• Scrapped 12 September 1951 - Gneisenau

 

Displacement:

31,800 tons (standard)

38,900 tons (max)

Length: 

229.8 m (as build)

234.9 m (last version)

Beam: 

30 m

Draft: 

8.3 m (standard) 

9.9 m (max)

 

Installed power:  8 × 12 Wagner high-pressure steam-heated boilers, 160,000 hp

Propulsion: 

3 × shaft geared turbines

Speed: 31 kn* (35.6 mph; 57.4 km/h)

*Scharnhorst managed to reach 31.65kt in trials

Machinery Details

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12 Wagner high-pressure steam-heated boilers with natural water circulation, in three boiler rooms, four in each. Three boiler drums, each with two Saacke burners at one end, air and feedwater pre-heat surfaces. Measurements of boiler room: length 33m, heating surface area 707m2, cubic area 5,300m3, weight 1,100 tonnes. 
Manufacturer: Deschimag, Bremen.
Total heating surface of boilers: 4,660m2. Details of single boiler: evaporation heating surface 425m2; superheater heating surface 130m2; air pre-heat surface 800m2; output 54 tonnes steam/ hr; operating pressure 50 atmospheres forced; turbine start-up steam pressure 44 atmospheres forced; operating temperatures 263°C (saturated steam) 480°C (superheated steam); turbine start-up steam temperature 470°C; feedwater pre-heating temperature 200°C; intervention pressure, safety valves, working pressure: 58 atmospheres forced (maximum 63); authorised pressure 68 atmospheres forced; super heat intervention pressure  73–74 atmospheres forced (wet steam), 66.5–68.0 atmospheres forced (superheat) production processes; heat production 588kcal/kg; boiler efficiency 81%; flue gas temperature 330°C, evaporation figure 14 at 9,300kcal/ kg; steam production 127kg per m2 heating surface; gas resistance approx. 300mm; capacity = 132.4m3; weight of boiler (with warm water) 55 tonnes; weight of (warm) water content 4.5 tonnes; pre-heating temperature (air) 290°C; furnace load (106) 2.12kcal/m3/hr.

 

Arrangement of ship’s machinery, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Key: 1. Central turbine room. 2. Port turbine room. 3. Starboard turbine room. 4. No 1 boiler room. 5. No 2 boiler room. 6. No 3 boiler room. 7. No 1 electrical plant. 8. No 2 electrical plant. 9. No 3 electrical plant. 10. No 4 electrical plant. 11. No 5 electrical plant. 12. Auxiliary boiler room. 13. Port shaft. 14. Centre shaft. 15. Starboard shaft. 16. Port shaft tunnel. 17. Starboard shaft tunnel. 18. Centre shaft tunnel

 

Compliment: 

• 1968 - Scharnhorst
• 1669 - Gneisenau

Armament:

As build

9 x 28 cm/54.5 SK C/34 in three triple turrets (In German naval practice the main turrets are identified alphabetically, i.e. ‘A’ (‘Anton)’, ‘B’ (‘Bruno’), ‘C (‘Caesar’) etc., from forward to aft.) 8 × 15 cm/55 SK C/28 in twin turret 4 × 15 cm/55 SK C/28 in single-shielded centre-pivot mounting 14 × 10.5 cm/65 SK C/33 in seven twin turrets 16 x 3.7 cm/L83 SK C/30 in eight twin housings 10 x 2cm/L65-C30 single mounting

Last version

• 9 x 28 cm/54.5 SK C/34 in three triple turrets
• 8 × 15 cm/55 SK C/28 in twin turret
• 4 × 15 cm/55 SK C/28 in single-shielded centre-pivot mounting
• 14 × 10.5 cm/65 SK C/33 in seven twin turrets
• 16 x 3.7 cm/L83 SK C/30 in eight twin housings
• 2cm/L65-C38
  • Scharnhorst
    • 10 x 2cm/L65 C38 single mounting
    • 3 x 2cm/L65 C38 quadruple mounting
  • Gneisenau
    • 10 x 2cm/L65 C38 single mounting
    • 7 x 2cm/L65 C38 quadruple mounting
• 6 x 53.3cm torpedo tubes in two triple mounts

Armament details

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28 cm/54.5 SK C/34

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Designation: 28 cm/54.5 (11") SK C/34
Date Of Design: 1934
Date In Service: 1938
Gun Weight: 53,250 kg
Gun Length: 15.441 m
Bore Length: 14.505 m
Rifling Length: 11.725 m
Rate Of Fire: 3.5 rounds per minute

Approximate Barrel Life: 300 rounds

Ammunition stowage per gun: 150 rounds

 

Projectile Types and Weights

• APC L/4,4: 330 kg
• HE L/4,4 base fuze: 315 kg
• HE L/4,4 nose fuze: 315 kg
• HE L/4,4 nose fuze AA: 311 kg

 

Armor Penetration with APC

 

 

Range	Side Armor	Deck Armor
0 yards (0 m)	23.79" (604 mm)	---
8,640 yards (7,900 m)	18.09" (460 mm)	0.76" (19 mm)
16,514 yards (15,100 m)	13.18" (335 mm)	1.63" (41 mm)
20,013 yards (18,288 m)	11.47" (291 mm)	1.87" (48 mm)
30,000 yards (27,432 m)	8.08" (205 mm)	2.99" (76 mm)

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_11-545_skc34.php

28 cm Projectile and charge container

15 cm/55 SK C/28

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Designation: 15 cm/55 (5.9") SK C/28
Date Of Design: 1928
Date In Service: 1934
Gun Weight: 9,080 kg
Gun Length: 8.200 m
Bore Length: 7.816 m
Rifling Length: 6.588 m
Rate Of Fire: 6 - 8 rounds per minute
Approximate Barrel Life: 1,100 rounds
Ammunition stowage per gun: 133 to 150 rounds

 

Projectile Types and Weights

• APC L/3,8: 45.5 kg
• HE L/4,5 base fuze: 45.5 kg
• HE L/4,6 nose fuze: 45.3 kg
• HE L/4,6 nose fuze, AA: 44.7 kg
• Illum L/4,3: 41 kg

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_59-55_skc28.php

10.5 cm/65 SK C/33

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Designation: 10.5 cm/65 (4.1") SK C/33
Date Of Design: 1933
Date In Service: 1935
Gun Weight: 4,560 kg
Gun Length: 6.84 m
Bore Length: 6.348 m
Rifling Length: 5.531 m
Rate Of Fire: 15 - 18 rounds per minute
Approximate Barrel Life: 2,950 rounds
Ammunition stowage per gun: 400 rounds

 

Projectile Types and Weights

• AP: 27.0 kg
• HE: 26.5 kg with RPC/32
• HE: 27.35 kg with RPC/40
• HE, Incendiary: 23.5 kg

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_41-65_skc33.php

3.7 cm/L83 SK C/30

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Designation: 3.7 cm/L83 (1.5") SK C/30

Date Of Design: 1930
Date In Service: 1934
Gun Weight: 243 kg
Gun Length: 3.074 m
Bore Length: 2.960 m
Rifling Length: 2.554 m
Rate Of Fire: about 30 rounds per minute
Approximate Barrel Life: 7,500 rounds
Ammunition stowage per gun: 2,000 rounds (later upped to 6,000 rounds)

 

Projectile Types and Weights

• AP-T: 0.742 kg
• HE-T: 0.742 kg

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_37mm-83_skc30.php

2cm/L65 C30 and C38

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Designation: 

• 2 cm/65 (0.79") C/30
• 2 cm/65 (0.79") C/38

Date Of Design: 1930 / 1938
Date In Service: 1934 / 1940
Gun Weight: 

• C/30: 64 kg
• C/38: 57.5 kg

Gun Length: 2.2525 m
Bore Length: 1.300 m
Rifling Length: 1.159 m
Rate Of Fire:

• C/30
     280 rounds per minute cyclic
     120 rounds per minute practical
• C/38

     480 rounds per minute cyclic
     220 rounds per minute practical

Approximate Barrel Life: 20,000 - 22,000 rounds

Ammunition stowage per gun: 2,000 rounds

 

Projectile Types and Weights

• HEI: 0.134 kg
• API: 0.148 kg

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_20mm-65_c30.php

2 cm/65 C/30

2 cm/65 C/38

53.3 cm G7a T1

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Date Of Design: about 1930

Date In Service: about 1938

Weight: 1,528 kg

Overall Length: 7.186 m

Explosive Charge: 280 kg Hexanite

Range / Speed:

• 6,000 m / 44 knots (81.4 km/h)
• 8,000 m / 40 knots (74 km/h)
• 14,000 m / 30 knots (55.5 km/h)

Power: Decahydronaphthalene (Decalin) Wet-Heater

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTGER_WWII.php

 

Armor:

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The armour plate was principally KC (Krupp Cemented, containing 34% carbon, 3.78% nickel, 0.31% manganese and 2.06% chrome) steel, classified Ww (= Wotan soft) or Wh (= Wotan hard). Wh had an ultimate tensile strength of 85-95 kg/mm²,20% expansion and a yield point of 50-55 kg/mm². Ww had an ultimate tensile strength of 65-70 kg/mm², 25% expansion and a yield point of 38–40 kg/mm².

 

Structure armor

Belt armour	350mm KC reducing to 170mm (below); forward from amidships, 150mm Wh reducing to 70mm; aft from midships, 200mm Wh reducing to 170mm
Armoured bulkheads	150mm to 200mm KC
Funnel mantle base	20mm Wh
Deck above engine room	20mm Wh
Citadel armour	40mm Wh, aft 35mm Wh, forward 20mm
Splinter bulkhead in citadel area	20mm Wh
Upper deck	50mm Wh
Armoured deck	80mm–95mmWh
Armoured deck slopes	105mm–110mm Wh
Torpedo bulkhead	45mm Wh
Forward command position	Sides 350mm KC, roof 200mm KC, companionway 220mm KC, face KC, rear 350mm KC 350mm
Armament armor
Fire control position in foretop	60mm KC, roof 20mm KC, rotating cupola 20mm KC
Flak fire control position	14mm KC
Barbettes, main turrets	Central forward 200mm KC, sides 350mm KC, central rear 200mm KC
28cm main turrets	Face 360mm KC, sides 180mm KC, rear 350mm KC, roof 180mm KC
15 cm turrets	Face 140mm KC, sides 50mm KC, rear 50mm KC, roof 50mm KC
15cm singles, central pivoting	25mm shield
10.5cm flak	20mm splinter protection

 

Aircraft: 1 catapults; 3 x Arado Ar 196A floatplanes

 

More images

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Scharnhorst

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Gneisenau

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Source

• "Battleships of the Scharnhorst Class: The Scharnhorst and Gneisenau: The Backbone of the German Surface Forces at the Outbreak of War" by GERHARD KOOP and KLAUS-PETER SCHMOLKE, ISBN-13: 978-1591141778
• "Warship Profile 33: Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, German Battlecruisers" by Paul Schmalenbach, ASIN: B0007BLQFU
• http://www.kbismarck.com/scharnhorst.html
• http://www.kbismarck.com/gneisenau.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scharnhorst-class_battleship
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_battleship_Scharnhorst
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_battleship_Gneisenau
• http://www.navweaps.com/

Edited March 19, 2020 by Solzhenitvsky

[ItssLuBu 1,798]

Approved and open for discussion. 

[eleks12 1,079]

+1

[Milocat 4,854]

I think we'll get to the point soon where these will fit in the game, so +1.

[Stuhlfleisch 3,762]

Absolutely yes! The Scharnhorst could be in the tech-tree and the Gneisenau could be a premium, both at 6.3 or 6.7! +1

[Admiral_Aruon 2,264]

hell yes.

[Z3r0_ 4,128]

Question: assuming we get both Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, would it be fair to assume that the latter is getting its 15" guns from its partial rebuild (before it was decided to just scrap the ship after it got hit by yet another bombing raid while in drydock)?

 

Also, fun fact: Gneisenau's Caesar turret and 11" guns are still around in a fixed mount in Norway.

Edited April 28, 2020 by Z3r0_

[Solzhenitvsky 291]

On 4/28/2020 at 1:45 AM, Z3r0_ said:

Question: assuming we get both Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, would it be fair to assume that the latter is getting its 15" guns from its partial rebuild (before it was decided to just scrap the ship after it got hit by yet another bombing raid while in drydock)?

 

Also, fun fact: Gneisenau's Caesar turret and 11" guns are still around in a fixed mount in Norway.

Thanks for adding more information, unfortunately I didn't add the photos of the Gneisenau tower as coastal batteries on the topic, so here it is, (1) a rear view of one of the 28cm turrets on its new emplacement at Trondheim; (2) details of the loading tray and breech of the centre 28cm gun; (3) an interior view of the turret with its shell loading facility; and (4) a section of the turret commander’s periscope.

[Z3r0_ 4,128]

1 hour ago, Solzhenitvsky said:

Thanks for adding more information, unfortunately I didn't add the photos of the Gneisenau tower as coastal batteries on the topic, so here it is, (1) a rear view of one of the 28cm turrets on its new emplacement at Trondheim; (2) details of the loading tray and breech of the centre 28cm gun; (3) an interior view of the turret with its shell loading facility; and (4) a section of the turret commander’s periscope.

 

There's a more recent photo on Gneisenau's wikipedia article, showing that it's still there after all this time.

[Laskin_BG 55]

Hmm Doubled Graf Spee, sounds good, but I really don't know which BR this thing will fit best.

 

+1

[Z3r0_ 4,128]

On 07/05/2020 at 07:02, Laskin_BG_Hinkel said:

Hmm Doubled Graf Spee, sounds good, but I really don't know which BR this thing will fit best.

 

+1

 

More than that.  The guns themselves may have had the same bore diameter, but they had a higher muzzle velocity, and that's just for Scharnhorst.  Gneisenau post-refit would've replaced at least one of the forward turrets and 11-inch guns with a dual 15-inch turret similar to those of the Bismark class.

[BlackFlagger 199]

A really good looking ship, hope to see it in game eventually.

[random_guy888 23]

yeah like to see this, only with its 11,inch guns, as fitted through out ww2.

[Don Mandrak 13]

+1

[CokeSpray 7,274]

Suggestion passed to the developers for consideration.

[leroyonly 4,310]

As the Scharnhorst has been implemented with update 2.13 Winged Lions,

 

Moved to Implemented Suggestions.