class battleship proposals class series battleship designs nazi_germany kriegsmarine intended fulfill requirements late 1930s early 1940s variation called ships built essentially enlarged class battleships guns design improved ship larger main guns weapons subsequent plans increased main battery pieces enormous design ultimately resulted guns ships ranged size long displacement long tons displacement long tons designs speed excess knots outbreak world war september ships built ships laid work accomplished halted assembled steel remained november der marine ordered scrapped purposes contracts type ships awarded work begun canceled subsequent designs progressed planning stages initial design earliest design studies battleship date near repeats early designs class ships armed centimeter guns intelligence indicating planning class guns prompted germans increase caliber ship armament october der marine issued staff requirements end october ship long tons armed guns speed knots mph ship radius action equal class cruisers design work ship came designated began design staff instructed improve design preceding class requirements larger caliber main battery match battleship built potential adversary appeared japan second london naval treaty bring clause permitted signatories arm battleships guns caliber virtue anglo german naval agreement signed germany considered party international naval arms limitation treaties april japan refused sign treaty shortly united_states_navy announced arm new north_carolina class battleships guns admiral responsible staff section determined operating requirements ship discussed vessel design adolf_hitler leader germany hitler demanded guns larger possible adversary guns caliber demanded hitler required long tons drafts deep prevent use germany ports significant eventually convinced hitler gun optimal choice design developed projected construction program german navy force class battleships centerpiece fleet plan finalized january admiral commander kriegsmarine presented hitler approved plan january granted kriegsmarine unlimited power bring construction program fruition shipyards germany large build new battleships issued orders construction ships april contracts ships followed ships laid dockyard hamburg shipyard bremen july september respectively outbreak war september interrupted construction ships work suspended laid believed finished war keel long tons short tons steel installed long tons short tons steel long tons short tons steel supplied point long tons short tons steel worked keel long tons short tons steel delivered steel ships ordered partially installation assembly work begun expected resume work ships german victory war ships received names official proposals published names appear publications friedrich der pure speculation especially mentioned greater germany highly unlikely hitler feared loss vessel germany compare renaming hint names units given hitler mentioned documented unofficial talks propose names ships names connected persons country loss significant negative psychological propaganda effect german people specifications characteristics machinery finalized design called ship long waterline long overall beam designed draft standard displacement long tons draft slightly limit ship fully loaded long tons draft rose significantly hull constructed transverse longitudinal steel frames featured percent hull contained large watertight compartments double extended percent length keel fitted improve stability ships estimated complement officers enlisted men ships powered man cylinder double acting stroke diesel engines engines arranged groups shafts drove bladed screws diameter auxiliary boilers installed provide backup power oil fired located central transmission rooms pair exhaust gas boilers placed power plant rated shaft horsepower rpm provided speed knots mph designed vessels carried long tons short tons diesel oil enabled range nautical miles mph nmi cruising speed mph armament main armament consist guns twin gun turrets gun long fired muzzle velocity meters second guns supplied total rounds ammunition shells gun shell weighed guns sliding breech block typical german naval guns period breech fully sealed brass cartridge contained main charge fore charge weighing supplemented main charge turrets allowed elevation degrees provided maximum range approximately rate fire expected rounds minute gun fire control radar unspecified ships completed presumably equipped arrangement similar outfitted guns constructed work ships halted later employed coastal guns including france guns mounted twin turrets comprised ships secondary battery employed classes turrets allowed degrees elevation maximum range fired shell muzzle velocity primarily intended defense surface threats ships armed torpedo tubes submerged mounted bow centerline degrees sixteen dual mounted guns provided long range defense aircraft unlike mounted classes guns armored protect crews debris attacks new turrets provided faster rates training elevation compared earlier open mounts close range air defense provided battery sixteen guns guns placed twin mounts guns quadruple guns closely grouped amidships single common ammunition historians note anti aircraft battery designed weak effectively defend high performance aircraft came service late 1930s 1940s speculate augmented ships completed armor design team envisioned class ships fighting relatively close range selected armor system german battleship nassau class belt vertical attached directly hull contrast inclined armor belt placed wall american french designers belt consisted krupp cemented steel armor thick central section covered ammunition magazines machinery spaces belt reduced end main section stern bow unprotected main belt upper belt thick german navy preserve official estimates immunity zone created estimate based performance caliber gun firing shell ships main armor rendered proof shell ranges shell penetrate upper belt range left ships exposed waterline underwater protection system broadly similar system employed class thick torpedo bulkhead composed steel backed armor provided defense underwater weapons bulkhead placed hull abreast turrets bow stern distance maintained distance bulkhead ship reduced areas designers compensated reduced space increasing thickness bulkhead areas armored decks composed steel protected ships fire aerial weapons upper deck thick magazines machinery spaces main armored deck thick respectively sloped sections thickness increased augment protection ships magazines sloped armor thick machinery spaces thick concerned fate battlecruiser battle jutland designers opted provide relatively heavy bow armor class ships thick splinter belt protected bow shell fragments reasoned direct shell hits cause localized damage better isolated damage splinters cause extensive flooding main battery gun turrets armored thick faces thick sides roofs rear turret thick addition protection offered greater thickness moved center gravity mounting rear helped balance turret improve operation barbettes turrets sat armored face hardened steel upper armor deck non cemented steel deck gun turrets thick faces thick sides thick roofs barbettes thick armor protection mounts protected thick gun shields forward conning tower thick sides composed thick roof composed non cemented steel rear conning tower thick sides roof non cemented steel respectively design early july hitler ordered navy examine new battleship designs wartime experience incorporated study completed july contained recommendations class ships including increasing strengthening horizontal protection order maintain displacement speed accommodate increased weight additional armor protection design staff drew informal design known scheme design removed main battery turrets save weight propulsion system increased power speed original design original diesel system replaced hybrid diesel steam turbine arrangement staff prepared second design scheme retained fourth turret accepted higher displacement design incorporated mixed propulsion system studies abandoned hitler decided halt battleship construction end war design staff attempted improve armor protection class designs form design chain resulted designs bomb damage sustained july provided impetus effort increase horizontal protection class designers confronted significant problem increase armor increase displacement importantly draft necessary maintain load draft design operations relatively shallow north_sea option allowed displacement maintained armor increased reduce ships fuel supplies percent cut range required deemed unacceptable eventually determined deep water atlantic coast available allow draft increase initial redesign called increase long tons percent additional deck armor remainder larger caliber main battery significant changes decision bore sized guns caliber design design staff determined modifications ammunition loading equipment easily effected original turrets retained aware british settled gun proposed lion class gun grant design significant advantage new adversaries ships armament unchanged apart increased number anti aircraft guns ships main armor decks substantially strengthened deck increased thickness sloped armor edges wartime experience class indicated torpedo defense system strong protect design underwater damage beam increased greater width added ends armored citadel allow greater distance wall torpedo bulkhead stern section torpedo bulkhead strengthened structurally allow better contain force underwater explosion triple included design time feature german warship design loss influenced design large added shafts protect increase support stern drydock rudder system designed explosive charge event jammed finalized design approved admiral november new design measured long waterline beam draft load increase weight engine power remained constant reduced speed mph planned begin construction months initially shipyard kiel awarded contract longer increase draft travel shallow following completion new larger dock wilhelmshaven work increased size ships lengthened building time years february gained influence navy construction programs reassigned members class design staff work new boats tasks deemed critical war effort new ships construction commission intended created placed direction admiral group responsible design work resulted type subsequent designs formally concluded work new battleships type played role battleship development completion design hitler issued request larger battleship placed restrictions gun caliber displacement requirements speed mph horizontal underwater protection sufficiently strong protect vessel attacks main battery properly balanced size ship results purely study projects intended determine size ship strong armor counter rapidly increasing power bombs deployed allies war commission discuss activities successor admiral branches designs battleships purely actual work begun german navy seriously consider construction designs large built traditional sought projects found doubtful merit unnecessary german victory design long perpendiculars beam draft designed load designed displacement long tons short tons load rose long tons dimensions second increased perpendiculars beam design load drafts respectively design displacement long tons short tons estimated long tons load final design length rose perpendiculars beam increased draft rose designed load displacement long tons short tons designed long tons load details propulsion systems designs cases contradictory notes pure diesel engine propulsion hybrid engine turbine propulsion systems record type performance propulsion systems state designs featured hybrid diesel steam turbine plants supplying shp speeds mph mph mph respectively according designs speed mph mph mph respectively diesel engine power sources agree maximum range nmi cruising speed mph information armament outfits designs equally contradictory sources agree armament guns indicates armed guns state design retained guns design armed pieces works agree secondary armament consisted guns sixteen guns previous designs lighter weapons disputed states designs equipped anti aircraft guns report sixteen guns guns guns sources submerged torpedo tubes included design designs
H-class battleship proposals