Chapter 22: The Flagship
SMS Seydlitz as she would have appeared -- circa 1913. She rides at anchor in the Kieler Hafen during sea trials. A Norddeutscher packet steamer lies alongside with tourists brought out to see Germany’s newest battlecruiser. (Note the Norddeutscher “house flag” on the mainmast.)
IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN
By: Dreadnought & AP
Chapter 22:
THE
FLAGSHIP
THE NAVAL ARMS RACE: UPDATE
HMS Queen Mary – Queen Mary Class -- commissioned 1913: 26,770 tons – 28 knots – 8x13.5-inch guns – 16x4-inch guns – 2x21-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 9 inches. Queen Mary was very similar to the preceding two ships of the Lion Class. The British had recognized the threat represented by the new German battlecruisers and increased the speed and belt armor, as well as stepping-up to the 13.5-inch main gun. Unfortunately, the British were still focused on speed and big guns. They did not fully realize the extent of the advantage bestowed on the Panzerkreuzer by their “armor suite”.
In March 1908, State Secretary von Tirpitz managed to get a fourth Naval Law passed through the Reichstag. This second “supplementary bill” increased the rate of new battleship construction from three hulls to four per year – over the course of the next four years. In the fifth year, construction would revert to three ships per year and stabilize at that rate. The projected numbers would give the Kaiserliche Marine 21 dreadnoughts by 1914. Amazingly, Tirpitz believed – and assured the Kaiser – the British would not be alarmed by such a naval buildup. But there were ministers in his own government that had their doubts.
The recent Austrian annexation of the Ottoman provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina heightened political tensions and drew mass protests from virtually every sovereign nation in Europe. Allied to Austria, Germany came in for her share of diplomatic protests, as well. Realizing how volatile and delicate the political situation had become, the German Chancellor, Bernhard von Bulow, looked about Europe and could see no friendly faces. His continued efforts to reach some sort of understanding with Britain were coldly rebuffed. Von Bulow, once a strong supporter of Tirpitz, began to question the value of a costly navy. Not only did it seem to be alienating British diplomats, but Germany’s national debt had doubled between 1900 and 1908 – with most of the money going to fund the military. The move from pre-dreadnoughts to the vastly more expensive dreadnoughts had considerably exacerbated the issue – and Tirpitz’ wish to further increase construction made the situation intolerable. As the man responsible for finding all this money, von Bulow was coming to the conclusion that Germany could not afford both the largest army and second largest navy in Europe.
When questioned, Tirpitz insisted the rivalry with Britain was not naval – but economic – a rivalry in overseas trade. He further argued Germany had invested too much money in the naval program to stop now – and the domestic/political coalition created to support the navy might react unpredictably if the government withdrew from the arms race. The Kaiser, overly fond of his warships and loath to think this thing through, sided with Tirpitz. Poor von Bulow was faced with Reichstag opposition to increased taxes and an ever-expanding budget deficit. Lacking Imperial support – the Chancellor resigned in July 1909.
Until the passage of the 1908 Supplemental Naval Law, Britain had largely ignored the German buildup, though some in the military and government were keenly aware of the potential threat. After the bill’s passage, the Admiralty abandoned plans to reduce construction and proposed building a minimum of six dreadnoughts. Though opposed by the Liberals -- the Conservative MP’s, the Navy League, the British armaments industry, and even the King-Emperor, Edward VII, supported the plan. Prime Minister H.H. Asquith managed a compromise to start four dreadnoughts in the next fiscal year, with four more by Spring 1910 – if needed. This was a significant escalation in naval building and resulted in the battlecruisers New Zealand, Australia, Lion, and Princess Royal joining the fleet in 1912 – and HMS Queen Mary in 1913.
Laid down a month apart in early 1911, HMS Queen Mary and SMS Seydlitz were the last battlecruisers built for either navy prior to The Great War. It is also a matter of some irony that they both joined their respective fleets for duty just eighteen days apart. When that lazy, hot, summer of 1914 was unexpectedly interrupted, Germany would go to war with four battlecruisers (one in the Mediterranean) – while Great Britain would deploy nine. Had the Admiralty known the German battlecruisers were, in reality, “fast battleships” – they would have reacted with a good deal less “sangfroid”.
HMS Queen Mary is officially listed as a “single-ship class”, though she is often considered part of the preceding Lion Class battlecruisers. She was just a little longer, a few tons heavier, and the placement of her secondary battery guns was different – but in all other respects – she could have been a sister-ship. She was frequently referenced as one of “The Splendid Cats”.
This is HMS Queen Mary taking on coal at the Rosyth naval coaling docks. The beautifully detailed battlecruiser is from @Barroco Hispano. The docks are re-lotted from the PEG “SNM Series” battleship docks. The wooden caissons added to the front are borrowed from the “WMP Sea Walls”. The coaling cranes are repurposed from the “PEG Trash Removal” lots, while the dockside small offices were re-lotted from SFBT railroad signal stations. Both the steam locomotive (the “Nevada 97”) and the coal cars were provided by @Barroco Hispano. Many small props and sailors seen on the quay were crafted by @AP.
All of this Anglo-German animosity might not have been necessary – had the relationship been handled better. But a bit of “background history” is needed to show what could have been. In 1861, Frederick Wilhelm IV died, and Wilhelm I came to the Prussian throne in his own right. Wilhelm I quickly appointed Albrecht von Roon as Minister of War, and Helmuth von Moltke (the Elder) as Chief Of Staff of the Prussian Army. The two military reformers set out to reequip, reorganize, and modernize the Prussian Army. When funding for the reforms was submitted to the Landtag (Prussian Parliament), in 1862, they refused to pass the budget. Arguments went back and forth, threats were made, and Wilhelm even threatened to abdicate in favor of his son – Kronprinz Frederick William. But the Kronprinz adamantly refused the idea, thinking he had just the man to resolve the stand-off – Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck had already served as Prussian ambassador to the Romanov Court, and in both houses of the Prussian parliament. Though not well-liked, the haughty Pomeranian Junker moved in the highest circles of European politics – even Prime Minister Disraeli had marked him as...”a man to be watched carefully”. A double-edged compliment if there ever was one.
At the insistence of the Kronprinz, Konig Wilhelm I summoned Bismarck to Berlin in 1862, and promptly appointed him both “Minister President” and “Foreign Minister” of Prussia. Bismarck accepted the appointment – fully intent on making Prussia the dominant power broker in Continental Europe. For the next 28 years Bismarck, second only to the King, ruled with an iron fist – side-stepping and outflanking opposition where possible – destroying the opposition when necessary. He engineered three shockingly swift wars; seizing two provinces from Denmark (1864), eliminating Austrian influence over the small states of the North German Plain (Battle of Koniggratz - 1866), and using the utterly humiliating defeat of France (1871) to unify all Germany under the Prussian House of Hohenzollern. On the strength of that resounding victory, on 18 January 1871, in the Hall Of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, Konig Wilhelm I of Prussia was proclaimed Emperor of a united Germany and became Kaiser Wilhelm I. Graff (count) Otto von Bismarck was raised to the rank of Prince (Furst) and appointed by the new Emperor to the post of Imperial Reichskanzler, while retaining his previous political posts in Prussia. Historian Jonathan Steinberg wrote…
“The genius-statesman transformed European politics and unified Germany in just eight and a half years...by sheer force of personality, brilliance, and determination. He achieved the impossible. When he returned to Berlin in March 1871, he had become immortal…”
For the next nineteen and a half years, Bismarck’s genius allowed him to play one nation off against the other. The only real mistake he ever made was allowing the Army’s demands and public opinion to force him to take the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine from France. This created a permanent and implacable enemy. Bismarck did not fear war, but it was always expensive to wage, and the results could not always be guaranteed. Instead, he created alliances in Europe that kept the French virtually isolated. The French – alone -- would not wage war, and by keeping Austria, Italy, and Russia politically tied to Germany, he left the French no great power with which to ally. As the years passed, even the British came to view Bismarck as an honest broker of Peace. In the meantime, German trade, industry, and prosperity grew by leaps and bounds. The Imperial Chancellor handled the Reichstag with a deft touch – sometimes the gloved hand – sometimes the back of his hand. But he was always careful to ensure the Army budget was passed. Bismarck knew von Moltke’s expanding, well equipped, and efficient army was the power base that gave his diplomacy weight.
And so it went. Bismarck served Kaiser Wilhelm I loyally and well. And then his son, Frederick III, who came to the throne doomed by throat cancer, and reigned but 99 days. And so it came to pass that Prince Bismarck was to serve his third Emperor, Wilhelm II, who came to the throne on 15 June 1888. Bismarck had built a strong and modern Germany – prosperous, gaining in science and technology daily, and protected by the finest and most capable army in all of Europe. And he watched its’ crown bestowed on a petty and embittered young man – who had never known battle or war – and would never know what it meant to be an emperor. Wilhelm II only understood that he was “The All-Highest” (his words) and whatever his wishes, they were to be obeyed. And that’s where the trouble started.
Bismarck knew Germany had the technological means and the military strength to be the “first” nation in Europe – both in trade and in politics -- and he had never seen much use in overseas colonies. He had bowed to public opinion and acquired one colony, but saw nothing of value in spending money on colonies that were supposed to generate it. When Wilhelm came to the throne, his Grandmother, Queen Victoria, possessed the mightiest empire on earth. Violently envious, he was determined to have his own empire. And the same envy drove him to the conclusion he needed a modern navy to defend his dreams of overseas empire. Bismarck, who had usually done as he pleased, quickly realized Wilhelm II (at least partially a creature of his own making) would not be pliable. The confrontations between the “Iron Chancellor” and the “boy Emperor” became more frequent and more dramatic over the next year and a half. The old chancellor had run Germany as a well-oiled machine while performing a magnificent balancing act in Europe’s political arena – because he had been given a free hand to do so. He could not abide Wilhelm II’s insistent meddling in his ministerial duties in both Prussia and the Empire, while making ill-considered foreign policy statements to anyone who cared to listen. The final break came when Bismarck refused to jointly sign a worker protection proclamation along with Wilhelm. Bismarck resigned at Wilhelm’s insistence on 18 March 1890.
With Bismarck gone – there were no restraints on Wilhelm’s sudden whims. Bismarck had kept the Peace in Europe, whereas Wilhelm constantly rattled his saber and made wild public statements. His bullying extended over Europe and into the Middle East. His public disgust extended to China and Japan. And his disdain even extended to America. He had neither the skill, the inclination, nor the temperament to maintain Bismarck’s complex system of alliances, and Germany soon found herself politically isolated, while France found new friends. Even the British acquired a quick distrust of the new German Emperor. His dreams of a navy to match Britain’s began to take material shape when the politically ambitious von Tirpitz was brought to Berlin. Germany’s new warship building programs provoked instant suspicion and thinly-veiled hostility from Britain.
Bismarck died in 1898, and there is no proof eight more years as Chancellor would have changed anything. But it is worth considering how von Tirpitz would have gotten his Naval Laws past the Iron Chancellor. Bismarck clearly understood a massive battle fleet was of little use to Germany – and he was certain it would antagonize the British. Worst of all, it would drain money away from the army, which was absolutely vital to Germany’s position in Europe. In the end, the animosity between Britain and Germany was brought on by the ambition of von Tirpitz to head a mighty battle fleet – and Wilhelm’s childhood dreams of being bigger and better than his English cousins.
THE SEYDLITZ CLASS
SMS Seydlitz – May 1914 – lying at anchor in Schillig Roads. This shot captures the personality of the new battlecruiser – long and low – with her big guns prominent and menacing on her sleek lines. She looks every bit the fast and deadly cruiser she would prove to be.
SMS Seydlitz was known among the sailors of the Hochseeflotte as a “lucky” ship and that reputation started when the first keel plate was laid. After 13 months on the slipway, her finished hull was christened and launched into the waters of the Elbe River to begin her life afloat. The Blohm & Voss tugs wrestled her into the fitting-out basin and the complicated process of installing the machinery, building the superstructure, and mounting her guns was undertaken. Just 13 months later, the tugs eased her out of the basin and moved Seydlitz to a coaling dock where a shipyard crew took possession and began taking on coal and stores. In a matter of days, she had set sail for the Imperial Dockyards Kiel, where sea trials would be conducted -- arriving on 12 April 1913.
From keel-laying to delivery, Blohm & Voss had built Seydlitz in just 26 months. This was a record for the Kaiserliche Marine and a brilliant achievement for Blohm & Voss – unmatched by any German shipyard. And it had all been possible because the Blohm & Voss yards had built the previous three battlecruisers as well. They knew what materials would be needed and had accumulated them ahead of construction. They knew how many workmen would be needed – and they were already staffed with experienced men skilled in the necessary craftsmanship. And the Blohm & Voss executives were eager to burnish their reputation as “builders of battlecruisers for His Majesty, The Kaiser.” In all, they built the first five battlecruisers – out of seven – and were contracted for two more that were never finished. You might say they held the “Royal Warrant” for battlecruisers. (It should be noted that the only battlecruiser lost in combat – SMS Lutzow – was NOT built by Blohm & Voss.)
Upon arrival in Kiel, the navy took possession of the ship for trials and her new crew came aboard. Drawn from the recently laid-up armored cruiser SMS Yorck, roughly 600 men and 30 officers made up the bulk of the crew, with the remainder rounded up from a variety of sources. (The Kaiserliche Marine was chronically short of crews.) The ship’s log shows there were, at first, some disruptive elements among the mixed crew – but the “Yorck-men” quickly weeded these out and Seydlitz was soon considered not only a “lucky” ship – but a “happy” one, as well. On 22 May, Kapitan zur See Moritz von Egidy assembled the ship’s company and read his orders assuming command. (The Kapitan would become a trusted member of the command structure of the 1st Scouting Group and would retain his position until October 1917.) At the end of the “reading-in” ceremony, the ship’s pennant was hoisted to the fore-peak and Seydlitz was commissioned for sea trials.
SEA TRIALS
SMS Seydlitz on her sea trials in mid-1913. She has not yet worked up to full speed.
The ship and machinery met all contract specifications during trials, with the round trip on the measured mile at Neukrug logging 27.87 knots. The maximum effort speed trial developed 89,738shp – well above the designed performance -- and achieved 28.1 knots. During the 6-hour forced draft test, the Panzerkreuzer averaged 26.75 knots. Like Goeben – Seydlitz was a fast ship and attained speeds well in excess of the required 25.5 knots. The new cruiser burned 13 tons of coal per hour at a cruising speed of 14 knots – far below the presumed fuel consumption. It was estimated a slower speed of 12 knots would give Seydlitz an operational radius of 5,807 miles. There was some machinery vibration around 21 knots, but this smoothed out as speed increased and was never severe enough to interfere with the gunnery optical instruments. The performance of the boiler room fans, feed pumps, and condensers proved satisfactory. All electrical system functioned well, with no failures or overheated terminals.
SMS Seydlitz was a good “sea boat” – with a light pitching motion and a slow and gentle roll in a “beam sea”. At high speeds her secondary battery was largely dry and fully functional – and some water was taken over the bow – but only at extreme speed or in heavy weather. The four shaft arrangement and her high ship horsepower gave Seydlitz’s propellers a marked tendency to “dig-in” her stern – causing some water over the fantail.
Due to the somewhat unsatisfactory “tandem rudder” arrangement, Seydlitz suffered from poor handling in shallow waters and especially at low speeds. With the completion of the widening of the Kaiser Wilhelm I Canal in 1914, this would become more than a simple inconvenience. As the newest battlecruiser, Seydlitz was also the longest, and the narrow confines and turns of the canal would become problematic to a long ship with low-speed handling difficulties. Even when underway at speed, Seydlitz responded to helm commands only after a considerable amount of “helm” was applied.
The admiral’s and kapitan’s accommodations were placed in the traditional location, beneath the fantail deck – the admiral to starboard and the kapitan to port – divided by a companionway. Though the admiral’s “stern-walk” had gone out of fashion, his quarters were more spacious than usual and all the officers cabins were designed to be more comfortable and convenient. Crew accommodations beneath the forecastle deck were well ventilated and generally good – though many hammocks were double-slung due to lack of space. By contrast, the accommodations for the medical staff were hot and lacked any natural ventilation.
Three weeks into trials, the main and secondary batteries were exercised. The fire control optics and communication links proved reliable. The 5.9-inch guns were found quite satisfactory – elevation and training smooth – excellent firing arcs – and each gun’s ammunition hoist functioning well. The big 11-inch rifles performed well, but there were some problems with the hydraulic elevation pumps in the lower gun houses. A short stretch in dockyard hands would see the problem rectified by installing more powerful pumps. The close proximity of the superfiring turrets aft resulted in a shared “switch room/munition handling room” which proved a bit crowded, and turned out to be a liability.
SMS Seydlitz lying at anchor in the Kieler Hafen during “Kiel Week 1913”. Note the crew manning the rails during the review of the fleet. This is a beautiful picture displaying her long, low profile. With her “minimalist” superstructure, the big gun turrets naturally draw attention.
Trials progressed well, but were interrupted in late June, when Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered Seydlitz to return to port to participate in the “Kiel Week Yachting Regatta” of 1913. On 29 June, His Majesty visited the ship at anchor in the Kieler Hafen and expressed his pleasure with her appearance. On 3 July, King Victor Emmanuel III, of Italy, also paid a courtesy visit and was given a brief tour followed by light refreshments beneath the awnings on the fantail. When the festivities concluded, Seydlitz resumed her trials, but was interrupted yet again on 26 July, when she grounded briefly near Friedrichsort Light in a heavy fog. Fortunately, no serious damage was done and trials were officially concluded on 17 August.
OPERATIONAL HISTORY
After coaling ship and taking on stores in Kiel, SMS Seydlitz weighed and proceeded via the Skagen, rendezvousing with the assembled Hochseeflotte near Heligoland on 31 August. The new battlecruiser joined 1st Scouting Group and the fleet conducted maneuvers until 9 September. For the remainder of 1913, Seydlitz completed “working-up her crew” and practicing “evolutions” with the reconnaissance squadron. After a brief “holiday” for Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, training resumed in January 1914 as Admiral Hipper exercised his ships together as a “maneuver unit”. At the end of March, Spring Maneuvers were held with the fleet in the North Sea, followed by fleet maneuvers in the Baltic and North Sea in April and May. In June, “Kiel Week 1914” followed – with Seydlitz making an impressive presence for the many foreign warships attending. The British were especially interested, and two small tours were given – but they were not allowed in certain “sensitive” areas of the ship.
On 23 June, Konteradmiral Franz von Hipper transferred his flag from SMS Moltke and raised it aboard SMS Seydlitz. With a few, brief, interruptions (usually lengthy dockyard visits during the war), Seydlitz would serve as Flagship Scouting Forces until 26 October 1917. Around this time it was suggested she might be sent as part of a squadron representing Imperial Germany at the opening ceremonies of the Panama Canal, with a side-trip to San Francisco – but nothing came of the idea.
In mid-July 1914, the North Sea and Baltic forces of the Hochseeflotte rendezvoused off Skagen and the combined fleet began their last peacetime exercises. On 25 July, Seydlitz dropped anchor in Sognefjord, Norway, to coal ship – but the next day she was ordered to rejoin the fleet without delay. Coming up with the fleet off Cape Skadenes, the ships received orders from Naval High Command to return to their home ports and await further instructions. Word was passed the heir to the Austrian throne had been assassinated – and there was imminent danger of war. Even the Kaiser had cut short his Norwegian Summer cruise.
In the evening of 1 August, Seydlitz was moored to a buoy in Wilhelmshaven Roads when the “war mobilization” order came through – to be executed the following day. A “war watch” was posted and the torpedo nets rigged-out. The following day, Admiral Hipper issued organizational orders dividing the reconnaissance forces into various groups, with the battlecruisers confirmed as the 1st Scouting Group. By 4 August 1914, Germany was at war with France, Russia, and Great Britain. On 17 August, the Panzerkreuzer put to sea for “evolutions” in the morning and “dry fire” gunnery exercises in the afternoon, before returning to the Jade that evening.
On 28 August 1914, Seydlitz sortied with Moltke and Von der Tann in support of German light reconnaissance forces involved in the First Battle Of Heligoland Bight – but saw no action. (See Chapter 16 for full details.)
September was spent in training maneuvers with the fleet, and a false “action alert” which put the fleet on immediate stand-by with all boilers lit-off. On 17 September, Seydlitz was back on picket duty in Schillig Roads when an interesting phenomenon occurred. At anchor, with the torpedo nets deployed, the added underwater resistance to tidal action actually caused the ship to drag her anchor. Needless to say, the nets were recovered.
SMS Seydlitz during one of her numerous stays in the floating docks at Wilhelmshaven. This one is probably for a bottom cleaning and painting. During the pre-war years of the “Kiel Week Yachting Regattas”, Admiral Jellicoe had occasion to visit both Kiel and Hamburg and was much impressed by the numbers of large floating dry docks in service. By 1914, six of them had been built to lavishly equip Wilhelmshaven. Keeping capital ships properly maintained and fit for service was a crucial element of the naval establishment (and the budget).
At 08:00 on 16 October, Seydlitz steamed out of Wilhelmshaven Roads to preform picket duty when odd noises were detected coming from the starboard low-pressure turbine housing. The Engineer Officer suggested the noise indicated turbine damage, and a short trial trip to Schillig Roads and back was taken. Considerable and persistent noise demanded the turbine be opened for inspection, so Seydlitz made fast at a repair dock in the harbor basin around 01:00 0n 18 August. By 23:00 that night, it could be seen that seventeen blades in one series were bent, but there was nothing more serious. On 21 October, work was begun repairing the blades and re-closing the turbine housing, which was finally finished on 27 October.
At 16:40 on 2 November, Seydlitz weighed anchor and led the battlecruiser squadron down the Jade channel on the Great Yarmouth Raid. (See Chapter 11 for full details.)
SMS Seydlitz is made fast to a repair dock in Cuxhaven’s Inner basin. Work is underway to remove the left barrel of “C” turret (damaged during the Yarmouth Raid) and replace it with a new rifle. The work could have been preformed in a dry dock, but none were available, so this was the alternative. It was imperative to get the job done quickly -- in a wartime situation, the battlecruiser had to be combat-ready at all times.
The repair ship Vestal has been moored alongside Seydlitz to provide machine-tool support and mechanics to get the job done. A special work team has been sent down from Blohm & Voss Shipyard to assist and oversee the work, and are temporarily billeted aboard Vestal. Two Thor Class harbor tugs standby to move Vestal if necessary. The old steam tug Goliath has towed a barge crane into position to do the work, while the paddle tug Helena stands by with a “gun lighter” in tow.
“Spoiler Alert !!” -- We were unable to show the entire step-by-step procedure – it would have required too many individual models, and though @AP is a wonderfully generous man – he is only a “small Army of one”. I did my best to “piece-it-together” with the models on hand -- so you will have to use a bit of imagination from time to time. The old steam tug Goliath was a powerful tug in her day and has provided the tow for the crane barge – she is courtesy of Barroco Hispano. ALL the other ships, tugs, barge, and lighter, are by “AP”. A few of the crates and barrels on the barge are by “Historic Harbors” – everything else on the barge is by “AP”. Especially nice are the workmen preparing the new gun tube for installation. The 150-ton crane is shown lifting a new rifle weighing 41 tons.
This is another view of the scene. This gives you a better look at the dockside facilities – cluttered and “busy” with sailors and dock workers. On the left of the picture is a Jupiter Class collier moored to “dolphins” out in the stream – very similar to pictures from turn-of-the-Century Hamburg harbor.
On 6 November, Seydlitz made fast to berth B7 at the repair docks. During the Great Yarmouth bombardment, the left barrel of “C” turret had been damaged when an 11-inch shell exploded before clearing the gun tube. The turret roof was unbolted, then lifted off, and the damaged gun tube hoisted out of the turret so a new rifle could be installed. The work was completed on the 10th, and that afternoon Seydlitz returned to her mooring in Wilhelmshaven Roads. On 15 November, the new battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger joined 1st Scouting Group and the squadron put to sea on the 20th for a short cruise to the northwest of the Jade. Squadron evolutions were preformed, followed by torpedo-firing exercises, and more evolutions – before the ships anchored in Schillig Roads around 22:30.
Two views of SMS Derfflinger moored to “battleship buoys” along the shallows of Schillig Roads. Note the blinking green channel markers to starboard: 26,600 tons – 26.5 knots – 8x12-inch guns – 12x5.9-inch guns – 4x19.7-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 11.8 inches. Though not the fastest of the Imperial battlecruisers, or the toughest, the Derfflinger Class was the most powerful with, perhaps, the most graceful profile of them all. The bottom view shows the low profile and compact central superstructure with the big 12-inch turrets on either end. This beautiful and detailed model is by @Barroco Hispano. The buoys and channel markers are by "AP".
At 03:00 on 15 December, 1st Scouting Group with its attendant light forces weighed, steamed down the Jade, and into the North Sea. The wind was “force 2” from the south, with a slight swell and limited visibility. Speed was increased to 15 knots and course set for the English coast. Hipper’s battlecruisers were tasked with the Bombardment Of Scarborough, Whitby, and Hartlepool. (See Chapter 12 for details.)
Between 19 - 23 December, Seydlitz moored at berth 4 of the Wilhelmshaven dockyard to make good the battle damage from the recent raid. The battlecruiser had suffered three hits at about 6,000 yards from the 6-inch guns of the Hartlepool shore batteries. The first high explosive shell struck the aft superstructure on the starboard side of the ventilation shaft – damaging the shaft and severing the power cables to the aft searchlight banks. The second high explosive shell struck the forward superstructure in the funnel mantle – causing some internal damage to the mantle housing and cutting the power leads to the starboard searchlight. The third high explosive shell struck the forecastle deck just forward of “A” turret near the deck edge. The shell exploded on contact, throwing splinters in all directions and causing a minor penetration of the thin deck plating. With repairs completed, Seydlitz shifted her berth to Wilhelmshaven Roads for coaling, then the first three weeks of January 1915 were spent lying at anchor in either Wilhelmshaven Roads or Schillig Roads.
Around 18:00 on 23 January, Seydlitz weighed and followed the scouting cruisers down the Jade channel with the battlecruiser squadron trailing behind. The weather was cold, but clear as Hipper set out to spring a trap on the British light cruisers lurking about off Dogger Bank – and so started The Battle Of Dogger Bank. (Details in Chapter 13.)
Around 19:28 on the evening of 24 January, the battlecruiser squadron returned from Dogger Bank and anchored in Schillig Roads – but Seydlitz, with her burnt-out aft turrets, was immediately taken through the III Lock entrance at Wilhelmshaven Dockyard. At 01:25 the next morning (25 January) the tugs maneuvered Seydlitz into berth G-1 of the Imperial Dockyard so repairs could commence immediately. A special shipyard crew was ordered down from Blohm & Voss to speed-up the repair process, while investigating the exact cause of the near disaster. They would arrive by special train around mid-morning. Though seriously damaged – the ship had been spared a catastrophic magazine explosion. “Lucky” Seydlitz had cheated “The Gods” of their sacrifice – and not for the last time.
The facts, as far as could be determined, were fairly straightforward. The shell hit during the early part of the engagement – approximately 10:43 – and was most likely fired by HMS Lion. It was a 1,400-pound, 13.5-inch round, base-fused, with a black powder bursting charge. It struck the Battery Deck (fantail) and passed through into the “Zwischendeck” (“between deck”, or, “t’ween decks”) space before striking the face of the “D” turret barbette. The shell detonated against the 9 inch-thick Krupp Cemented Armor and most of the explosive effect was felt outside the barbette – but the barbette had been holed. The hole punched in the face of the barbette was, roughly, circular and 14 inches across. Due to the “spalling effect”, the saucer-shaped interior hole was about 24 inches across and irregularly shaped. Along with the “explosive flash” – red-hot fragments of displaced armor (spall) shot into the working chamber, igniting the bagged fore charges. The massive combustion shot flames up into the gun house and below into the munitions rooms, igniting the “ready” powder charges in both. It was determined -- with the first flash of flames -- men attempted to flee through the double connecting doors into the adjoining munitions room of “C” turret barbette. The “D” turret door had been manually opened, and it was obvious the “C” turret door had been blown open by the gas pressure of the burning powder. This allowed flames to carry into the “C” turret trunk and incinerate the interior of that barbette as well.
The final report of the investigators recommended eight specific changes to prevent future damage of this sort. Some were in how munitions were stored and handled, but one crucial recommendation was that munition handling rooms should not be shared between turrets. The report went on to say flooding the magazines had saved the ship, but water leaked through ventilation ducts and caused additional flooding in adjacent compartments. Future designs should include separate ventilation shafts for each space between the watertight transverse bulkheads. (Thereby eliminating an “opening” in the watertight bulkhead.) Henceforth, the connecting doors aboard Seydlitz would be secured by special locking devices with access controlled by the bridge staff.
Repairs to SMS Seydlitz took a little over three months to complete, and she was returned to duty on 1 April 1915. Four days later, she departed for Kiel, via the Kaiser Wilhelm I canal, arriving on 5 April after a twelve hour transit of the canal. A period of training and evolutions were carried out in the Kieler Hafen to bring the crew up to “battle standards” and to test new fire control equipment installed during the repair period. Seydlitz arrived back in Schillig Roads on 13 April. The next few months were spent supporting minelaying operations in the North Sea, fleet “advances” in the German Bight and around Dogger Bank, dockyard maintenance visits, picket duty in Schillig Roads, squadron and fleet level evolutions, escorting the auxiliary cruiser Meteor out to sea, and frequent exercises on the gunnery ranges. In June, there was another training stretch in Kiel focused on tactical deployment with torpedo boat flotillas. Back in Wilhelmshaven, noises were again detected in the low pressure turbines and 18 – 31 July was spent in the dockyard opening and inspecting the units.
SMS Seydlitz is once again in for repairs – this time anchored alongside the dry dock mole. At the bottom of the picture is the munitions pier. Warships can be warped into the pier to take on shells and powder or they can be replenished out in the roadsted from lighters. Tied up to the pier is the Italian heavy cruiser Zara – a truly handsome example of WW II era heavy cruisers. Zara is courtesy of Barroco Hispano.
Seydlitz’ engineering staff had detected noises coming from the low pressure turbines – which had given trouble before. The repair ship Vestal has again been brought alongside to provide a floating workshop and the mechanics needed to inspect the turbines. It has been decided to inspect both the high pressure and low pressure sets to make sure they are functioning properly. Two Thor Class tugs are moored alongside Vestal in case they are needed to move the ship. The tugs, Vestal, and Seydlitz are the superb work of “AP” If you examine the dry dock mole carefully, you will see many of “AP’s” props there as well.
The battlecruiser’s turbine engine rooms are located, roughly, beneath the aft superstructure. Fortunately, steam turbines are generally constructed in several sections and assembled much like a jig-saw puzzle. The engine rooms are quite tall, with overhead steel beams, so the heavy turbine covers can be lifted off with a hydraulic chain winch. Once opened, the fan systems are composed of small, easily handled pieces – spindles, rotors, nozzles, and circular fan blades. If there is any imperfection in the machining processes of these parts, it could cause an imbalance in the swiftly turning circular blades, resulting in vibration, which can cause the fan blades to break or warp. If the damage is extensive enough – turbine failure will result.
One by one the two low pressure and two high pressure turbines were inspected. Opening them up can be a lengthy process and, in the end, only the port low pressure turbine was found to be damaged – with several broken blades in the 3rd and 4th stages of the rotor fans. The fan blades were replaced, the turbine closed, and Seydlitz put to sea on a test cruise off the Jade. With engines performing properly, she was returned to duty on 31 July 1915.
On 2 August 1915, Seydlitz led 1st Scouting Group north to the Elbe River to make the transit of the Kaiser Wilhelm I canal. Seydlitz, Moltke, and Von der Tann, along with the group’s light cruisers and torpedo boat flotillas, had been temporarily assigned to C.-in-C. Baltic Forces -- His Royal Highness, Prinz Heinrich von Preussen (the Kaiser’s brother). The Baltic Forces were ordered to break into the Russian-held Gulf of Riga, and 1st Scouting Group would act as “cover” for the operation. They were to deal with the Russian dreadnoughts – should they make an appearance. (See Chapter 16 for details.)
It is interesting to note Germany largely fought WW I in the Baltic Sea with cruisers and torpedo boats. When “heavy units” were deemed necessary, the Hochseeflotte would temporarily detach a few squadrons of battleships or battlecruisers for temporary duty in the Baltic (usually for cooperation with Army operations ashore). The reason is astoundingly simple – the Russian Baltic Fleet, based at Kronstadt, near Helsinki, was anything but aggressive. After Imperial Russia’s catastrophic naval defeat in 1905 at the Battle of Tsushima, they had no “Baltic Fleet” to speak of, and it was taking an unbelievably long time to rebuild. By mid-1915, Russia had only managed to complete four battleships of the Gangut Class at the three shipyards along the Neva River in St. Petersburg. Understandably, they were reluctant to risk scarce and expensive battleships.
Russian design technology was surprisingly good – and so it should have been. When they began rebuilding in 1909, Russian designers – much as Peter The Great had done – went all over Europe seeking assistance and inspiration from France, Germany, Italy, and Great Britain. Their battleship designs compared favorably with other European navies, but they were nearly obsolete by the time they were completed. Russian industry was, to say the least, primitive – and the Tsarist bureaucracy was much like a Russian “Matryoshka Doll” – no matter how many dolls you opened, there always seemed to be another one inside. This bureaucratic labyrinth, literally, strangled the Russian Navy in its cradle – it took five years to build a battleship. (Of course, the chief designer’s insistence on “high-tensile” steel for construction overly burdened the limited Russian production capacity, and may have delayed the ships by as much as three years.)
IRN GANGUT CLASS: Gangut, Petropavlovsk, Poltava, Sevastopol – all commissioned between November 1914 to January 1915.
Displacement: 23,400 tons – Length: 600 feet – Speed: 23 knots – Armament: 12x12-inch 52-caliber guns – 16x4.7-inch guns – 4x18-inch torpedo tubes – Armor: 11-inch armor belt.
Anyone familiar with the design of the Italian battleship Dante Alighieri will immediately recognize a marked similarity with Gangut – but Chief Designer Krilov always denied any Italian influence. However, both ships made use of triple turrets at a time when few navies even thought of them. And their deck plans were, more or less, identical. Both ships had the bare minimum of superstructure above deck – though Gangut was nothing more than gun turrets, funnels, and a small bridge forward (her aft superstructure was little more than an armored conning tower tube). However, the Russians equipped their fire control systems with wide-base rangefinders – approximately 21 feet – which gave Admiral Souchon a run for his money when he took SMS Goeben raiding into the Black Sea. (Two improved Gangut’s – the Imperatritsa Maria Class – were added to the Black Sea Fleet in the last half of 1915.) I have provided a detail shot of Gangut below, with a detail shot of Dante Alighieri below that for comparison.
The superb models of Gangut and Dante Alighieri are courtesy of Barroco Hispano.
When the Riga operation was over, 1st Scouting Group arrived back in Schillig Roads on 28 August 1915, coming to anchor around 21:35 that evening. The remainder of the year was given over to a variety of somewhat mundane activity – covering minelaying missions, several routine “advances” into the North Sea, picket duty, gunnery practice, day-trips for “evolutions”, and – of course – maintenance spells in the dockyard.
It should be noted almost every sortie into the German Bight or North Sea was either observed or stalked by a number of British submarines. It was not uncommon for several submarine sightings to be made during an operation. It was true many of the sighting reports were false – phantom periscopes and submarine conning towers spotted by jittery lookouts in poor visibility. But it was just as true there were an even dozen submarines lurking around the cleared lanes through the minefields – each captain eager to slam a torpedo into an unwary dreadnought.
Returning from a training period in the Baltic (4 December), Seydlitz was exiting the south lock at Brunsbuttel and ran onto an anti-torpedo net which had not been opened for her to pass. The battlecruiser’s engines were immediately shut down, but her poor steering at low speeds ran her up, hard and fast, on Dalben Bank before she came to a stop. The four escort tugs quickly went to her assistance and managed to pull her free. Divers from a salvage tug went down to check her bottom, and found no damage, but a starboard propeller was entangled in the net, which had to be cut loose.
Early 1916 was spent in pretty much the same fashion as late 1915. On 11 February, around 01:20, the 1st Scouting Group sortied in support of the 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla which had become engaged with British light cruisers and destroyers out in the Bight. On 3 March, Seydlitz led the 1st and 4th Scouting Groups and the 1st Battle Squadron to sea to link-up with the German auxiliary cruiser Mowe off Horn’s Reef – she was returning to Germany after an Atlantic commerce raid. On March 5th, Seydlitz led the 1st and 2nd Scouting Groups accompanied by the 4th and 9th Torpedo Boat Flotillas on a commerce raid into the “Hoofden” off northwest Holland. No enemy patrols were sighted, and the only shipping encountered proved to be neutral Dutch fishing trawlers. After three submarine alarms between Terschelling Bank and Texel Island, the force put about and anchored in Schillig Roads on the afternoon of the 7th.
SMS Lutzow coaling at the Cuxhaven docks. She was completed as, virtually, an identical twin to her sister-ship SMS Derfflinger.
Between 17 - 24 March SMS Lutzow joined the squadron for gunnery practice and squadron maneuvers conducted in the Baltic. On 25 March, Seydlitz broke off coaling at Wilhelmshaven and steamed north at high speed to intercept British destroyers reported off List Island. The battlecruiser steered into Amrum Bank passage, but a strong swell and approaching bad weather had probably caused the enemy ships to withdraw, and she put about after an hour’s search.
On 24 April 1916, Seydlitz and the 1st Scouting Group, accompanied by the 2nd Scouting Group and the 9th Torpedo Boat Flotilla, weighed around 10:50 and put to sea on the Lowestoft Raid. (See Chapter 16 for details.)
During the early part of the raid, Seydlitz struck a floating mine on the starboard bow below the armor belt. The blast tore a hole roughly 55 feet wide by 30 feet and penetrated the outer hull, the outer passageway bulkhead, and the inboard bulkhead (none of these armored). Some ships launched prior to 1914 had built-in underwater protection systems to deal with torpedoes and mines, but none of the designers had any practical knowledge of the power of these weapons. They simply had no idea of the destructive force of modern underwater weapons. But Seydlitz had extensive compartmental subdivision that saved her. With 1,400 tons of water taken aboard, she steamed back to Wilhelmshaven at a brisk 15 knots. Once again, her “luck” had held.
SMS Seydlitz was in the floating dry dock at Wilhelmshaven from 25 April to 18 May, the repairs to the mine damage being quite extensive. On 18 May, the battlecruiser was towed out of the floating dock and shifted to berth A5 in the dockyard, where she remained until 23 May. The cruiser then exited the ship locks and anchored in Schillig Roads, where a flooding test was carried out to asses the repairs that had been done. Unfortunately, the Imperial Dockyard’s repair work was shoddy – to say the least – and extensive flooding through the transverse bulkheads and wing passage bulkheads was unacceptable. Seydlitz returned to the floating dock on the 24th, and additional repairs were carried out until the 29th. Admiral Hipper would have preferred to send Seydlitz back to Blohm & Voss for a thorough repair job, but Vizeadmiral Reinhard Scheer (Commander Hochseeflotte) would not approve the request.
Scheer had been planning a raid against Sunderland on the English coast since early May, but could not manage to coordinate all the elements. The Vizeadmiral had decided on an elaborate plan to trap a significant portion of the Grand Fleet. German submarines were laid on to wait in ambush off the British naval bases at Cromarty and Scapa Flow, while Zeppelins of the Naval Airship Service would drop bombs on the enemy warships and preform aerial reconnaissance ahead of the fleet. But submarines, still in their infancy as a weapon of war, were small and cramped, and could not remain on station for an extended period. While the Zeppelins were completely at the mercy of the weather. Once the submarines had been dispatched to their patrol stations, Scheer found he could not get the Zeppelins airborne. In the end, Scheer, eager to get on with it, chose an alternative operation interdicting and sinking merchant convoys between the Scandinavian countries and Britain.
Admiral Hipper was still unhappy with the condition of Seydlitz – especially with action imminent. Any cavalryman of his day would have told you never to ride a sick horse into battle. And so, at 03:00 on 31 May, Vizeadmiral Franz von Hipper stood on the navigation bridge of SMS Lutzow, his flag at the fore peak. Below, in the boiler rooms, the second relay of stokers had taken over and were rapidly feeding their furnaces to maintain steam for 20 knots, while others with long metal rakes “trimmed” the fires to keep them hot. Thick, black smoke poured from the funnels of the big cruisers and flattened out above them like a low hanging cloud. Amid the endless clang of shovels and the deep-throated roar of the ventilation fans, these sweating, grimy men gave life to the ship’s beating heart.
A light rain was falling in the early morning darkness as Lutzow’s signal lamp flashed back along the line of anchored ships. Seydlitz acknowledged the message and the anchor party up forward slipped the mooring lines to the buoy. The big ship swung out into the channel behind Derfflinger and increased speed until the battlecruisers swept down the Jade channel at 18 knots. Seydlitz, without her admiral, followed along as “Tactical #3”. Hipper led the 1st Scouting Group out into the German Bight and steered north for the Amrum Bank passage through the minefields. They were bound for the convoy routes west of the Skaggerak.
In an ironic twist of fate – Hipper would have done better to remain aboard Seydlitz – the “lucky” ship. But we must leave SMS Seydlitz, for the time being…...
NEXT TIME……
THE IRON DOG
COMETH
MANY THANKS – as always -- to @Barroco Hispano for his many beautiful warship models.
SPECIAL THANKS to my collaborating partner, @AP, for his wonderful, wonderful, models – and all the hard work that has gone into them.
If you enjoyed anything – please punch the “like” button so WE will know. A comment would be even more informative.
Comments and critiques requested and gratefully accepted. All questions answered promptly to the best of our ability.
THANK YOU for your visit!
You may wish to visit these CJ’s as well……
SERIES I:
IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: WILHELMSHAVEN
SERIES II:
IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN
Appearing – Work In Publication
SERIES III:
IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: BREMERHAVEN
Appearing -- ???
And please feel free to drop in at…
THE SIMTROPOLIS SHIPYARD
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