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Chapter 52: The Photo Tour 08

Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN

IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 52: THE PHOTO TOUR 08 THE COALING DOCKS In this chapter, we will pick up our tour where we left off. But first, I thought I’d re-orient you with the map tile (picture above). On the extreme left (west) of the picture is “Battery Scharnhorst” – and just around the corner is the Neu Hafen (main Cuxhaven anchorage). Just inside the entrance to the breakwater are the coaling and fuel oil replenishment docks. Easing into the harbor is the battlecruiser Von der Tann, with two Nordwind and two Passat Class tugs waiting to guide her to a berth. Two patrol boats (motor launches) can be seen “tail-moored” to the breakwater, while an Erie Class gunboat (previous chapters) is anchored just outside the breakwater, pulling guard duty. This is a close-up of the magnificently detailed Von der Tann model, graciously provided by @Barroco Hispano. (See Chapters 14 & 15 for details.) The battlecruiser is leaving the deep water channel and crossing into the shallow waters of the roadsted. I was interested in working with the “NBVC Corals”, and used them to cover the seabed to delineate the deep water boundary. You can see them spread around the bow of the ship and they extend down the sloping bottom until they disappear into the deeper water. This view also gives you a good look at the excellent textures and detailing of the “Uki” breakwaters. This is a detail shot of the tugs waiting to assist Von der Tann to her berth. The two on the left are Nordwind Class sea-going tugs, based largely on a class of tugboats built by the Hamburg-America Steamship Line to handle their large ocean liners. Around 1903, Kaiser Wilhelm was much impressed with their power and asked the Director of the shipping line (Albert Ballin) to build a variation of his tugs for handling large Imperial warships. (Ballin was a close personal friend of Wilhelm and his home included the addition of a suite of rooms built specifically for Royal use during visits to Hamburg.) You will notice Nordwind has an open navigation bridge (quite common in those days), and twin funnels – indicating up to eight boilers to provide steam for her powerful engines. The two tugs on the right, standing-by to assist, are Passat Class – a more modern and improved version of the original, with an enclosed wheel house and slightly larger engines. Both models are meticulously detailed and superbly textured – courtesy of “AP”. The two ships moored to the “barrel buoy” are from the “PEG Scows” pack. These ships have no historical relevance to the Dreadnought Era, but they were among the early custom content introduced to SC4 for maritime purposes. They are interesting little ships in their own right, nicely modeled and textured, with a minimum of detail and an abundance of “grunge”. For a long time, they were the only “bulk haulers” in the game. These are, in fact, “Ore Scows” – but as you can see – they easily pass for coal scows. I confess...I included them mostly as an “homage” to “The Good Old Days” of SC4. As discussed in previous chapters, coal-fired boilers were the primary means of propulsion for warships at the turn of the century, and a battleship – no matter how many guns she carried – could only carry those guns as far as full coal bunkers would take her. The Royal Navy possessed an enormous advantage in having numerous colonies – and coaling stations -- scattered all over the globe. A large fleet could be deployed from Portsmouth to Hong Kong without need to rely upon neutral ports or foreign coal stocks. The Kaiserliche Marine, of course, had no such far flung empire upon which to depend. But German warships in German harbors made full use of the facilities. Cuxhaven’s Neu Hafen was constructed with a medium-sized coaling facility. The coaling docks can accommodate four battlecruisers, or six smaller cruisers at a time. But having a dock available could not be allowed to delay the replenishment of coal bunkers. A “first-rate” Kapitan would move Heaven and Earth to ensure his ship was “combat-ready” at all times. If all the docks were busy, coal lighters could be laid-on and towed out to the ships at their berths. This is an overview of the coaling docks and the fuel oil “replenishment point”. On the right you can see the docks where coal and oil can be brought into the naval base by commercial shipping – or dispensed to the warships of the fleet. On the left you see the large, concrete coal storage complex, and the much smaller oil storage “tank farm”. These facilities were located in the west end of the harbor area primarily due to their large “footprint” – they take up a lot of space. Also, their purpose is to refuel ships, which quite naturally generates a great deal of traffic. Placing the docks at the far end of the harbor provided room for the towing, turning, and berthing of the big warships. This is a closer view of the “business end” of the coaling docks. This general arrangement was inspired by a similar set of docks operating in Cardiff, Wales in the late 1920’s. Since the game has none of the usual mechanized devices or elaborate structures for handling coal – especially for warships – I had to devise a reasonably workable method of moving coal. I ran a rail line down the center of the docks, raising the ground level behind the coaling points, and connecting them with the “NAM 32” viaduct pieces. (Yes – I’m a “dinosaur” – I still run NAM-32.) The locomotives push loaded coal cars along the viaduct until they reach the dump point. There the doors in the bottom of the gondolas are opened manually and the coal slides down the concrete slope to the large pile at the bottom – a “gravity feed” delivery system. The coaling docks can accommodate four ships at a time. The pier portion of the docks were borrowed from the “PEG SNM Cruiser Lots”. Two cruiser piers were rotated and pushed together to form one long dock. The piers were arranged as overhanging props so the front end would be in the water. The coal piles were (I believe…) from the Polish Power Station lot. (But I could be wrong about that.) Two stacks were arranged to slightly overhang each other, and the lot, so the coal would appear to be piled up against the concrete slide. A third stack was placed in the middle of those, and the prop was elevated until it gave the appearance of a much taller coal pile, while still “meshing” with the others. The coaling lot is 13x4, and various warehouses, water towers, and 1x1 custom lots were used to fill in around the edges. I dislike large, “set-piece” lots, but using the “cruiser piers” imposed certain restrictions, so it became necessary. With the exception of the shipping, everything else in the picture has been pieced together by re-lotting or re-purposing elements already in-game. SMS Lutzow is seen tied-up at the coaling dock, preparing to “coal ship”. She is the second of three Derfflinger Class battlecruisers. The elegant model is courtesy of @Barroco Hispano. (See Chapters 23 & 24 for details on the ship.) The coaling cranes dockside were borrowed from the “PEG Trash Disposal lots” and down-sized a bit for use. This shot provides a good view of the “stacked” coal piles. At this point, I should probably mention that “coaling ship” was an “all-hands” – “round-the-clock” evolution. Once coaling was started, the operation did not stop until the bunkers had been filled. The “Duty Watch” personnel (for the most part) would remain on “Watch” for as many hours as it took. Coaling went on day or night, though the sailors did not like working under flood lamps -- the powerful lights alternated between blinding glare and casting long dark shadows in other places. Once the coal was taken aboard, the backbreaking work was not over. The ship still had to be moved back to her berth, the decks scrubbed down, and the crew cleaned up before they could catch a quick bite to eat and fall into their hammocks for well-deserved sleep. Needless to say, “coaling ship” was the least enjoyable part of a sailor’s life. Right next to Lutzow, a Sophia Class paddle tug is towing two empty lighters out of the crowded coaling basin. Note the fine detail modeled into the paddle tug and the lighters. Moored at “dolphins” along the seawall is an elderly Nordwind Class tug (left). Astern of her is a more modern Passat Class – an improved “second generation” of Nordwind. The tugs are standing by to maneuver full lighters into a berth, and haul empty ones away. The tugs, lighters, and mooring dolphins are by “AP”. The concrete seawalls were borrowed from the “NBVC Marina” kits. This is the Motor-Lighter Ajax. She is a unique vessel used to transport large or heavy pieces of equipment from shipyard factories or assembly sheds to dry docks or construction slipways. Her bridge is placed forward of the cargo area and elevated to give a good view ahead as well as being able to see over large cargoes carried amidships. Steering commands are passed by hand-set or speaking tubes to the wheelhouse atop the aft superstructure. Her twin funnels are placed side-by-side – an uncommon feature even in the early 1900’s – but the machinery spaces are comparatively small so it was necessary. On a good day, she can make all of 8 knots, and she is shallow draft and rides low in the water. Ajax was never meant to go beyond a harbor, estuary, or shallow coastal waters. On her midships cargo deck are a pair of massive three-cylinder, triple-expansion, steam engines (found in “AP’s Propulsion Prop Pack). They are destined to be installed in “Grosse Kreuzer E”. The engines are just one of the many historically accurate props “AP” has provided to enhance the realism in SC4. And each new prop opens up a whole world that can be investigated and portrayed in the game. The motor lighter, itself, is a single prop. The sailors, rope coils, and engines are additional props added to the model in the “lotting” process. This is only possible because “AP” put a lot of effort into keeping his “LOD’s” tight on the cargo deck. This is a close-up of a Thor Class tug standing-by to take two coal lighters under tow. This should give you yet another example of the high quality models and the enormous amount of detail worked into them by “AP”. Thor looks every bit the “worn-out work-horse” she is meant to be. You can almost see the individual lumps of coal in the lighters. And even the empty lighters moored along the near side of the basin are pure perfection. Thor will shortly move the lighters out to the roadsted and the waiting warships. This is SS Gotha, a Norddeutscher Line collier leased by the Kaiserliche Marine to accompany a squadron of ships on their journey to the Far East. Germany and Great Britain possessed fairly large fleets of commercial colliers and preferred “leasing” over building naval colliers. Only the United States chose to build Fleet Auxiliary Colliers rather than trust commercial vessels. During wartime, foreign colliers were often unavailable for “political reasons” – even neutral vessels could not be relied upon. This gorgeous model by “AP” is an absolute “work of art”. Note the surrounding activity going on n the lower part of the picture – another example of our “busy harbor” theory. Here we see a Thor Class tug maneuvering a full coal lighter into a mooring. SS Gotha will be casting off soon and room will be needed to move the collier out of the basin. Coaling basins are often crowded with tugs standing-by to undertake tows, and numerous empty and full lighters. Some small boats have tied up alongside the lighters and crewmen are “working the coal” – possibly leveling it to “stabilize the tow” – or even raking through it for foreign debris. Here again, you can see the wonderful high-def models in all their detailed glory. Even the mooring dolphins lining the seawalls are superb. This scene is typical of “busy harbors” – especially coaling basins. Numerous lighters are moored to dolphins – single, double, and even triple moorings – with small boats milling about, and tugs maneuvering the lighters into position. This is the battlecruiser SMS Mackensen taking on coal -- as she might have appeared at her planned commissioning in 1919. A major improvement over the Derfflinger Class, Mackensen would have had a much greater displacement and a larger caliber main battery armament. The first ships were laid down in January 1915, and some were actually launched. But none would ever see service. (See Chapters 42 for details of this ship.) This magnificent model is courtesy of Barroco Hispano. As you can see in the picture, I had to fill in details on and around the coaling docks with whatever props I could find. Some were actually too modern (shipping containers) but they were pressed into service anyway. I thought it better to “stretch” the historical timeline on the props, rather than wind up with mostly empty dockside scenes. SMS Hindenburg, the “third sister” of the Derfflinger Class, is moored at the coaling docks and preparing to “coal ship”. This fantastic model was scratch-built by @AP, who has generously devoted much time and effort to this project. It should be noted – for the record – warship models are larger, far more complicated, and enormously time-consuming compared to the average ship model. And -- “AP” goes well beyond the “Call of Duty” to build-in so much more detail than most other 3-D modelers. (For specific details about the battlecruiser, see Chapter 41.) On a somewhat related theme – I would like to offer a small apology for the lack of variety found on the coaling docks. The main reason for the repetitive nature of the lots is the simple lack of suitable in-game props. I have been haunting this website for a little over a decade, and there has never been a concerted effort to create a working product chain for coal. There are very small and primitive coal mining lots, a “coking” plant, coal-fired power plants, some very simplified coaling docks, and the occasional inadequate effort to create a loading “hopper” device. BUT – there has never been enough attention paid to the props and machines needed to move coal from the mines to a destination, then load it or unload it. Mostly, I was forced to use rather convoluted methods to move coal to a dock and get it aboard a ship. You see bulldozers on the docks – but they did not exist in that form in 1905. And you see “bucket cranes” loading and unloading both rail cars and ships. Bucket cranes are suitable for loading a rail car – but totally unsuited to unloading one. And bucket cranes are used to deposit coal onto a warship’s deck, where the crew shovels it down “coaling chutes” into the bunkers below. It is a primitive method – but the only one I could devise with the props available in the game. Actual coaling stations had elaborate rail/trestle structures with mechanical overhead hoppers that lifted the coal from the cars by conveyor buckets, then funneled it down a long chute to the ship. The end of the coal chute had a long canvas sleeve that connected to the bunker chutes, thereby avoiding dumping coal on the ship’s deck. (I’m certain “AP” could have modeled something suitable, but he was already working overtime to make the other props for the game – so we never got around to it.) But – that’s my reason for the less than efficient means of moving coal around, and for using modern props. “Mea Culpa”. (BTW – under these primitive arrangements, the average ship’s crew could load around 60 tons of coal an hour – perhaps 70 tons.) This view shows the coaling docks in the upper right of the picture and the main coal storage facility in the bottom center. The storage facility consists of two large, open-air concrete pads directly behind the coaling docks. Commercial coal is delivered to the storage facility via the main rail line visible at the bottom of the shot. The coal is then loaded into cars and shuttled via the railroad viaduct to the coaling docks. This is a closer view of the receiving, storage, and distribution system. Commercial coal is delivered by rail from the main track to the right. The loaded cars are backed onto the dumping ramps, the doors in the bottom of the coal gondolas are opened, and the coal slides down the concrete slope onto the waiting piles at the bottom. The facility is set up to unload as many as four trains at one time, and may operate day and night, as necessary. From the delivery chute, the coal is loaded into dump trucks and moved across the lot to the distribution pad. The piles on the left of the picture are waiting to be loaded onto rail cars to be sent out. As you can see, there is a wide variety of structures and equipment that have been used to portray the operation. Anyone familiar with industrial lots in SC4 will recognize the props immediately. They have all been re-purposed to move coal to the warships in the harbor. As mentioned above, I have used many modern elements that were not available in 1910. Trucks – absolutely necessary to a functioning naval base – were primitive in those days, and there are, of course, no such props in SC4. So the bases will always be a strange mix of “early” and “later” 20th Century furnishings – again -- my apologies. This is the distribution point where the coal is loaded into gondolas and shipped to the coaling docks. The coaling cranes were borrowed from the “PEG Trash Removal” lots, reduced in size, and lotted onto 1x1 modular pieces. The water towers (mostly for fire fighting) were taken from the old Maxis Movie Studio. The chain link fences and most of the concrete roadways were taken from the “NBVC Modular Seaport” – they are largely 1x1 lots and very flexible in use. I used “Paeng” grunge concrete in places to fill in difficult angles, or to simulate older, patched areas in the larger pad. Several other 1x1 and 1x2 custom-made lots used various props and a variety of small liquid tanks, warehouses, and various trucks and cranes to fill in the working areas. This is a close-up of the east side distribution point (the coaling docks are to the left of the picture). The coaling lot was arranged in this manner so that two trains could be loaded at the same time – thereby ensuring a steady flow of coal to both sides of the coaling docks. While these two trains are loading, two more trains are out on the docks dumping their load. When they are empty, they return via the center track and wait below the switches. When the loaded trains have departed for the docks, the two waiting trains take their place. In this manner, a continuous supply of coal can be shuttled to the docks. The locomotives in the picture are the “Peg Shuttle Engines” – modified for steam -- and the rolling stock in the picture is most likely “PEG” as well. I believe the 1x2 segment of vertical wall on the dumping ramp (right of picture) was repurposed and re-lotted with railroad signal boxes. If I remember correctly, “Mattb325” originally created the vertical walls as roadside parking/parks area built on a slope. NEXT TIME…… CUXHAVEN: THE PHOTO TOUR 09 MANY THANKS to @Barroco Hispano for his beautiful warship models. SPECIAL THANKS to my friend and partner, @AP, for his talents, meticulous models, colorful imagination, and extreme dedication. 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 https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/761469-simtropolis-shipyard/?tab=comments#comment-1766496
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Chapter 43: The Pipe Dreams

Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN

Laid down in 1912 for the Imperial Russian Navy, the Borodino Class battlecruisers would have been contemporaries of the Ersatz Yorck Class. At 32,500 tons, with twelve 14-inch guns, the Borodino’s were slower and considerably less well armored than the German ships, but could have been formidable opponents. Borodino (seen here on the builder’s slip) was eventually launched, but the October Revolution of 1917 put an end to her construction, and she was finally scrapped in 1931. IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 43: THE PIPE DREAMS “Pipe Dream”…...“A fantastic notion or vain hope”. In the early 20th Century, it was often said such fanciful dreams were “born in the bowl of an Opium pipe”. GROSSE KREUZER - 1915 Three weeks after the keel was laid for SMS Mackensen, and the details had been settled for her three sister-ships, the topic of discussion turned to the remaining three ships in the class. These ships were to be named Ersatz Yorck, Ersatz Gneisenau, and Ersatz Scharnhorst, and the contracts were awarded to Germania Werft Kiel and Blohm & Voss Hamburg, in April 1914. The contract for Ersatz Yorck was awarded to AG Vulcan Werft Hamburg, and her keel was laid in July 1915. With the war nearly a year old, there was remarkably little haggling about the cost. The three ships would be authorized under the “replacement clause” of the Naval Law, to cover armored cruisers already lost in combat. The money would come from the “Wartime Extraordinary” budget. And work moved along, wartime priorities notwithstanding. On 17 March 1916, Admiral Eduard von Capelle replaced Grossadmiral Tirpitz as Secretary Of State for the Navy. In the blink of an eye, some twenty years of continuity in thought and policy was wiped away. The old admiral had dominated and directed every aspect of the Imperial Navy -- and he brooked no opposition. Now everything seemed open for discussion, and the old departmental debates returned with renewed vigor. The Construction Department stood firmly against merging the Grosse Kreuzer with a battleship, unless technological advances could be made in all weight groups – and the Kaiser’s desire for 15-inch guns would involve a considerable increase in displacement. At a 19 April 1916 meeting, Construction presented three new designs for the Grosse Kreuzer – GK-1, GK-2, and GK-3 – all mounting 15-inch rifles and varying in displacement between 34,000 and 38,000 tons. Much of the increased tonnage went to speed – larger and more powerful engines and increased length for boilers – adding as much as 2 knots more than the Mackensen design. The oil-fired boilers were increased to 12, but von Capelle wanted to retain the coal-fired boilers and their protective coal bunkers to offset retaining Mackensen’s armor suite. The new State Secretary agreed to dismiss the draft limitations placed on previous designs because of the shallow channels along the German coast. This had not been of great concern as long as ship displacement did not exceed 31,000 tons, but the new design proposals were another matter. (Anything deeper than a 32-foot draft would require expensive and time-consuming dredging of harbors and deep-water channels.) The Flottenchef, Vizeadmiral Scheer, favored design GK-2, which was, of course, the largest and fastest design at 29.5 knots. Konteradmiral Hebbinghaus (General Navy Department) was of the opinion the two types of warship could not be merged under the existing Navy Laws – although the development of the two types should be given a certain degree of leeway. Secretary von Capelle (who had written the Naval Laws) pointed out...”We can no longer afford the luxury of two highly developed types.” This is the problem von Tirpitz had tried so long to avoid – fearing the Naval Laws would have to be redrafted. The laws had been designed to benefit the Navy on every possible point – but redrafting might give the Reichstag the opportunity to decrease the number of ships – in view of the ever-increasing costs. Konteradmiral Hebbinghaus, in effect, wanted to “have his cake – and eat it, too”. He wanted to develop the battlecruisers to work as fast-battleships – while developing the battleships into fast-battleships – and maintain the fiction that the two types were separate. He argued the Mackensen Class should not be built, criticizing them on the grounds they were a pre-war design and incorporated no experience gained in the first year of combat – therefore – they would be obsolete at launch. Admiral von Capelle then suggested all work on Ersatz Yorck, Ersatz Gneisenau, Ersatz Scharnhorst, and even Furst Bismarck should cease – and design GK-6 should be pursued. GK-6 mounted eight 15-inch guns and displaced 36,500 tons with a speed of 28 knots. Admiral Scheer then criticized this design as sacrificing speed for armor. Whereupon, the meeting broke up. In the 24 August 1915 meeting, State Secretary Capelle reconfirmed the seven ships would be built to the Mackensen design after all. Vizeadmiral Schrader (Director of Construction) justified this to avoid construction delays and unnecessary cost increases. Schrader stipulated Mackensen’s speed was equal to the latest British battlecruisers – and the main armament, torpedo armament, armor suite, and underwater protection were considered superior in all respects. He was convinced the seven Mackensen’s would...”undoubtedly represent a valuable addition to the fleet in 1919”. Later in the month the subject of changing the design of the last three ships was raised yet again. It seems the US Navy had sent unofficial observers to Britain, and based on everything they could discover, the United States had now decided to build their own battlecruisers. The new information merely confirmed the train of thought – it would be unwise to risk naval funding at this point by trying to introduce a “merged” ship-type. It was also decided to change the composition and number of ships in the fleet “building goals”. Instead of 41 battleships and 20 Grosse Kreuzer – a more reasonable and attainable number was fixed at 25 battleships and 15 battlecruisers. In mid-June 1916, the design guidelines and type decisions for the immediate future were given to Vizeadmiral Scheer for comments and suggestions – in view of his recent engagement at Jutland. Scheer, of course, with a fleet of 11-inch and 12-inch-gunned warships, expressed the extreme need for heavier guns and faster hulls. On 31 October 1916, Konteradmiral Hebbinghaus provided new intelligence material and called for a review of the main armament on the “Ersatz Yorck” ships. A report had just come in from England indicating the most recent British battlecruisers – HMS Renown and Repulse would mount 15-inch guns. The same old pattern was repeating itself. Tirpitz had embraced the “D-48” design because of the British 15-inch guns on the Queen Elizabeth and Revenge Class battleships. Then an erroneous intelligence report convinced everyone the British would mount nothing heavier than 14-inch guns – so Tirpitz went off the bigger gun. But now that the British were going to 15-inch guns on a battlecruiser – the subject was once more open to discussion. Rumors were also circulating about the US Navy – they were developing a 16-inch gun. By this time the completion date of the Mackensen Class had been pushed back to 1920 – to accommodate the urgent needs of U-Boat construction. Extending their time frame yet again meant they would have to be “improved” to maintain some sort of parity with the English and Americans. Hebbinghaus now recommended rearming the Mackensen’s with 15 inch guns and – due to increasing construction difficulties – simply canceling the Erstaz York ships. Unfortunately, rearming the Mackensen’s would involve financial problems and a considerable delay while the plans were redrawn. Abruptly canceling the contracts for the Ersatz Yorck Class would also entail legal consequences. The only option was to modify the Ersatz Yorck design to carry 15-inch guns. The barbettes for the 14-inch rifles would only require a slight enlargement to carry the larger gun. But, strangely enough, Vizeadmiral Schrader spoke against the plan – convinced the Royal Navy would not go to the larger caliber. (The reasoning behind this naive belief was never made clear, and was never taken seriously.) In the end, the Construction Department worked for months to redesign the last three cruisers of the Mackensen Class to take eight 15-inch rifles (Mackensen, herself, was too far along). But the complicated sequence of capital ship construction proved resistant to change. Materials had already been assembled for the four ships, and the construction was simply too far along to adapt to a new design that easily. The Mackensen Class would remain as originally designed. ERSATZ YORCK CLASS BATTLECRUISERS Ersatz Yorck Class Ersatz Yorck – Ersatz Gneisenau – Ersatz Scharnhorst 33,500 tons – 747 feet in length – 27.25 knots – 8x15-inch guns – 12x5.9-inch guns – 8x3.1-inch guns – 3x28-inch torpedo tubes – Belt armor 11.75 inches – Crew compliment: 47 officers and 1,180 enlisted men. Ersatz Yorck’s construction had already begun, and materials for all three ships had also been ordered. But work was halted while the new designs were again altered. Redesigning the hull was inevitable because the 15-inch guns would require slightly larger barbettes, and a marginal increase in length to accommodate more storage space in the magazines. The architects made every effort to preserve her basic size and appearance in order to use the stockpiled materials – and especially the armor plate that had already been contracted for. (Forging, bending, and punching hundreds of thick steel plates was not an easy job, and sudden and extensive requests for change would not sit well with Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach – a close friend of His Majesty, the Kaiser.) Vizeadmiral Scheer’s request for higher speed, bigger guns, and more armor would have to wait – all he got was the bigger guns. The armor suite remained largely as it was in the Mackensen Class and the larger gun caliber cost Ersatz Yorck a half a knot in speed. In the final design configuration Ersatz Yorck was to displace 33,500 tons – the 15-inch rifles and turrets requiring nearly 1,000 tons per gunhouse. The new cruiser would be 747 feet in length with a beam of 99 feet-6 inches and a draft of 30 feet-6 inches. The ratios and clean lines of the hull remained approximately the same as Mackensen -- largely because Ersatz Yorck’s midships bottom had already been assembled on the slipway. The torpedo armament was reduced to three tubes – one bow and one on either broadside – now located abaft the boiler rooms and protected by the anti-torpedo bulkhead. Surviving documents indicate the location was chosen to provide more room to handle yet another new torpedo – the J-9 Type – 28 inches in diameter and some 9 meters long, with fifteen reloads. The boiler plant was the same as in Mackensen, with the same arrangement of steam turbines and reduction gearing providing a speed of 27.25 knots. The Fottinger Hydrodynamic Transmission was slated to be used as well. Operational radius was calculated at 6,000 miles at a cruising speed of 14 knots. Unlike the Mackensen Class, the boiler rooms in Ersatz Yorck were not separated by other compartments and were moved forward “en masse” allowing all of them to be trunked into a single funnel. Though less handsome, the single funnel arrangement allowed better spacing between the conning tower, tripod mast, and forward searchlight bridge, which provided a better field of vision from the conning tower – and funnel smoke was less apt to trouble the bridge. Cost estimates at the various stages of design had varied widely, but the final design – with all the changes and wartime inflation figured in – were expected to cost 75 million Marks apiece. (A cost that would undoubtedly have thrown Admiral von Tirpitz into cardiac-arrest!) Ersatz Yorck’s main battery consisted of eight 15-inch rifles mounted in four twin turrets. The SK L/45 38cm gun tube weighed-in around 89 tons and at +28 degrees elevation was capable of hurling a 1,653 lb projectile out to 34,000 yards at the rate of 2.5 shells per minute. The gun fired both high-explosive and capped armor-piercing shells. The main battery gunhouses were the Drh L/C 1916 model, very similar in design to the Mackensen Class turrets – only a bit more robust in the trunnion cradles to handle the greater weight and recoil stresses. In the Ersatz Yorck Class, the secondary battery was the standard SK L/45 (QF) 5.9-inch gun -- reduced from fourteen guns in Mackensen, to just twelve. The anti-aircraft battery was the same as in Mackensen. In most other respects, SMS Ersatz Yorck was to be constructed with the same materials and methods used in SMS Hindenburg – the template for her design. I refer you to Chapter 41 for the most modern innovations prior to the Ersatz Yorck design. CONSTRUCTION The builder’s contract was awarded to the AG Vulcan yards in Hamburg, and was signed on 10 April 1915 – some nine months into the war. The Vulcan yards had already assembled the construction materials and immediately began the prefabrication work. The process encountered several delays, and at least one temporary halt to re-examine the design -- but the ship’s keel was eventually laid in July 1915. In time, the midships portion of the hull bottom was assembled on the slip – but no more than that. Much like the Mackensen Class, Ersatz Yorck’s complicated and specialized materials placed such demands on the strategic supply chain that construction was suspended – and then canceled in 1917 – with the hull requiring 26 months of work before launch. Ersatz Yorck never did slide into the water that was her natural environment -- and was eventually broken up on the slipway. The keels were never laid for Ersatz Gneisenau and Ersatz Scharnhorst. Also canceled in 1917, their diesel dynamos were used in the construction of much more useful U-Boats, and the remainder of their assembled materials were used wherever possible, or simply scrapped. The ships of the Ersatz Yorck Class were the “last gasp” of a dying Empire. The metal bones of the “behemoths” would considerably out-live the Monarchy that bore them. The abandoned keel plates would gather rust on the builder’s slip -- timber balks would twist and warp in the weather -- and strangely shaped metal fabrications would be shoved out of the way to make room for U-Boats. Perhaps the saddest thing of all is that the “last” was the “best”, and they never came to life. Their armor was superior to the British battlecruisers – and their 15-inch guns were arguably as good. Though they were slower than HMS Renown and Repulse, it should be remembered that speed had not figured prominently at Jutland. Hipper’s Panzerkreuzer had not fought at full speed during most of the battle, and Beatty’s desire to engage meant he had to match their speed – not exceed it. The German armor suite, matched with powerful 15-inch guns, could have been decisive. HMS Renown as she would have looked – circa 1920. In yet another ironic twist, the Ersatz Yorck Class were designed as a counter to the 15-inch guns of HMS Renown and Repulse. Within days of finishing their sea trials the British battlecruisers were ordered to Scapa Flow for gunnery exercises. As the two ships steamed into Scapa Bay and moored to their buoys, they looked sleek and powerful – at first. Admiral Jellicoe watched in horror through his binoculars…… “...the two White Elephants displayed two rows of scuttles (portholes) the length of their hull...for all the world to see they had only a thin strip of armor at the waterline…” It is quite true Admiral Jackie Fisher was “midwife” to the battlecruiser – what is not generally acknowledged is that he was also their “undertaker”. Fisher had an absolute obsession for speed – almost a fetish. While German designers added armor to their Panzerkreuzer – Fisher built them bigger and faster, without adding armor. Eight years after HMS Invincible was launched, the Renown Class carried the same armor scheme. He believed “speed equaled armor”. If the ship was fast enough – it could run away from big guns – “armor was not needed”. The British paid dearly for Fisher’s failure of judgment -- in ships and men lost at Jutland. If Jellicoe was not already horrified enough, HMS Renown’s hull was strained during gunnery practice – popped rivets, warped frames, and buckled decks and hull plates. The ships were too “lightly” built, and could not withstand the firing shock of their own guns. Renown and Repulse spent so much time being strengthened and repaired, the British “tars” nicknamed them “Refit & Repair”. The German designers were concerned about the 15-inch guns -- but in reality, the British battlecruisers had only 6 inches of main belt armor and could easily have been handled by SMS Seydlitz or Derfflinger. POST SCRIPT The story never ends with the last word – there is always more – and the story of the German battlecruisers is no exception. The Imperial German battlecruisers ended when the Kaiserliche Marine ended – but the end of the Kaiserliche Marine was merely the beginning of the Reichsmarine. The Reichsmarine of the Weimar Republic struggled through the years after The Great War, strangled by lack of funds and high national inflation, while always burdened with the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty. But the German Navy was determined to survive and carry on their traditions – always looking ahead to better days. An enormous amount of design work had been done following the Ersatz Yorck Class. In 1917 and 1918 alone, the Imperial Construction Department turned out at least 18 design studies. But with the war going badly, everyone knew they were no more than “pipe dreams”. With the fall of the Monarchy and rise of the Republic, a chaotic political period ensued and records were lost or intermingled. During the succeeding Weimar Republic, the Treaty of Versailles prevented any new construction – except to replace ships if they were lost or reached “retirement age” at 20 years. (Four of the old pre-dreadnoughts survived some 30 years – and into WW II – with Schleswig-Holstein firing the opening shots of that war.) During the 15 years of the Republic, as many as six studies a year were carried out – but mostly to keep the design staff trained and to appraise modern developments in foreign navies. But the studies were dutifully filed away in the belief the political situation, and the national finances, would one day be stable enough to make use of them. Deutschland Class Panzerschiffe Deutschland -- Admiral Scheer – Admiral Graf Spee Displacement: 10,600 tons – Length 610 feet – Speed 28 knots – 6x11-inch guns – 8x5.9-inch guns – 3x3.5-inch AA guns – 8x21-inch torpedo tubes (deck mountings, fantail) – Complement: 33 officers, 586 enlisted – Operating Radius: 12,000 miles at 20 knots. The first ship built under treaty limitations was the Panzerschiffe (armored ship) RM Deutschland, built for the Reichsmarine, and commissioned in 1933. She was followed by two sister-ships -- Admiral Scheer in 1934 – and Admiral Graf Spee in 1936. The Versailles Treaty specified any new construction could be no more than 10,000 tons – thereby, effectively preventing Germany from building large capital ships capable of threatening Britain or France. When Deutschland was commissioned, she startled both the Royal Navy and the British Press with her battery of six 11-inch guns on a 10,000 ton displacement – and the British newspapers immediately dubbed her a “pocket-battleship”. (Ten thousand tons would become the standard Allied displacement for the WW II era “heavy cruiser”.) The German designers had set out to see just how much “battleship” they could pack into a 10,000 ton hull, and her modern diesel engines gave her “battlecruiser speed” with an extended operational radius. She was, in fact, an ideal commerce raider – the thing the British feared most. The design was, actually, far more effective than historians have admitted – probably because Graf Spee’s Kapitan handled her poorly off the River Plate in 1939. In 1933, the Weimar Republic all but ceased to exist when the tottering government of President Paul von Hindenburg passed into the control of a new set of actors. But – regardless of politics – the spirit of the Imperial Navy lived on. When the political climate and available finances finally came together, the opportunity to build a descent warship was taken up with enthusiasm. In early 1934 the old plans and specifications for “D-47” and the Mackensen and Erstaz Yorck Classes were pulled out of the files to form the basis of a new capital ship design. Updated with the latest maritime technology and incorporating modern weapons systems and naval practices – the last of the German battlecruisers was born. Scharnhorst Class Battlecruiser (Schlachtkreuzer) KM Scharnhorst – Commissioned: 1939 KM Gneisenau – Commissioned: 1936 Displacement: 32,100 tons – 771 feet in length – 31 knots – 9x11-inch guns – 12x5.9-inch guns – 14x4.1-inch AA guns – 10x20mm AA guns – 6x21-inch torpedo tubes (deck mounted amidships, either beam) 3 Arado Ar-196A-3 float planes – belt armor 13.8 inches. First, let me say there is some debate among analysts and historians about the classification of these ships. They were the first post-WW I ships to be officially classed as battleships by the Kriegsmarine. “Janes Fighting Ships: 1940” lists them as battleships. And the US Navy of that time considered them battleships. The Royal Navy considered them battlecruisers, but changed the classification to battleships AFTER World War II. The noted researcher and author Siegfried Breyer also classified these ships as battleships. However – Herr Breyer is careful to trace their lineage through the battlecruiser “tree” all the way back to SMS Von der Tann. All Imperial Panzerkreuzer were built as fast-battleships – but the battlecruiser classification is accepted without argument. In the final analysis, the only real difference between SMS Hindenburg and KM Scharnhorst – is about 20 years. And to anyone who has ever owned a horse, the “blood-line” is all-important. Battlecruisers sired KM Scharnhorst – and a battlecruiser she shall remain. Two views of Scharnhorst taking on main battery ammunition. Constructed between 1935 and 1939, these were powerful ships – but not as powerful as they could have been. Germany was actively seeking to get out from under the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty and had only recently signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935 with the British. The new treaty still had many restrictions intended to keep German rearmament within limits. Consequently, the Government in Berlin did not wish to cause alarm in Britain by appearing to engage in yet another naval arms race. This existing political situation (as well as a shaky German economy) effected several design elements of the Scharnhorst Class. The new ships were designed with a tonnage no higher than the previous Imperial battlecruisers, and the main guns were the old reliable 11-inch rifles – fearing a bigger ship with 15-inch guns might set off alarm bells in London. As built, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were thought of by the British as...“fast but under-gunned...and better suited to convoy raiding”. But the Naval High Command made sure the British never received a vital piece of information. The barbettes and turret machinery in Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had been built big enough and strong enough to accommodate twin gun houses with 15 inch rifles – the same arrangement designed for Ersatz Yorck – but with modern and more powerful rifles. Unfortunately, WW II broke out within months of commissioning, and they never found an appropriate time to install the bigger guns. Model courtesy of "Barroco Hispano" Two views of KM Gneisenau as she would have appeared with the new gun houses and rifles. The commissioning of KM Scharnhorst in 1939 was the last chapter in the story of the German battlecruiser. The Kaiserliche Marine had seen the “heyday” of the ships, while WW II saw the sad end. A year after Scharnhorst was commissioned, the British would attack the Italian battle fleet in Taranto harbor with Swordfish torpedo planes from an aircraft carrier. A year later, the Japanese would bomb Pearl Harbor, as well as sinking HMS Repulse and Prince Of Wales in the South China Sea – the last instance was with land-based aircraft. No longer would events be decided by long, lumbering lines of battleships, battlecruisers, and thundering guns. Now the long lines would simply present the perfect target for massed squadrons of torpedo planes and dive bombers. Though battleships proved useful throughout WW II, the dreadnoughts were no longer the “Queen of the Seas”. Britain retired HMS Vanguard in 1960, and the four battleships of the USS Iowa Class were retired between 1990 and 1992. Having fought in WW II, Korea, Viet NAM, Lebanon, the Persian Gulf, and the 1991 Gulf War, the citizens of a grateful nation preserved them as museum ships. “Big Mo” (USS Missouri) entering Pearl Harbor to be berthed on “Battleship Row” ahead of the USS Arizona Memorial – 22 June 1998. It is only fitting the two ships be anchored together – World War II started on one -- and ended on the other. (USS Arizona is still in commission – her name will never be stricken from the United States Naval Register.) Long before KM Scharnhorst’s hull slipped into the waters of Wilhelmshaven’s Inner Basin, the battlecruiser had fallen out of favor. The face of naval warfare – indeed, the whole world – had been transformed by the all-encompassing ruin of The Great War. An entire generation of young men had been slaughtered in Flander’s fields, the Italian Alps, the Steppes of Russia, and on the craggy cliffs of Gallipoli. Along with millions upon millions of broken lives, three great Monarchies had been swept away by the whirlwind -- and the political face of Europe was changed forever. There would be no return to the lazy, carefree summer of 1914 when the Edwardian Era marched off to war. The surviving “Great Powers” of Europe – “the winners” – were broken and teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. The occupied portions of France had been brutally devastated and fought over through four long years – her industrial areas of the north all but destroyed. Britain now faced a serious shortage of manpower – most of it buried in Belgium and northern France. And her finances were in ruins. The British had built the mightiest battle fleet the world had ever seen. She spent nearly a billion Pounds on battleships and battlecruisers alone – mostly borrowed from America – and with Peace, the bills came due. By the time HMS Hood was launched in 1920, the Royal Navy had already begun to lay-up or scrap the older dreadnoughts to reduce operating costs. The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 had been agreed upon by all the major naval powers with a great sigh of relief. It seemed the only way they could reduce the size of their ponderous and hugely expensive battle fleets. HMS Hood was altered on the builder’s slip to incorporate the lessons of Jutland, and though classified as a battlecruiser, it was clearly understood she had been finished as the most modern fast-battleship afloat. All the naval powers arrived at the conclusion they could no longer afford to build both battlecruisers and battleships – so the ship types were finally merged and a new era of naval design came into being. As the precursor of the fast-battleship, the Imperial Panzerkreuzer had established the pattern with their speed and magnificent armor suite. And, in the process, the Kaiserliche Marine designed some of the most powerful – and certainly the most handsome warships ever built. They were admired and respected in their day, and have become “Legendary” over the past century. They will always be pictured in the mind with great clouds of billowing smoke trailing away as their sharp bows slice through the waves. Their low-lying profile charges ahead, throwing spray as high as the bridge before it settles to the deck and trickles off the massive, squat shapes of the menacing gun turrets. And in your mind, you can imagine the old “Bavarian buccaneer” smiling on Seydlitz’ bridge – confident in his ships and the men who sail them. An artist’s rendition of SMS Hindenburg as she might have looked at sea in 1917. SIDE BAR Since the Ersatz Yorck Class ships were never built, we do not have the benefit of historical photographs. The only known visual representation of the ships are a few plan drawings that miraculously survived the trauma of two World Wars and still exist in the BundesArchive. These drawings alone made it possible to arrive at the basic size and layout of the battlecruisers. These ships were designed in the same time frame as the battlecruiser Hindenburg and the battleship Baden. In order to fill in details that were not obvious from the 2-D drawings, it was only necessary to look back at the previous designs. @AP has generously provided us with a magnificent scratch-built 3-D model presenting SMS Ersatz Yorck in vivid detail – never before seen, to my knowledge – anywhere. I have waited to see this warship in a “physical representation” for most of my life – and it has truly been a pleasure to work with this superb model. I have provided a variety of photos – and hope you enjoy them as well. (BELOW) Four views of SMS Ersatz Yorck nested inboard of Ersatz Gneisenau. The collier SS Erlangen is preparing to transfer “bagged” coal aboard Gneisenau. The breakwater is by “Uki” and the mooring points are courtesy of “Mattb325”, modified for use in the CJ. Top right of the picture is an Invincible Class battlecruiser by @Barroco Hispano, Everything else in the picture is the impeccable work of “AP”. The decks are largely “clutter-free” with the superstructure concentrated amidships between the main battery turrets. With careful examination, you will see the massive 15-inch gun turrets – dominating the silhouette of the warship – have clear and extremely wide firing arcs. Here you see the long, streamlined shape of the hull, which would have contributed to SMS Ersatz Yorck’s high speed. It is also evident from her wide beam and low profile that she was designed to be a stable gun platform, even in high sea states. BELOW are four views of SMS Ersatz Yorck moored at the repair docks with a machinists barge tied-up alongside. They are making adjusts to her turbine machinery. The docks are modified from the “PEG SNM Naval Series” with a wide variety of props from various sources. The workshops atop the barge are from the “NOB 1905 Naval Series. The steam tug Goliath, alongside the barge, is by Barroco Hispano. The battlecruiser, both barges, small boat, barge crane and towing tug, and dockside cranes are all courtesy of “AP”. This is a close-up detail shot of Ersatz Yorck. Most Imperial warships were low-freeboard compared to the high-sided capital ships of the British. This tended to make them “wet” at high speeds or in rough weather but, more importantly, it made them a smaller target in battle. German designers took this concept a step further by shrinking the above deck superstructure into the smallest possible space. The “upper works” on Ersatz Yorck have been reduced to the bare essentials, with as little height as possible, and occupy only 22% of the ship’s overall length. The result is a remarkably small target silhouette, while significantly reducing the unarmored portions of the ship. The single funnel is a notable innovation in design over previous multi-funnel ships. Fewer funnels reduces the overall superstructure area and largely remove the “blind spot” behind the bridge. The sloping base of the funnel is a 5.9-inch armored shield protecting the boiler uptakes and trunking. Note the individual 3.5-inch guns on the upper deck beside the forward bridge, and on the main deck beside “D” turret. More on them coming up. BELOW are four images – depicting what a Battlecruiser Division (4 ships) might have looked like had they ever been completed. The four Erstaz Yorck’s are moored in Schillig Roads as a “reaction force” should British light forces appear in the German Bight. Ersatz Scharnhorst (left) is taking on supplies and fresh provisions from two tugs, with a third tug standing by with more provisions. Ersatz Gneisenau (right) is taking on ship’s stores and coal, with another coal tow standing by. The flagship, inboard of her is Ersatz Yorck, with a motor launch waiting in case the Konteradmiral commanding is required in Wilhelmshaven. (BELOW) Four views of SMS Ersatz Yorck coaling ship. Note the green channel marker buoys inshore marking the limits of the dredged channel. The steam tug Goliath is courtesy of “Barroco Hispano”, while the battlecruiser, motor launch, coal lighters, paddle tug, small boat, and channel buoys are by “AP”. This is a “snap-shot” from “AP’s” modeling program of the German 3.5-inch SK-L/45 Schneklladekanone (quick-firing gun). These guns were originally carried as anti-torpedo boat armament on all capital ships, but were phased out after combat experience in 1914 proved them incapable of causing serious injury to modern torpedo boats and destroyers. With the emergence of aircraft as a weapon of war, Krupp developed a high-angle mounting for the gun with a protective shield. (The mounting was an MPL-CC/13 type.) These weapons were first installed on SMS Derfflinger and would eventually be retro-fitted to all German warships. SMS Ersatz Yorck was equipped with eight guns – four grouped on either side of the forward bridge structure, and four grouped on either side of “D” turret. You might think this to be a small number of guns, but it was more than adequate to “see off” the fragile aircraft of that time. I included this picture as an example of the extreme level of detail included in “AP’s” modeling. Until you have examined his work at length, you cannot imagine the amount of detail and degree of authenticity he brings to his craft. His models never fail to impress and amaze, and are nothing short of magnificent works of art. NEXT TIME…… IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS MANY THANKS to @Barroco Hispano for his beautiful warship models. SPECIAL THANKS to my friend and partner, @AP, for his talents, meticulous models, colorful imagination, and extreme dedication. 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 https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/761469-simtropolis-shipyard/?tab=comments#comment-1766496
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Chapter 27: Those Who Lead

Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN

Ships of the Hochseeflotte moored quayside in Wilhelmshaven harbor – circa 1916. The dreadnought in the foreground is a Konig Class battleship, III Battle Squadron. IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 27: THOSE WHO LEAD As with all military plans, they look very good on paper, but they rarely survive the point at which they are put into execution. And so it would be with Jellicoe’s elaborate operation -- but it was hardly his fault. He had the benefit of commanding the largest battle fleet the world had ever seen. And Room 40 was decoding German wireless traffic almost as soon as they got it -- and -- he outnumbered his opponent by a considerable margin. As his battle fleet steamed southeast by east, Jellicoe was not at all certain he was going to encounter the enemy. The boys in Room 40 had as much as told him so. Around half-past noon (12:30) on 31 May, Rear-Admiral Jackson, the Admiralty D.O.D., had checked in with Room 40 to see where the German flagship was located. Room 40 had long ago established Sheer’s flagship (SMS Friedrich der Grosse) was assigned the wireless call-sign “DK”. By intercepting enemy messages, and taking the directional bearings at the same time, they knew exactly where the German flagship was located. When Jackson asked, Room 40 gave him the short answer – Wilhelmshaven. And if the flagship was still in port, that meant the Hochseeflotte was still at anchor. Without confirming the particulars with the Room 40 staff, or even consulting other Admiralty staff, he transmitted a message to Jellicoe…“DK still placed in Jade at 11:10 – Apparently they have been unable to carry out air reconnaissance which has delayed them.” The message was received by both the Grand Fleet and Beatty’s Battlecruiser Fleet. Suddenly, a trap certain to ensnare their enemy, had been transformed into just another training mission. With the wind blowing strong from the northwest, Jellicoe reasoned there was little likelihood the German airships could be used, and even less chance the Germans would put to sea without them. Now his thoughts turned to deciding if he could remain at sea and try again, tomorrow. Unfortunately for Jellicoe, the Hochseeflotte staff officers had grown suspicious when the Grand Fleet seemed to miraculously turn up everywhere they planned an operation. It was simply too often for it to be coincidence. Though suspicious, the German naval command never changed the codes. But two bright lads on Scheer’s staff came up with a plan and managed to convince Scheer to try it. Just before taking the battle squadrons to sea, Scheer’s flagship exchanged call signs with the radio station at the entrance of the III lock into Wilhelmshaven. The flagship now had a new call-sign Room 40 did not know, while the lock wireless station continued to transmit normal traffic as “DK” – giving the impression Friedrich der Grosse was still at anchor in the Jade. The end result was two great fleets steaming into the North Sea – and neither would know the other was out. The ironic twist – and there is always an ironic twist – is that the Germans transmitted a signal to all ships and stations announcing the exchange of call-signs, just to make sure everyone was on the same sheet of music. However, the Germans transmitted in an entirely different and little used cypher code. Room 40 was unable to decode the message right away, so with an operation in progress, they simply put it to one side and carried on – leaving Jellicoe unaware the German battle fleet had followed Hipper to sea. With a battle as controversial as Jutland, there always seems to be a second version of events, and this is no exception. In the alternative version, it is normal operating procedure for the German flagship to change call signs when it goes to sea – there was no attempt at deception. The problem occurred within the Admiralty. Rear-Admiral Jackson mistakenly asked the whereabouts of “DK” – the call sign – NOT the actual flagship. Had Jackson asked for the location of the German flagship, presumably, he would have been told it was at sea, and given the position based on the radio direction bearings. There is, of course, a problem with the second story. Once at sea, the Germans were unlikely to generate enough wireless traffic to provide Room 40 with a position fix. AND – my guess is that if Room 40 had any idea the German flagship was at sea – they would have notified the Admiralty staff and The Fleet immediately. But – I will leave you to decide which version of events sounds more logical. With four groups of capital ships steaming on converging courses, and the sun about to rise in the North Sea – let us take a moment to learn about the men who command them. THE PRINCIPLE COMMANDERS John Jellicoe in the uniform of “Admiral Of The Fleet” – circa 1917. Admiral Of The Fleet Sir John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Viscount Jellicoe of Scapa Flow: 1859 – 1935. Born the son of a merchant sea captain, John Jellicoe joined the Royal Navy in 1872 at the age of thirteen. He gradually rose through the ranks in the slow but steady career progression common to the Royal Navy in the Victorian Era. Attaining the rank of commander, he was serving in the Mediterranean aboard the battleship HMS Victoria in 1893 when it collided with HMS Camperdown and sank off Tripoli. The accident was the result of incompetent ship handling by Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon. (Tryon at least had the good sense to go down with his ship.) In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, Captain Jellicoe commanded the battleship HMS Centurion, and was chief of staff to Admiral Sir Edward Seymour at the time of his relief expedition to Peking. Having been badly wounded ashore, at the Battle of Peitsang, Jellicoe refused to die and was appointed a Companion Of The Order Of The Bath, and also awarded the Imperial German Order Of The Red Eagle, 2nd class, with Crossed Swords. In 1905, Jellicoe was taken on as a protege of Admiral Jackie Fisher, and his career began to alternate between sea commands and assignments in the Admiralty. He was made Aide-de-Camp to the King-Emperor, Edward VII, in 1906, and promoted rear-admiral in 1907. He pushed hard for funds to modernize the navy, supported dreadnought construction, and campaigned tirelessly for improvements in gunnery fire control. In the first decade of the 20th Century, the Royal Navy had become obsessed with “spit and polish” and paid little attention to gunnery. British fleets spent much of their time steaming from port to port, reminding the world that Britannia ruled the waves, and touching-up their gleaming white paintwork. Gunnery practice was only mandated four times per year, and even then, there were no instructions, guidelines, or required performance standards. In fact, the only requirement was that a ship should expend 25% of its ammunition load at each practice. With such a slack attitude toward gunnery, it is not surprising that on more than one occasion, ship’s officers were known to have ordered the ammunition jettisoned over the side – rather than risk powder stains on the paint scheme. Jellicoe was appointed second-in-command of the Atlantic Fleet in 1907, Third Sea Lord in 1908, then moved to Commander-In-Chief Atlantic Fleet in 1910. Promoted vice-admiral in 1911, he became second-in-command of the Home Fleet, then commander of the 2nd Battle Squadron in 1912. In December 1912, he was appointed Second Sea Lord. With the outbreak of war in 1914, Winston Churchill removed Admiral George Callaghan as Commander-In-Chief Home Fleet, and promoted Jellicoe to full admiral to take command of the renamed “Grand Fleet”. There was some grumbling among the “senior” ranks in The Fleet over the precipitate manner in which Churchill promoted Jellicoe over the heads of officers with more seniority. But, despite the grumbling, the question remained – who better to command the Grand Fleet than Jellicoe? In 1902, as a young officer, he had shown an aptitude for gunnery and was sent to the new gunnery school aboard HMS Bulwark. By 1904 his quick grasp of technical issues found him selected to serve as a member of Fisher’s exploratory design committee for HMS Dreadnought. He then served as Third Sea Lord of the Admiralty under Fisher, making him responsible for developments in ship design, armor research and application – and -- development and advancement of warship guns and munitions. This post also gave him access to the latest information on the development of submarines, torpedoes, and mines, both at home and abroad. There was no other line officer in the Royal Navy possessed of such a comprehensive technical knowledge of the modern dreadnought. Simply put – he knew the strengths and weaknesses of each of his battleships and had the tactical knowledge to use them. Jellicoe, the man, had a spotless service record, was known as immensely capable, and was considerably more than “well-connected”, with friends in the very highest places. Despite all this, he was a modest man and sincerely placed the unity of his flag-officers and the well-being of the Fleet above his own ambitions. His very appearance bespoke modesty. He was just 5 feet 6 inches, with a spare frame, a tight-lipped mouth, and a somewhat prominent nose. He had kind eyes – a welcome feature to junior officers – but they were deceptive. He was quick and clever, saw everything, missed nothing, and instantly understood everything he had seen. His physical courage, though not often on display, was beyond doubt. As an “enlightened” admiral, he cared for each and every man under his command. Jellicoe was universally recognized as a superb seaman and an expert ship handler. Large fleets were notoriously difficult to handle in the early decades of the 20th Century, and his quick brain, cognitive powers, and instant commands were faultless – even in the midst of roaring battle. (It should be noted the Battle Fleet was far larger, and its battle line far longer, than any other at Jutland. And yet, there were no mistaken flag signals among the battleships.) Though he acted swiftly, he made careful and calculated decisions. Some have criticized him as over-cautious – he was not. But he was careful. Jellicoe understood the responsibility resting on his shoulders. Winston Churchill later said he was “...the only man on either side who could lose the war in an afternoon”. Though typical of Winston’s fondness for hyperbole, it is substantially true. If Jellicoe had rashly and recklessly sacrificed the Grand Fleet, the Hochseeflotte might have gained the upper hand, and the outcome of the war could have been different. Without giving undue weight to outrageous “what if” scenarios, there is little doubt a significant loss of capital ships would have considerably effected Britain’s political stance. Tactically, the British might even have lost the ability to effectively blockade the German ports. HMS Iron Duke, flagship of the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland. Iron Duke Class: HMS Iron Duke, HMS Marlborough, HMS Benbow, HMS Emperor Of India – all commissioned 1914. Displacement: 25,820 tons – 21 knots – 10x13.5-inch guns – 12x6-inch guns – 4x21-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 12 inches. Model courtesy of @Barroco Hispano. Vizeadmiral Carl Friedrich Heinrich Reinhard Scheer – 1863 – 1928. Reinhard Scheer was born to a middle-class family in Obernkirchen, Lower Saxony. He entered the Imperial navy in 1879, at age fifteen, as a naval cadet. His early grades in training exams were not spectacular, but he managed to achieve the second highest rating in his class for the 1880 “Sea Cadets” exam. He was sent for special training in gunnery, torpedo warfare, and naval infantry tactics. (In those days, many young officers would serve in the African colonies or on the China Station.) Scheer served in various posts aboard foreign station cruisers – some wooden-hulled and steam-driven. He participated in, and even led, some of the landing parties sent to keep order in the far-flung parts of the empire. By 1905, Scheer had attained the rank of Kapitan zur See and took command of the pre-dreadnought battleship SMS Elsass in 1907. In 1909 he became chief of staff to Flottenchef Admiral von Holtzendorff and, at age 47, reached flag rank less than 6 months later. By 1911, he had been transferred to the Reichsmarineamt, where he held the post of Chief of the General Naval Department. Scheer returned to sea duty in January 1913, with command of the II Battle Squadron, and was promoted to Vizeadmiral in December of that year. War broke out in 1914, and in January of the following year, he was given command of the modern and powerful dreadnoughts of the III Battle Squadron. In January 1916, Admiral von Pohl became too ill to carry on as Flottenchef, and Scheer was given the command. One of his first acts was to write “Guiding Principles For Sea Warfare In The North Sea” – not exactly a “catchy” title. But he outlined the idea that the Grand Fleet should be pressured by increased submarine warfare, Zeppelin raids, and more frequent sorties by the Hochseeflotte. This would force the Grand Fleet to abandon its distant blockade and actually pursue the German fleet. The Kaiser signed-off on the memorandum on 23 February 1916 – and with that approval – Scheer would be able to use the fleet more aggressively. Aged 52 when he took command, Scheer was known as an excellent seaman and could handle dreadnought formations as well as any man alive. He was widely regarded by his fellow officers as one of the ablest and quickest-thinking flag-officers in the Kaiserliche Marine. His vigorous and aggressive spirit was much admired and well known – even in the British Admiralty. In many ways Scheer was a very different man than Jellicoe. All they really seemed to have in common was a rapid and analytical thought process. He was energetic, active, and impatient. He wanted action – and he wanted it now. Scheer was a man that expected his staff to have detailed plans and orders for an operation – but they were often pushed aside as soon as he appeared on the bridge. He tended to command by instinct and made quick decisions. He preferred to have all options presented to him, and might then chose another option no one had considered. Scheer’s chief of staff, Admiral Adolf von Trotha, summed it up neatly...”In action he was cool and clear-headed. The pressure of Jutland showed his ability to think calmly in the midst of chaos – a great gift. And a man like that must be allowed to drive his subordinates mad.” Apparently, Admiral von Trotha had a sense of humor. SMS Friedrich der Grosse, flagship of the Hochseeflotte at Jutland. Kaiser Class: SMS Friedrich der Grosse - 1912, SMS Kaiserin - 1913, SMS Konig Albert - 1913, SMS Prinzregent Luitpold - 1912, SMS Kaiser – 1912 Displacement: 24,380 tons – 21 knots – 10x12-inch guns – 14x5.9-inch guns – 12x3.4-inch guns – 5x19.7-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 13.75 inches. Model by “Barroco Hispano”. Admiral Of The Fleet Sir David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, Viscount Borodale, and Baron Beatty of the North Sea and Brooksby – 1871 – 1936. Seen here in his uniform as a Vice-Admiral – circa 1915. The picture tells you very nearly everything you need to know about the man. The tailored uniform coat, the hands in the pockets, the affected stern, tight-lipped, steely glare, the casual air of a “rake” or a “maverick”, and the cap tilted at a jaunty angle over the left eye. Say what you will – the picture is the man. This “biographical sketch” will be a bit longer than the first two “players” – for two good reasons; (1) Beatty and his battlecruisers fought a goodly portion of the Battle of Jutland, and (2) There is simply so much more to say about an uncommonly “colorful” man. Born in Cheshire, Beatty’s father had served with the 4th Hussars, and three brothers served in the army – but Beatty chose to join the Royal Navy at age thirteen. He left Dartmouth Naval College in 1886 – but not with distinction. He was, however, possessed of a wealth of physical courage, a love of adventure, and a natural talent for “the dramatic”. All traits that were on display when indulging in his passion for fox hunting. (A bit of a “prima donna” before the phrase had become popular.) By 1896 he had been appointed second-in-command of the Nile Flotilla accompanying General Herbert Kitchener’s expedition into the Sudan. He proved very cool in a crisis – on more than one occasion -- and even personally jettisoned an unexploded shell from his gunboat while under fire. He demonstrated his ability to improvise under pressure and went out of his way to bedevil the hostile tribesmen. He earned both the D.S.O. and Kitchener’s admiration. (Something Winston Churchill – attached to Kitchener’s staff – was unable to do.) Four years later, and promoted to commander, Beatty again distinguished himself in action during the Boxer Rebellion. Leading a naval contingent from the fleet, Beatty saw combat at Tianjin and was wounded in the left arm and wrist. His heroism won him promotion to captain at age 29 and made him a celebrated hero back home. Returning to England, Beatty began a long, and sometimes difficult, marriage to divorcee Ethel Tree, heiress to the Marshall-Fields (Chicago) department store fortune. The marriage liberated Beatty financially, and put him on the “A-list” of guests at Edwardian house parties, allowing him to travel in the best social circles. Her money also bought him a steam yacht, an estate in the Leicestershire fox-hunting country, and a Scottish grouse moor. But it was akin to a Greek Tragedy. She was also a notorious “flirt”, and Beatty suffered “the tortures of the damned”. Serving afloat in a variety of warships, including command of a battleship, he also rotated through a wide range of shore duties – including an appointment as Aide-de-Camp to King George V in 1908. Despite having served on several ships, his experience in command of big ships was limited, with NO experience at squadron level under his belt. Nevertheless -- Beatty was promoted rear-admiral in 1910 – the youngest officer to attain that rank in a century. Winston Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911, and regardless of warnings about Beatty’s youth and impertinence, he made the young man his naval secretary. Churchill thought he recognized a bright and rising star in a sky that was momentarily dull due to lack of war-like employment. In 1913, command of the Battlecruiser Squadron came open – and to no one’s surprise – Churchill appointed Beatty. There were surprising similarities between the careers of Lord Nelson and David Beatty – if you chose to see them. And Churchill’s sense of the melodramatic may have unduly influenced him. Otherwise, why appoint a man with little ship handling experience and only a shaky grasp of modern naval technology and tactics? (No matter that Beatty was promoted over the heads of several senior officers.) HMS Dreadnought had changed the face of naval warfare in 1905. By 1916, Beatty would fly his flag in HMS Lion – a 26,000 ton monster with 13.5-inch guns and capable of a remarkable 26.5 knots. Naval engagements – which Beatty had never witnessed – would now unfold much more quickly, travel at greater speed, engage at longer ranges, and fire considerably bigger shells with enormous destructive power. The battle line, itself, was no longer a compact fighting unit – with 100 yards between ships. The new dreadnoughts were 200 yards long and required an interval between ships of 400 yards to avoid collisions and provide dispersal under fire. Ship handling in the modern Royal Navy was no job for unpracticed amateurs – especially in the confusion and chaos of battle. At the same time, signaling between ships had become a critical tool of command and control. If a ship’s wireless antennas were shot away, the only alternative was a signal lamp or flag hoists. And the very act of signaling was often carried out under near impossible conditions. When Beatty assumed command of the squadron he chose Lieutenant Ralph Seymour as his “flag lieutenant” (Admiral’s signals officer). Seymour did have aristocratic connections – and – his sister was a great friend of Churchill’s wife. “Influence” appointments were common in those days, but Beatty chose to overlook the fact that Seymour had NO experience whatever as a signals officer. This later caused a great deal of trouble. When people spoke of Beatty – “brash”, “rash”, “reckless”, “hotheaded”, and “impetuous” – were the adjectives most often used. And more often than not, they were used by the older and cooler heads in the Admiralty. In 1914 and 1915, this sort of behavior was on full display. Beatty led the Battlecruiser Squadron in the major clashes of Heligoland Bight and Dogger Bank (among others) – and neither he, nor his captains, seemed to learn any lessons from them. Beatty had simply charged into battle with guns blazing and gave little thought to tactics and the proper employment of his technologically advanced warships. The British demonstrated clear difficulties in reporting information up the chain of command, as well as serious foul-ups in signaling, in general. British ammunition handling procedures were seriously deficient, and Beatty placed no emphasis on gunnery practice – so they rarely hit the target. And while Beatty basked in the warmth of public adoration – the mistakes and failures were ignored, and the lessons went unlearned. After Dogger Bank, Beatty was lauded as the hero of the hour for having routed the German battlecruisers. But the reality is -- he had simply been lucky. Beatty had not prepared his squadron for modern battle. In the “old traditions” of the Royal Navy, he had not briefed his captains or prepared them with “basic fighting instructions” (as Jellicoe had done) – he merely chose to “have at the enemy” in something like an old-fashioned cavalry charge. (Follow me, Lads !) He had not been able to control his ships very well – signals were often confusing, misdirected to a given ship, or simply poorly worded by an inexperienced “flag-lieutenant”. In many cases, he failed to even make signals -- leaving his captains to guess at his intentions. The lack of gunnery practice resulted in an estimated 1% hit ratio (one out of every hundred shells fired managed to find a target). And – he very nearly lost his flagship to superior German gunnery. Beatty could lead men into battle, but he could not prepare them for it, nor could he direct them once battle was joined. In March 1915, after Dogger Bank, Jellicoe wrote Beatty a lengthy, but discreet letter. He chose not to give the younger man a verbal thrashing – after all, Beatty had managed to sink SMS Blucher. Instead, Jellicoe opted for a diplomatically phrased word of advice and caution. Like many at the Admiralty, Jellicoe worried Beatty’s impetuous nature and total lack of caution might lead the Battlecruiser Squadron headlong into a German ambush – and a resulting disaster. He expressed the fear that Hipper’s battlecruisers might lead Beatty on a merry chase, ending when the Hochseeflotte opened fire. If there was ever an answer to Jellicoe’s letter – it has not survived the century that has passed since Jutland. And if Beatty read the letter, he certainly learned nothing from it – Hipper would prove that. There was little doubt Britain longed for a Nelsonian hero at this hour, but there was no Nelson. The legendary Admiral had understood the capabilities of his ships, knew his gunnery to be superior to that of his enemy, and had planned his battles. More importantly -- he had prepared his captains to play their part. Beatty did not comprehend the strengths and weaknesses of his dreadnoughts, and his lack of forethought ensured they would come off a poor second to the Hochseeflotte’s gunnery. David Beatty looked and acted the dashing hero every man wanted to be, but he had no grasp of the responsibility of command, nor the necessity for control. He could lead, but he could not direct. HMS Lion, flagship of the Battlecruiser Fleet – attached to the Grand Fleet at Jutland. Lion Class: HMS Lion (1912) – HMS Princess Royal (1912) – HMS Queen Mary (1915) Displacement: 26,270 tons – 27 knots – 8x13.5-inch guns – 16x4-inch guns – 15x4-inch guns – 2x21-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 9 inches. Model by “Barroco Hispano”. Vizeadmiral Franz Ritter von Hipper – 1863 – 1932: seen here in his Vizeadmiral’s uniform – circa 1916. Franz von Hipper was born in Weilheim, Oberbayern (Upper Bavaria), some 40 miles south of Munich, and his shop-keeper father died when he was just three years old. Coming from humble origins, he concentrated on an education so he could make his mark in life. At age 16, he decided to join the fledgling Imperial Navy and two years later graduated officer training. (Ludwig II – “The Mad King” – was on the throne of Bavaria.) One of his fellow classmates (class of 1881) was Wilhelm Souchon, who would go on to successful command of SMS Goeben in 1914. As a “sea cadet”, Hipper served on the old sailing frigate SMS Niobe for six months, then attended Naval Cadet School in Kiel, followed by Gunnery School on SMS Mars. Hipper returned to sea duty aboard the training ship SMS Friedrich Carl before transferring to the steam corvette SMS Leipzig for a two-year world cruise. Returning in October 1884, the young man was assigned as a divisional drill officer training recruits for the First Naval Battalion. Even in its early years, the Kaiserliche Marine was known to rotate officers in and out of various commands so they would have an excellent, all-around knowledge of the service and how it operated. By 1898, Hipper was serving as navigator aboard the pre-dreadnought battleship SMS Kurfurst Friedrich Wilhelm, then transferred to the Imperial Yacht Hohenzollern in September 1899. While serving aboard, he was present for the trip to England for Queen Victoria’s funeral in 1901, and the cruise to America the following year. During his assignment, he was awarded the Prussian Order Of The Red Eagle, the Bavarian Military Service Order, and the Order Of St. Stanislaus (awarded by Tsar Nicholas II). Hipper was promoted to Korvettenkapitan in June 1901. In October 1902, he was assigned to command the Second Torpedo Unit until 1905, and was promoted to Fregattenkapitan. He then attended advanced gunnery courses for cruisers and battleships. Hipper was appointed to command several cruisers in succession, and in 1907, was promoted Kapitan zur See. The same year he was in attendance during a three-day meeting between the Kaiser and the Tsar, and was awarded the Order Of St. Andrew by the Tsar. In 1908, Hipper took command of the First Torpedo Boat Division for a period of three years, during which he trained more than half of the torpedo boats in the Kaiserliche Marine. October 1911 saw Hipper take command of the armored cruiser SMS Yorck and also assume the position of chief of staff to Konteradmiral Gustav Bachmann, Deputy Flag Officer, Reconnaissance Forces. In January 1912, Hipper became Deputy Commander, Reconnaissance Forces and was promoted to Konteradmiral. In October 1913, Hipper was appointed to command the 1st Scouting Group of the Hochseeflotte – a position he would fulfill with distinction. At age 50, Konteradmiral Franz Hipper rose to the command of a unit that would become legendary in the annals of naval history – and would make him famous as well. He worked the 1st Scouting Group hard – even in peacetime – training them in ship handling, squadron maneuvers, and especially gunnery. Hipper was practical and produced results. He knew guns were useless if you couldn’t hit the target, and his crews worked hard to earn the Kaiser’s prized shooting trophy. His men came to have complete confidence in him and his abilities. Not all naval officers responded to fast ships and tended to handle them like the lumbering battleships of the battle line. But Hipper was different, and quite unusual for a senior German officer. There was something of the “buccaneer” in him, and he reveled in the big cruisers speed and big guns. He understood them – understood how they were meant to work -- and knew how to use them. He was completely confident he had the skill to take them anywhere they were needed, and do whatever was required of them. Hipper never took a Staff College course and disliked theoretical speculation. Instead, he took in large amounts of information in a short time and retained it all – making decisions without hesitation. His operations were planned carefully, taking into account a wide range of factors – especially intelligence gathered by U-boats and Zeppelins. Hipper thought fast on his feet and proved to be a cool customer under fire. He was a gifted tactician with quick perception and a keen “seaman’s eye”. He got the most out of his ships, and kept tight control of his squadron when in combat. Hipper’s flagship always led the column and he took risks – but they were calculated risks. He handled the big battlecruisers like squadrons of heavy cavalry, and the man hand nerves of steel. Hipper was known to be energetic and hard working – but loathed paperwork and was quite content to leave that to his staff. He was well-liked by his subordinates and treated his staff with courtesy and great kindness. He was all business when at sea, but often sent his aides to sleep or eat when he had done neither. His personal modesty and cordial friendliness made him much loved by his men. He trained his crews hard and often, and respected officers that ran taught ships, but aboard SMS Seydlitz, when the crew saluted him – they were happy to do so. SMS Lutzow, flagship of the 1st Scouting Group – attached to the Hochseeflotte at Jutland. Derfflinger Class: SMS Derfflinger (1914) – SMS Lutzow (1915) – SMS Hindenburg (1917) Displacement: 26,180 tons – 27 knots – 8x12-inch guns – 14x5.9-inch guns – 4x19.7-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 12 inches. Model courtesy of "Barroco Hispano". NEXT TIME…… AN INNOCUOUS LITTLE STEAMER Again, my apologies…… I have been unable to create very many in-game pictures to cover the text of this chapter, so we will continue our tour of Cuxhaven…… This is another view of the West Loch of the Cuxhaven Dockyards. A first glance shows six ships moored to buoys in the center of the roadsted. As mentioned in Chapter 28, this small squadron of two armored cruisers and two light cruisers will be accompanied by two colliers on the long voyage to Imperial Germany’s China Station, in Tsingtau. They will significantly increase Germany’s power and influence in the region. Starting at the “tail” of the line you see the modern armored cruiser SMS Gneisenau, preparing to take aboard stores and provisions. Moored ahead of her is SMS Scharnhorst (flagship). (For details on these pictures, see Chapter 7.) The big armored cruisers are by “AP”. https://i.imgur.com/spzTJtJ.jpg[/img Moored ahead of the armored cruisers are two light cruisers of the Jurien de la Graviere Class. These are French cruisers, but I selected them because...(1) they were active prior to, and during WW I...(2) I wanted to provide a bit of variety to the cruiser mix – the number of German cruiser models available was somewhat limited...and (3) they are quite interesting in their appearance. To their port side, you see two moored colliers that will accompany the squadron. https://i.imgur.com/DYGnYGs.jpg[/i This is a very handsome, and highly detailed model, provided by @Barroco Hispano, and is indicative of French naval architecture of the period. The French navy was distinctive for the numerous funnels aboard their ships – and unique in the way they tended to separate them into groups. Displacement was 6,175 tons – 22.8 knots – 8x6.5-inch guns -- 10x1.9-inch Hotchkiss guns -- 6x1.5-inch guns -- 2x18-inch torpedo tubes. The only armor amounted to a 1.77-inch deck, a 3.9-inch conning tower, and 2.8-inch gun shields. Technically, she was a “protected cruiser”. The main armament is arranged in two single, shielded gun mounts fore and aft, with six more guns mounted amidships in sponsoned hull casemates (shown here with the armored shutters open). An Odin Class tug is seen nudging a lighter of provisions alongside – courtesy of “AP”. In this view of Jurien de la Graviere you can see the extremely fine lines of her hull. She had a length to width ration of nearly 9 to 1 – giving her a clean and extremely hydrodynamic hull form. Unfortunately, her hull was constructed of light frames and scantlings, which caused violent vibrations at her cruising speed of 10 knots. These vibrations frequently broke voice tubes and boiler piping. This very handsome collier is the SS Erlangen, and @AP has done wonders with the old girl. From the weathered hull, to the rusty brown forecastle deck plating, and the soot-smudged funnels – she is every bit a worn and over-worked collier from the early years of the 20th Century. Note the details on the ship’s boats, the weathered texture of the fantail awning, and the detailed rendering of the cargo booms. Colliers were an essential element to the operation of warships of this era, and we could not possibly have left them out. Erlangen represents a Norddeutscher Line collier that would have been leased by the Imperial Navy to provide coal for the warships on their way to China. Germany relied heavily on leased colliers, mostly from neutral nations, since they only had small naval commitments abroad. In peacetime, the Hochseeflotte rarely ventured into the Atlantic – and never beyond Norwegian or Spanish waters. In wartime – the battle fleet confined its operations to the North Sea. This is another view showing the unusually fine lines designed into this collier. SS Erlangen was based on the US Navy’s Prometheus Class colliers, and they were chosen for their modern features, as well as their unusually clean and handsome lines not found in other colliers. She displaced approximately 9,000 tons, was 466 feet in length, was capable of 16 knots, and could carry an estimated 7,000 tons of coal. Once the squadron arrives at Tsingtau, Erlangen will obtain another cargo – possibly in Yokohama or Nagasaki – and work her way back to Germany. The unusual ship in the center is the USS Proteus, name ship of a class of four colliers built for the US Navy in the early 1900’s. Commissioned in 1913, she displaced 19,000 tons, had a speed of 15 knots, and could carry 8,000 tons of coal. She was purpose-built as a collier by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company. I chose this ship to represent colliers built specifically to operate as naval auxiliaries. The US Navy chose not to rely exclusively on leased colliers, largely due to the vast stretches of the Pacific Ocean, and their reluctance to be at the political mercy of neutral nations. Naval engineers drew her plans specifically to be able to handle two warships at the same time – and as quickly as possible. I also chose Proteus because her design is unique among all the colliers. This is another view of Proteus, this one showing her extremely long and narrow hull. It can easily be seen the midship’s portion of the hull is entirely occupied by coal storage holds, and cargo derricks designed to disburse the cargo in a speedy and efficient manner. The aft portion of the ship contains the engines, boilers, ship’s galley, Mess and Ward rooms, and the officer’s quarters. This view of Proteus’ bow shows the “conning bridge” of the ship. It is a very spartan arrangement, just big enough to hold the watch officer, a helmsman, perhaps the captain, and a couple of ratings. The bridge has been raised above the deck to allow heavy seas to pass beneath. The skylights in the forecastle deck are designed to allow light into the crew quarters below. These may look like small quarters, but it must be remembered, Proteus is not a warship and was crewed by only 158 officers and men. This view also allows close examination of the working booms and derricks installed between the cargo hatches. “AP” scratch-built this unique model and went to great lengths to make sure the complicated derrick system, and all its lines and rigging, have been duplicated properly. Here you have a detail shot of the aft superstructure -- such as it is. Please note the overhead crane gantry rigged over the two aft coal hatches (white), and four “reddish” hatch covers on the aft superstructure. This system is designed to bring coal from the two holds forward and deposit it in the four aft hatch openings to feed the boiler room coal bunkers. The two funnels placed side-by-side is an arrangement not commonly found on modern ships. You will also note a raised aft steering bridge extends the width of the ship at the fantail. All in all – great effort had gone into the design of the Proteus Class ships – and resulted in the simplified elegance of a rather large floating coal pile. The small machinery and crew spaces have been subordinated to the purpose of getting the coal where it needs to go. And “AP’s” wonderfully detailed model has captured every aspect of that simple elegance. (The Proteus Class collier prop-packs are available in the STEX -- "Historic Navies: 1900 -- Pack #28.) I cannot leave you without mentioning the “Twilight Zone” aspect of the Proteus colliers. During WW I, USS Cyclops, a sister-ship of Proteus, was known to have been in Barbados in March 1918 -- bound for Bermuda. She never reached Bermuda and was never seen again, nor has her wreckage ever been located. She is best remembered as one of the “ghost ships” of “The Bermuda Triangle”. During WW II (10 December 1941) USS Nereus, another of the Proteus Class, sailed from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands bound for Bermuda (sailing the same sea lane Cyclops had taken). She never arrived in Bermuda and was presumed to have been torpedoed by a German U-Boat. But surviving U-Boat war diaries do not claim any such sinking. It is possible a submarine sank the collier, and was lost soon after -- but there is no record of a lost U-Boat near the area at that time. The wreck of USS Nereus has never been located. Did “The Bermuda Triangle” claim two sister-ships in two different World Wars? Only Rod Serling could answer that question…... MANY THANKS to @Barroco Hispano for his beautiful warship models. SPECIAL THANKS to my friend and partner, @AP, for his talents and extreme dedication. 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 https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/761469-simtropolis-shipyard/?tab=comments#comment-1766496
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Chapter 15: Anatomy Of A Battlecruiser

Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN

Turret “Albert” of SMS Helgoland. Even though the Helgoland Class mounted 12-inch rifles, this picture gives you a good idea of the size of a main battery turret compared to the seaman standing at left. The turret is massive and squat, with heavy and menacing guns. Just beneath the gun barrels, you can see the skylights opening above the crew quarters in the forecastle. The armored covers are raised to the vertical position, while the hinged glass lids are opened to allow air to circulate. IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 15: ANATOMY OF A BATTLECRUISER Shipyard builder’s slip– circa 1910. The construction process has just begun, and you can see the forefoot of the ship’s keel in the upper left corner. THE CONSTRUCTION On 26 September 1907, the construction contract for “Grosse Kreuzer-F” was awarded to Blohm & Voss Dockyard, Hamburg. The shipyard had previously built the pre-dreadnought battleship Kaiser Karl der Grosse in 1898, and after that, the armored cruisers Friedrich Carl, Yorck, and Scharnhorst. Blohm & Voss was much favored by the Kaiserliche Marine, and with good cause – they turned out finely finished and properly built ships – and quicker than other German yards. The new cruiser was expected to cost 36.5 million Marks – twice the cost of Scharnhorst, and a 33% increase over Blucher. And Tirpitz had gone to the Reichstag and traded on all that “public goodwill” to explain why the cost of “Grosse Kreuzer-F” had jumped so sharply. The Reichstag could see the necessity of countering the new British dreadnought battleships and cruisers – and they approved the funds -- but with little enthusiasm. This uneasy political/fiscal situation would be a major problem for the remainder of the Kaiserliche Marine’s existence. The Naval Laws had been based on the premise of fairly stable building costs – but that would quickly be seen as a really bad assumption. As everyone knows, when customers create a demand – prices go up. And, as we have already seen, each succeeding warship class grows -- the guns get bigger – the armor thickness increases – speed must be higher. And that always means more money. The ship’s keel was laid on 21 March 1908, and the hull launched not quite a year later. At the christening ceremony, she was named in honor of Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann, a General of Infantry in the Royal Bavarian Army, and a veteran of the First Schleswig War (1848), the Austro-Prussian War (1866), and the Franco-Prussian War (1871). He was conspicuous for his bravery, and much decorated by the Kings of Bavaria. SMS Von der Tann – profile view and deck plan. Unlike other warships, Von der Tann’s overall appearance changed very little during her career. She would remain a beautiful vessel – long and sleek, with clean lines and uncluttered decks. SMS Von der Tann was the first Imperial German battlecruiser. The Naval High Command could call her a “Grosse Kreuzer”, and the fighting sailors could call her a “Panzerkreuzer”, but she was undeniably a battlecruiser. She had not been designed for policing functions on distant colonial stations, but to stand in the line of battle. More specifically, she was designed to overpower the British Invincible Class battlecruisers. A casual glance will show the layout of her guns was very similar to HMS Invincible – but the similarity is all visual – and stops there. In truth, Von der Tann was, in every respect, a great improvement over the original British concept. SMS Von der Tann easing through the west entrance to Cuxhaven Roadsted. Two Nordwind and two Passat Class tugs standby to assist. At top right, you see the second generation battlecruiser SMS Moltke lying at her berth along the breakwater. At lower left, pulling “guard duty”, is the gunboat USS Erie (See previous chapters.). Von der Tann and Erie are courtesy of @Barroco Hispano. Moltke and tugs are by @AP. Sea floor coral heads by NBVC. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS The new cruiser displaced 19,370 tons -- a considerable increase over Blucher -- and fully 2,000 tons heavier than Invincible. At 563 feet, she was longer than previous classes, with a hull constructed of transverse and longitudinal frames, and riveted hull plating made of Siemens-Martin “mild steel”. The “mild steel” would be more flexible when hit with shells or splinters and would warp or buckle rather than shattering. There were fifteen watertight compartments and six deck levels, with a double bottom running 75% of her length – a significant increase of internal compartmentalization. (Internal subdivision slows flooding and confines it to a smaller area.) To counteract the rolling problem habitual to all German cruisers, “Frahm Anti-Roll Tanks” (developed at Blohm & Voss by Dr. Frahm) were installed for the first time in a large warship. Unfortunately, the decision was made during construction, and they were too small and fitted too far inboard. Proving ineffective on trials, they were converted to coal bunkers. Bilge keels were later fitted to improve stability. All interior decks were steel plated and covered with linoleum, while the exterior (“weather”) decks were steel plated and covered with 2.5 inches of teak planking. Forward, she had a narrow, raised, forecastle deck to accommodate the main battery turret, bridge superstructure, and the first funnel. The purpose of the raised deck was to keep heavy seas from washing over the bow. Unlike the ungainly, high-sided, British battlecruisers, the Kaiserliche Marine cruisers had too little freeboard – even with a raised forecastle. During heavy weather, Von der Tann was very wet, and personnel were not allowed to move about the weather decks. Aft of the forward superstructure, besides three main battery turrets, there was one small funnel and ventilator structure amidships, and a small aft control structure beyond that. The careful arrangement of her machinery spaces below decks allowed the “minimalist” superstructure to be placed well clear of the main battery turrets and firing arcs. The deck plating in the midships area was specially reinforced to withstand the blast pressure of cross-deck firing. The weather deck was low and flush all the way to the fantail. This view of Von der Tann will give you a sense of her sleek lines. Her length to width ratio was 6.5 to 1 – giving her enough beam for a stable gun platform while narrow enough to achieve good speed. She is built for speed – with her powerful gun battery on prominent display. In an unusual move, the crew quarters were placed aft of the stern turret barbette on the “battery deck” and “armored deck” below that – with only a few berthed in their traditional forecastle space. The officers, out of necessity to reach the bridge in a hurry, were billeted forward, beneath the forecastle deck. The experience proved unsatisfactory and was not repeated. (Imagine an off-duty Watch Officer trying to sleep while the cruiser pounds into a “head sea” at 18 knots.) Her crew consisted of 41 officers and 882 enlisted men. Von der Tann’s electrical needs were filled by six turbo-generators totaling 1,200kw output at 225 volts. This supplied lighting, communications, wireless, main gun turret traverse, and searchlights -- linked through the ship’s mains. As a precaution, the generators were divided between two dynamo rooms to provide redundancy in case of battle damage. (See Chapter 13 for dynamo problems suffered by HMS Lion.) Two searchlight platforms with four lights, along with an observation platform, were stepped against the foremast – with a similar installation on the mainmast. As a standard feature of German capital ships of this period, Von der Tann was equipped with a drainage and pumping system which could drain any compartment in the ship. Two large drain pipes ran down each side of the ship and connected to a pump room with three high-capacity centrifugal pumps (two steam driven – one electrical). In an emergency, the condenser pumps could also be connected to the drainage system. The ship also carried several portable, electric “leak” pumps. In accordance with a 1909 Reichsmarineamt directive, the cruiser was equipped with two wireless transmitters, three receivers, and as many antennas. In a 1912 refit, an additional transmitter/receiver was installed in the forward conning tower. ANTI-TORPEDO DEFENSE NETS The Russian pre-dreadnought battleship Evstafiya – circa 1910 – with her torpedo nets deployed. Von der Tann’s original design included an anti-torpedo net system. Torpedo nets came into common use during the 1890’s to protect anchored warships from the growing threat of torpedoes. Multiple horizontal booms were fixed (usually on swivel joints) to the side of the ship at regular intervals, a few feet above the waterline. At the end of this 40 foot boom, a heavy gauge, steel mesh net was suspended. The net hung down into the water far enough to prevent an incoming torpedo from hitting the hull of the ship. At 40 feet in length, the boom provided enough distance for a torpedo to explode against the net without damaging the ship. When preparing to get underway, the nets were hauled up, furled, and the booms collapsed against the ship’s hull. The whole thing was then secured for sea. Clearly – it was a cumbersome and somewhat primitive system. Not to mention the added weight of the nets and booms. Various tricks and strategies were devised to tactically defeat the nets, but by 1914, torpedo warheads had become powerful enough to damage the ship regardless of the net. During the Battle of Jutland, exposed torpedo nets suffered severe battle damage, and nets dragging alongside threatened to snag the ship’s propellers unless cut away and allowed to sink. Consequently, the Kaiserliche Marine removed them as quickly as possible. The crew of SMS Weissenburg recovering torpedo nets in preparation for getting underway. PROPULSION PLANT Von der Tann was the first German capital ship to have steam turbines installed. There were two sets of Parsons type turbines, one high pressure and one low pressure set, manufactured at the Blohm & Voss Engine Works. The high pressure turbines worked two outer shafts while the low pressure cruising turbines worked the two inner shafts. There were reversing arrangements on all four shafts. The forward and aft engine rooms were divided along the centreline by a longitudinal bulkhead. Steam was fed to the turbines by eighteen Schulz, double-ended, coal-fired, water-tube boilers arranged in five boiler rooms divided down the center with a longitudinal bulkhead. The boilers were a new, high capacity type developed for the Kaiserliche Marine by Blohm & Voss. Each boiler had four water drums and two steam drums, and were made from weight-saving materials. Twin rudders were mounted in parallel, on either side of the centreline, each driven by an auxiliary steam steering engine. In the event of damage, both rudders could be coupled to a single engine, or manually operated. The turbine system was quite innovative for the Kaiserliche Marine, and rather complex in their high pressure/low pressure arrangements. But the deciding issue had been their ability to develop much greater power than triple expansion engines, which had reached the limits of development. Von der Tann was designed for 42,000shp, providing 24.5 knots. Another view of Von der Tann passing through the breakwater. This angle gives you a different look at the arrangement of the main battery guns. German warships tended to be a bit wider amidships than ships in other navies – but that allowed for better placement of wing turret arcs of fire, room to provide more compartmentalization, and space to better protect the wing turret barbettes. Maximum coal bunker stowage was 2,756 tons, allowing a cruising radius of 4,400 miles at 14 knots. It should be mentioned that German capital ships suffered chronic problems with the often low quality coal provided to the fleet. The “After Action” reports of Captains frequently complained the low quality coal burned poorly, generated less heat in the boilers, and produced vast quantities of thick smoke that signaled their presence to the enemy. And there were occasions when the big ships were unable to keep all the boilers fired – the coal simply didn’t burn. Accordingly, arrangements for supplemental “oil-firing” were installed in 1916, along with 180 tons of oil. “Oil-firing”, as it was called, consisted of a “sprinkler system” inside the boiler firebox that sprayed tar-oil on top of coal -- thereby lighting boiler fires more quickly – and increasing the burn rate and temperature for added speed when underway. SHIP’S ARMAMENT SMS Von der Tann’s forward “A” turret on the forecastle deck. Note the two anchor capstans. If you look to the right of the turret, in the base of the bridge structure, you can see the casemates for two of the 3.5 inch anti-torpedo boat guns. There are no searchlights mounted on the foremast, and the two diamond-shaped objects on the signal halyards (right and left of the upper bridge) indicate they are at anchor. Since most of the figures in the picture are wearing work clothes, I suspect they are Blohm & Voss workmen, and Von der Tann is still completing sea trials – circa 1910. MAIN BATTERY The main battery armament of Von der Tann consisted of the well-tested and dependable 11-inch SK-L/45 (QF) high-velocity gun. The gun came into service in 1910, specifically designed to arm the Nassau Class (sometimes referred to as the Westfalen Class) battleships. Testing results at the firing range in Meppen were so positive, they were ordered for the new cruiser as well. Mounted in twin turrets, the guns were very well placed: “A” turret (Albert) forward on the forecastle deck – “B” turret (Berta) in the starboard “forward wing” position – “C” turret (Caesar) aft, and “D” turret (David) in the port “aft wing” position. By carefully positioning the turrets and superstructure, and keeping the “deck clutter” to an absolute minimum, Von der Tann’s designers enabled her to “cross-deck fire” with the midships “wing turrets”. This gave the new cruiser a full eight gun broadside on a rather wide firing arc – something Invincible was unable to do. I found a model of Von der Tann that perfectly illustrates the principle of cross-deck firing. Here you see both 11-inch wing turrets trained over the starboard broadside. Notice the turrets have fairly wide firing arcs – unobstructed by superstructure elements. Cross-deck fire is not recommended in all situations, or for all ships. The blast over-pressure will cause serious damage to the superstructure if the guns are too close. In some ships with light (or even medium) deck plating, the blast can buckle it as well as rip up the teak planking. Note: On this model, Von der Tann’s second funnel is painted red as a visual recognition device. Upon putting to sea, German warships painted the second funnel to ensure they did not fire on friendly ships. The gun houses (turrets) were electrically trained, with hydraulic elevation of the gun tubes. Each turret weighed approximately 430 tons with the working chamber and lower ammunition hoists built as part of the revolving structure (sometimes called a “basket”). In effect, there were two lower hoists (one for powder and one for shells) installed on the lower platform deck that moved shells up to the revolving working chambers of the lower turret level. From there, another pair of hoists would lift the shells and charges up into the gun house. This might, at first, sound cumbersome – but this “double hoist system” prevented an explosion in the gun chamber from flashing directly down the ammunition hoists and into the magazines. It also allowed the shells to be moved more quickly, resulting in an increased rate of fire of three rounds per minute. While the arrangement did not prevent all turret fires – no German capital ships were lost to magazine explosions. (The old pre-dreadnought battleship SMS Pommern was, in fact, lost at Jutland from an explosion – but that resulted from a torpedo hit directly beneath a magazine.) Beginning with the Imperial dreadnoughts, however, it became common practice to place the magazines no lower in the ship than the “lower platform deck”, to prevent mines or torpedoes setting off the magazines. The SK-L/45 gun could fire a 670 lb armor-piercing shell out to about 19,000 yards (increased to 20,400 yards in a 1915 refit). The shell was propelled by two charges – a “fore charge” of 58 lbs in a double silk bag – and a main charge of 175 lbs in a brass case. The brass case had two advantages; the Krupp guns used a horizontal “sliding wedge breech” sealed by the rear rim of the shell casing (obturator seal) – and “cased” charges were far less likely to burn or explode in an accident. The magazines stored 165 rounds per gun. The aft main battery turret of Von der Tann. This turret is trained over the starboard quarter. If you look past the rear of the turret, you can see the guns of the port wing turret trained over the port quarter. Looking to the right of the turret, you can just make out the guns of the starboard wing turret trained off the starboard bow. The forward turret will be trained over the port bow. This is a common combat tactic to ensure that any arc of the compass can be taken under fire immediately. Note the haze and fog making it impossible to see the horizon. Fire Control functions were carried out from the fore or aft conning towers, whose upper floors housed the Fire Control party with Zeiss 9-foot stereoscopic rangefinders mounted on the roof. Other, smaller rangefinders were installed in various locations, and after 1914, a crow’s nest Fire Control position was added to the foremast with yet another rangefinder. All fire control stations were connected to a Central Gunnery Control situated beneath the armored protective deck. Here, the Fire Control Team received data from the remote stations, calculated target information, and issued gun-laying orders to the “Turret Captains” via voice pipes, telephones, or electro-mechanical “repeaters”. When all turrets were “ready”, the Chief Gunnery Officer would fire the desired turrets from the forward conning tower station SECONDARY BATTERY This is a 3D model of Von der Tann’s port side amidships. This shows the torpedo nets secured for sailing, with the booms collapsed against the ship – excellent detail – complete with the rigging for the booms. This also shows details of the secondary battery 5.9-inch “turreted casemate” guns. They are, literally, a turret shield set inside an armored casemate. Note the “dead-lights” (light shafts) embedded in the deck. You can also see the boiler room air intakes – the louvered sections around the funnel superstructure. You will be seeing this model in-game. Unlike her British opposite number, Von der Tann followed the pattern of all German capital ships and carried a strong secondary battery. One lesson learned from the 1905 Battle Of Tsushima was that medium caliber guns were very effective against lightly armored or unprotected areas of ships – even battleships. And, at the closer range of medium-sized guns, spotting the fall of shot was not all that confusing (clearly visible difference in splash size). Ten 5.9-inch SK-L/45 (QF) high velocity, guns were mounted in MPL/06 casemates, five amidships on either beam. The guns, as usual, were mounted on the Battery Deck (main deck level) where they suffered during heavy seas or high speeds. As originally installed, they had a range of 13,500 yards, but after the action at Dogger Bank they were altered to allow a range of 16,800 yards. The gun crew of eight men had twin sighting telescopes on either side of the barrel, and could fire an approximately 100-lb shell, using a 30.2 lb RPC/12 powder charge in a brass cartridge case, at a sustained rate of 5 to 7 shells per minute. Magazine capacity allowed for 50 armor-piercing shells, and 100 head-fused high explosive rounds per gun. Each gun in the casemate battery had its’ own electric ammunition hoist. TERTIARY BATTERY This 3D picture shows the detail of the “notched” forecastle deck providing firing ports for the bow 3.5 inch ant-torpedo-boat guns. The guns in the bow have no shields and the hinged port shutters are shown open. Two more 3.5 inch can be seen with round shields set into the lower bridge superstructure. For defense against torpedo boats/destroyers, sixteen 3.5-inch SK-L/45 (QF) high-velocity guns were provided. Two were mounted forward, under the bow on either side, in shuttered hull casemates, two were in shield casemates in either side of the lower bridge structure, two more were mounted in shuttered casemates on either side of the stern, while the final four were mounted in pivot mounts with shields, atop the aft superstructure. The gun fired a 20 lb shell to about 12,000 yards at the rate of 15 rounds per minute, and was crewed by three men – a traversing/elevating man – a “sight-setter” – and a loader. A total of 200 shells per gun were carried – half head-fused high explosive, and half non-fused high explosive. (A head-fused HE shell would strike light armor, activate the fuse, penetrate, and then explode. Standard HE shells would explode on contact.) After the Battle Of Dogger Bank in 1915, it was realized these light guns were virtually useless against modern destroyers, and the casemate openings in the hull were merely another place for water to enter the ship. They were gradually removed and the casemates plated over. In this port side view, you can see how the “minimalist” superstructure was placed to great advantage. The raised forecastle deck merges into the forward bridge and funnel structure – a single funnel structure amidships (notice how the funnel housing is “angled” so as not to interfere with the firing arcs) – and the compact aft control position. TORPEDO ARMAMENT The Kaiserliche Marine’s tactical doctrine prior to the Great War, as envisioned by Grossadmiral Tirpitz, hypothesized the “Climactic Battle” would degenerate into a medium to short-range battle – and quite possibly a full scale melee. To take advantage of the close and brutal combat, all German capital ships carried a powerful medium gun armament and a strong torpedo armament. Von der Tann was equipped with four submerged 17.7-inch torpedo tubes – one fore and aft, and one on each beam. Eleven torpedoes were carried. The bow tube was built into a notch beneath the stem and fired directly ahead. The stern torpedo flat was on the Upper Platform Deck sandwiched between the two steering compartments, and fired directly astern from a notch cut in the centreline above the propellers. The “beam” torpedo flat was located just forward of “A” turret on the Lower Platform Deck. These torpedoes were to fire ahead with a fixed 4 degree downward tilt and an angle of 10 degrees off the ship’s beam. This was an era when the torpedo was still primitive, and gyroscopic guidance even more so – not to mention firing the torpedo into water racing past the hull at 20 knots or more. It’s small wonder they never seemed to hit anything – unless by accident. But the reality is -- submerged torpedo tubes were more danger to friend than foe. The bow torpedo flat occupied the entire space at the extremity of the ship on the “Hold Deck”. And slightly astern of that compartment, and one deck above (Lower Platform deck), was the beam torpedo flat. This occupied the entire width of the ship as well – wider and one deck higher. (Torpedoes were long and required room to be loaded into the tube.) This presents us with two large compartments forward of “A” turret that cannot be subdivided – and the armor belt thins-out approaching the bow. If those compartments flooded – for any reason – it could seriously effect the buoyancy of the bow. In a “worst case” scenario – a mine striking the hull at that location might detonate the torpedoes – and that would be catastrophic. One wonders why so much valuable space was wasted – and such risks taken – when they were of little or no practical combat value? This was an “Achilles Heel” that would come back to haunt her sister battlecruisers. This 3D shot shows the sharp “notch” in the forefoot beneath the bow (look directly below the second anchor) where the bow torpedo tube is. The torpedo is launched from the very bottom of the ship. If you also look at the hull bottom – just below the turret – you will see the opening in the hull for the “beam” torpedo tube. There is one on each side of the ship. This gives you some idea of how much of the bow is occupied by the two torpedo flats. ARMOR Due to the Naval High Command’s insistence the new cruiser be battle-line-capable, Von der Tann was designed with a particularly strong and extensive armor scheme. Her protection was only slightly less than the new Nassau Class dreadnought battleships and was based on their armor configuration. It was considered quite capable of withstanding the British 12-inch rifles and was specifically designed to be superior to HMS Invincible. In short – she was designed to survive and prevail in a slugging match. In the Design Department of the Kaiserliche Marine, the vertical side armor of a warship was divided into three distinct elements: the “main belt” extended from a few feet below the waterline to a few feet above the waterline -- the upper belt was referred to as the “citadel armor” and extended up to the Battery Deck – and the protection from the Battery Deck up to the main Weather Deck was referred to as the “casemate armor”. Regardless of the distinction, the demarcation between belt and citadel was not as evident in Von der Tann as other German warships. The armor on German ships of the period was, for the most part, quite extensive and very thick when compared to other navies. The ship was armored with Krupp Cemented Armor, face hardened with nickel steel. Von der Tann’s stern was unarmored up to the second longitudinal frame -- the very end only protected by the umbrella of the “protective armored deck”. From that point up to the stern barbette, the belt armor was 4 inches. From barbette to barbette, the midships was covered by a main belt of 10 inches, tapering to 6 inches at the lower edge. Forward of “A” turret barbette to the stem, the thickness was 4.9 inches, tapering to 4 inches at the bow. As was customary, the armor was mounted on a 2 inch backing of teak. The citadel armor (the next level up) ran from barbette to barbette with 8 inch thickness – increasing to 9 inches to give added protection in the area of the “wing turrets”. The belt armor on the sides was closed at the ends, similar to a box (the central citadel – stretching between the turret barbettes), with transverse bulkheads. At the very stern, the bulkhead was 4 inches, with another bulkhead at the aft barbette of 7 inches, and the bulkhead shielding the forward barbette was 8 inches tapering to 7 inches outboard. Another view of SMS Von der Tann coming through the Cuxhaven breakwater. The “protective armored deck”, unlike most warships, extended from stem to stern and in the vital midships area was 35 inches above the waterline. Beyond the stern barbette, the deck sloped toward the stern to just above the aft torpedo tube. Forward of “A” turret barbette the armored deck was 48 inches below the waterline and sloped downward until closed off by a transverse bulkhead. The horizontal parts of the armored deck varied considerably. Inside the midships “citadel” the deck was 1 inch thick, while astern it was 3.5 inches. Forward of the “citadel” to the stem it was 2 inches. The sloping sides of the protective armored deck were 2 inches, connected to the lower edge of the main belt armor. Armored gratings were placed inside the funnels, light shafts (“dead-lights” in the deck), and ventilation shafts. The casemate armor covered the space between the citadel armor belt up to the Upper Deck and was 5.9 inches thick. Two 15mm thick splinter bulkheads ran behind the area of the casemate guns, with each gun separated from the others by 20mm transverse bulkheads. The casemate 5.9-inch guns were protected by shields of 3.5 inches. The 3.5-inch “ant-torpedo boat guns in the forward and aft superstructures had 2-inch shields, while the guns mounted at the bow and stern had no shields. Von der Tann’s main battery turrets were also protected with Krupp Cemented Nickel Steel armor – turret faces 9.2 inches – sides and back 7.3 inches – sloping portion of roof 3.9 inches – flat roof 2.4 inches – inner gun house floor 4 inches. The forward turret barbette received 9.2 inches on the front – 8 inches on the side – and 6.9 inches in the rear. The stern turret barbette had 8 inches aft (on the turret facing direction) and on the sides, with 6.9 inches on the rear portion (the least likely side to be hit). The “wing turret” barbettes were a uniform 8 inches. All barbettes thinned as they reached down into the lower decks, where they were already protected by the various decks and side armor. The forward conning tower was protected with 10-inch armor on the front and sides, with 8.9 inches on the rear. The roof was 3.5 inches. The armored shaft stretching down to the Battery Deck housed all the command elements and had 8 inches on the front and sides, and 6 inches on the rear. The aft conning tower had 8 inches, with a 2-inch roof, and a 6 inch armored shaft. Unlike her foreign contemporaries, Von der Tann had the advantage of a built-in, armored torpedo bulkhead. This stretched from the forward barbette transverse bulkhead to the transverse bulkhead just aft of the stern barbette, with a thickness of 1 inch. The torpedo bulkhead was set inboard 12 feet from the outer hull. This space was divided in half by another bulkhead and the outer void was used as a longitudinal wing passage, while the inboard space, next to the torpedo bulkhead, was used as a coal bunker. Testing had shown that layers of coal inboard of the belt armor would absorb much of the blast and kinetic energy of shells that managed to penetrate. However, it should be noted that the protection afforded against mines and torpedoes was only marginally effective. By the time war broke out in 1914, the explosive charges of both devices had increased in size and power beyond anything anticipated by any navy. The new battlecruiser had many carefully conceived design features that set her apart from her foreign contemporaries, but the extensive and finely-tuned armor suite was a brilliant achievement in fast capital ships. Fisher’s battlecruisers had little armor to speak of, while battleships were loaded down with the weight. But Von der Tann’s armor was balanced and carefully positioned to do the most good. Her underwater protection was improved enormously by the transverse bulkheads forming her fifteen watertight compartments. Each bulkhead reached from the keel to the upper deck and, for the most part, they had few openings. Within these large “watertight compartments” were numerous, small, watertight subdivisions (basically smaller compartments) designed to limit the degree and extent of flooding. Even her coal bunkers were incorporated into the defensive system. She was, simply put, a marvel of engineering science – and would come as a great surprise to the Royal Navy. SMS Von der Tann is seen here, taking on coal from the collier SS Gotha while moored in Schillig Roads – circa 1913. Two Passat Class tugs stand by ahead and amidships, while an old Nordwind Class waits astern. When Von der Tann’s bunkers are full, they will warp the collier off and move to their next assignment. The battlecruiser, by Barroco Hispano – and the collier, by “AP” – make an interesting contrast. Both models are made to scale and yet, the high-sided collier towers over the low silhouette of the warship. German designers went to great lengths to make sure their battlecruisers had very little superstructure, a low freeboard, and presented as small a target as possible. Same scene from a different angle. Note the MMP work along the sandy shore. The collier, tugs, and mooring dolphins in the picture are the work of “AP”. From this angle, you can see the smaller and much more narrow hull of the collier beside the low, squat, wider hull of the battlecruiser. The wider beam of the warship is a deliberate design feature and provides a much more stable gun platform. Here is a detail shot of both ships. The amount of detail on the models is absolutely amazing. And the amount of research and detail that went into “AP’s” collier is simply unbelievable. For example -- SS Gotha is flying the National Merchant Jack at the bow, with the Imperial Commercial flag at the stern. And if you look closely at the second cargo derrick, you will see the “House Flag” of the Norddeutscher Line flying at the peak. For those of you wondering what was packed into Von der Tann’s various decks (6 in all), let’s just say that above the armored deck were the essential “services and amenities” of the warship: officer’s cabins and crew quarters – bathrooms and showers – laundry and drying areas – bakeries – several galleys and various “messing” arrangements (the Kaiserliche Marine was very “class conscious” when it came to dining arrangements). In short, the “nuts and bolts” services needed to feed and house over 900 men. Not to mention war-like things such as wireless rooms – transformer rooms – pharmacy – gunnery control apparatus – communication stations, etc, etc. Those are just a tiny sampling of all the “topside” things warships need. But below the Battery Deck, down where the light has to be electric, the world is entirely different. Beneath the Battery Deck lies the beating heart of the ship – the boiler rooms and engine rooms – where everything is either hot and dirty, or loud and in motion. The boiler rooms begin aft of “A” turret, with three stretching back to the starboard wing turret. Here there is a narrow gap running the width of the ship to accommodate the turret barbette, magazines, a damage control room, and a battle navigation room. This is followed by two more boiler rooms stretching back to the port wing turret. Here, there is another narrow, cross-hull, gap for the barbette and magazines -- and from there back to “C” turret are the steam turbine engine rooms. Basically, almost everything below the waterline is occupied by the propulsion plant. The beauty of the German design is that the compartment wall of all those boiler and engine rooms is the anti-torpedo bulkhead. It stretches from the forward turret barbette to the stern turret barbette -- the entire length of the engine and boiler spaces. And on the outboard side of that bulkhead is a 6-foot-thick layer of protective coal. Together with the various armor belts on the outer hull, it is one of the most efficient uses of space and best defensive arrangement of any warship. It should be mentioned the decision to go with steam turbines was the catalyst that made the fusion of guns, speed, and adequate armor possible. The turbine installation’s lighter weight, and the lighter weight of the Blohm & Voss boilers, produced more than enough ship horsepower to carry the brilliantly balanced armor suite at the desired speed. The steam turbine installation had not been tested in a German capital ship, and had they chosen not to accept the risk – Von der Tann would have been a quite different warship. Von der Tann was specifically designed to fight the British Invincible Class battlecruisers, and her designers ensured she would have every possible advantage – especially in “staying power”. Her armor protection was conceived to withstand the power of the British 12-inch guns, while her eight-gun 11-inch broadside was considered to be equal, if not superior, to her opponent. And Von der Tann’s beam was 8.5 feet wider, giving her significant advantages in stability, compartmentalization, and underwater protection. A simple glance at the two ship’s side armor says it all. Von der Tann had a main belt of 10 inches, a citadel belt of 8 inches, and a battery belt of 5.9 inches. The Invincible and Indefatigable Classes had a 6-inch main belt – nothing else. Within mere minutes of opening fire at Jutland in 1916, Von der Tann sent Indefatigable to the bottom in a massive explosion. SMS Von der Tann at sea during the Great War. SMS Derfflinger can be see at left in the background. German Naval Airships (Zeppelins) were frequently used as the air reconnaissance arm of the Hochseeflotte. They could stay aloft for long periods of time and were able to fly above the ceiling of the primitive anti-aircraft guns of the day. NEXT TIME…… THE NAVAL ARMS RACE & VON der TANN AT WAR I DID TRY to keep this short, but the essential details of the design and construction were crucial to understanding the importance of this ship in the larger context. MANY THANKS to @Barroco Hispano for his beautifully detailed warships. SPECIAL THANKS to my collaborating partner, @AP, for his considerable hard work, dedication, and vivid imagination. If you enjoyed anything you saw – please punch the “like” button so I will know. A comment would be even more informative. Comments and critiques requested and gratefully accepted. All questions answered promptly to the best of my 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 https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/761469-simtropolis-shipyard/?tab=comments#comment-1766496
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Chapter 10: Neither Fish Nor Fowl

Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN

SMS Deutschland riding at anchor in the Kieler Hafen – circa 1910 – 13,191 tons – 19.1 knots – 4x11-inch guns – 14x6.7-inch guns – 22x3.5-inch guns – 6x17.7-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 9.4 inches. This was the last class of pre-dreadnought battleships commissioned into the Kaiserliche Marine. IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 10: NEITHER FISH NOR FOWL With the appearance of HMS Dreadnought in 1906, the entire face of naval architecture changed over night. Admiral Tirpitz (Secretary Of State for the Navy) was confronted with the ugly fact that five ships of the new Deutschland Class pre-dreadnought battleships, (four of them still fitting-out) were now obsolete. And, for all practical purposes, no longer fit to lie in the line of battle. In fact, the Kaiserliche Marine had no battleships capable of standing against a “dreadnought”. They were simply too small, too slow, too lightly armored, and too under-gunned to have any practical combat value in what had become -- the “Dreadnought Era”. Besides wondering which Gods he had offended, Tirpitz must have wondered how it had come to this… His Majesty, Kaiser Wilhelm II, King of Prussia and Emperor of the German Empire – In his Grand Admiral’s uniform. Kaiser Wilhelm II had always been envious of his “Uncle Bertie’s” fleet (King Edward VII of Great Britain). And during the early decades of his life, Wilhelm had been a political pawn, pushed and pulled between his English mother (the former British Princess Royal) and the anti-English machinations of Chancellor Prince Otto von Bismarck. This created a curious (but predictable) love / hate relationship with his English relatives (Queen Victoria was his grandmother) that would endure throughout his lifetime. Wilhelm spent his years on the throne knowing he had the finest army in Europe, but always feeling “second best” to Edward’s navy. Kapitan zur See Alfred von Tirpitz had approached the Kaiser early in his reign (early 1890’s) with a plan that might allow Wilhelm to compete with England at sea. An idea that immediately found Royal favor. In 1897, now an Admiral, von Tirpitz was appointed State Secretary for the Navy (with the Kaiser’s enthusiastic support) to put his plans into motion. Tirpitz was not fool enough to think German shipyards could out-build the English. But they could build a fleet strong enough to pose a threat. With a fleet of respectable size, Germany could move into the realm of world politics (Weltpolitik) as a major player alongside Britain, France, and Russia – but most especially Britain. The Kaiser wanted Germany to have her “place in the sun” – and -- he could get a bit of his own back on “Uncle Bertie”. Gross Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz – Secretary of State for the Navy – and creator of the Hochseeflotte. What Tirpitz proposed was, in actuality, the principle of “the fleet in being”. It would become both an instrument of war and an instrument of diplomacy. The fleet did not have to be the largest one, it just had to be big enough to provoke serious thought. With a fleet of sufficient size and quality, that strength could be used to influence other powers. France, for example, might have an army sufficient to stand against Germany – but their mobilization plans relied heavily on reinforcements from various colonies. If a strong German navy could interdict troop convoys from North Africa, the French position might become precarious. In the case of Britain, it was possible a strong German navy might influence her to remain neutral in a European land war. Simply put – a strong navy might stop other powers from interfering with German diplomacy -- or other, more martial, endeavors. HMS Dreadnought threw the entire “fleet in being” plan out of gear. Tirpitz had spent years and millions of Marks (Gold Marks) building a fleet of 20 pre-dreadnought battleships, and suddenly it had all been for nothing. A rather grim debate ensued within the Reichsmarineamt regarding whether to abandon the “fleet in being” principle, or to “double-down” and go to the Reichstag for more money to build the larger dreadnoughts. Tirpitz had worked too hard making the Kaiserliche Marine a competitive fighting force to simply throw up his hands and retire. And worst of all, to give up would be an insult to the Imperial Navy’s Royal patron. In May 1906, Tirpitz went back to the Reichstag with a supplemental request to the Second Naval Law. Approved on 19 May, the “Novelle of 1906” allowed for the addition of six large cruisers and forty-eight destroyers. (The term “destroyer” was coined by Jackie Fisher when he added deck guns to Royal Navy torpedo boats. The new name was short for – “torpedo-boat-destroyer”.) At the same time, the Kaiserliche Marine’s budget rose from 206.5 million Marks (1904) to 290.8 million by 1907. SMS Nassau – name ship of a class of four -- the first dreadnought battleships built for the Kaiserliche Marine. Nassau, Westfalen, Rheinland, and Posen were laid down in 1907 and commissioned between 1909 and 1910. The ships displaced 18,873 tons, were 479 feet long, and capable of 20.2 knots. They were armed with 12x11-inch main battery guns and 12x5.9-inch secondary guns. Roughly comparable to HMS Dreadnought, they had the edge with better armor arrangements, but their triple expansion engines were a throw-back to old-fashioned technology. The Reichstag’s cash infusion allowed Tirpitz to counter HMS Dreadnought with four dreadnought battleships of the Nassau Class – on the theory the battle fleet was paramount and had to be strengthened first. The next problem to be dealt with were the new armored cruisers the British were known to be building. But there was still much discussion inside the Reichsmarineamt and Oberkommando der Marine (Naval High Command) about what direction the development of the armored cruiser (Panzerkreuzer) should take. And much of the discussion was driven by Wilhelm II, himself – starting as far back as 1904. The monarch’s considerable interest was not limited to dashing off doodles of ship designs on the back of envelopes and telegrams. Wilhelm constantly sent rambling memorandum to the State Secretary’s office, tactical and strategic advice to the Oberkommando and, of course, “sketch designs” to the naval architects. It is reasonably certain he was familiar with Cuniberti’s “big gun” article of 1903, and may have formed his own theory on big guns, speed, and battleships. He was also an avid reader of the “Marine-Rundschau”, a magazine started-up around the turn of the century by a group of industrialists. The publication’s specific purpose was to increase the general public’s interest in naval affairs. The public, in turn, would apply an added degree of pressure to the Reichstag for naval funding. Wilhelm II went as far as writing an article (under the pen-name “L”) for the January, 1904 issue. The article theorized that armored cruiser displacement was fast approaching that of battleships, and warned their size and expense would soon surpass battleships. Therefore, why not simply build battleships? SMS Nassau as she would have looked at her commissioning in 1909. She is tied-up at mooring dolphins outside the Coaling Basin. Inside the basin are several tugs and lighters waiting to unload their coal at the docks. Left to right – one Midgard Class is shoving a lighter into position, while another stands by. To the right is an Odin Class with two lighters lashed along side. And above that is an old Goliath Class tug (the towed lighters didn’t make it into the picture). Nassau and Goliath are courtesy of @Barroco Hispano – breakwaters by “Uki” – and everything else is by @AP. Another view of SMS Nassau. Her hull form was a bit short, and “stubby” – which was indicative of her low, 20-knot speed. A longer hull form would have made her much more “streamlined”, and would have provided room for additional boilers to increase speed. But, as Germany’s first dreadnoughts, Tirpitz chose to build them small, and as cheaply as possible, to avoid further conflict with the Reichstag. Nonetheless – they were capable battleships and served throughout The Great War. The Kaiser had long been an advocate of the “fast battleship” – a fusion of the two types. But in his scenario, the “Grosse Kreuzer” (large cruiser) would be cheaper than a battleship, three or four knots faster, have a large operating radius, would be capable of reconnaissance, and could fall back on the fleet and stand in the line of battle. In order to fulfill these roles, the cruiser’s armament would have to be a 9.4-inch or 10-inch main battery, with a 5.9-inch secondary battery. And, of course, it should have armor sufficient to withstand a 10 inch shell. But then, Wilhelm was an amateur, and his article was written in 1904. The technology to successfully pull this off did not yet exist. When Wilhelm II cited the article by “L” in a memorandum, Grossadmiral Tirpitz diplomatically rejected the idea on the grounds that such a vessel was financially undesirable as well as technically impossible. So, the discussion was “tabled” – for the time being. By early 1905, bits and pieces of information about HMS Dreadnought had begun to leak out, and even some “wild” rumors about powerful British cruisers. The “fast battleship” concept was raised again within the Reichsmarineamt – but was rejected again – due to cost and technical feasibility. But the rumors had made it clear -- a “Grosse Kreuzer” was certainly needed. During these discussions, the name “Grosse Kreuzer” was chosen as the official nomenclature – mainly because it sounded like a bigger armored cruiser – less likely to upset the Reichstag. Nassau from the stern. Note the layout of the main battery turrets – one fore and aft – and two “wing turrets” on either beam. At this stage of naval design evolution, wing turrets were considered acceptable – especially if you wanted as many guns as possible on a battleship. Though this gave her two more guns than HMS Dreadnought (extra redundancy in case of battle damage), Nassau was only able to bring eight guns to bear in broadside – the same as Dreadnought. Here is a close-up of Nassau, so you can examine all the beautiful detail in Barroco Hispano’s model. The stern alone is a wealth of detail – the stowage of the stern anchors – the anti-torpedo-boat guns in their casemates with the shields open. Each model’s detail can answer a lot of questions you may have about battleships. BTW – you can download and blow-up these hi-res pictures – it helps understand the ships better. Meanwhile, the British had shifted the focus of their armored cruisers from commerce protection to the role of a squadron-sized “fast wing” for the battle fleet. But Tirpitz stuck to the traditional reconnaissance role: defeating enemy cruiser screens to obtain information about the enemy battle fleet – protecting their own light forces – and pursuing damaged enemy ships. The Kaiser, however, kept returning to the idea that they should be able to fight in the battle line. Tirpitz, rather delicately, kept finding reasons why this would not work. The facts, however, were simple. Putting them in the battle line meant thicker armor -- armor increased weight -- weight meant more boilers to maintain speed – and more boilers meant a longer hull. And that was the irrefutable problem. German warships, at this time, were limited in length by the size of the harbor locks at Wilhelmshaven. Wilhelm’s fast, heavily armored cruiser would be too long for the locks. (The large #III entrance locks at Wilhelmshaven would not open until 1910.) On 4 March 1905, the specifications for “Grosse Kreuzer 1906” were formally submitted to the design office and the planning work began. From that point, everybody had a say in the matter. The Naval High Command pointed out several large warships were sent to the bottom during the Russo-Japanese War due to damage from floating mines and torpedo attacks. So a torpedo bulkhead was added inboard of the armor belt. All seemed to agree an increase of between 3,000 to 5,000 tons displacement over the Scharnhorst Class would be good. One design was done with six main battery guns -- and another with eight. Then the Naval High Command, in favor of battle line capability, insisted on twelve main battery guns. They also wanted to put 11-inch guns on the new “Grosse Kreuzer”, but Tirpitz bluntly refused -- the bigger guns were much too expensive. Privately, he was afraid it would set a bad precedent for future ships, running up the costs and displeasing the Reichstag. He was equally afraid the larger guns would encourage captains to seek a place in the battle line rather than taking care of their “cruiser” duties. At one point, steam turbines were proposed for the propulsion system. But triple-expansion engines had already been ordered and drawn into the “master set” of plans. Turbines, on the other hand, were untested in large German warships, and – worst of all – that bit of re-design work would take at least three months. So the idea was dropped – a decision that would come back to haunt them in 1915. And so it went – change after change – until 22 May 1906, when the final meeting was held and the design was officially “set”. The construction department took over the sketch plans to create the mechanical drafting sheets and blueprints. This department was also responsible for the final appearance of the ship, and they promptly reduced the number of funnels from four to two. The final drawings would take some weeks to complete, but on 26 May, the Reichstag approved the Naval Estimates – including a budget of 27 million Marks for “Grosse Kreuzer 1906”. HMS Minotaur – armored cruiser – 14,600 tons – 23 knots – 4x9.2-inch guns – 10x7.5-inch guns –5x18-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 6 inches. Note the main battery 9.2-inch twin turrets fore and aft – and if you look carefully, you can see the 7.5 inch guns in single turrets, five on either beam, between the superstructure blocks. They were fast, and well-armed with cruiser-sized guns, but their armor belts were pathetically weak. The idea with the numerous heavy guns was to “smother” the target and destroy it. There is, however, reasonable doubt that poor Royal Navy gunnery could have destroyed another armored cruiser before their own ship was riddled like a colander. The new cruiser, or “E” as it was designated, had been designed based on the sketchy intelligence gathered on the British armored cruisers – specifically, that they were improved versions of the Minotaur Class. The Reichsmarineamt expected these ships to be armed with six or possibly eight 9.4-inch guns and of slightly increased displacement over the Minotaur’s. “Cruiser E” would mount twelve 8.3-inch guns in six twin turrets – a significant increase over the Scharnhorst Class, and an equally significant increase over the expected British cruisers. However – just five days after funding had been approved, and “Cruiser E” was ordered from the builder’s yard -- the rules of the game were changed yet again. The German naval attache in London finally obtained details of the new British armored cruisers. They were the Invincible Class – and they were not even remotely similar to the Minotaur Class. Their displacement of just over 18,000 tons was comparable to HMS Dreadnought and significantly larger than either the Scharnhorst Class armored cruisers or the Deutschland Class pre-dreadnought battleships. Their armament of eight 12-inch guns far surpassed the German standard of 8.3-inch cruiser guns. And their speed of 25 knots was not only phenomenal, but exceeded “Cruiser E” by nearly 2 knots. Jackie Fisher’s campaign of secrecy and disinformation had fooled the Germans more completely than he had ever imagined possible. HMS Invincible just after launch of the hull at Sir W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth & Co., Ltd on “Tyneside” – 13 April, 1907. Notice how the largely empty hull rides very high in the water. The steam paddle tugs have gotten lines on the hull and are preparing to tow her to the “Fitting Out” docks. There are three steam tugs visible in the picture and all of them are “paddlers” – very similar to “AP’s” beautiful tug models. HMS Invincible moored off the Coaling Basin. You can see the obvious differences between the average armored cruiser and the new British “dreadnought cruisers”. Invincible is longer, larger, and mounts eight of the more powerful 12-inch guns. The decks have been cleared of all the “clutter” found on the old armored cruisers. This is a close-up of Invincible. The detail on this model is fantastic. For example, the circular objects on top of the main battery turrets are actually pedestal gun mounts. As originally designed, two 4 inch torpedo boat defense guns were mounted atop each turret. Not only was this a ridiculous place to mount quick-firing guns that required large amounts of ammunition, but it was found the guns could not be worked when the main battery was in action. In addition, it was found that 4 inch guns were unable to stop modern torpedo boats and destroyers – so they were removed during the first refit. The battlecruiser is courtesy of @Barroco Hispano. Tirpitz immediately concluded the Invincible’s were a completely new type of warship that was neither an armored cruiser, nor a battleship – and it would be 1911 before the British officially reclassified them as battlecruisers. But that was just a matter of semantics. Tirpitz’ problem was much more real. The news could not have come at a conceivably worse moment for the Imperial Navy – and especially for Tirpitz. The need to make the leap to the “all-big-gun” battleship (Nassau) had entailed an enormous cost increase, and the State Secretary was still trying to incorporate this into the Naval Estimates in a manner palatable to the Reichstag. Suddenly, this process was going to be repeated for the “Grosse Kreuzer” type. It should be remembered – Scharnhorst was already at the upper end of those limits. The Reichstag did approve an increase for the “1906 Novelle” – but with restrictions. Battleship limits were “fixed” at 32 million Marks, and the “Grosse Kreuzer” limited to 27 million Marks. And that amount was just barely sufficient to cover the cost of a 15,500 ton cruiser. Tirpitz knew there was no hope of more money from the Reichstag – “Grosse Kreuzer E” had reached its’ budget limit. There simply was no more money to be begged, borrowed, or stolen. On June 21 1906, the Kaiser dutifully signed-off on the building order, even though his preferred fast battleship might have come closer to meeting the crisis. Then, on 12 July, the London naval attache confirmed his previous information (at the request of the Reichsmarineamt). The confirmation forced Tirpitz to face the cold, hard, facts. His naval architects had designed an armored cruiser to defeat another armored cruiser – and what he wound up with, was a big armored cruiser that didn’t stand a chance against a battlecruiser. The department heads were called together once again, and though the discussions lasted five hours, the facts were unalterable. An increase in gun caliber to 10 inches had already been ruled out due to budgetary limits, and additional speed could not be obtained because of the limits of the Wilhelmshaven locks, and the lengthy delay steam turbines would entail, was unacceptable. Armor sufficient to resist 12-inch shells was equally impossible under the budget restraints. And regardless of any other considerations, the armament had already been ordered from Krupp, building materials had already been assembled at the shipyard, and pre-construction fabrication was in progress. To delay until the following year – even with the possibility of additional funding – was out of the question. The Kaiserliche Marine could not afford to lose a year in their race against Great Britain. So the only option was to go ahead with construction as designed. A redesign of “Grosse Kreuzer E” is an attractive thought, and has always appealed to the “what if” school of historians, but it does not hold up under scrutiny. In order to fight on equal terms with the Invincible Class battlecruisers, the first thing needed would be bigger guns. The standard German 11-inch gun, especially in it’s high velocity version, was every bit as good as the British 12-inch weapon (though the later German 12-inch gun packed a bigger punch). And as standard weapons, the 11-inch guns would have been readily available. (Germany had not yet finished testing and development of a 12-inch naval rifle.) But an increase in gun caliber meant the barbettes would have to be enlarged. This would mean moving adjacent powder magazines, shell storage magazines, and shell handling rooms. This, in turn, would involve more “adjustments” in the shape and size of compartments surrounding the barbettes and various magazines. The work on the blueprints alone could have taken months. The speed issue is even more complicated. The Invincible Class was powered by Parson Steam Turbines and achieved just over 25 knots on trials. (Steam turbines -- think of an aircraft jet engine – or the jet fuel turbine in an Abrams main battle tank.) Turbines were lower and could be placed below the waterline, whereas triple expansion engines were taller than a house and would be exposed above the protective armored deck. Turbines produced more power with fewer boilers and operated more smoothly at high speeds. Triple expansion engines, largely due to their operating mechanics, could cause severe vibration at high speed, and they did have an upper limit -- and it was dangerously unwise to push them. Critically – the Kaiserliche Marine had not yet tested steam turbines in a large warship. So -- with four-cylinder triple expansion engines as a given, to increase “Kreuzer E’s” speed just 2 knots might require up to eight additional boilers (possibly more) – which means additional boiler rooms and a longer hull to accommodate them. And that meant more armor. The question of armor is in a class all by itself. “Grosse Kreuzer E” had been armored to withstand the fire of “standard” British armored cruisers -- usually 9.2-inch rifles. And though the new cruiser’s armor was “scaled-up” over the Scharnhorst Class -- it was still woefully inadequate against the 12-inch guns of the Invincible Class battlecruisers. The vital areas of the ship – engines, boilers, and magazines – would need three or four more inches of armor on the waterline belt, and one to two additional inches on the protected armor deck. The secondary batteries above the armor belt would require two or more inches added to the armored strake. The main battery turrets, the secondary battery casemated turrets, and the conning towers would all require serious armor up-grades. The reason the armor could not be sufficiently up-graded was because that much added weight would reduce the cruiser’s speed well below the required 25 knots – thus bringing us full circle to the original speed deficit. And these are just the most obvious problems with an attempted redesign. The final – and insurmountable problem – was the money. The Reichstag had already authorized millions of Marks in naval spending – their generosity was not unending. (Just thought I’d answer the re-design question before anyone asked…) So “Grosse Kreuzer E” was, as they say – “A day late and a dollar short”. She had been created to dominate opposing armored cruisers – a ship type that had suddenly been superseded by the battlecruiser. And she was, in her turn, dominated by the battlecruiser. What HMS Dreadnought had done to the pre-dreadnought battleship – HMS Invincible did to the armored cruiser. And there was such a vast difference between Invincible and “Kreuzer E”, that it could be said she was obsolete even before her keel was laid. And you would be right. The Oberkommando der Marine ordered their first battlecruiser the very next year, if further proof is needed. Obsolete or not, “Grosse Kreuzer E” was an over-sized armored cruiser and an under-sized battlecruiser – “neither fish nor fowl” – neither one thing nor the other. But, for the Kaiserliche Marine, she was the “Missing Link”. For decades, anthropologists searched for the “Missing Link” between cavemen and modern man. Jackie Fisher had made the jump from armored cruisers to battlecruisers in one great leap – and caught the rest of the naval world napping. For Germany, “Grosse Kreuzer E” was the reluctant and unfortunate bridge between the two. But it would be left to “Grosse Kreuzer F – 1907” to be designed and built as a counter to the newly evolved British battlecruiser. POSTSCRIPT: In recent years, many “revisionist” historians have taken the approach that “Fisher’s Great Deception” was not responsible for the faulty design parameters of SMS Blucher. Some have even gone as far as to say no contemporary documentation exists to support the story. It is true no German documents have yet been discovered in which the German staff or designers admit to having been “duped” by the English. But the substance of their design discussions have survived in bits and pieces of various inter-office memorandum and a few personal diaries – all of which indicate Blucher’s design was directly influenced by intelligence gathered in Britain by Embassy intelligence officers and the naval attache. Tirpitz and his staff were led to believe the English would build nothing larger than an “improved” Minotaur Class armored cruiser – and that is exactly what they had believed from the beginning. They had discounted rumors of great speed and big guns because, in their logical and analytical minds, they could not grasp the massive technological leap Fisher had taken with his “dreadnought cruisers”. Only after they had seen HMS Invincible on display at Spithead did they begin to understand the “dreadnought concept” and the full extent of its application. By then it was simply too late to save Blucher. NEXT TIME…… THE HYBRID CRUISER And there is a bit more for you…… This time we are going to take a tour of Cuxhaven’s coaling facilities and docks. Coal can be taken aboard a warship from a lighter, anywhere – a bay, an inlet, at a mooring point, or alongside a repair dock. Especially on an overseas voyage, you can coal ship anywhere there is room enough to bring a lighter alongside. But when you’re ship is in a major naval base – you go to the coaling docks. This is an overview of the coaling facilities. The receiving, storage, and distribution dumps are the large concrete pads in the bottom center, and they are connected by rail to the coaling docks at the top of the picture. In the lower left, you can see the north end of the West Loch, and north along the coast is Battery Scharnhorst. The roadsted and main harbor of Cuxhaven is out of the picture to the right. This is a closer view of the receiving, storage, and distribution system. The coal is brought in by rail from the main track to the right. The loaded cars are backed onto the dumping ramp and the doors in the bottom of the coal gondolas are opened. The coal slides down the concrete slope and onto the waiting piles at the bottom. The facility is set up to unload as many as four trains at one time. From the delivery chute, the coal is loaded into dump trucks and moved across the lot to the distribution pad. The piles on the left of the picture are waiting to be loaded onto rail cars to be sent out. As you can see, there is a wide variety of structures and equipment that have been used to portray the operation. Anyone familiar with industrial lots in SC4 will recognize them immediately. They have all been re-purposed to move coal to the warships in the harbor. I confess I have used some modern elements that were not available in 1910. Trucks – absolutely necessary to a functioning naval base – were primitive in those days, and there are, of course, no such props in SC4. So the bases will always be a strange mix of “early” and “later” 20th Century furnishings – my apologies. This is the distribution point where the coal is loaded into gondolas and shipped to the coaling docks. This is a close-up of the east side distribution point. The coaling lot was arranged in this manner so that two trains could be loaded at the same time – thereby ensuring a steady flow of coal to both sides of the coaling docks. While these two trains are loading, two more trains are out on the docks dumping their load. When they are empty, they return via the center track and wait below the switches. When the loaded trains have departed for the docks, the two waiting trains take their place. In this manner, a continuous supply of coal can be shuttled to the docks. These are the Cuxhaven coaling docks. They are laid out in a manner inspired by a 1930’s picture of coaling docks in Cardiff, Wales. The docks can accommodate four ships at a time. The elevated rail line runs down the center of the dock space and uses the same gravity dumping system as the storage area. The large warships and the oil tanker in the picture are courtesy of Barroco Hispano. All other ships, tugs, lighters, small craft, and mooring dolphins are crafted by AP. Everything else in the picture has been constructed by re-lotting or re-purposing lots and props already in-game. The battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger taking on coal. The elegant model is courtesy of Barroco Hispano. This is a close-up of the paddle tug Sophia towing two empty lighters out of the crowded coaling basin. Note the fine detail modeled into the paddle tug and the lighters. Moored along the seawall is an elderly Nordwind Class tug. Notice the open bridge – a common feature of early tug boats. Astern of her is a more modern Passat Class – an improved “second generation” of Nordwind. The Passat’s had more horsepower and could handle heavy seas more easily. Tugs, lighters, and mooring dolphins are the excellent work of “AP”. This is the Motor-Lighter Ajax. She is a unique vessel used to transport large or heavy pieces of equipment from shipyard factories or assembly sheds to dry docks or construction slipways. Her bridge is placed forward of the cargo area and elevated to give a good view ahead as well as being able to see over large cargoes carried amidships. Steering commands are passed by hand-set or speaking tubes to the wheelhouse atop the aft superstructure. Her twin funnels are placed side-by-side – an uncommon feature even in the early 1900’s – but the machinery spaces are comparatively small so it was necessary. On a good day, she can make all of 8 knots, and she is shallow draft and rides low in the water. Ajax was never meant to go beyond a harbor, estuary, or shallow coastal waters. On her midships cargo deck are a pair of massive three-cylinder, triple-expansion, steam engines. They are destined to be installed in “Grosse Kreuzer E”. The engines are just one of the many historically accurate props “AP” has provided to enhance the realism in SC4. And each new prop opens up a whole world that can be investigated and portrayed in the game. Motor-Lighter Ajax by “AP”. This is a close-up of a Thor Class tug standing-by to take two coal lighters under tow. This should give you a good idea of the high quality of the models and the great amount of detail worked into them by “AP”. Thor looks every bit the “worn-out harbor work-horse” she is meant to be. You can almost see the individual lumps of coal in the lighters. And even the empty lighters moored along the near side of the basin are pure perfection. Thor will shortly move the lighters out to the roadsted and the waiting warships. This is SS Gotha, a Norddeutscher Line collier leased by the Kaiserliche Marine to accompany a squadron of ships on their journey to the Far East. Germany and Great Britain possessed fairly large fleets of commercial colliers and preferred “leasing” over building naval colliers. Only the United States chose to build Fleet Auxiliary Colliers rather than trust commercial vessels. During wartime, foreign colliers were often unavailable for “political reasons” – even neutral vessels could not be relied upon. This gorgeous model by @AP is an absolute “work of art”. Here we see a Thor Class tug attempting to maneuver a full coal lighter into a mooring. SS Gotha will be casting off soon and room will be needed to move the collier out of the basin. Coaling basins are often crowded with tugs standing-by to undertake tows, and numerous empty and full lighters. Some small boats have tied up alongside the lighters and crewmen are “working the coal” – possibly leveling it out to “stabilize the tow” – or even raking through it for foreign debris and “klinkers”. Here again, you can see the wonderful high-def models in all their detailed glory. Even the mooring dolphins are superb. This is the battlecruiser SMS Mackensen as she would have appeared at her planned commissioning in 1919. A much improved version of the Derfflinger Class, Mackensen would have had a much greater displacement and a larger caliber main battery armament. The first ships were laid down in January 1915 and some were actually launched. But none would ever see service. (More on this class in later chapters.) This magnificent model is courtesy of Barroco Hispano. AND – we have TWO prop packs for you this time…… MANY THANKS to @Barroco Hispano for his generosity in providing so many beautiful and highly detailed warships. VERY SPECIAL THANKS to my collaborating partner -- @AP -- for volunteering his considerable talents, valuable time, and vivid imagination in creating so many beautiful models and props from the Great War Era. The Cuxhaven Series would be utterly impossible without him. If you enjoyed anything you saw – please punch the “like” button so I will know. A comment would be even more informative. Comments and critiques requested and gratefully accepted. All questions answered promptly to the best of my ability. THANK YOU for your visit and the COMMENTS many of you have been kind enough to make! 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 https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/761469-simtropolis-shipyard/?tab=comments#comment-1766496
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Chapter 09: Coronel And The Falklands

Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN

SMS Scharnhorst, flagship, Imperial East Asiatic Squadron – moored to a buoy off Tsingtao, China – circa 1911. Note the old freighter at a pier to left, and notice the deployed boat booms on either side of the cruiser. The signal halyards are “dressed” for some “occasion” – but it’s impossible to make out the message. You can also see the shutters on the torpedo boat defense guns, in the bow casemates, are partially open to circulate air up forward. IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 09: CORONEL & THE FALKLANDS German East Asiatic Squadron at anchor in Kiaochow Bay, off Tsingtao – circa 1911. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau are at center. SMS Gneisenau steamed out of Wilhelmshaven on 10 November 1910, and proceeded via the Mediterranean and Suez Canal before putting in at Colombo, Ceylon, on 10 December. The next day she embarked Kronprinz Wilhelm, who was touring British India at the time. Gneisenau steamed round to Bombay, where the prince debarked, before continuing on her way. She effected a brief rendezvous with SMS Emden and made port calls in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Amoy, finally dropping anchor in Kiaochow Bay in March, 1911. In April, Gneisenau sailed to Taku, China, where she embarked Arthur, Graf Rex, the new ambassador to Japan. Upon arrival in Yokohama, joined by Scharnhorst, the ambassador presented his credentials, and the squadron commander and ship’s Kapitans were presented to the Meiji Emperor. Though the Kaiser had little regard for Asian cultures, German naval officers and diplomats were very proper where the “Chrysanthemum Throne” was concerned. Not only was Japan allied to Great Britain, but they had the most powerful navy in the Far East – and – any major repairs and maintenance on German warships were usually carried out in their yards. With the exception of a brief war scare over the “Agadir Crisis” in November, 1911, the next few years were spent on routine assignments – port calls, diplomatic trips, dockyard maintenance, and occasionally anchoring off a Chinese port that showed signs of unrest. The Hamburg-American steamer Silesia ran aground off Pusan, Korea, in August 1912, and Gneisenau pulled her free, then escorted her to Nagasaki for repairs. In December, Konteradmiral Maximillian von Spee arrived to take command of the squadron and the pace of training and intelligence gathering increased. Von Spee kept the two armored cruisers at sea for most of 1913, paying several port calls in Japanese waters. Visiting German coaling stations in the Pacific archipelagos occupied early 1914, and they were anchored at Ponape, in the Caroline Islands, when news was received that Austro-Hungary had declared war on Serbia -- and Russia had begun military mobilization. With the political situation reaching the boiling point, von Spee ordered the ships stripped for war. All wood paneling in cabins and wardrooms was removed and sent ashore with as much of the wooden furniture as possible, and the coal bunkers and fresh water tanks were topped-off. At midnight on 4 August, Germany was officially at war with Russia, France, and Great Britain. On 6 August, von Spee issued immediate orders for the squadron’s light cruisers and all available colliers, supply ships, and passenger liners to rendezvous with him at Pagan, in the Marianas Islands. After dark, the cruisers slipped out of the bay and left their leased Japanese collier none the wiser. The Japanese were allied to Great Britain by treaty and could not be trusted with the knowledge of his whereabouts. Japanese Tsukuba Class armored cruiser – 13,750 tons – 20.5 knots – 4x12-inch guns – 12x6-inch guns – 12x4.7-inch guns – 3x18-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 7 inches. Von Spee was in a difficult position. The Russian Pacific Squadron would be patrolling north of Tsingtao. The British Far East Squadron would already be searching the China Sea. The Royal Australian Navy would, doubtless, be at sea searching the Bismarck Archipelago and the bays along German New Guinea. This force was particularly dangerous because the flagship was the brand new Indefatigable Class battlecruiser HMAS Australia. And the entire Japanese fleet, having checked Tsingtao, would quickly fan out into the Pacific to search and seize control of the German island possessions. Spee had two of the finest armored cruisers in the region, but they were no match for Japanese battleships and British, and he knew it. HMAS Australia – Indefatigable Class -- 18,500 tons – 25 knots – 8x12-inch guns – 16x4-inch guns – 2x18-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 6 inches. The three ships of the Indefatigable Class quickly followed the Invincible’s into service, and due to budgetary concerns, were largely identical. After the warships and support vessels assembled at Pagan, von Spee detached Commodore Karl von Muller’s light cruiser SMS Emden on a diversionary commerce raid into the Bengal Sea and Indian Ocean. On 15 August, the East Asiatic Squadron weighed anchor and set course for Valparaiso, Chile – Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, the light cruiser Nurnberg, several colliers, and the armed merchant cruiser Prinz Eitel Friedrich. With the outbreak of war in Europe, neutral nations could no longer be relied upon for coal and supplies. Britain’s political influence stretched around the World, and once friendly neutral ports would soon be closed to the German squadron. Without a guaranteed coal supply, von Spee’s only hope was to fill his bunkers at Valparaiso, round Cape Horn, and try to reach Germany. SMS Emden: Commissioned 1909 – 3,664 tons – 23.5 knots – 10x4.1-inch guns – 8x2-inch guns – 2x17.7-inch torpedo tubes – deck armor 3.1 inches. On 14 August 1914, Kapitan Muller and Emden, accompanied by the collier Markomannia, departed Pagan Island bound for the Indian Ocean. From that day until November 1914, Emden began a one-ship “cruiser war” and played “merry Hell” with the British shipping lanes between Singapore, Colombo, and the Gulf of Aden. On 9 November 1914, the light cruiser HMAS Sydney caught up with the German raider off the Cocos Islands, crippled her, and Muller ran her aground to save his crew. Emden would have been nearly identical to the other light cruisers in von Spee’s squadron. https://i.imgur.com/OThYJ0B.jpg[/im Model Courtesy of Barroco Hispano. SMS Emden engaged with the light cruiser HMAS Sydney. The German ship was delivering a rapid and accurate fire, but Sydney’s larger 6-inch guns prevented Emden from closing to torpedo range – and eventually crippled her steering and range-finding apparatus. (Claus Bergen) Around 8 September, von Spee learned German Samoa had been occupied by the enemy and he altered course to investigate. Arriving off the colony on 14 September, he found no enemy ships in the harbor and saw no point in bombarding a defenseless port – but a little retribution was in order. On 22 September, the squadron turned up off Papeete, French Tahiti, and opened fire on the harbor facilities. After sinking the gunboat Zelee, Spee thought about landing and coaling from the french stocks, but feared the harbor might be mined. And when shore batteries returned fire, the cruisers steamed off to the west, only returning to an easterly course after dark, to conceal his movements. Spee could not have known the French had set their own coal afire to prevent him getting it. By 12 October they reached Easter Island and paused to fill their bunkers from the colliers. The light cruiser SMS Dresden arrived from American waters later that day, and the light cruiser Liepzig arrived on 14 October with three colliers from Mazatlan, Mexico. The squadron remained for a week, coaling, resting, and performing engine maintenance, then moved on, arriving in Valparaiso early on 1 November. Learning the light cruiser HMS Glasgow had been anchored in the port of Coronel the day before – von Spee immediately steered south to find her. HMS Good Hope – 14,150 tons – 23 knots – 2x9.2-inch guns – 16x6-inch guns – 12x3-inch guns – 2x18-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 6 inches. Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock commanded the “North American and West Indies Station”, and the Admiralty in London had been sending telegram after telegram ordering him to dispatch cruisers on special missions in every conceivable direction. One such mission involved New York Harbor. When war broke out, there were a number of big German passenger liners in the port. The United States was a neutral nation – and under Neutrality Laws, the German ships would be given only sufficient coal to reach Germany, and had to depart within 24 hours. But the Admiralty (First Civil Lord – Winston Churchill) was worried the liners would get loose and be armed as “merchant cruisers” with guns carried in their cargo holds. Consequently, Cradock was ordered to send three cruisers to New York to lie off the harbor and intercept them. Cradock headed north to carry out the orders, stopped in the Bahamas to coal, and received new orders. Now he was to take part of his force and cover the sea passage around Cape Horn (South America) in case the German East Asiatic Squadron should come that way. Cradock dutifully divided his force again and turned south. HMS Bedford – Monmouth Class – 9,800 tons – 23 knots – 14x6-inch guns – 10x3-inch guns –2x18-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 4 inches. This entire affair was micro-managed from a map with pins stuck in it, hanging on Churchill’s office wall. Telegrams went out in rapid succession, only to be changed when new information came in. There were hardly enough cruisers to cover all the possible problems in the North and South Atlantic. But what cruisers there were, charged off in one direction, only to have their orders countermanded, and sent charging off in another direction. The panic ensued because there were, actually, two German light cruisers loose in the Atlantic – SMS Karlsruhe and SMS Dresden. Karlsruhe had been spotted off Watling Island, in the Bahamas, transferring guns and ammunition to the liner SS Kronprinz Wilhelm – but both ships were fast and alluded pursuit. Karlsruhe later sank (1 November, 1914) from an internal explosion some miles east of Barbados. But the Naval High Command kept her loss a secret, and the British tied-up eleven cruisers in a five month search for her. With war imminent, SMS Dresden put to sea from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with the intention of beginning “Handelskrieg” (trade warfare). The little cruiser headed south for the coast of Brazil, where merchant traffic would be plentiful. Kapitan Ludecke stopped a number of ships, found them to be neutrals, and let them go – but this meant his presence would be known, so he had to keep moving. Sinking only a few ships, Dresden rounded The Horn, and put into Hoste Island, on the western side of Tierra del Fuego for engine maintenance. The Hamburg-American steamer Santa Isabel arrived from Punta Arenas and informed Kapitan zur See Ludecke that merchant shipping was heavy along the west coast of South America. Ludecke transited the Strait of Magellan on 18 September, and while laying-over in the Juan-Fernandez Islands, made wireless contact with SMS Leipzig. By 12 October, Dresden had found her way to Admiral von Spee’s squadron at Easter Island. But her brief rampage in the South Atlantic had led the British cruiser groups (five of them) a merry chase, indeed. The movements of the two marauding cruisers had thoroughly confused the Admiralty as to German intentions. HMS Shannon – Minotaur Class – circa 1909. 14,600 tons – 23 knots – 4x9.2-inch guns – 10x7.5-inch guns – 5x18-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 6 inches. HMS Defence was one of the Minotaur Class and would have looked much like this. All four ships had their funnels raised by 12 feet during their first refit, to keep smoke clear of the ship. Mid-September, Cradock’s orders changed again. Admiralty intelligence indicated the German squadron was likely heading for the west coast of South America, or the Strait of Magellan. Cradock was to detach a force sufficient to deal with Karlsruhe and Dresden, and take his remaining ships to meet von Spee in the South Atlantic. He was to use Port Stanley, in the Falkland Islands, as a coaling station. Cradock would be reinforced there by the modern armored cruiser HMS Defence, transferred from the Mediterranean. Combined with the armored cruisers Monmouth and Good Hope, and the old pre-dreadnought battleship Canopus, the Admiralty deemed the force sufficient to seek out and destroy the German ships. The orders stipulated he was to keep at least one Monmouth Class cruiser and the Canopus with his flagship Good Hope, until his force was concentrated. That condition should have provided adequate force if the East Asiatic Squadron was encountered. Just two days later, the Admiralty decided Spee’s appearance off German Samoa, and then French Tahiti, put together with SMS Emden’s commerce raiding in the Bay of Bengal, indicated von Spee intended to operate in the western Pacific. They promptly canceled the transfer of HMS Defence from the Mediterranean, messaged Cradock that Spee was moving west, and directed him to search the south west coast of South America for German merchant shipping. Since the Germans were moving away from South America, they further advised he no longer needed to keep his force concentrated – but they failed to notify him they had canceled Defence’s transfer. Again, Whitehall’s attempt to micro-manage every aspect of the war at sea by telegram was confusing the issue. Commanders at sea were unable to formulate or carry out cohesive search plans because of constant Admiralty interference. Large warships with high-maintenance engines were being shuffled about like berserk pieces on a chess board. And the information the orders were based on was often incomplete – or incorrect conclusions were being drawn. And the orders, themselves, were largely “knee-jerk reactions” – incomplete, lacking in detail, and not well thought-out. By late September, it was obvious SMS Dresden had gone into the Pacific. Cradock’s ships searched the anchorages around Tierra del Fuego, to no avail, and retired to Port Stanley for coal on 3 October. After coaling, he put to sea again, with the intention to “scout” Tierra del Fuego, then spread out in a search line and work north along the Chilean coast. By late October, Cradock had reliable intelligence that Spee’s East Asiatic Squadron had reached South America’s west coast. His squadron was substantially weaker than the Germans – all of them elderly vessels and crewed by largely inexperienced men. He steamed north along the coast with the armored cruisers Good Hope (flag) and Monmouth, the light cruiser Glasgow, and the merchant cruiser Otranto. (Cradock had opted to steam ahead of the pre-dreadnought battleship Canopus, because she was far too slow -- 10 knots -- to participate in an effective search. As a result, her 12 inch guns would not participate in the battle.) SMS Scharnhorst opens fire on HMS Good Hope, opening the Battle Of Coronel – November 1, 1914. Note the Konteradmiral’s (Rear Admiral) flag flying from the foremast peak. The German squadron arrived off Coronel in the afternoon, and to von Spee’s surprise, he not only found HMS Glasgow, but SS Otranto, Good Hope, and Monmouth. These were exactly the kind of British cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were designed to overpower, and this engagement would demonstrate that superiority. Sighting approaching smoke clouds below the horizon, Cradock knew it could be no one other than von Spee, and reversed course so both forces were now steaming south. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were closing quickly at 20 knots. It was cold, and windy, with the seas running high, and Cradock’s older ships were too slow to escape. At 17:10, Cradock decided he must engage the enemy, and altered course to close the range so his 6 inch batteries could open fire. Cradock was undoubtedly aware the German cruisers mounted 8.3 inch guns, out-ranged the bulk of his weapons, and could bring a total of twelve guns to bear in broadside. And considering their advantage in speed, firepower, and armor – many historians have professed to be puzzled as to why he chose to engage the enemy. But the answer is quite simple. It was a matter of “honor”. Three months prior to the Battle Of Coronel, an event occurred that certainly influenced Cradock’s decision to engage the superior German squadron. Late on 5 August, in the Mediterranean, the German battlecruiser SMS Goeben and the light cruiser Breslau had finished coaling in Messina, Sicily. Germany had been at war with Great Britain not quite twenty-four hours when Konteradmiral Wilhelm Souchon (commanding the Mediterranean Division) received coded orders from Admiral Hugo von Pol (Hochseeflotte). Souchon was instructed not to try to reach Germany or Austria (what the British would expect) – but to make a dash for Constantinople and the protection of a sympathetic Turkish government. In the early morning hours of 6 August, in the dark of night, Goeben and Breslau quit Messina, worked up to cruising speed, and exited the southern Straits of Messina -- setting course for the eastern Mediterranean. Two British battlecruisers were 100 miles away, while a third was coaling at Bizerta, Tunisia. The only British force between Souchon and Turkey was the 1st Cruiser Squadron, patrolling the Straits of Otranto, several hours to the northeast. The armored cruisers HMS Defence, Black Prince, Duke of Edinburgh, and Warrior were commanded by Rear Admiral Ernest Troubridge and had been positioned to keep Goeben out of the Adriatic Sea. With annoying persistence, a patrolling British light cruiser began shadowing the German squadron as they cleared the Straits of Messina. In an effort to shake off the small cruiser, Souchon feinted toward the Austrian ports in the Adriatic, then turned back on course for Turkey. The move initially mislead Troubridge, who soon realized his mistake and gave chase. Unaware of the approaching armored cruisers, the German admiral finally decided to rid himself of the overly inquisitive British light cruiser. The Germans overloaded their boilers, pushed their turbines to the limit, and managed to lose their pursuer in the gathering darkness. Troubridge, within hours of making an intercept, broke off the chase early on 7 August – convinced by his “flag captain” that Goeben’s 11-inch guns would make an attack by his four old armored cruisers suicidal. Troubridge was relieved of his command and would face a court-martial for “failure to pursue the enemy”. Though acquitted, he never received another seagoing command. (In all fairness, there is little probability Troubridge could have prevented Goeben from reaching Turkish waters – while it is certain he would have lost, at least, one armored cruiser before breaking off the action. (See Chapter 20 for full details.) Cradock was a close friend of Troubridge – and would have been aware of the pending court-martial. We will never know what transpired on the bridge of Good Hope that afternoon, but it is certain Troubridge’s fate weighed heavily on Cradock’s mind. Conversations with other officers and officials at Port Stanley, and a letter he left behind, indicated he did not expect to survive an encounter with the German squadron. I know it sounds a bit cliche’ – but Cradock chose “Death before dishonor”. SS Otranto was ordered away as unsuitable for the battle line, and she escaped destruction. HMS Glasgow fought until she was alone, then disengaged and fled. But Good Hope and Monmouth were quickly reduced to burning wrecks and took more than 1,660 men down with them. Even with Canopus and Defence, the outcome of the battle would have been in doubt. Von Spee had fought a text-book-action, with skill and logic -- and a bit of luck. But there is only so much “luck” – and there is always the “unexpected” – isn’t there? To make a long story much shorter – the German East Asiatic Squadron rounded Cape Horn as planned, and turned-up south of Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands on 8 December – intent on seizing British coal stocks and destroying their wireless tower. Around 05:00, Gneisenau and Nurnberg were detached from the squadron to reconnoiter, and if possible, open the bombardment of the wireless towers. Some three hours later, Gneisenau’s Kapitan Maerker could begin to make out details of the port and the wireless towers on a hill. The two German cruisers closed up at battle stations and continued their approach, when thick smoke began rising from the inner harbor. Maerker just assumed the British were trying to burn their coal supply to keep it from falling into German hands. But as they drew closer, the smoke rapidly increased in volume and density, and they could clearly make out the distinctive shape of tripod masts and spotting tops. Moments later, two large caliber shells screeched overhead and splashed into the sea to starboard – raising two gigantic water columns uncomfortably close to Gneisenau. In Port Stanley, the battlecruisers HMS Invincible (flag) and Inflexible rode at anchor taking on coal. The loss of Cradock’s squadron at Coronel had been ill-received by the British public, and the Admiralty had taken swift action to redress the humiliation. Vice-Admiral Doveton Sturdee had been detached from the Grand Fleet and sent south with a powerful force to hunt down and annihilate von Spee. Sturdee exhibited no particular sense of urgency during his voyage into the South Atlantic, and having put into Port Stanley to coal, he was taking his time about it. He fully expected a long search for the German squadron -- south along the Argentine coast, and quite possibly round Cape Horn. HMS Invincible and Inflexible coaling in the north end of Port Stanley harbor. Though Port Stanley was a Royal navy coaling station, little money had been spent on improvements and it was necessary for large vessels to coal from lighters or colliers. Here we see Invincible taking coal over the starboard side, while another tug is coming alongside to port, and yet a third tug and lighter is waiting just astern. This is HMS Inflexible with a “coal tow” maneuvering into position alongside while another tug with two more lighters stands by. The battlecruisers are courtesy of @Barroco Hispano. The tugs and coal lighters are the beautiful scratch-built work of @AP. The two German cruisers had been sighted around 07:30 from a lookout post on a hill above the harbor. By 08:00 the lookout identified them as two warships – probably cruisers – definitely German. Unfortunately, his only means of communication was a hand-set telephone line that ran down to HMS Canopus. The old pre-dreadnought battleship had been beached on a mudflat at the entrance to the harbor to act as a guard ship. She might have been too slow for sea duty, but her guns were still lethal. Canopus had no line of sight to Invincible, so she was unable to pass word of the enemy’s approach, but the light cruiser HMS Glasgow was coaled and anchored nearby and attempted to relay the signal. As luck would have it, both battlecruisers were shrouded in a dense cloud of coal dust, and neither flags nor a signal lamp seemed to penetrate. Finally, Glasgow fired a signal gun and trained a 24-inch searchlight on the flagship and sent the message...”enemy in sight”. Sturdee, in his quarters shaving when informed, simply told the young lieutenant...”Signal all ships – raise steam for full speed – send your crews to breakfast.” Moments later Canopus opened fire at extreme range and all Hell broke loose in Port Stanley. HMS Canopus opens fire – 08:05. HMS Glasgow is steaming out to harass the German squadron (in the distance to the southeast) until Sturdee can get his ships to sea. This is an illustration from the London Daily Telegraph and though accurate for the most part, it is a bit lax in some respects. Canopus is shown underway when she was, in fact, beached on a mudflat. But you get the general idea. Out at sea, Kapitan Maerker had been startled by the rounds fired from Canopus – they were undoubtedly 12-inch shells -- and they landed close enough to throw water over Gneisenau’s forecastle. Forty seconds later two more shells impacted directly ahead of the cruiser – one ricocheting off the water and striking the base of Gneisenau’s first funnel. Fortunately, it was a practice round without an explosive charge. Maerker immediately got off a wireless to Admiral von Spee, and was promptly ordered to break off the attack and rejoin the squadron. Vizeadmiral Graf von Spee was watching the action unfold from Scharnhorst’s port bridge wing. Staring intently through his binoculars, he had seen the columns of smoke rising inside the harbor and was able to make out the fighting tops of a warship. The tall columns of water around Gneisenau could be nothing less than the impact of 12-inch shells. But worst of all – he could just make out the signature tripod masts of what could only be a British battlecruiser. Von Spee knew he would have been informed (through German spy networks) if a battlecruiser had been sent out from the Grand Fleet – but there had been no such message. The only thing he could imagine was the battlecruiser HMAS Australia followed him from the Pacific and managed to get to Port Stanley ahead of him. While still pondering this possibility, Gneisenau, straining her boilers, was closing the distance astern of Scharnhorst. If it was, in fact, Australia – von Spee’s squadron was doomed – and he knew it. His only chance was to get as far ahead of the enemy as he could, and hope for a rain squall, storm, or even Antarctic fog to cover his escape. Von Spee signaled a course change and began a “flank speed” run to the southeast. SMS Scharnhorst starting her high speed run to the southeast to disengage from the British. Gneisenau is just astern of her – and the smoke from pursuing warships can be see on the horizon at left. Around 10:20, the awful truth slid out of Port Stanley’s harbor. Black smoke gushed from their funnels as stokers desperately piled on coal to build a head of steam. The big British cruisers sliced through the water as a trailing wind blew the smoke clouds back upon them. The roiling smoke thickened as engineers opened valves and sprayed fuel oil onto the boiler fires, pushing the steam gauges ever higher. Rated at 24.5 knots, the British would exceed that this day. Von Spee eyed them anxiously through his binoculars and recognized the sleek and threatening silhouettes of two Invincible Class battlecruisers. (By now the Royal Navy had dropped the armored cruiser designation.) Von Spee knew he could not sink the two battlecruisers – and he stood little chance of damaging them enough to make them disengage. He signaled the light cruisers to break off and scatter, in the hope they might escape destruction. Nurnberg and Liepzig went down later that evening, but Dresden would escape in a rain squall. (She was later tracked to the Juan Fernandez Islands and sunk.) Meanwhile, von Spee signaled Gneisenau and turned toward the enemy. He could not outrun them, or outgun them, but he might buy some time for the others to get away. HMS Inflexible opens fire, shortly after Invincible’s ranging shots. Note the high speed bow wave and the way the stern dips down into the water. This is due to the action of propellers turning at high revolutions. The “digging action” of the screws literally sucks the stern down a few feet in the water. In extreme cases, this results in waves washing over the fantail. Scharnhorst maneuvered well and fought bravely, scoring several hits on Invincible and forcing her to open the range more than once. But in the end, Scharnhorst was bludgeoned to death by the battlecruiser’s powerful 12-inch guns. Von Spee went down with her when she capsized to port at 16:17 that afternoon – so did two of his sons. Gneisenau carried on – unable to score a mortal blow on her tormentors, and too slow to run away. When her ammunition was exhausted, she continued to fire training rounds at the British warships. Around 17:15 hours, three large caliber shells struck Gneisenau in quick succession and she began taking on water as she burst into a mass of flames. Kapitan zur See Maerker ordered scuttling charges to be set and the ship abandoned. At 17:42 hours, she rolled over slowly and sank. Unfortunately, very few of the drifting survivors were able to withstand the frigid waters of the South Atlantic. SMS Scharnhorst (foreground) going down while Gneisenau bravely carries on the fight. Vice Admiral Doveton Sturdee had handled his battlecruisers well – using his speed to chase down his prey. He also used his speed to stay beyond reach of the German 8.3-inch guns, while remaining well within range of his own 12-inch rifles. This is exactly the situation Jackie Fisher had envisioned for his fast armored cruisers – and they had performed beyond all expectations. But make no mistake – the Invincible’s were not armored cruisers. Fisher originally “called” them armored cruisers because he did not want to create controversy among the conservative ranks of the Royal Navy – and because he did not want to argue with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to obtain funds for a completely new type of warship. Fisher, in effect, took the armored cruiser and gave it a “dreadnought make-over”. The result was a cruiser the size of a battleship, with battleships guns, a speed far in excess of existing cruisers, and cruiser armor (the lighter armor making the higher speed possible). Fisher had, in fact, created the concept of the battlecruiser – and the result was the cruiser-killing Invincible Class. A story beginning with an Italian naval architect and ending with the Battle Of The Falkland Islands had come full circle, and it produced one of the truly great ironies to come out a war full of them. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had been sent half way round the world to avoid meeting Invincible and Inflexible in battle. And within five months of hostilities breaking out, the Gods Of War had brought them together off an obscure group of islands in the South Atlantic – with the already predicted results. But – there is always the unexpected... HMS Inflexible, hove-to, rescuing survivors from Gneisenau’s crew. NEXT TIME…… NEITHER FISH NOR FOWL But there is a bit more for you…… This chapter may seem more like a history lesson – and that is partly true. It was necessary to include these two pivotal naval battles to illustrate two things: (1) the superiority of the Scharnhorst Class over existing British armored cruisers, and (2) the superiority of British battlecruisers over the two finest armored cruisers built by the Kaiserliche Marine. On another level, it is necessary to bring “closure” to the life of a warship – much like people. Anyone with a love of the sea will tell you a ship is a living, breathing, being – and some believe it even has a “soul”. So it becomes necessary to tell of its’ death. Unfortunately – we could not use very many SC4 models in this chapter. Some models you have seen in previous chapters, but to create models for all of the ships in the narrative would probably turn “AP’s” hair gray!! Plus -- “AP” and I have not yet been able to figure out how we could create models to represent ships in battle. BUT – I felt obligated to include some in-game pictures for you…... This image shows the southern end of the West Loch, to include the Southend Light, the Replenishment Docks, and the railyard that serves them. Note three small subchasers in the crook of the breakwater. They are modified models of AP’s motor launch, equipped with a 3.9 inch gun on the bow and depth charge racks on the stern. One of them is putting to sea to make a regular “anti-submarine-sweep” of the deep-water channel off the harbor entrance. Those pesky British submarines are like vermin – they get into everything! This is a close-up of Southend Light – one of “FrankU’s” many fine lighthouse models – modified for use in Cuxhaven. I believe the “Keeper’s” residence is an SFBT cottage, and the small warehouse is taken from “Nob’s 1905 Japanese Naval Series”. The sea walls and small boat landing are, of course, by NBVC – and the pavement is “Paeng’s Grunge Concrete” (some of them modified with random props). The warship model, lower right, is courtesy of @Barroco Hispano, and is a US Navy gunboat – Erie Class – details seen in a previous chapter. Erie is performing “guard duty” at the breakwater entrance. The landscape is MMP work made up of almost every possible type you can find on the STEX. My trees, bushes, and ground cover are predominantly @Girafe – whom I highly recommend. I use a combination of the “Poseidon Terrain Brushes” and “Heblem Sands” for dirt, slopes, and beaches. I long ago gave up trying to create a “minimalist terrain” style, and opted instead to “paint terrain” in a realistic style-- crowded, cluttered, and rarely bare. Night shot of the same. This is the railyard that serves the Replenishment Docks. The trackside cranes are from the “PEG-SNM Dry Dock” lot. They are unloading two rather large supply trains made up of “PEG” steam engines and various rail car props. The engines have been modified for “steam”. The concrete apron between the rails and the road is made up of 1x1 custom lots composed of a wide variety of props to create a busy, cluttered, feel. Another train is parked on a siding next to some “SFBT” props used to make trackside offices and a loading ramp. As soon as there is room, it will move under the cranes. Two more steam engines are on the top siding – one is waiting for orders from “dispatch” – while the other is taking on coal and water. The coaling tower and adjacent water tower are from “PEG” railroad lots. The forest behind the railyard, on top of the bluff, is a mix of MMP work and 1x1 custom “Tree Filler” lots designed to blend in. Here you can see the Replenishment Docks in the lower right, adjacent to another tug station. Going around the basin counter-clockwise – a Midgard and an Odin Class “nested” at lower left – a Passat Class at the mooring dolphins – two “steam tugs” by “WolfZe” – another Passat – and an old Nordwind Class. The tug docks and sheds are lots from Somy.s “Japanese Tug Set”. I modified the docks to appear less modern, and removed the small Japanese-style tugs so “AP’s” models could be used. The tugs and mooring dolphins are by “AP”. At the far end of the Replenishment Dock siding is a “directional switch out”. If the dock area is too crowded, a train can “park” here until there’s an opening – or they can use the “T” track layout to reverse the direction of the engine. Thereby avoiding space-consuming track loops. Note the sand dunes on the left. The degree of vegetation on and around them indicates the dunes have “stabilized” and are in the early stages of being grown-over. The “Poseidon Terrain Brush” MOD is excellent for making sand dunes and, THANX to @MissVanleider and her “Sand Dune Coastline” tutorial – I loved it instantly! However, I took a little different approach. Instead of making low sand dunes (7.5 meters), I chose to go for tall dunes (15 meters). I think the added height allows for deeper shadows and depressions between the dunes – and allows room to apply foliage down the side of a dune to accentuate the slope. MANY THANKS to @Barroco Hispano for his generosity in providing so many beautiful warships. SPECIAL THANKS to my partner -- @AP -- for volunteering his very considerable talents, valuable time, and vivid imagination in helping me bring the Imperial Dockyards to life. If you enjoyed anything you saw – please punch the “like” button so I will know. A comment would be even more informative. Comments and critiques requested and gratefully accepted. All questions answered promptly to the best of my 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 https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/761469-simtropolis-shipyard/?tab=comments#comment-1766496
- November 17, 2023
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