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IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 61: THE PHOTO TOUR 17 THE EAST BASIN 03 This installment begins at the head of “Pier 2”. This pier is constructed with the same 8x1 base lot as the others. The advantage possessed by “Piers 2 through 6” lay in the construction of one long, continuous pier. Any number of ships, of various sizes, could be accommodated along its length. “Pier 1” was the first set of mooring piers constructed, and it was based on a series of individual docks capable of handling only a single vessel. One other point: This installment deals primarily with “heavy cruisers”. Battle fleets of The Great War Era were composed of battleships, battlecruisers, sometimes armored cruisers, and light cruisers. The Royal Navy continued to deploy armored cruisers with the Grand Fleet in a scouting capacity, even though they were recognized as obsolete. The Kaiserliche Marine, more realistic about the life expectancy of an armored cruiser in a fleet engagement, reassigned them for service in the Baltic Sea. For all practical purposes, “heavy” cruisers did not exist during WW I. The “heavy cruiser” was, in fact, the offspring of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. Both the British and the Americans, to varying degrees, had overseas interests requiring naval support and protection. After the financial strains of The Great War, neither country was particularly interested in sending battleships to such far flung outposts as Dar es Salaam, Sri Lanka, or even Manila. But, by the same token, something with more “muscle” than a light cruiser was required. The answer was not the obsolete armored cruiser or its capital ship replacement, the battlecruiser (limited by the treaty) – but the concept of a modern “heavy cruiser”. The Washington Treaty did not limit total “cruiser tonnage”, but it set an upper limit on ship size – no more than 10,000 tons with guns no larger than eight inch. (A later London Naval Treaty further subdivided cruisers into “heavy” and “light” categories. Light cruisers were approximately 7,000 tons with guns no larger than six inch.) So the heavy cruiser was born between the wars, more out of the need to save money than anything else. Moored at the head of “Pier 2” is HMS Exeter, the second and last of the York Class heavy cruisers built for the Royal Navy. Displacement: 8,390 tons – Length 575 feet – 32 knots – 6x8-inch guns – 6x21-inch torpedo tubes – Belt armor 3 inches. This view shows her long, slender lines which contributed to her speed. This close-up shows you the marvelous and intricate detailing on the model. The York Class cruisers were handsome and impressive vessels – somewhat unusual for Britain’s peacetime construction. The cruisers were built with the square, block-like forward superstructure that soon became standard on British warships. HMS Exeter put in a dogged performance against KM Admiral Graff Spee at the battle of the River plate in 1939 and was under repair for nearly a year after the battle. In early 1942, she was transferred to the Far East and was sunk by four Japanese cruisers on 1 March 1942, during the Second Battle of the Java Sea. Model courtesy of @Barroco Hispano. A little further along the pier we see two paddle steam tugs maneuvering a lighter loaded with timber into position against the pier. The towing tug, Esmeralda, holds her position, while the tug Helena nudges the lighter against the dock. This is another view of the tugs and lighter at work alongside “Pier 2”. @AP has crafted these wonderfully detailed tugs after much research into the type, and the level of detail is truly amazing. You can even see the furled canvas along the yardarms and on the mizzen gaff. If the tug’s engine failed while at sea, they would be able to make port under sail. The timber lighter, alone, is a work of art. You will note Helena is a diagonal model. “AP” made the extra effort to include many diagonal versions of his models for the game. “Grid-busting” is a long and admirable tradition in the SC4 community, and we have tried to add to the realism it brings to the game. Along with the other traditional naval powers, the United States built “treaty cruisers” between the wars. Here you see USS Northampton, name ship of a class of six heavy cruisers built between 1928 and 1931. Additional ships were originally planned, but budget cuts during The Great Depression killed the overly ambitious program. Displacement: 9,050 tons – Length 582 feet – Speed 32.5 knots – 9x8-inch guns – 8x5-inch guns – 4 float planes – Belt armor 3.75 inches. This view shows the clean lines of the fast cruiser. With a 9 to1 length to width ratio, they were fast enough to keep up with the fast carrier battle groups that would eventually dominate WW II in the Pacific, and were prominent in the cruiser/destroyer night actions in the Solomon Islands. This beautifully detailed model by “Barroco Hispano” shows the midships handling area for her aircraft catapult (port side) and the aircraft hangars beneath the rear superstructure block. The Northamptons were handsome vessels with a long, low profile, a raised forecastle for sea-keeping in rough seas, and a classically beautiful raked “clipper bow”. These cruisers were quite popular among serving officers and were followed by the nearly identical Portland Class heavy cruisers. Three of the Northamptons would be lost in the Pacific war – USS Houston, Northampton, and Chicago. This is yet another of the several old, wooden landings provided by “AP”. Instead of raising the landing up to the top of the seawall, this one lowers the dock closer to the water and includes stairs. Just one more example of the variety found in such a simple prop. The landing has been “dressed-out” with a wide selection of “AP’s” sailors and small boats. Contrary to what you might think, it is not possible in these large harbors to row a boat up and step ashore wherever you please. “Landing piers” are found in many locations in a harbor, but because they are relatively scarce, each one becomes a focal point of activity. Here you see personnel coming and going, some boats loading small quantities of supplies, others carrying mail, etc, etc. This is HMS Devonshire, one of 13 County Class heavy cruisers built between 1928 and 1930. This large class of ships was typical of the “treaty cruisers” Britain built between the wars. Large and sturdy, they were multi-purpose vessels designed to handle commerce protection and colonial support. Due to the large number of ships in the class, there were minor design changes made during construction, but they generally conformed to certain particulars: Displacement: 9,840 tons – Length: 595 feet – Speed 32.25 knots – 8x8-inch guns – 8x4-inch guns – 8x21-inch torpedo tubes – Belt armor 3.5 inches. HMS Devonshire is high-sided with enough freeboard to stay at sea and – if need be – to fight in heavy sea states. Her three funnels indicate a large number of boilers to generate high speed. The County Class heavy cruisers were considered good sea boats and performed well under wartime conditions. HMS Norfolk and Suffolk detected KM Bismarck passing through the Denmark Strait in May 1941, and HMS Dorsetshire fired the last four torpedoes into the German battleship. Later, Dorsetshire and HMS Cornwall were lost to Japanese carrier aircraft in April 1942, while HMAS Canberra was sunk in the night action off Savo Island in August 1942. Highly detailed model of Devonshire provided by “Barroco Hispano”. Here is a close-up view of the individual docks used to construct the “Pier 1” facilities. There are four 12x3 docks – each one lotted differently -- and spaced-out along the quayside to handle a heavy cruiser. These docks are different from my usual dock pattern in that they do not have “WMP Seawalls” fitted as “bumpers”. The idea was to show these births as the oldest in the harbor, and therefore less modern. The dockside cranes are by “AP” with various props used to dress-out the dock itself. The five red-roofed warehouses on the right are from the “PEG SNM Naval Series”, while the black-roofed warehouses on the right are from the “NOB 1905 Naval Series”. Each dock is separated from its neighbor by a 3x2 lot with storage tanks, fronted by a 1x1 water tower and two 1x1 lots with parked trucks or trailers. Across the road from the dock area are the trackside loading docks. These 3x2 dock pieces were repurposed directly from the “PEG CDK Industrial Docks Series” without any modifications. Upon reflection, I should have re-lotted them and “dressed” them with props suitable to the pre-WW I era. Unfortunately, this part of the map was put together early in the process and then largely overlooked (note the ubiquitous shipping containers). The 3x2 space between the two docks was filled-in with a combination of 1x1 and 1x2 modular lots. The trackside crane here is borrowed from the “PEG SNM Dry Dock Lot”. Above you see the heavy cruiser RM Zara moored at her berth. The Zara Class comprised four heavy cruisers – Zara, Fiume, Pola, and Gorizia -- built for the Italian Regia Marina (RM or “Royal Navy”) between 1929 and 1932. They were a substantial improvement over the preceding class of cruisers with much improved belt armor. The Zara’s were, in fact, among the most heavily armored “treaty cruisers” built between the wars. It is not commonly known that the Italians were only able to achieve acceptable guns, armor, and speed by deliberately violating the Washington Treaty limits. Displacement: 11,326 tons – Length” 589 feet – 32 knots – 8x8-inch guns – 16x3.9-inch guns – 34 AA guns – 2 seaplanes – Belt armor 5.9 inches. With an 8 to 1 length to width ratio, the Zara Class ships were a bit wider in the beam than most foreign cruisers, which would have provided a more stable gun platform. But even with the wider beam and heavier armor, they still exceeded their rated 32 knots. You can see the hull lines are smooth and graceful, with a widely flared bow and raised forecastle deck to keep her “dry” at high speeds. The Zara Class heavy cruisers were among the most handsome cruisers ever built – as “Barroco Hispano’s” superbly detailed model clearly demonstrates. The raised forecastle forward, steps down to the main deck level abaft the bridge structure and runs “flush” to the stern. The cruisers are long, and low with sharp “raked” bows designed to slice through the waves. The four cruisers served well during the early years of WW II, but Gorizia is the only one to survive the conflict. Pola, Zara, and Fiume were all sunk at the Battle of Cape Matapan, in a night action against the British battleships Barham, Valiant, and Warspite (27-29 March 1941). NEXT TIME…… CUXHAVEN: THE PHOTO TOUR 18 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

IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 47: THE PHOTO TOUR 03 THE WEST LOCH – Part 03 In this chapter we will explore the Repair Docks in the West Loch. While major work requiring heavy lift capacity, or dry docks, could only be carried out in the Neu Hafen, it was deemed expedient to provide workshops, machine shops, and a foundry to accommodate the day-to-day maintenance needs that could be handled by the crews. This image presents an overview of the larger area of the Repair Dock. At the water’s edge are the docks themselves, and just behind are two large warehouses and the rail line supplying them. Beyond that are the foundry and workshops supporting the machinists and mechanics. SMS Blucher (English spelling) is moored at the repair dock. She is the last armored cruiser commissioned into the Kaiserliche Marine. Fresh off her fourth day of sea trials, the mechanics are “tinkering” with her triple-expansion engines. This was a time before mass-produced, inter-changeable parts existed. Each engine was hand-crafted. Though built to a basic template, no two were alike. During the “running-in” period, some engines required extensive “tinkering” to get them to run smoothly. But once “broken-in”, German engines were extremely reliable. The highly detailed model of Blucher is courtesy of @AP. “AP’s” superb model of Blucher is historically accurate and has been constructed in his usual intricate level of detail. The barge crane has been moored alongside Blucher, abreast of “E” turret. When the main battery turret’s mechanical operation was tested, a fault was detected in the elevating mechanism. Repairs will require the armored roof to be lifted off and it may be necessary to remove the gun tubes to repair the hydraulic elevating assembly beneath. The barge is borrowed from “PEG’s Bubba’s Bulk & Barge” lot. The metal shed on the barge is one of the old Maxis “Dirty Industrial” props. The crates and large barrels on the barge were taken from “SimCoug’s Historic Harbors Series”, and the sailors are, of course, by “AP”. The crane was borrowed from the “PEG SNM Dry Dock” lot and modified for steam. The dockside cranes are by “AP”. The white steam tugs were “gifted” by “WofZe”. The ship was “plopped” individually, while the barge and tugs were created as a single lot. They are arranged to be used with any ship. The light cruisers SMS Dresden and Emden (moored inboard) are tied-up at the Repair Dock undergoing engine overhaul pending departure to join the German East Asiatic Squadron. (Both ships spent the bulk of their careers in the Far East). The cruiser models were provided courtesy of @Barroco Hispano. The docks were re-lotted from the “PEG SNM Battleship Pier” and modified with “WMP Seawalls” placed along the front. The “WMP” caissons resemble wooden docks found in photos of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, circa 1929. To the left are two Odin Class diagonal tugboat models “nested” along the “NBVC Seawalls”. The diagonal tugs were scratch-built by “AP”. The Dresden Class cruisers were commissioned in 1908 and 1909, and though they were not as sophisticated as ships commissioned a decade later, they had already assumed the basic characteristics of all German light cruisers through 1918. There is a wealth of detail in these models provided by “Barroco Hispano” and they are well worth a close examination. The detailed dockside cranes are the always excellent work of “AP”. This is a detail shot of the docks and the warehouses that serve them. The warehouses were taken from the “PEG Seaport Series”. I wanted a long row of warehouses along the docks, so I duplicated the warehouse and joined two of them together to make one long building. As you can see here, I have populated the scene with dozens of props, hundreds of people, and a wide variety of activity. A scene without people looks horribly “sterile”. And busy harbors should be full of busy people. In a previous scene, you saw SMS Blucher at the Repair Dock for mechanical adjustments during her “Trial Period”. In this scene, the Admiral commanding Scouting Forces (presumably Hipper) is arriving to make a formal inspection tour of the new armored cruiser, and doubtless, will enjoy luncheon with the ship’s officers. You can see the large formation of sailors at the center of the picture. Two side parties have been mustered to “deliver the salute” as the Admiral’s party arrives. The “ceremonial Kisbee” is displayed in the center at the base of the two side parties. Behind that Blucher’s Kapitan stands in front of the large formation to formally greet the Admiral and his staff. This shot gives you a good look at the “ceremonial Kisbee” (by AP) with two sailors standing alongside at “parade rest”. No navy would be complete without some sort of ceremony – especially the Wilhelmine Navy – and this was about the best we could do. We never figured out how to make such a small figure with the flamboyant look of the Kaiser – so we settled on an Admiral. You will notice the small anchor maintenance yard just to the left of the formation. Here is an overview of the rear of the warehouses – the “cargo line”. This is where the trains are unloaded, goods sorted, and then moved into the warehouses for storage and distribution. The scene is crowded and cluttered with a dozen different things going on at the same time. The props are not quite what I wanted – but they were the closest thing I could get. The object was, after all, to re-purpose as many existing props and buildings as possible. In this detail shot, the locomotive unloading cargo is the “PEG Steam Tank Engine”, while the individual rail cars were pulled out of the Maxis Lot Editor’s “prop-box”. Unfortunately, I have no idea where they originated. I did modify the locomotive for steam. As you can see, the “cargo pad” is crowded and a beehive of activity. This image gives you a good view of the dockside cargo cranes. These particular cranes are very versatile and can be used in a variety of applications. They are taken from the “PEG SNM Dry Dock” lot, and are very similar to “medium lift capacity” cranes found in several US Navy dockyards in the mid-1930’s (notably Brooklyn and Philadelphia). Here is an overview of the right end of the industrial zone behind the docks and warehouses. At the extreme end of the line is the Chemical Storage building. Many of the chemicals used in the manufacturing and maintenance processes are solvents and other compounds, which are dangerously flammable, and they are required to be stored separately to reduce the fire hazard. The building was re-lotted on the smallest possible base and then the surrounding area was filled in with custom-made modular 1x1 lots designed to be used in a variety of different situations. Another view of the Chemical Storage Building. On this side of the facility, work details are loading two trucks with barrels of heavy-weight oil and solvents for use in the tempering process in the Foundry Shop. The building is another of the Maxis “Dirty Industry” props. These are the Cordage Warehouses. The long, narrow warehouse is what was known as a “ropewalk” – the workshop where hemp fibers were twisted into ropes of varying thickness. The standard length of a hawser, sometimes referred to as a “cable”, was established by the Royal Navy as 1,000 feet. In Nelson’s day, the average three-decker ship-of-the-line required 31 miles of ropes, cordage, and hawsers. When canvas and rigging gave way to steam engines, the need for rope did not diminish. Every dreadnought still used a good deal of rope, though some of the lines were replaced by steel cables. Several towing hawsers were standard equipment aboard every warship, and there was no substitute for a good hemp hawser when it came to mooring lines. Both warehouse types shown on this lot are from “Nob’s 1905 Naval Series”. The red-roofed warehouse on the left is for hawser storage. Working parties can be seen inspecting long lengths of rope before other sailors coil the ropes for storage. These buildings are, of course, smaller than the actual facilities – purely for game purposes. In reality, hawsers might have been stored in a warehouse twice or three times as big – while even modern ropewalk buildings measure 1,000 feet or more. (A small footnote: Every naval power worth its salt possessed ropewalks – the largest one in Wilhelmine Germany was in Hamburg. Long since moved to a modern facility in Kiel, the old neighborhood was rebuilt after WW II to become the most famous – shall we say “amusement” district -- in the world: “The Reeperbahn” (German for “ropewalk”.) This is the rear of the Cordage Warehouses, an officer has come with a truck to draw supplies from the warehouse and sailors are loading the boxes onto a truck. Again, the area around the original warehouse lot has been filled in with custom 1x1 modular lots and “IRM Industrial” fillers. This is a small Machine Shop where basic repair parts can be fabricated, parts from the foundry can be machined and finished, or small pieces of equipment might be brought for repair. Inside they have lathes, drills, punch machines, grinding wheels, etc, etc, -- everything that might be used to finish a hand-forged metal part. This is another Maxis “Dirty Industry” building. On the left end of the Industrial Zone you have the heavy industry – a small smelting furnace, a forging and hammering shop for small metal parts, braces, and even mild steel plates. On the left end the large warehouse-like building is a “form loft” – where full scale templates are laid out and metal is hydraulically bent to fit curves or right angles. One end of the large red brick building is a “punch shop” for plates and parts requiring overhead lifts. Basically, anything not requiring a dry dock, or heavy lift cranes, can be repaired, custom-forged, or scratch-built in these shops. The “Union Crane & Shovel” was borrowed from “Simmer2”, as were the two “Middlefort Pottery” buildings – and modified with external props and additional smoke from their chimneys. The large red brick factory is the “Morgankirk Organ Works”. I do not have the expertise to remove their signage, but they all have the basic appearance of early 1900 factories. Another view of the factories showing the great clouds of smoke rising from their chimneys. The fencing and entrance gates along the edge of the woodlands are from the “NBVC Modular Seaport”. These are, for the most part, 1x1 modular pieces that are very flexible and come in handy for many things. Another view showing how modular 1x1 pieces were used to create a truck-loading scene to fill the gap between buildings. These pieces are set up so that they can be used in a wide range of scenarios. (Modular pieces created to specific scenes, that cannot be used in many other situations, should be avoided. They will fill your Plugins Folder with hundreds of single-use lots.) 023__ One last shot showing you how the docks, warehouse line, and industrial zones are all tied together. Now for some terrain shots for you tree-huggers out there. This is the main rail line running northeast to connect the West Loch with the Neu Hafen. On the right side of the tracks, the terrain has gone from semi-open areas cut by a ravine, to heavily forested areas with earthen slopes and small hills. In the upper right you can see a small hill with a stony slope and a semi-earthen summit dotted with a few trees. The “grayish” areas in the upper center are slopes sprinkled with a bit of MMP vegetation. On the left side of the tracks, you see a low ridge of sand hills following the rail line to the northeast. These sand hills have a little more vegetation on them because they are mixing in with heavy forest areas. The terrain opens up to more cleared areas as it approaches the back side of the Neu Hafen area. In the lower left, you can see a portion of heavy forest intruding into the sand hills. You will note – you can actually see the individual trees. These are custom-made 1x1 modular tree fillers. Each one is designed with a variety of tree shapes, sizes, heights, and colors. Each one can be rotated before “plopping” to present a different view (angle) of the individual tree lot, and there are about 25 heavy forest lots – with additional tree filler lots for other specific purposes. Just doing a little very poor math, this provides about 500 different combinations. With this arrangement, you would have to work very hard to be repetitive. AND – it in no way resembles a massive green carpet. I absolutely abhor “green blanket” forests totally lacking in “tree character”. And let me say that it is almost entirely due to the Herculean and splendid efforts of @Girafe that I am able to enjoy my forests. This is the lower end of the sand dunes. I contour hills and sand dunes using the “plop highway” method, which allows me to create unique and irregular features in the terrain elevation. I then use the “God Mode” tools (in varying sizes) to round and smooth the sharp edges. This produces almost perfect sand dunes and sand hills with interesting valleys and ravines. The MMP work here includes “Girafe” “Seasonal Berries” for brown scrub bushes, single trees plopped sparingly, a stand of dead trees, and “small straw” doubling as dune grass. “Girafe” Narcissus is used as a ground cover among the dunes, and is also excellent for blending the transition from sandy dunes to a forested area. My custom-made 1x1 tree filler lots are brought close to the edge of the sandy area and then tied together with MMP work to give the tree line an irregular look. This is another sandy area along the railroad tracks. This view shows the dunes as a sandy ridge line of irregular shape. Careful use of MMP’s will accentuate the shape of the sand hills and dunes, while too much MMP placement will obscure the natural shape of the terrain. Note the open area on the left of the picture. This is a diagonal rail line and subject to the horrible looking “saw-tooth” lines created by the track base. It is next to impossible to cover such lines with MMP work, so I created eight different 1x1 Tree Filler lots with overhanging trees to cover the ugly spots. If your wondering about the overhead lights – I would not put those on tracks out in the middle of nowhere. But since these are on a naval reservation, they seemed appropriate. This last shot shows the main rail line running across the rear area of the New Hafen – this one serving the coaling facilities. That’s the elevated “SFBT Koblenz Signal Box” built for the purpose of controlling the extensive rail traffic going in and out of the coal storage complex. The large stand of trees in the center of the picture is an old 1x1 “Paeng” tree filler lot (...can’t remember the proper name…) featuring mostly large fur trees. I use these in my large forested areas, and I always like to plop a few in open areas like this one – huge trees growing there for no apparent reason. One of my little “qwerks”. It has been blended in with MMP work, making it impossible to tell where the lot edges are. And on that note – I bid you adieu…... NEXT TIME…… CUXHAVEN: THE PHOTO TOUR 04 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

SMS Seydlitz as she would have appeared -- circa 1913. She rides at anchor in the Kieler Hafen during sea trials. A Norddeutscher packet steamer lies alongside with tourists brought out to see Germany’s newest battlecruiser. (Note the Norddeutscher “house flag” on the mainmast.) IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 22: THE FLAGSHIP THE NAVAL ARMS RACE: UPDATE HMS Queen Mary – Queen Mary Class -- commissioned 1913: 26,770 tons – 28 knots – 8x13.5-inch guns – 16x4-inch guns – 2x21-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 9 inches. Queen Mary was very similar to the preceding two ships of the Lion Class. The British had recognized the threat represented by the new German battlecruisers and increased the speed and belt armor, as well as stepping-up to the 13.5-inch main gun. Unfortunately, the British were still focused on speed and big guns. They did not fully realize the extent of the advantage bestowed on the Panzerkreuzer by their “armor suite”. In March 1908, State Secretary von Tirpitz managed to get a fourth Naval Law passed through the Reichstag. This second “supplementary bill” increased the rate of new battleship construction from three hulls to four per year – over the course of the next four years. In the fifth year, construction would revert to three ships per year and stabilize at that rate. The projected numbers would give the Kaiserliche Marine 21 dreadnoughts by 1914. Amazingly, Tirpitz believed – and assured the Kaiser – the British would not be alarmed by such a naval buildup. But there were ministers in his own government that had their doubts. The recent Austrian annexation of the Ottoman provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina heightened political tensions and drew mass protests from virtually every sovereign nation in Europe. Allied to Austria, Germany came in for her share of diplomatic protests, as well. Realizing how volatile and delicate the political situation had become, the German Chancellor, Bernhard von Bulow, looked about Europe and could see no friendly faces. His continued efforts to reach some sort of understanding with Britain were coldly rebuffed. Von Bulow, once a strong supporter of Tirpitz, began to question the value of a costly navy. Not only did it seem to be alienating British diplomats, but Germany’s national debt had doubled between 1900 and 1908 – with most of the money going to fund the military. The move from pre-dreadnoughts to the vastly more expensive dreadnoughts had considerably exacerbated the issue – and Tirpitz’ wish to further increase construction made the situation intolerable. As the man responsible for finding all this money, von Bulow was coming to the conclusion that Germany could not afford both the largest army and second largest navy in Europe. When questioned, Tirpitz insisted the rivalry with Britain was not naval – but economic – a rivalry in overseas trade. He further argued Germany had invested too much money in the naval program to stop now – and the domestic/political coalition created to support the navy might react unpredictably if the government withdrew from the arms race. The Kaiser, overly fond of his warships and loath to think this thing through, sided with Tirpitz. Poor von Bulow was faced with Reichstag opposition to increased taxes and an ever-expanding budget deficit. Lacking Imperial support – the Chancellor resigned in July 1909. Until the passage of the 1908 Supplemental Naval Law, Britain had largely ignored the German buildup, though some in the military and government were keenly aware of the potential threat. After the bill’s passage, the Admiralty abandoned plans to reduce construction and proposed building a minimum of six dreadnoughts. Though opposed by the Liberals -- the Conservative MP’s, the Navy League, the British armaments industry, and even the King-Emperor, Edward VII, supported the plan. Prime Minister H.H. Asquith managed a compromise to start four dreadnoughts in the next fiscal year, with four more by Spring 1910 – if needed. This was a significant escalation in naval building and resulted in the battlecruisers New Zealand, Australia, Lion, and Princess Royal joining the fleet in 1912 – and HMS Queen Mary in 1913. Laid down a month apart in early 1911, HMS Queen Mary and SMS Seydlitz were the last battlecruisers built for either navy prior to The Great War. It is also a matter of some irony that they both joined their respective fleets for duty just eighteen days apart. When that lazy, hot, summer of 1914 was unexpectedly interrupted, Germany would go to war with four battlecruisers (one in the Mediterranean) – while Great Britain would deploy nine. Had the Admiralty known the German battlecruisers were, in reality, “fast battleships” – they would have reacted with a good deal less “sangfroid”. HMS Queen Mary is officially listed as a “single-ship class”, though she is often considered part of the preceding Lion Class battlecruisers. She was just a little longer, a few tons heavier, and the placement of her secondary battery guns was different – but in all other respects – she could have been a sister-ship. She was frequently referenced as one of “The Splendid Cats”. This is HMS Queen Mary taking on coal at the Rosyth naval coaling docks. The beautifully detailed battlecruiser is from @Barroco Hispano. The docks are re-lotted from the PEG “SNM Series” battleship docks. The wooden caissons added to the front are borrowed from the “WMP Sea Walls”. The coaling cranes are repurposed from the “PEG Trash Removal” lots, while the dockside small offices were re-lotted from SFBT railroad signal stations. Both the steam locomotive (the “Nevada 97”) and the coal cars were provided by @Barroco Hispano. Many small props and sailors seen on the quay were crafted by @AP. All of this Anglo-German animosity might not have been necessary – had the relationship been handled better. But a bit of “background history” is needed to show what could have been. In 1861, Frederick Wilhelm IV died, and Wilhelm I came to the Prussian throne in his own right. Wilhelm I quickly appointed Albrecht von Roon as Minister of War, and Helmuth von Moltke (the Elder) as Chief Of Staff of the Prussian Army. The two military reformers set out to reequip, reorganize, and modernize the Prussian Army. When funding for the reforms was submitted to the Landtag (Prussian Parliament), in 1862, they refused to pass the budget. Arguments went back and forth, threats were made, and Wilhelm even threatened to abdicate in favor of his son – Kronprinz Frederick William. But the Kronprinz adamantly refused the idea, thinking he had just the man to resolve the stand-off – Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck had already served as Prussian ambassador to the Romanov Court, and in both houses of the Prussian parliament. Though not well-liked, the haughty Pomeranian Junker moved in the highest circles of European politics – even Prime Minister Disraeli had marked him as...”a man to be watched carefully”. A double-edged compliment if there ever was one. At the insistence of the Kronprinz, Konig Wilhelm I summoned Bismarck to Berlin in 1862, and promptly appointed him both “Minister President” and “Foreign Minister” of Prussia. Bismarck accepted the appointment – fully intent on making Prussia the dominant power broker in Continental Europe. For the next 28 years Bismarck, second only to the King, ruled with an iron fist – side-stepping and outflanking opposition where possible – destroying the opposition when necessary. He engineered three shockingly swift wars; seizing two provinces from Denmark (1864), eliminating Austrian influence over the small states of the North German Plain (Battle of Koniggratz - 1866), and using the utterly humiliating defeat of France (1871) to unify all Germany under the Prussian House of Hohenzollern. On the strength of that resounding victory, on 18 January 1871, in the Hall Of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, Konig Wilhelm I of Prussia was proclaimed Emperor of a united Germany and became Kaiser Wilhelm I. Graff (count) Otto von Bismarck was raised to the rank of Prince (Furst) and appointed by the new Emperor to the post of Imperial Reichskanzler, while retaining his previous political posts in Prussia. Historian Jonathan Steinberg wrote… “The genius-statesman transformed European politics and unified Germany in just eight and a half years...by sheer force of personality, brilliance, and determination. He achieved the impossible. When he returned to Berlin in March 1871, he had become immortal…” For the next nineteen and a half years, Bismarck’s genius allowed him to play one nation off against the other. The only real mistake he ever made was allowing the Army’s demands and public opinion to force him to take the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine from France. This created a permanent and implacable enemy. Bismarck did not fear war, but it was always expensive to wage, and the results could not always be guaranteed. Instead, he created alliances in Europe that kept the French virtually isolated. The French – alone -- would not wage war, and by keeping Austria, Italy, and Russia politically tied to Germany, he left the French no great power with which to ally. As the years passed, even the British came to view Bismarck as an honest broker of Peace. In the meantime, German trade, industry, and prosperity grew by leaps and bounds. The Imperial Chancellor handled the Reichstag with a deft touch – sometimes the gloved hand – sometimes the back of his hand. But he was always careful to ensure the Army budget was passed. Bismarck knew von Moltke’s expanding, well equipped, and efficient army was the power base that gave his diplomacy weight. And so it went. Bismarck served Kaiser Wilhelm I loyally and well. And then his son, Frederick III, who came to the throne doomed by throat cancer, and reigned but 99 days. And so it came to pass that Prince Bismarck was to serve his third Emperor, Wilhelm II, who came to the throne on 15 June 1888. Bismarck had built a strong and modern Germany – prosperous, gaining in science and technology daily, and protected by the finest and most capable army in all of Europe. And he watched its’ crown bestowed on a petty and embittered young man – who had never known battle or war – and would never know what it meant to be an emperor. Wilhelm II only understood that he was “The All-Highest” (his words) and whatever his wishes, they were to be obeyed. And that’s where the trouble started. Bismarck knew Germany had the technological means and the military strength to be the “first” nation in Europe – both in trade and in politics -- and he had never seen much use in overseas colonies. He had bowed to public opinion and acquired one colony, but saw nothing of value in spending money on colonies that were supposed to generate it. When Wilhelm came to the throne, his Grandmother, Queen Victoria, possessed the mightiest empire on earth. Violently envious, he was determined to have his own empire. And the same envy drove him to the conclusion he needed a modern navy to defend his dreams of overseas empire. Bismarck, who had usually done as he pleased, quickly realized Wilhelm II (at least partially a creature of his own making) would not be pliable. The confrontations between the “Iron Chancellor” and the “boy Emperor” became more frequent and more dramatic over the next year and a half. The old chancellor had run Germany as a well-oiled machine while performing a magnificent balancing act in Europe’s political arena – because he had been given a free hand to do so. He could not abide Wilhelm II’s insistent meddling in his ministerial duties in both Prussia and the Empire, while making ill-considered foreign policy statements to anyone who cared to listen. The final break came when Bismarck refused to jointly sign a worker protection proclamation along with Wilhelm. Bismarck resigned at Wilhelm’s insistence on 18 March 1890. With Bismarck gone – there were no restraints on Wilhelm’s sudden whims. Bismarck had kept the Peace in Europe, whereas Wilhelm constantly rattled his saber and made wild public statements. His bullying extended over Europe and into the Middle East. His public disgust extended to China and Japan. And his disdain even extended to America. He had neither the skill, the inclination, nor the temperament to maintain Bismarck’s complex system of alliances, and Germany soon found herself politically isolated, while France found new friends. Even the British acquired a quick distrust of the new German Emperor. His dreams of a navy to match Britain’s began to take material shape when the politically ambitious von Tirpitz was brought to Berlin. Germany’s new warship building programs provoked instant suspicion and thinly-veiled hostility from Britain. Bismarck died in 1898, and there is no proof eight more years as Chancellor would have changed anything. But it is worth considering how von Tirpitz would have gotten his Naval Laws past the Iron Chancellor. Bismarck clearly understood a massive battle fleet was of little use to Germany – and he was certain it would antagonize the British. Worst of all, it would drain money away from the army, which was absolutely vital to Germany’s position in Europe. In the end, the animosity between Britain and Germany was brought on by the ambition of von Tirpitz to head a mighty battle fleet – and Wilhelm’s childhood dreams of being bigger and better than his English cousins. THE SEYDLITZ CLASS SMS Seydlitz – May 1914 – lying at anchor in Schillig Roads. This shot captures the personality of the new battlecruiser – long and low – with her big guns prominent and menacing on her sleek lines. She looks every bit the fast and deadly cruiser she would prove to be. SMS Seydlitz was known among the sailors of the Hochseeflotte as a “lucky” ship and that reputation started when the first keel plate was laid. After 13 months on the slipway, her finished hull was christened and launched into the waters of the Elbe River to begin her life afloat. The Blohm & Voss tugs wrestled her into the fitting-out basin and the complicated process of installing the machinery, building the superstructure, and mounting her guns was undertaken. Just 13 months later, the tugs eased her out of the basin and moved Seydlitz to a coaling dock where a shipyard crew took possession and began taking on coal and stores. In a matter of days, she had set sail for the Imperial Dockyards Kiel, where sea trials would be conducted -- arriving on 12 April 1913. From keel-laying to delivery, Blohm & Voss had built Seydlitz in just 26 months. This was a record for the Kaiserliche Marine and a brilliant achievement for Blohm & Voss – unmatched by any German shipyard. And it had all been possible because the Blohm & Voss yards had built the previous three battlecruisers as well. They knew what materials would be needed and had accumulated them ahead of construction. They knew how many workmen would be needed – and they were already staffed with experienced men skilled in the necessary craftsmanship. And the Blohm & Voss executives were eager to burnish their reputation as “builders of battlecruisers for His Majesty, The Kaiser.” In all, they built the first five battlecruisers – out of seven – and were contracted for two more that were never finished. You might say they held the “Royal Warrant” for battlecruisers. (It should be noted that the only battlecruiser lost in combat – SMS Lutzow – was NOT built by Blohm & Voss.) Upon arrival in Kiel, the navy took possession of the ship for trials and her new crew came aboard. Drawn from the recently laid-up armored cruiser SMS Yorck, roughly 600 men and 30 officers made up the bulk of the crew, with the remainder rounded up from a variety of sources. (The Kaiserliche Marine was chronically short of crews.) The ship’s log shows there were, at first, some disruptive elements among the mixed crew – but the “Yorck-men” quickly weeded these out and Seydlitz was soon considered not only a “lucky” ship – but a “happy” one, as well. On 22 May, Kapitan zur See Moritz von Egidy assembled the ship’s company and read his orders assuming command. (The Kapitan would become a trusted member of the command structure of the 1st Scouting Group and would retain his position until October 1917.) At the end of the “reading-in” ceremony, the ship’s pennant was hoisted to the fore-peak and Seydlitz was commissioned for sea trials. SEA TRIALS SMS Seydlitz on her sea trials in mid-1913. She has not yet worked up to full speed. The ship and machinery met all contract specifications during trials, with the round trip on the measured mile at Neukrug logging 27.87 knots. The maximum effort speed trial developed 89,738shp – well above the designed performance -- and achieved 28.1 knots. During the 6-hour forced draft test, the Panzerkreuzer averaged 26.75 knots. Like Goeben – Seydlitz was a fast ship and attained speeds well in excess of the required 25.5 knots. The new cruiser burned 13 tons of coal per hour at a cruising speed of 14 knots – far below the presumed fuel consumption. It was estimated a slower speed of 12 knots would give Seydlitz an operational radius of 5,807 miles. There was some machinery vibration around 21 knots, but this smoothed out as speed increased and was never severe enough to interfere with the gunnery optical instruments. The performance of the boiler room fans, feed pumps, and condensers proved satisfactory. All electrical system functioned well, with no failures or overheated terminals. SMS Seydlitz was a good “sea boat” – with a light pitching motion and a slow and gentle roll in a “beam sea”. At high speeds her secondary battery was largely dry and fully functional – and some water was taken over the bow – but only at extreme speed or in heavy weather. The four shaft arrangement and her high ship horsepower gave Seydlitz’s propellers a marked tendency to “dig-in” her stern – causing some water over the fantail. Due to the somewhat unsatisfactory “tandem rudder” arrangement, Seydlitz suffered from poor handling in shallow waters and especially at low speeds. With the completion of the widening of the Kaiser Wilhelm I Canal in 1914, this would become more than a simple inconvenience. As the newest battlecruiser, Seydlitz was also the longest, and the narrow confines and turns of the canal would become problematic to a long ship with low-speed handling difficulties. Even when underway at speed, Seydlitz responded to helm commands only after a considerable amount of “helm” was applied. The admiral’s and kapitan’s accommodations were placed in the traditional location, beneath the fantail deck – the admiral to starboard and the kapitan to port – divided by a companionway. Though the admiral’s “stern-walk” had gone out of fashion, his quarters were more spacious than usual and all the officers cabins were designed to be more comfortable and convenient. Crew accommodations beneath the forecastle deck were well ventilated and generally good – though many hammocks were double-slung due to lack of space. By contrast, the accommodations for the medical staff were hot and lacked any natural ventilation. Three weeks into trials, the main and secondary batteries were exercised. The fire control optics and communication links proved reliable. The 5.9-inch guns were found quite satisfactory – elevation and training smooth – excellent firing arcs – and each gun’s ammunition hoist functioning well. The big 11-inch rifles performed well, but there were some problems with the hydraulic elevation pumps in the lower gun houses. A short stretch in dockyard hands would see the problem rectified by installing more powerful pumps. The close proximity of the superfiring turrets aft resulted in a shared “switch room/munition handling room” which proved a bit crowded, and turned out to be a liability. SMS Seydlitz lying at anchor in the Kieler Hafen during “Kiel Week 1913”. Note the crew manning the rails during the review of the fleet. This is a beautiful picture displaying her long, low profile. With her “minimalist” superstructure, the big gun turrets naturally draw attention. Trials progressed well, but were interrupted in late June, when Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered Seydlitz to return to port to participate in the “Kiel Week Yachting Regatta” of 1913. On 29 June, His Majesty visited the ship at anchor in the Kieler Hafen and expressed his pleasure with her appearance. On 3 July, King Victor Emmanuel III, of Italy, also paid a courtesy visit and was given a brief tour followed by light refreshments beneath the awnings on the fantail. When the festivities concluded, Seydlitz resumed her trials, but was interrupted yet again on 26 July, when she grounded briefly near Friedrichsort Light in a heavy fog. Fortunately, no serious damage was done and trials were officially concluded on 17 August. OPERATIONAL HISTORY After coaling ship and taking on stores in Kiel, SMS Seydlitz weighed and proceeded via the Skagen, rendezvousing with the assembled Hochseeflotte near Heligoland on 31 August. The new battlecruiser joined 1st Scouting Group and the fleet conducted maneuvers until 9 September. For the remainder of 1913, Seydlitz completed “working-up her crew” and practicing “evolutions” with the reconnaissance squadron. After a brief “holiday” for Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, training resumed in January 1914 as Admiral Hipper exercised his ships together as a “maneuver unit”. At the end of March, Spring Maneuvers were held with the fleet in the North Sea, followed by fleet maneuvers in the Baltic and North Sea in April and May. In June, “Kiel Week 1914” followed – with Seydlitz making an impressive presence for the many foreign warships attending. The British were especially interested, and two small tours were given – but they were not allowed in certain “sensitive” areas of the ship. On 23 June, Konteradmiral Franz von Hipper transferred his flag from SMS Moltke and raised it aboard SMS Seydlitz. With a few, brief, interruptions (usually lengthy dockyard visits during the war), Seydlitz would serve as Flagship Scouting Forces until 26 October 1917. Around this time it was suggested she might be sent as part of a squadron representing Imperial Germany at the opening ceremonies of the Panama Canal, with a side-trip to San Francisco – but nothing came of the idea. In mid-July 1914, the North Sea and Baltic forces of the Hochseeflotte rendezvoused off Skagen and the combined fleet began their last peacetime exercises. On 25 July, Seydlitz dropped anchor in Sognefjord, Norway, to coal ship – but the next day she was ordered to rejoin the fleet without delay. Coming up with the fleet off Cape Skadenes, the ships received orders from Naval High Command to return to their home ports and await further instructions. Word was passed the heir to the Austrian throne had been assassinated – and there was imminent danger of war. Even the Kaiser had cut short his Norwegian Summer cruise. In the evening of 1 August, Seydlitz was moored to a buoy in Wilhelmshaven Roads when the “war mobilization” order came through – to be executed the following day. A “war watch” was posted and the torpedo nets rigged-out. The following day, Admiral Hipper issued organizational orders dividing the reconnaissance forces into various groups, with the battlecruisers confirmed as the 1st Scouting Group. By 4 August 1914, Germany was at war with France, Russia, and Great Britain. On 17 August, the Panzerkreuzer put to sea for “evolutions” in the morning and “dry fire” gunnery exercises in the afternoon, before returning to the Jade that evening. On 28 August 1914, Seydlitz sortied with Moltke and Von der Tann in support of German light reconnaissance forces involved in the First Battle Of Heligoland Bight – but saw no action. (See Chapter 16 for full details.) September was spent in training maneuvers with the fleet, and a false “action alert” which put the fleet on immediate stand-by with all boilers lit-off. On 17 September, Seydlitz was back on picket duty in Schillig Roads when an interesting phenomenon occurred. At anchor, with the torpedo nets deployed, the added underwater resistance to tidal action actually caused the ship to drag her anchor. Needless to say, the nets were recovered. SMS Seydlitz during one of her numerous stays in the floating docks at Wilhelmshaven. This one is probably for a bottom cleaning and painting. During the pre-war years of the “Kiel Week Yachting Regattas”, Admiral Jellicoe had occasion to visit both Kiel and Hamburg and was much impressed by the numbers of large floating dry docks in service. By 1914, six of them had been built to lavishly equip Wilhelmshaven. Keeping capital ships properly maintained and fit for service was a crucial element of the naval establishment (and the budget). At 08:00 on 16 October, Seydlitz steamed out of Wilhelmshaven Roads to preform picket duty when odd noises were detected coming from the starboard low-pressure turbine housing. The Engineer Officer suggested the noise indicated turbine damage, and a short trial trip to Schillig Roads and back was taken. Considerable and persistent noise demanded the turbine be opened for inspection, so Seydlitz made fast at a repair dock in the harbor basin around 01:00 0n 18 August. By 23:00 that night, it could be seen that seventeen blades in one series were bent, but there was nothing more serious. On 21 October, work was begun repairing the blades and re-closing the turbine housing, which was finally finished on 27 October. At 16:40 on 2 November, Seydlitz weighed anchor and led the battlecruiser squadron down the Jade channel on the Great Yarmouth Raid. (See Chapter 11 for full details.) SMS Seydlitz is made fast to a repair dock in Cuxhaven’s Inner basin. Work is underway to remove the left barrel of “C” turret (damaged during the Yarmouth Raid) and replace it with a new rifle. The work could have been preformed in a dry dock, but none were available, so this was the alternative. It was imperative to get the job done quickly -- in a wartime situation, the battlecruiser had to be combat-ready at all times. The repair ship Vestal has been moored alongside Seydlitz to provide machine-tool support and mechanics to get the job done. A special work team has been sent down from Blohm & Voss Shipyard to assist and oversee the work, and are temporarily billeted aboard Vestal. Two Thor Class harbor tugs standby to move Vestal if necessary. The old steam tug Goliath has towed a barge crane into position to do the work, while the paddle tug Helena stands by with a “gun lighter” in tow. “Spoiler Alert !!” -- We were unable to show the entire step-by-step procedure – it would have required too many individual models, and though @AP is a wonderfully generous man – he is only a “small Army of one”. I did my best to “piece-it-together” with the models on hand -- so you will have to use a bit of imagination from time to time. The old steam tug Goliath was a powerful tug in her day and has provided the tow for the crane barge – she is courtesy of Barroco Hispano. ALL the other ships, tugs, barge, and lighter, are by “AP”. A few of the crates and barrels on the barge are by “Historic Harbors” – everything else on the barge is by “AP”. Especially nice are the workmen preparing the new gun tube for installation. The 150-ton crane is shown lifting a new rifle weighing 41 tons. This is another view of the scene. This gives you a better look at the dockside facilities – cluttered and “busy” with sailors and dock workers. On the left of the picture is a Jupiter Class collier moored to “dolphins” out in the stream – very similar to pictures from turn-of-the-Century Hamburg harbor. On 6 November, Seydlitz made fast to berth B7 at the repair docks. During the Great Yarmouth bombardment, the left barrel of “C” turret had been damaged when an 11-inch shell exploded before clearing the gun tube. The turret roof was unbolted, then lifted off, and the damaged gun tube hoisted out of the turret so a new rifle could be installed. The work was completed on the 10th, and that afternoon Seydlitz returned to her mooring in Wilhelmshaven Roads. On 15 November, the new battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger joined 1st Scouting Group and the squadron put to sea on the 20th for a short cruise to the northwest of the Jade. Squadron evolutions were preformed, followed by torpedo-firing exercises, and more evolutions – before the ships anchored in Schillig Roads around 22:30. Two views of SMS Derfflinger moored to “battleship buoys” along the shallows of Schillig Roads. Note the blinking green channel markers to starboard: 26,600 tons – 26.5 knots – 8x12-inch guns – 12x5.9-inch guns – 4x19.7-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 11.8 inches. Though not the fastest of the Imperial battlecruisers, or the toughest, the Derfflinger Class was the most powerful with, perhaps, the most graceful profile of them all. The bottom view shows the low profile and compact central superstructure with the big 12-inch turrets on either end. This beautiful and detailed model is by @Barroco Hispano. The buoys and channel markers are by "AP". At 03:00 on 15 December, 1st Scouting Group with its attendant light forces weighed, steamed down the Jade, and into the North Sea. The wind was “force 2” from the south, with a slight swell and limited visibility. Speed was increased to 15 knots and course set for the English coast. Hipper’s battlecruisers were tasked with the Bombardment Of Scarborough, Whitby, and Hartlepool. (See Chapter 12 for details.) Between 19 - 23 December, Seydlitz moored at berth 4 of the Wilhelmshaven dockyard to make good the battle damage from the recent raid. The battlecruiser had suffered three hits at about 6,000 yards from the 6-inch guns of the Hartlepool shore batteries. The first high explosive shell struck the aft superstructure on the starboard side of the ventilation shaft – damaging the shaft and severing the power cables to the aft searchlight banks. The second high explosive shell struck the forward superstructure in the funnel mantle – causing some internal damage to the mantle housing and cutting the power leads to the starboard searchlight. The third high explosive shell struck the forecastle deck just forward of “A” turret near the deck edge. The shell exploded on contact, throwing splinters in all directions and causing a minor penetration of the thin deck plating. With repairs completed, Seydlitz shifted her berth to Wilhelmshaven Roads for coaling, then the first three weeks of January 1915 were spent lying at anchor in either Wilhelmshaven Roads or Schillig Roads. Around 18:00 on 23 January, Seydlitz weighed and followed the scouting cruisers down the Jade channel with the battlecruiser squadron trailing behind. The weather was cold, but clear as Hipper set out to spring a trap on the British light cruisers lurking about off Dogger Bank – and so started The Battle Of Dogger Bank. (Details in Chapter 13.) Around 19:28 on the evening of 24 January, the battlecruiser squadron returned from Dogger Bank and anchored in Schillig Roads – but Seydlitz, with her burnt-out aft turrets, was immediately taken through the III Lock entrance at Wilhelmshaven Dockyard. At 01:25 the next morning (25 January) the tugs maneuvered Seydlitz into berth G-1 of the Imperial Dockyard so repairs could commence immediately. A special shipyard crew was ordered down from Blohm & Voss to speed-up the repair process, while investigating the exact cause of the near disaster. They would arrive by special train around mid-morning. Though seriously damaged – the ship had been spared a catastrophic magazine explosion. “Lucky” Seydlitz had cheated “The Gods” of their sacrifice – and not for the last time. The facts, as far as could be determined, were fairly straightforward. The shell hit during the early part of the engagement – approximately 10:43 – and was most likely fired by HMS Lion. It was a 1,400-pound, 13.5-inch round, base-fused, with a black powder bursting charge. It struck the Battery Deck (fantail) and passed through into the “Zwischendeck” (“between deck”, or, “t’ween decks”) space before striking the face of the “D” turret barbette. The shell detonated against the 9 inch-thick Krupp Cemented Armor and most of the explosive effect was felt outside the barbette – but the barbette had been holed. The hole punched in the face of the barbette was, roughly, circular and 14 inches across. Due to the “spalling effect”, the saucer-shaped interior hole was about 24 inches across and irregularly shaped. Along with the “explosive flash” – red-hot fragments of displaced armor (spall) shot into the working chamber, igniting the bagged fore charges. The massive combustion shot flames up into the gun house and below into the munitions rooms, igniting the “ready” powder charges in both. It was determined -- with the first flash of flames -- men attempted to flee through the double connecting doors into the adjoining munitions room of “C” turret barbette. The “D” turret door had been manually opened, and it was obvious the “C” turret door had been blown open by the gas pressure of the burning powder. This allowed flames to carry into the “C” turret trunk and incinerate the interior of that barbette as well. The final report of the investigators recommended eight specific changes to prevent future damage of this sort. Some were in how munitions were stored and handled, but one crucial recommendation was that munition handling rooms should not be shared between turrets. The report went on to say flooding the magazines had saved the ship, but water leaked through ventilation ducts and caused additional flooding in adjacent compartments. Future designs should include separate ventilation shafts for each space between the watertight transverse bulkheads. (Thereby eliminating an “opening” in the watertight bulkhead.) Henceforth, the connecting doors aboard Seydlitz would be secured by special locking devices with access controlled by the bridge staff. Repairs to SMS Seydlitz took a little over three months to complete, and she was returned to duty on 1 April 1915. Four days later, she departed for Kiel, via the Kaiser Wilhelm I canal, arriving on 5 April after a twelve hour transit of the canal. A period of training and evolutions were carried out in the Kieler Hafen to bring the crew up to “battle standards” and to test new fire control equipment installed during the repair period. Seydlitz arrived back in Schillig Roads on 13 April. The next few months were spent supporting minelaying operations in the North Sea, fleet “advances” in the German Bight and around Dogger Bank, dockyard maintenance visits, picket duty in Schillig Roads, squadron and fleet level evolutions, escorting the auxiliary cruiser Meteor out to sea, and frequent exercises on the gunnery ranges. In June, there was another training stretch in Kiel focused on tactical deployment with torpedo boat flotillas. Back in Wilhelmshaven, noises were again detected in the low pressure turbines and 18 – 31 July was spent in the dockyard opening and inspecting the units. SMS Seydlitz is once again in for repairs – this time anchored alongside the dry dock mole. At the bottom of the picture is the munitions pier. Warships can be warped into the pier to take on shells and powder or they can be replenished out in the roadsted from lighters. Tied up to the pier is the Italian heavy cruiser Zara – a truly handsome example of WW II era heavy cruisers. Zara is courtesy of Barroco Hispano. Seydlitz’ engineering staff had detected noises coming from the low pressure turbines – which had given trouble before. The repair ship Vestal has again been brought alongside to provide a floating workshop and the mechanics needed to inspect the turbines. It has been decided to inspect both the high pressure and low pressure sets to make sure they are functioning properly. Two Thor Class tugs are moored alongside Vestal in case they are needed to move the ship. The tugs, Vestal, and Seydlitz are the superb work of “AP” If you examine the dry dock mole carefully, you will see many of “AP’s” props there as well. The battlecruiser’s turbine engine rooms are located, roughly, beneath the aft superstructure. Fortunately, steam turbines are generally constructed in several sections and assembled much like a jig-saw puzzle. The engine rooms are quite tall, with overhead steel beams, so the heavy turbine covers can be lifted off with a hydraulic chain winch. Once opened, the fan systems are composed of small, easily handled pieces – spindles, rotors, nozzles, and circular fan blades. If there is any imperfection in the machining processes of these parts, it could cause an imbalance in the swiftly turning circular blades, resulting in vibration, which can cause the fan blades to break or warp. If the damage is extensive enough – turbine failure will result. One by one the two low pressure and two high pressure turbines were inspected. Opening them up can be a lengthy process and, in the end, only the port low pressure turbine was found to be damaged – with several broken blades in the 3rd and 4th stages of the rotor fans. The fan blades were replaced, the turbine closed, and Seydlitz put to sea on a test cruise off the Jade. With engines performing properly, she was returned to duty on 31 July 1915. On 2 August 1915, Seydlitz led 1st Scouting Group north to the Elbe River to make the transit of the Kaiser Wilhelm I canal. Seydlitz, Moltke, and Von der Tann, along with the group’s light cruisers and torpedo boat flotillas, had been temporarily assigned to C.-in-C. Baltic Forces -- His Royal Highness, Prinz Heinrich von Preussen (the Kaiser’s brother). The Baltic Forces were ordered to break into the Russian-held Gulf of Riga, and 1st Scouting Group would act as “cover” for the operation. They were to deal with the Russian dreadnoughts – should they make an appearance. (See Chapter 16 for details.) It is interesting to note Germany largely fought WW I in the Baltic Sea with cruisers and torpedo boats. When “heavy units” were deemed necessary, the Hochseeflotte would temporarily detach a few squadrons of battleships or battlecruisers for temporary duty in the Baltic (usually for cooperation with Army operations ashore). The reason is astoundingly simple – the Russian Baltic Fleet, based at Kronstadt, near Helsinki, was anything but aggressive. After Imperial Russia’s catastrophic naval defeat in 1905 at the Battle of Tsushima, they had no “Baltic Fleet” to speak of, and it was taking an unbelievably long time to rebuild. By mid-1915, Russia had only managed to complete four battleships of the Gangut Class at the three shipyards along the Neva River in St. Petersburg. Understandably, they were reluctant to risk scarce and expensive battleships. Russian design technology was surprisingly good – and so it should have been. When they began rebuilding in 1909, Russian designers – much as Peter The Great had done – went all over Europe seeking assistance and inspiration from France, Germany, Italy, and Great Britain. Their battleship designs compared favorably with other European navies, but they were nearly obsolete by the time they were completed. Russian industry was, to say the least, primitive – and the Tsarist bureaucracy was much like a Russian “Matryoshka Doll” – no matter how many dolls you opened, there always seemed to be another one inside. This bureaucratic labyrinth, literally, strangled the Russian Navy in its cradle – it took five years to build a battleship. (Of course, the chief designer’s insistence on “high-tensile” steel for construction overly burdened the limited Russian production capacity, and may have delayed the ships by as much as three years.) IRN GANGUT CLASS: Gangut, Petropavlovsk, Poltava, Sevastopol – all commissioned between November 1914 to January 1915. Displacement: 23,400 tons – Length: 600 feet – Speed: 23 knots – Armament: 12x12-inch 52-caliber guns – 16x4.7-inch guns – 4x18-inch torpedo tubes – Armor: 11-inch armor belt. Anyone familiar with the design of the Italian battleship Dante Alighieri will immediately recognize a marked similarity with Gangut – but Chief Designer Krilov always denied any Italian influence. However, both ships made use of triple turrets at a time when few navies even thought of them. And their deck plans were, more or less, identical. Both ships had the bare minimum of superstructure above deck – though Gangut was nothing more than gun turrets, funnels, and a small bridge forward (her aft superstructure was little more than an armored conning tower tube). However, the Russians equipped their fire control systems with wide-base rangefinders – approximately 21 feet – which gave Admiral Souchon a run for his money when he took SMS Goeben raiding into the Black Sea. (Two improved Gangut’s – the Imperatritsa Maria Class – were added to the Black Sea Fleet in the last half of 1915.) I have provided a detail shot of Gangut below, with a detail shot of Dante Alighieri below that for comparison. The superb models of Gangut and Dante Alighieri are courtesy of Barroco Hispano. When the Riga operation was over, 1st Scouting Group arrived back in Schillig Roads on 28 August 1915, coming to anchor around 21:35 that evening. The remainder of the year was given over to a variety of somewhat mundane activity – covering minelaying missions, several routine “advances” into the North Sea, picket duty, gunnery practice, day-trips for “evolutions”, and – of course – maintenance spells in the dockyard. It should be noted almost every sortie into the German Bight or North Sea was either observed or stalked by a number of British submarines. It was not uncommon for several submarine sightings to be made during an operation. It was true many of the sighting reports were false – phantom periscopes and submarine conning towers spotted by jittery lookouts in poor visibility. But it was just as true there were an even dozen submarines lurking around the cleared lanes through the minefields – each captain eager to slam a torpedo into an unwary dreadnought. Returning from a training period in the Baltic (4 December), Seydlitz was exiting the south lock at Brunsbuttel and ran onto an anti-torpedo net which had not been opened for her to pass. The battlecruiser’s engines were immediately shut down, but her poor steering at low speeds ran her up, hard and fast, on Dalben Bank before she came to a stop. The four escort tugs quickly went to her assistance and managed to pull her free. Divers from a salvage tug went down to check her bottom, and found no damage, but a starboard propeller was entangled in the net, which had to be cut loose. Early 1916 was spent in pretty much the same fashion as late 1915. On 11 February, around 01:20, the 1st Scouting Group sortied in support of the 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla which had become engaged with British light cruisers and destroyers out in the Bight. On 3 March, Seydlitz led the 1st and 4th Scouting Groups and the 1st Battle Squadron to sea to link-up with the German auxiliary cruiser Mowe off Horn’s Reef – she was returning to Germany after an Atlantic commerce raid. On March 5th, Seydlitz led the 1st and 2nd Scouting Groups accompanied by the 4th and 9th Torpedo Boat Flotillas on a commerce raid into the “Hoofden” off northwest Holland. No enemy patrols were sighted, and the only shipping encountered proved to be neutral Dutch fishing trawlers. After three submarine alarms between Terschelling Bank and Texel Island, the force put about and anchored in Schillig Roads on the afternoon of the 7th. SMS Lutzow coaling at the Cuxhaven docks. She was completed as, virtually, an identical twin to her sister-ship SMS Derfflinger. Between 17 - 24 March SMS Lutzow joined the squadron for gunnery practice and squadron maneuvers conducted in the Baltic. On 25 March, Seydlitz broke off coaling at Wilhelmshaven and steamed north at high speed to intercept British destroyers reported off List Island. The battlecruiser steered into Amrum Bank passage, but a strong swell and approaching bad weather had probably caused the enemy ships to withdraw, and she put about after an hour’s search. On 24 April 1916, Seydlitz and the 1st Scouting Group, accompanied by the 2nd Scouting Group and the 9th Torpedo Boat Flotilla, weighed around 10:50 and put to sea on the Lowestoft Raid. (See Chapter 16 for details.) During the early part of the raid, Seydlitz struck a floating mine on the starboard bow below the armor belt. The blast tore a hole roughly 55 feet wide by 30 feet and penetrated the outer hull, the outer passageway bulkhead, and the inboard bulkhead (none of these armored). Some ships launched prior to 1914 had built-in underwater protection systems to deal with torpedoes and mines, but none of the designers had any practical knowledge of the power of these weapons. They simply had no idea of the destructive force of modern underwater weapons. But Seydlitz had extensive compartmental subdivision that saved her. With 1,400 tons of water taken aboard, she steamed back to Wilhelmshaven at a brisk 15 knots. Once again, her “luck” had held. SMS Seydlitz was in the floating dry dock at Wilhelmshaven from 25 April to 18 May, the repairs to the mine damage being quite extensive. On 18 May, the battlecruiser was towed out of the floating dock and shifted to berth A5 in the dockyard, where she remained until 23 May. The cruiser then exited the ship locks and anchored in Schillig Roads, where a flooding test was carried out to asses the repairs that had been done. Unfortunately, the Imperial Dockyard’s repair work was shoddy – to say the least – and extensive flooding through the transverse bulkheads and wing passage bulkheads was unacceptable. Seydlitz returned to the floating dock on the 24th, and additional repairs were carried out until the 29th. Admiral Hipper would have preferred to send Seydlitz back to Blohm & Voss for a thorough repair job, but Vizeadmiral Reinhard Scheer (Commander Hochseeflotte) would not approve the request. Scheer had been planning a raid against Sunderland on the English coast since early May, but could not manage to coordinate all the elements. The Vizeadmiral had decided on an elaborate plan to trap a significant portion of the Grand Fleet. German submarines were laid on to wait in ambush off the British naval bases at Cromarty and Scapa Flow, while Zeppelins of the Naval Airship Service would drop bombs on the enemy warships and preform aerial reconnaissance ahead of the fleet. But submarines, still in their infancy as a weapon of war, were small and cramped, and could not remain on station for an extended period. While the Zeppelins were completely at the mercy of the weather. Once the submarines had been dispatched to their patrol stations, Scheer found he could not get the Zeppelins airborne. In the end, Scheer, eager to get on with it, chose an alternative operation interdicting and sinking merchant convoys between the Scandinavian countries and Britain. Admiral Hipper was still unhappy with the condition of Seydlitz – especially with action imminent. Any cavalryman of his day would have told you never to ride a sick horse into battle. And so, at 03:00 on 31 May, Vizeadmiral Franz von Hipper stood on the navigation bridge of SMS Lutzow, his flag at the fore peak. Below, in the boiler rooms, the second relay of stokers had taken over and were rapidly feeding their furnaces to maintain steam for 20 knots, while others with long metal rakes “trimmed” the fires to keep them hot. Thick, black smoke poured from the funnels of the big cruisers and flattened out above them like a low hanging cloud. Amid the endless clang of shovels and the deep-throated roar of the ventilation fans, these sweating, grimy men gave life to the ship’s beating heart. A light rain was falling in the early morning darkness as Lutzow’s signal lamp flashed back along the line of anchored ships. Seydlitz acknowledged the message and the anchor party up forward slipped the mooring lines to the buoy. The big ship swung out into the channel behind Derfflinger and increased speed until the battlecruisers swept down the Jade channel at 18 knots. Seydlitz, without her admiral, followed along as “Tactical #3”. Hipper led the 1st Scouting Group out into the German Bight and steered north for the Amrum Bank passage through the minefields. They were bound for the convoy routes west of the Skaggerak. In an ironic twist of fate – Hipper would have done better to remain aboard Seydlitz – the “lucky” ship. But we must leave SMS Seydlitz, for the time being…... NEXT TIME…… THE IRON DOG COMETH MANY THANKS – as always -- to @Barroco Hispano for his many beautiful warship models. SPECIAL THANKS to my collaborating partner, @AP, for his wonderful, wonderful, models – and all the hard work that has gone into them. If you enjoyed anything – please punch the “like” button so WE will know. A comment would be even more informative. Comments and critiques requested and gratefully accepted. All questions answered promptly to the best of our ability. THANK YOU for your visit! You may wish to visit these CJ’s as well…… SERIES I: IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: WILHELMSHAVEN SERIES II: IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN Appearing – Work In Publication SERIES III: IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: BREMERHAVEN Appearing -- ??? And please feel free to drop in at… THE SIMTROPOLIS SHIPYARD https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/761469-simtropolis-shipyard/?tab=comments#comment-1766496

A beautiful painting of SMS Seydlitz lying at anchor in Schillig Roads on a foggy morning early in 1917. Note the new “Carley Floats” mounted on the main battery turrets. As an item of interest, the stern anchor pictured weighs approximately 8 tons. IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 21: GROSSE KREUZER “J” - 1910 SMS Seydlitz – circa 1913 – lying moored to a buoy in the Kieler Hafen. Seydlitz had supremely graceful lines while presenting a low profile with a squat and powerful appearance. Three months after SMS Moltke’s keel was laid, the preliminary discussions about “Grosse Kreuzer J – 1910” were already beginning. In keeping with their policy of improving each new warship, Korvettenkapitan Vollerthun of the General Navy Department sent a memorandum to State Secretary von Tirpitz on 8 March 1909. The topic was the Grosse Kreuzer’s development in comparison to navies of other nations…… “The development of our grossen kreuzer since 1907 has been inspired by the English Invincible Class, but we have increasingly pursued the qualities of a fast battleship. It has been our intention to make the authorized number of large ships, as far as possible, capable of also fighting in the battle line. This approach has given our grossen Kreuzer a different character than the English, and has brought their displacement to that of the battleships. The English pattern has heavy artillery (12-inch guns) and extreme speed (allegedly 26.5 to 27 knots), but it is bought at the expense of armor (belt only 6 inches) – and, therefore, is of limited suitability for the battle line. Against an enemy with heavy artillery, this type of ship is severely compromised – even at long ranges. In effect, the English ‘Battleship-Cruisers’ stand against our ‘Cruiser-Battleships”. In those very few words, Vollerthun had accurately defined the Anglo-German Arms race and the battlecruisers it produced. He went on to say…… “Future grossen kreuzer should continue to be patterned after contemporary battleship development in regard to combat power. The superiority in speed, necessary to maintain the character of cruisers, has to be bought (compliant with the Naval laws) with a modest sacrifice in combat power – or by an increase in displacement above that of the battleship. Speed must also be maintained with an advantage of 3.5 to 4 knots over the battleship.” Since 1909, contemporary battleships in both Britain and Germany had made a further jump in armament and displacement, and it was recommended the new Grossen Kreuzer do likewise. The five 11-inch gun turrets should be replaced with four 12-inch gun turrets – though Vollerthun hedged the point by saying the 11-inch gun was still sufficient to penetrate the armor of foreign navies. (Personally – I consider it extraordinarily backward not to increase the gun power. The bigger shell would, of course, deliver more destructive force – and not using it – gave the enemy an advantage.) At a 4 April conference, the Naval Budget Office rejected an increased expenditure for the 1910 cruiser, and von Tirpitz discouraged improvements entailing higher costs. The discussions, somewhat understandably, seemed to cease at that point. Cost – more than any other factor – would be the driving element in the design of “Grosse Kreuzer J”. By 1909, Imperial Germany was just beginning to feel the financial strain of supporting a world-class army while creating a first-class navy. Tsarist Russia had the largest army in Europe, while Germany diligently maintained a slight edge in troop strength over the French. But the “Kaiserliche Heer” was, without doubt, the best trained and finest equipped army in all of Europe – and that cost a lot of money. With the emergence of Admiral von Tirpitz, warship construction assumed an importance never before experienced – at an unheard of cost. Around five years later, the “dreadnought” battleship appeared and costs became astronomical. Germany’s last pre-dreadnought battleship (SMS Deutschland) had cost in the neighborhood of 5 million Marks in 1903 (the entire class of five ships cost about 26 million Marks). By 1909, the cost of a single Moltke Class battlecruiser was in excess of 44 million Marks – roughly nine times that of a single pre-dreadnought. And there was also the operating costs to be considered. By 1912, the annual expense of daily operation and maintenance of a dreadnought was roughly 2 million Marks per ship. As discussed in Chapter 1, “national wealth” had its limits – and excessive taxation could cause financial collapse. In August 1909, the Construction Department raised the issue of deadlines that had to be met in preparing documents, and for Krupp to be able to deliver the gun turrets on schedule. Discussions began again, but Chancellor von Bulow had been replaced by an even more frugal von Bethman-Hollweg, so no budget increase would be allowed. By 23 September, several designs had been produced – almost all with a cost increase over the Moltke Class of 750,000 to one million Marks. Consequently talks were started with Blohm & Voss to see if construction discounts could be obtained on the hull and engines. Both Krupp Armaments and Dillingen-Hutte Fabrik were also brought into discussions to possibly obtain discounts. (Krupp provided the naval rifles and face-hardened exterior armor belts, while Dillingen-Hutte produced the hull plates, girders, interior deck plates, and non-face-hardened armored areas.) At this point, the design studies had been whittled down to just two choices – Study IIc, which was an improved version of SMS Goeben – and Study IVe, with five twin turrets on the centreline (two superfiring forward, two superfiring aft, and one amidships). Design IVe was favored both structurally and tactically by several bureau chiefs. On 21 December 1909, Admiral von Tirpitz convened yet another meeting. He opened by reassuring the Budget Office that a one million Mark increase was acceptable to the Reichstag. Whereupon, their representative urged the State Secretary to make a decision quickly so advantage could be taken of favorable negotiations with Blohm & Voss. Early on in the lengthy meeting, any discussion of design IVe was shelved. Von Tirpitz was opposed to the superfiring turrets forward (he had not liked the superfiring stern turrets on Moltke and Goeben, either). He felt superfiring turrets were too close together, and risked having two turrets put out of action by a single shell. (Ironically, this would actually come to pass – see Chapter 13 – Seydlitz -- Dogger Bank.) A further discussion was held about going to a three-shaft propeller arrangement to improve ship-handling at lower speeds. But the rudders would have to be redesigned, the aft torpedo tube moved, and the stern reconfigured. When a long delay was mentioned, von Tirpitz rejected that notion. On 7 January 1910, a final meeting was held and design IIc was altered to include a raised forecastle deck, the forward turret barbette was raised by 1.6 meters, main belt armor increased, turret armor increased, boilers increased, and machinery output boosted to a designed 63,000shp to compensate for weight increases. The budget was estimated at 45.83 million Marks, and the Kaiser approved the design concept on 27 January 1910. Detailed design drawings, mechanical pages, final cost estimates, and the finished blueprints were prepared over eight weeks. On 26 March 1910, Kaiser Wilhelm II signed the builder’s order in the Royal Palace, Berlin. His Majesty could not have known at the time, but he had just ordered the construction of one of the toughest and most battle-worthy ships ever built. The Imperial battlecruisers would become, perhaps, the finest dreadnought warships ever built. But “Grosse Kreuzer J” would be the finest of them all. SEYDLITZ CLASS BATTLECRUISER The final design of “Grosse Kreuzer J” as she would have appeared at her commissioning. There are a few details missing from this “plan profile” – notably no ship’s boats or launches which would have been stowed on deck amidships. But the plan gives you an excellent idea of the deck layout, the placement of the turrets, and the wide range of the firing arcs. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS The contract for “Grosse Kreuzer J” was awarded to Blohm & Voss Dockyards, Hamburg, on 2 April 1910, and her keel was laid on 4 February 1911. She would be launched thirteen months later, on 30 March 1912. Thirteen months on the builder’s slip was very good time – even for Blohm & Voss. The main design features of the new cruiser (an “improved” Moltke) were limited somewhat by budgetary constraints but, significantly, returned to the raised forecastle deck formula – incorporating the forward bridge and funnel elements. This feature was thought necessary to keep the fore-ship as “dry” as possible. At 24,988 tons, her displacement was nearly 2,000 tons heavier than Moltke. The new cruiser’s hull was longer, at 656 feet, with a newly tested hull form having finer lines and a slightly reduced beam. The reduction in beam was unusual for German capital ships, and was made possible by a more refined armor scheme. The new hull design also resulted in a nearly vertical-cut stem and the elimination of the ponderous “ram bow”. The hull was constructed of transverse and longitudinal framing, and plated with Siemens-Martin “mild steel” for flexibility and resilience. There were sixteen watertight compartments (one more than in Moltke) on seven deck levels, with a double bottom running 76% of her length. The double bottom and extensive use of internal compartmentalization between the watertight transverse bulkheads contributed significantly to her underwater protection -- slowing flooding and confining it to a smaller area. Bilge keels – or anti-roll keels -- were included in the original design to improve stability, and anti-torpedo nets were a design feature. SMS Seydlitz (“Grosse Kreuzer J”) laying at anchor off a warehousing area. Alongside you can see a steam tug with two lighters full of fresh vegetables ready to be transferred aboard the battlecruiser. This view clearly shows the arrangement of the three different deck levels – the Forecastle Deck – Battery Deck – and the Fantail Deck. All interior decks were steel plated and covered with linoleum, while exterior (“weather”) decks were steel plated with 2.5 inches of teak planking. The “flush deck” design of Moltke was done away with, and a Forecastle Deck was raised by one level. The Forecastle Deck ran aft from the stem, over the Battery Deck, to include the conning tower, forward bridge, and mainmast, then angled gracefully toward the centreline to wrap around the first funnel housing and boiler room air intakes. This compact arrangement (similar to Von der Tann) was designed to reduce the water taken over the bow in heavy weather. The Battery Deck (just below the Forecastle Deck) ran aft and angled into the barbette of superfiring “Caesar” turret. One deck below that, on the fantail, was turret “David”. So the “weather decks” on the new cruiser were on three different levels. This close-up shows the arrangement of the various superstructure elements – the forecastle with “A” turret, bridge, and first funnel housing -- midships gun turrets – the second funnel housing – the aft control structure – and the two superfiring turrets. This also shows the ship’s small boats stowed on deck amidships. The boat derrick abaft the second funnel is seen hoisting out a steam launch across the top of “B” turret. If you examine the ship and crew carefully, you will see many small details and scenes built into this wonderfully detailed model by @AP. The steam tug "gifted" by “WolfZe” – and the two lighters are also “AP’s” work. The deck layout was very similar to Von der Tann -- and especially Moltke. Behind “A” turret was the forward superstructure housing the Navigation Bridge, the forward armored Conning Tower with rangefinder, a Chart Room, the forward pole mast (steel with wooden yards), and the Flag Bridge. The forward funnel was incorporated into the rear of this structure. The funnels on this class were not as large in circumference as Motlke’s, but they were raised an additional ten feet, and a further ten-foot “boot cap” was designed on the forward funnel to keep smoke off the bridge and searchlight areas. Searchlight platforms were attached directly to the funnel casing – one pair facing forward, with single searchlights on either side. Air intakes for the boiler rooms were found at the rear base of the funnel. Like Von der Tann and Moltke, there was another “lozenge-shaped” funnel housing with air intakes and boat derricks located amidships between “B” and “E” wing turrets. The “lozenge” shape was a special design element to improve the main battery firing arcs, and allow cross-deck firing. The aft superstructure block included the secondary conning tower with rangefinder, four searchlights on two platforms stepped against the after mast, and air intakes around the base. Beyond that were two main battery turrets – “C” turret superfiring over “D” turret. The same machinery layout below decks as her predecessors, allowed the funnels and superstructure groups to be placed well clear of the main battery and firing arcs. Wide firing arcs were a critical element in Imperial Navy design, while foreign navies, like the British, crowded their decks with bulky superstructures -- restricting their firing arcs – a noted fault of the Invincible Class battlecruisers. “Grosse Kreuzer J” would ship a crew of 43 officers and 1,025 men. Close-up of the aft superfiring main battery turrets and the aft superstructure block. This shows the newly designed “Drh-L-C/1910” gun houses – a bit lower in profile and slightly broader. Note the rangefinder sighting hood on the top turret, while the roof of the bottom turret is clear to avoid damage from over-blast pressure. Behind “C” turret is the aft armored conning tower and fire control rangefinder, with engine room air intakes built into the housing around it. Here you can see the searchlight platforms stepped against the aft mast. Seydlitz is taking on fresh provisions. The barge crane is shifting them from lighters to the fantail deck where sailors are carrying them below through deck hatches. Some may be destined for an Admiral’s table while some might even be earmarked for the Kapitan. It was accepted practice for an admiral to have his own “chef”, “mess steward’, and store of delicacies. And it was quite common for the (usually) well-to-do Kapitans to have similar arrangements. The ship’s electrical suite was boosted over that of Moltke -- six turbo-generators totaling 1,800kw output at 220 volts. As a precaution against battle damage, the generators were divided between four dynamo rooms – one each to port and starboard of the forward engine room, and two more on the centreline, all on the Upper Platform Deck. The new ship retained Von der Tann’s extensive drainage and pumping system, with three high-capacity centrifugal pumps (two steam driven – one electrical) mounted on the Hold Deck. Several portable, electric “leak” pumps were carried to deal with “hard to reach” areas. In an emergency, the condenser pumps could be connected to the drainage system. Because of the obvious problems with visual communications between ships; ships operating out of sight of one another – bad weather – smoke or haze limiting visibility. In 1907, the Hochseeflotte began installing “wireless” telegraphy transmitters developed by the physicist Heinrich Hertz. They used an encrypted form of “Morse Code” to communicate between ships. By 1909, every ship in the Kaiserliche Marine had its own wireless transmission (WT) office equipped with at least one Telefunken vacuum tube wireless apparatus. The Grosse Kreuzer and other capital ships were equipped with the “standard” two wireless transmitters, three receivers, and as many antennas, and prior to 1914, an additional transmitter/receiver was installed in the forward conning tower. The devices were usually installed in at least three different locations to avoid loss of communication to battle damage. Unfortunately, for proper operation, the wireless antennas could only be strung between the foremast and mainmast – leaving them open to damage by gunfire. The bulk of these early vacuum tube transmitters had a tactical range of between 20 and 30 miles (just over the horizon). For longer range communication or, ship-to-shore traffic, larger sets were installed in the fleet, squadron, and division flagships. These bulky transmitters were capable of sending signals anywhere within the North Sea area – possibly 300 miles – but were, of course, subject to good or bad “atmospherics”. PROPULSION PLANT ”Grosse Kreuzer J” received a completely redesigned propulsion system with more powerful engines and an increase to twenty-seven naval-type Schulz-Thornycroft water-tube boilers. These were custom-built in the Blohm & Voss Boiler Works to a modified design. Six different sizes and shapes of boilers were specifically designed to conform to the ship’s hull contours, and the available space. Specially developed for the Kaiserliche Marine, the boilers were, for the most part, smaller and built of lighter, weight-saving materials. The double-ended, coal-fired boilers could deliver more steam, under higher pressure, and with lower coal consumption than other contemporary designs. They were arranged in five boiler rooms – two ahead of the “B” turret barbette – and three aft. Each of the three aft boiler rooms was divided into three compartments by two longitudinal bulkheads. There were 52 fire boxes, and from 1916, supplemental “oil-firing” was installed. Maximum bunker capacity was 3,460 tons of coal, providing an operating radius of 4,440 miles at 14 knots. “Grosse Kreuzer J” was designed for 63,000shp, to provide 25.5 knots. The boilers fed four sets of Parsons Steam Turbines manufactured at the Blohm & Voss Engine Works. High pressure turbines in the forward engine room worked two outer shafts, while low pressure cruising turbines in the aft engine room worked 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. Once again, two rudders were fitted, “in tandem”, along the centreline – irrespective of Moltke’s poor handling characteristics at low speeds. During design meetings, the subject of changing the new cruiser’s rudder arrangement had been taken up, but was dismissed due to long delays in redesigning the shape of the ship’s stern. Mostly by default, the “tandem rudder feature” would become standard on battlecruisers. Each rudder was driven by an auxiliary steam steering engine. In the event of damage, both rudders could be coupled to a single engine, or manually operated. Here you see SMS Seydlitz tied up at her berth along the breakwater in Cuxhaven Roadsted. Anchored ahead of her is SMS Moltke. Astern of her is SMS Derfflinger. This would have been the appearance of an average day in the main anchorage – each ship at its assigned berth, going about the every-day business of running a big warship. Warships are rarely, if ever, serene and peaceful – there is always work to be done – a complex piece of machinery to be tended – a thousand mouths to be fed – and a small floating city to be administered. SMS Derfflinger is courtesy of @Barroco Hispanoand the breakwaters are by “Uki”. The mooring points are by @mattb325, modified for use in my harbors. The white steam tug is by “WolfZe” – and EVERYTHING else is the wonderful work of "AP". SHIP’S ARMAMENT MAIN BATTERY “Grosse Kreuzer J” was armed with the same main battery as the preceding Moltke Class battlecruisers -- the Krupp 11-inch SK-L/50 (QF) high-velocity gun. The gun came into service in 1911 with an increased barrel length of 50 calibers – specifically designed to improve the velocity and accuracy of the previous SK-L/45 gun. Like Moltke, the gun houses (turrets) only allowed a +13.5 degree elevation, which limited the range to approximately 19,800 yards. After experiencing the battle ranges at Dogger Bank in 1915, the turrets were modified and the range increased to 20,900 yards. The prevailing poor visibility in the North Sea meant battle ranges varied considerably. On a rainy, hazy day, with blowing squalls – visibility could be intermittent – and only five miles. On better days (there is rarely a “good” day) visibility might vary between eight to ten miles – well within the maximum range of the guns. Mounted in five twin turrets, the guns were well placed: “A” turret (Albert) forward on the forecastle deck – “B” turret (Berta) in the starboard “forward wing” position – the aft superfiring turret “C” (Caesar), and “D” turret (David), aft on the fantail deck, with “E” turret (Emil) in the port “aft wing” position. By carefully positioning the turrets and superstructure, and keeping the “deck clutter” to an absolute minimum, the architects enabled her to “cross-deck fire” with the midships “wing turrets” on a 75 degree firing arc. This is a closer view of Seydlitz. She has a boat boom rigged-out and smaller boats are going and coming. A Thor Class harbor tug has pulled a barge crane alongside to transfer cargo to the battlecruiser. A Helena Class paddle tug has towed three lighters of fresh provisions out from shore and is standing-by to unload. A small cutter from the tug is trying to “hook-on” to the third lighter to work it into position. A small steam tug is passing to port with more fresh provisions, headed for another warship. The white steam tug is from “WolfZe” – the crane on the barge was borrowed from the “PEG” trash lots – and the mooring points are from “Mattb325”. The breakwaters are by “Uki” – but everything else is by "AP" – including the diagonal paddle tug and a lighter to match! Yet another new main battery gun house (turret) design was developed for “Grosse Kreuzer J” to replace the Drh-L-C/1908 (turntable mounting model 1908). The new Drh-L-C/1910 gun house had been designed with several changes in mind. But at the last minute, it was found these changes could not be implemented without major redesign of the ammunition hoists. However, some alterations to the turret roofs were carried out. The turret sighting hood was removed and its telescope was installed in the forward face of the turret, between the two guns, in a manner similar to the gun cradle telescopes. The “Turret Captain’s” hood was retained on top of “A”, “B”, “C”, and “E” turrets – but was removed from “D” turret because that one had “C” turret firing over the top. Each Turret Captain’s hood (or cupola) was equipped with a nine foot Zeiss rangefinder. If the Central Director Fire Control was disabled, the turret could be switched to “local control” and fired using the Zeiss optics. As in Moltke, an apparatus was installed coupling the barrels together for elevation and aiming in “director fire”. The gun houses were electrically trained, with an electrohydraulic elevating system for the gun tubes. The SK-L/50 rifle could fire a 666 lb armor-piercing shell at the rate of 3 rounds per minute. The shell was propelled by 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; (1) the Krupp guns used a horizontal “sliding wedge breech”, sealed by the rear rim of the shell casing (an obturator seal) – and (2) “cased” charges were far less likely to burn or explode in an accident. The shells were capable of penetrating 11 inches of nickel-steel at 11,000 yards, and 8 inches at 13,000 yards. The magazines stored a total of 870 rounds. Fire Control “ranging and spotting” was handled from the fore or aft conning towers, whose upper floors housed the Fire Control Party operating Zeiss 12-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 and rangefinder was added to the foremast. The control stations were connected to a Central Gunnery Control situated beneath the protective armored deck. Here, the ship’s Gunnery Officer received data from the remote stations, calculated target information, and issued firing orders to the “Turret Captains” via telephones or electro-mechanical “repeaters”. This view of SMS Seydlitz gives you a really good idea of just how sleek her hull form really was. At 656 feet in length, she was long for her day, and (as was common to German warships) just a bit wider in the beam than some foreign warships. But her hull model was “tank tested” and altered several times to get the optimum shape for high speed. She had powerful engines and “clean” underwater lines that made her faster than her opponents. SECONDARY BATTERY ”Grosse Kreuzer G” followed the now-standard pattern, and carried a strong secondary battery of 5.9-inch guns – the usual SK-L/45 (QF) high velocity weapon. It was an excellent, all-around, complement to the ship’s main battery. The twelve guns were mounted on the Battery Deck, in MPL-C/1906 armored casemates, six amidships on either beam. Like Moltke, the freeboard had been raised on Seydlitz and the Battery Deck guns were dry in all but the worst weather. (See Chapter 17 for specifics on gun performance.) TERTIARY BATTERY Twelve 3.5 inch SK-L/45 (QF) high-velocity guns were provided for torpedo boat defense in the original design. But war experience proved these light guns useless against modern destroyers, and they were gradually removed. In the end, the 5.9-inch guns were more than adequate for the job. (See Chapter 15 for specifics on gun performance.) TORPEDO ARMAMENT As was customary for the time period, all German capital ships carried a torpedo armament. “Grosse Kreuzer J” was fitted with four submerged 20-inch torpedo tubes. They were arranged in the standard pattern -- one fore and aft, and one on each beam. Eleven type G-7 torpedoes were carried. This view of Seydlitz shows the details of the uniquely designed forecastle deck and forward bridge structure. The graceful angles merging into the curves of the hull are classic design elements found in no other era of naval construction. The bridge superstructure, seemingly complicated, is – in fact – minimalist and utilitarian. One unusual feature is the upper “flying bridge” (Sometimes referred to as the Admiral’s bridge.) – extending out from both sides to provide a better view ahead and to make “docking” easier. It is set much higher than the navigation bridge and armored conning tower, and was preferred by both Kapitans and Admirals as a “command” position. Beside “A” turret you can see 11-inch shells, recently brought aboard, being stowed below by a work party. ARMOR “Grosse Kreuzer J” was an “improved” Moltke Class, and in keeping with that theory, her armor suite was laid out in an almost identical manner, but “tweaked” a bit – moving a bit from over here to over there – where it would do more good. And naval Intelligence had determined the British were replacing their 12-inch gun with the new BL 13.5-inch Mark V/45 – a much more powerful weapon. The new battlecruiser would have to be armored to withstand battle damage from these guns – so the three side belts (main, citadel, and battery) were thickened, and Krupp Cemented Armor, face-hardened with nickel-steel, was used in more places than previous designs. In essence, her armor was not only thicker, but harder to penetrate. German designers had to strike a delicate balance between guns, armor, and speed when designing their “Battleship-Cruisers” – as Korvettenkapitan Vollerthun called them. Eventually, they arrived at a very complicated and comprehensive layout compatible with the gun and speed requirements of a fast-battleship. Imperial German capital ships were consistently built with extensive and unusually thick armor suites by comparison to other navies. (I’m only going into the armoring scheme’s important aspects – see Chapters 15 and 17 for extensive details.) The new battlecruiser was armored throughout with Krupp Cemented Armor, face hardened with nickel steel, and backed with 2 inches of Teak to prevent spalling. (Dillingen-Hutte Werk provided the structural steel for construction and hull plating – not for armoring purposes.) The “protective armored deck”, unlike foreign warships, extended from stem to stern. The main belt armor was 11.8 inches of face-hardened nickel steel. The Citadel armor (the next level up) ran from barbette to barbette with 10.5 inches of armor – increasing to 11 inches in the area of the “wing turrets”. The Casemate armor (the final layer reaching the deck level) ran barbette to barbette and was 5.9 inches thick. The main battery turrets were also protected with Krupp Cemented Nickel Steel armor – turret faces 9.2 inches – sides and back 7.3 inches – roof 3.9 inches. The forward conning tower was protected by 12-inch armor -- the aft conning tower had 8 inches. The armor scheme was thicker and better arranged, and was, by itself, an achievement of some merit – but there were other factors to be considered. Another view of the forecastle. You can clearly see the navigation bridge to the rear of “A” turret, with the armored conning tower and rangefinder behind that. This is also a better view of the “flying bridge”. The boat boom, small cutter, and motor launch (by “AP”) were all placed on a stand-alone 1x1 lot plopped adjacent to the battlecruiser. The work party on the Mooring Points (by Mattb325) is preparing to tighten up the slack in the mooring hawsers – they often stretch after mooring (dampness). Note the fine detail on the small boats, motor launch, and the diagonal Helena Class paddle tug (also “AP”). The underwater protection of “Grosse Kreuzer J” was even more extensive than that of the Moltke Class battlecruisers. Sixteen transverse bulkheads divided the ship into seventeen vertical watertight compartments (two more than in Moltke). The protective armored deck (at the waterline) further divided some compartment horizontally – effectively creating twenty-two watertight compartments above and below the waterline. Between the transverse bulkheads -- within each of those “armored, watertight boxes” -- were numerous subdivisions. These were lighter steel bulkheads (in a house, you would call them “walls”) forming individual compartments (rooms) throughout the hull – Damage Control Center, Boatswain’s Store, Sail Locker, Capstan Engine Room, etc, etc. Each compartment could be sealed against flooding with watertight doors. In effect – the interior of the hull was a labyrinth of passageways, small compartments, and watertight doors – a “honeycomb” designed to keep the ship afloat in the event of damage. There were exceptions to the system, usually in the engineering spaces – boiler rooms and engine rooms – where the compartments were large, and often two or three decks in height. But “Grosse Kreuzer J” had well over 85 watertight subdivisions in her design – considerably more than most foreign warships – and she would be able to withstand a great deal of damage before sinking. (See Chapter 13 for difficulty sinking Blucher.) Here are two wider views of Seydlitz taking on stores and fresh provisions. “AP’s” battlecruiser model is highly detailed, Hi-Def, historically accurate, and a thing of beauty. In the second picture you have a clear view of the second funnel. Apparently, Seydlitz has just returned from a sortie into the North Sea, for her second funnel is still painted red. It was customary for German warships to paint their second funnels red upon leaving port -- as a recognition device. The red funnel could be more easily spotted in the dark and hazy North Sea conditions – thus preventing other German ships from exchanging fire with their own side. The white circles on the turret roof are for aerial recognition. German Zeppelins were notorious for mistaking German ships for British – and dropping bombs. Fortunately, they invariably missed. Some designers found watertight transverse bulkheads difficult to work with. In order to be effective, they must be solid, with no openings – or the openings must be sealed with watertight doors capable of withstanding immense water pressure. Warships are packed full of electrical lines, communication lines, water pipes, ventilation systems, and steam pipes -- running, in some cases, from end to end of the ship. It would be impractical to run a drain line from the Hold Deck up a bulkhead to the top, then down the other side, and back to the Hold Deck. Consequently, holes are often cut in bulkheads to run pipes, lines, and ventilation ducts. Anywhere one of these “lines or “pipes” goes through a bulkhead, it must be sealed – and sealed properly. Unfortunately, many dockyard workmen were never sufficiently impressed with the need to seal these openings securely. (This was to prove a curse to many dreadnoughts of the era.) And – it was not uncommon for a ventilation duct to be damaged by an explosion that flooded the compartment – allowing water to get into the duct – and flood a compartment on the other side of the bulkhead. Many possibilities for problems. Consequently, to make things less difficult in the design and construction phase, designers attempted to limit the number of watertight bulkheads they would have to deal with (the usual British solution). Following her predecessors, the new cruiser was given a built-in, armored torpedo bulkhead. (See Chapter 15 for details.) This was still a novel innovation and not at all common in foreign navies. But it was easier to repair a damaged ship than to build a replacement. As always, the ubiquitous coal bunker provided another layer of protection for Imperial warships. Like Von der Tann and the Moltke’s, the new battlecruiser made extensive use of outboard hull spaces as coal bunkers. (See Chapter 17 for specific details.) “Grosse Kreuzer J” was given the full suite of wrap-around coal bunkers. As a simple solution, coal was cheaper than Krupp steel, necessary to power the ship, and could absorb more destructive energy than a thick armor plate. Though other navies used protective coal bunkers, none were as comprehensive as those found on German capital ships. This is a close-up of the offshore replenishment. There are many details in the picture, especially among the sailors at work or in the boats. With the exception of the breakwater, mooring points, and – of course – the sea gulls – everything in the scene is courtesy of “AP”. (Note the gangway on the barge deck – nice touch.) A few of the props on the barge (gray barrels and crates) are from “Historic Harbors” and the crane is re-purposed from the “PEG” Trash lots. And special attention for the two diagonal models – many more to follow. “Grosse Kreuzer J” was, indeed, an improvement over the Moltke Class, but – as with all capital ships -- it was a vastly complicated, technically superior, and carefully conceived engineering marvel. And all of that – for the bargain price (after discounts) of 44.685 million Marks. It was during the First World War that German capital ships earned a reputation for being lethal in combat and almost impossible to sink – and “Grosse Kreuzer J” would be largely responsible for that reputation. She would prove to be – very nearly – the perfect “fast battleship” of her day. On 30 March 1912, “Grosse Kreuzer J” was christened SMS Seydlitz – in honor of the Prussian Lieutenant General der Cavallerie. Friedrich Wilhelm Seydlitz – ranked as, quite possibly, the greatest of all Prussian cavalry commanders. He became legendary for his reckless bravery, expert horsemanship, and tactical acumen. Brilliant leadership of Seydlitz’ massed cavalry squadrons were largely responsible for Frederick The Great’s victories at the battles of Kundersdorf, Kolin, Zorndorf, Leuthen, and especially Rossbach. He fought in the War Of The Austrian Succession and the Seven Year’s War – and was awarded both the Pour le Merite and the Prussian Order Of The Black Eagle. As SMS Seydlitz slid down the Blohm & Voss slipway at Hamburg, none could know she would embody the very spirit of her illustrious namesake. SMS Seydlitz under easy steam – circa 1915. NEXT TIME…… THE FLAGSHIP MANY THANKS to @Barroco Hispano for his beautiful warship models. SPECIAL THANKS to my friend and partner, @AP, for his talents, meticulous detail, colorful imagination, and wonderful models. Wt hope you enhoy them just half as much as I do ! 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