Scharnhorst & Gneisenau
Technical Layout
| General Details | |||
| Name of the ship | Scharnhorst | Gneisenau | |
| Builder | Marinewerft, Wilhelmshaven (from 1935 the Kriegsmarine Werft, Wilhelmshaven) | Deutsche Werke, Kiel | |
| Builder's number | 125 | 235 | |
| Contract placed | 25. January 1934 | 25. January 1934 | |
| Laid down | First time | 14. February 1934 | 14. February 1934 |
| Construction stopped | 5. July 1934 | 5. July 1934 | |
| Second time | 15. June 1935 | 6. May 1935 | |
| Launched | 3. October 1936 | 8. December 1936 | |
| Commissioned | 7. January 1939 | 21. May 1938 | |
| Reconstruction | — | Conversion begun in March 1942. | |
| Disposition | Sunk in the Battle of the North Cape, 26. December 1943, at 72°16´ North and 28°41´ East. 1.932 men lost, 36 survivors (36 captured). | Conversion halted in 1943 and sunk as a block ship in the Gotenhafen (Gdynia) harbour on 28. March 1945. Raised by Polish salvage firm and scrapped 1947-51. | |
| Displacement | |||
| Measurement (net registered tons) | 19.401 nrt | 19.401 nrt | |
| Displacement | official | 26.000 tonnes | 26.000 tonnes |
| planned | 26.000 tonnes | 26.000 tonnes | |
| Actual displacement: | |||
| -Standard (1935) | 31.552 tonnes | 31.552 tonnes | |
| -Operational (1935) | 37.822 tonnes | 37.902 tonnes | |
| -Full load (1935) | 37.224 tonnes | 37.902 tonnes | |
| -Full load (1943) | 38.092 tonnes | 37.303 tonnes | |
| -Standard (1943) | 31.847 tonnes | — | |
| -War overload (1943) | 39.017 tonnes | — | |
| Dimensions and Construction Details | |||
| Length Overall (original) | 229,8 m | 229,8 m | |
| Length Overall (after installation of clipper stem 1939) | 235,4 m | 235,4 m | |
| Length, cwl (construction waterline) | 226 m | 226 m | |
| Beam, cwl (construction waterline) | 30 m | 30 m | |
| Designed draught | 8,69 m | 8,69 m | |
| Maximum draught | 9,93 m (at 38.713 tonnes) |
9,91 m (at 37.902 tonnes) |
|
| Height of side (measured from keel top edge to upper deck) | 14,05 m | 14,05 m | |
| Freeboard, amidships | 4,8 m | 4,8 m | |
| Freeboard, forward | 8,3 m | 8,3 m | |
| Building steel | ST 52 | ST 52 | |
| Watertight compartments | XXI | XXI | |
| Immersion per cm | + 55,1 tonnes | + 55,1 tonnes | |
| Double bottom in relation to total length | 79% | 79% | |
| Propulsion | |||
| Boilers | 12 Wagner three drum type | 12 Wagner three drum type | |
| Temperature | 450º C | 450º C | |
| Turbines | Brown-Boveri geared turbines | Deschimag geared turbines |
|
| Machinery output | designed | 125.000 shp | 125.000 shp |
| Speed | 31 knots | 31 knots | |
| Machinery output | maximum | 160.050 shp | 154.000 shp |
| Speed | 31,65 knots | 30,7 knots | |
| Range | designed | 8.200 nm at 19 knots | 8.200 nm at 19 knots |
| actual | 7.100 nm at 19 knots | 6.200 nm at 19 knots | |
| Bunkers | 6.200 tonnes | 6.200 tonnes | |
| Propulsion gear (all mounted aft) |
Shafts | 3 | 3 |
| Propellers | 3 (three bladed, diameter 4,45 m) | 3 (three bladed, diameter 4,45 m) | |
| Rudders | 2 (paired) | 2 (paired) | |
| Armour | |||
| Side | 320 mm (12,59") over 70% tapering to 170 mm (6,69") at bottom | 320 mm (12,59") over 70% tapering to 170 mm (6,69") at bottom | |
| Deck | 48,3 mm (1,9") main deck 150 mm (5,9") third armoured deck |
48,3 mm (1,9") main deck 150 mm (5,9") third armoured deck |
|
| Forward transverse bulkhead | 150 mm (5,9") | 150 mm (5,9") | |
| Turrets | 358 mm 14,1" face 190,5 mm (7,5") sides |
358 mm 14,1" face 190,5 mm (7,5") sides |
|
| Barbettes | 350 mm (13,8") | 350 mm (13,8") | |
| Conning tower | 218 mm (8,6") sides | 218 mm (8,6") sides | |
| Armament | |||
| Main armament | 9 x 283 mm (11,1") | 9 x 283 mm (11,1") | |
| Secondary armament | 12 x 150 mm (5,9") | 12 x 150 mm (5,9") | |
| Heavy flak | 14 x 105 mm (4,1") | 14 x 105 mm (4,1") | |
| Light flak | 16 x 37 mm | 16 x 37 mm | |
| Flak - Machine Gun | 10 x 20 mm | 10 x 20 mm | |
| Torpedo battery | Two tripple sets each of 533 mm (21") torpedo tubes. Originated from the light cruiser Nürnberg. | Two tripple sets each of 533 mm (21") torpedo tubes. Originated from the light cruiser Leipzig. | |
| Aircraft | |||
| Catapult | 1 (originally 2, but one was removed in 1940) | 1 (originally 2, but one was removed in 1940) | |
| Aircraft | 3 x Arado Ar196A-3 Previously Heinkel He114 had been tried. |
3 x Arado Ar196A-3 Previously Focke-Wulf Fw62 and Arado Ar96 had been tried. |
|
| Fire Direction | |||
| 10,5 m Rangefinder | 6 (1940) 5 (1941) |
6 (1940) 5 (1941) |
|
| 6,5 m Rangefinder | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 m Rangefinder | 4 | 4 | |
| 3,7 cm flak | Rangefinder on gun | Rangefinder on gun | |
| 2 cm flak | Rangefinder on gun | Rangefinder on gun | |
| Radar Equipment | |||
| FuMO 22 | 1 (later replaced by FuMO 27) | 1 (replaced by FuMO 27 in 1941) | |
| FuMO 27 | 2 (1942) | 2 (1942) | |
| FuMB 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| FuMB 4 SAMOS | 1 | 0 | |
| FuMB 7 | 1 | 1 | |
| FuMB 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| Equipment | |||
| Searchlights, triaxially stabilised and directed centrally | 5 | 5 | |
| Cranes | 4 | 5 (one later removed) | |
| Ship's boats | Three picket boats, two motor yawls, five cutters, one motor pinnace and one motor launch | Three picket boats, two motor yawls, five cutters, one motor pinnace and one motor launch | |
| Anchors | 2 bow, 1 stern (originally 3 bow anchors, but one was removed after the sea trials) | 2 bow, 1 stern (originally 3 bow anchors, but one was removed after the sea trials) | |
| Complement | |||
| Ship's company | 60 officers, 1.908 men (1943) | 56 officers, 1.613 men (1939) | |
© John Asmussen, 2001 - 2010. All rights reserved.