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Part Four - Battleships
Capital Ships

Point of Departure


IOTL Raeder wasted a lot of time deciding what sort of warships he actually wanted for his navy. An excellent example is the design to follow on from Graff Spee. In November 1932 (according to Whitley) he and Groener the Defence Minister had come to an agreement of the future size of the fleet. By 1938 it was to have 6 battleships or armoured ships, 6 cruisers, 6 half-flotillas of destroyers or torpedo-boats, 3 half-flotillas of S boats and when the political situation permitted, 18 U-boats.

The next 15 months were spent producing a design for an enlarged panzerschiffe armed with six 28cm, eight 15cm and eight 8.8cm guns on a displacement of 18,000 tons. Armoured Ships D and E were both ordered on 25/01/1934 and laid down on 14/02/1934.

However, Admiral Raeder was not satisfied with the design and pressed Hitler to allow the designs to be altered to accommodate a third 11" turret. This was necessary to match the French Dunkerque class battlecruisers ordered in 1932, which were in turn built to counter the German Deutschland class armoured ships. Hitler did not authorize the change until 05/07/1934. As a result the keel of Ship D was re-laid on 15/06/1935 and that of Ship E on 06/05/1935 about 15 months after both ships were originally laid down.

The point of departure ITTL is that Raeder decided that Ships D and E would be replies to the French battle cruisers by November 1932. Having made that decision he stuck to it. As the 18,000 ton design originally produced IOTL broke the Treaty of Versailles anyway he decided that he might as well go all the way with a much larger ship mounting nine 11" guns. The incoming Nazi Government agreed with him.

This effectively put the German capital ship programme 15 months ahead of OTL because it led to the Anglo-German Naval Agreement being negotiated 15 months earlier.

The Agreement gave Germany the legal right to build a capital ship fleet that was 35% the size of the United Kingdom's. As the British Empire was allowed 525,000 tons of capital ships Germany now had a legal right to 183,750 tons of capital ships. After the 3 armoured ships, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were deducted there was sufficient tonnage left to build three ships displacing 35,000 tons.

IOTL the Germans used that tonnage allowance to build Bismarck and Tirpitz straight away, but a shortage of slipways and a change of design delayed the laying down of the third ship to July 1939. ITTL the third ship was ordered as a repeat of Bismarck in place of the aircraft carrier Graff Zeppelin.

Scharnhorst (Ship D)

According to Whitely Armoured Ship D was laid down Kriegsmarinewerft, Wilhelmshaven on 14/02/1934, but following the change of design her keel was re-laid 16 months later on 15/06/1935. She was launched on 03/10/1936 as Scharnhorst and completed on 07/01/1939 which was 43 months after her keep was re-laid.

ITTL Armoured Ship D was still laid down on 14/02/1934, but because she had been ordered as a 35,000 ton battle cruiser in the first place she was launched on 03/06/1935 and completed on 07/09/1937. That is like the OTL Scharnhorst she was launched 16 months after being laid down and completed 43 months after she was laid down.

In both timelines Tirpitz was laid down on the same slip as Scharnhorst. Therefore bringing the launch of Scharnhorst from 03/10/1936 to 03/06/1935 allowed the laying down of Tirpitz to be brought forward from 02/11/1936 to 02/08/1935.

Gneisenau (Ship E)

According to Whitely Armoured Ship E was laid down at Deutsche Werke (Kiel) on 14/02/1934, but following the change of design her keel was re-laid 15 months later on 06/05/1935. She was launched on 08/12/36 as Gneisenau and completed on 21/05/38 which was 37 months after he keel was re-laid.

ITTL Armoured Ship E was still laid down on 14/02/1934, but because she had been ordered as a 35,000 ton battle cruiser in the first place she was launched on 08/09/1935 and completed on 21/02/1937. That is like the OTL Gneisenau she was launched 19 months after being laid down and completed 37 months after she was laid down.

IOTL the aircraft carrier Graff Zeppelin was built on the same slipway as Gneisenau and ITTL Battleship H was built there in her place. Therefore bringing the launch of Gneisenau forward from 08/12/1936 to 08/09/1935 allowed the laying down of Battleship h to be brought forward from 28/12/1936 to 28/09/1935.

Bismarck (Battleship F)

This ship was ordered from Blohm und Voss (Hamburg) on 16/08/1934 instead of 16/11/1935. She was laid down on 01/04/1935 instead of 01/071936 and launched 31 months later on 14/11/1937 instead of 14/05/1939. Her planned completion date was 01/07/1938 in May 1934 instead of 01/10/1939 as planned in October 1935, both of which were 39 months after she was laid down. However, she was actually completed on 28/05/1939 instead of 28/08/1940, both of which were 50 months after she was laid down so that the ship was completed 11 months late in both timelines.

Tirpitz (Battleship G)

This ship was ordered from Kriegsmarinewerft, Wilhelmshaven on 14/03/1935 instead of 14/06/1936. She was laid down on 02/08/1935 instead of 02/11/1936 and launched 29 months later on 01/01/1938 instead of 01/04/1939. Her planned completion date was 01/11/1938 in May 1935 instead of 01/02/1940 as planned in October 1939, both of which were 39 months after she was laid down. However, she was actually completed on 25/11/39 instead if 25/02/41, both of which were 52 months after she was laid down so that the ship was completed 13 months late in both timelines.

Moltke (Battleship H)

According to the OTL plan of October 1935 Battleship H was to be laid down in October 1937 as a repeat of Bismarck for completion on 01/02/41 which was 40 months later. This was not possible due to a lack of suitable slipways and it was decided to use the time to build her to a new design. However, due to the usual prolonged design process Battleship H was not ordered from Blohm und Voss (Habmurg) until 14/04/1939 and she was not laid down until 15/07/39.

My original plan for this TTL was for the ship to be ordered from Deutsche Werke (Kiel) on 16/11/35 and laid down on 28/12/36 in place of Aircraft Carrier A (Graff Zeppelin). She was going to be launched 30 months later on 28/06/1939 and completed on 01/04/1941 because Bismarck and Tirpitz were launched and completed an average of 30 and 51 months respectively after laying down.

However, now the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau have been brought forward about 15 months Battleship H was ordered on 16/08/34 (the same day as Bismarck), laid down on 28/09/35, launched on 28/03/38 and completed on 01/01/40.

Goeben (Battleship J)

In January 1937 when the British announced the construction of the 3 battleships which became Duke of York, Anson and Howe. This increased the German battleship quota under the Anglo-German Naval Agreement from 183,750 tons to 220,500 tons. The original plan was to use the extra 36,750 tons to build a fourth Bismarck which would be laid down on 01/05/1938 and completed on 01/11/1941. In common with the OTL Battleship H that timetable could not be met due to a shortage of shipways and the decision to build them to a new design mounting eight 16" guns. Therefore she wasn't ordered until 14/04/39 and was laid down at Deschimag A.G. (Bremen) on 15/08/1939.

The K Class Battleships and O Class Battlecruisers

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