Scharnhorst '43

13.9

Scharnhorst '43

Battleship | Germany | Tier VII

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points56,300

Main Battery

283 mm/54.5 SK C/34 on a Drh LC/34 mount3 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire2.61 shots/min.

Reload Time23 sec.

Rotation Speed7.2 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time25 sec.

Firing Range18.87 km.

Maximum Dispersion248 m.

HE Shell283 mm Spr.Gr. L/4.5 Kz.

Maximum HE Shell Damage3,200

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell20 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity890 m./s.

HE Shell Weight315 kg.

AP Shell283 mm P.Spr.Gr. L/4.4

Maximum AP Shell Damage7,600

Initial AP Shell Velocity890 m./s.

AP Shell Weight330 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

105 mm/65 SK C/33 on a Dop. L. C/31 mount7 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range6.3 km.

Rate of Fire19.23 shots/min.

Reload Time3.12 sec.

HE Shell105 mm Spr.gr. Bdz u. Kz.

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,100

Initial HE Shell Velocity900 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell8 %

Secondary Armament #2

150 mm/55 SK C/28 on a Dop. L. C/34 mount4 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range6.3 km.

Rate of Fire9.23 shots/min.

Reload Time6.5 sec.

HE Shell150 mm Spr.gr. Bdz u. Kz. L/4.5

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,500

Initial HE Shell Velocity875 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell12 %

Secondary Armament #3

150 mm/55 SK C/28 on an MPL/35 mount4 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range6.3 km.

Rate of Fire9.23 shots/min.

Reload Time6.5 sec.

HE Shell150 mm Spr.gr. Bdz u. Kz. L/4.5

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,500

Initial HE Shell Velocity875 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell12 %

Torpedo Tubes

533 mm Drilling2 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire1.33 shots/min.

Reload Time45 sec.

Rotation Speed25 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec.

TorpedoG7a T1

Maximum Damage13,700

Torpedo Speed64 knot

Torpedo Range6 km.

AA Defense

105 mm/65 SK C/33 on a Dop. L. C/31 mount7 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second116.2

. . . Firing Range4.5 km.

20 mm/65 C/38 on a Flak 35 Vierling L/38 mount5 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second30

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

37 mm/83 SK C/30 on a Dopp LC/30 mount8 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second20.8

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm/65 C/38 on an L/30 single mount10 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second30

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed30 knot

Turning Circle Radius800 m.

Rudder Shift Time14.5 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range15.19 km.

Air Detectability Range9.94 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.9

Scharnhorst '43

Battleship | Germany | Tier VII

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points56,300

Main Battery

283 mm/54.5 SK C/34 on a Drh LC/34 mount3 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire2.61 shots/min.

Reload Time23 sec.

Rotation Speed7.2 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time25 sec.

Firing Range18.87 km.

Maximum Dispersion248 m.

HE Shell283 mm Spr.Gr. L/4.5 Kz.

Maximum HE Shell Damage3,200

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell20 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity890 m./s.

HE Shell Weight315 kg.

AP Shell283 mm P.Spr.Gr. L/4.4

Maximum AP Shell Damage7,600

Initial AP Shell Velocity890 m./s.

AP Shell Weight330 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

105 mm/65 SK C/33 on a Dop. L. C/31 mount7 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range6.3 km.

Rate of Fire19.23 shots/min.

Reload Time3.12 sec.

HE Shell105 mm Spr.gr. Bdz u. Kz.

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,100

Initial HE Shell Velocity900 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell8 %

Secondary Armament #2

150 mm/55 SK C/28 on a Dop. L. C/34 mount4 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range6.3 km.

Rate of Fire9.23 shots/min.

Reload Time6.5 sec.

HE Shell150 mm Spr.gr. Bdz u. Kz. L/4.5

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,500

Initial HE Shell Velocity875 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell12 %

Secondary Armament #3

150 mm/55 SK C/28 on an MPL/35 mount4 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range6.3 km.

Rate of Fire9.23 shots/min.

Reload Time6.5 sec.

HE Shell150 mm Spr.gr. Bdz u. Kz. L/4.5

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,500

Initial HE Shell Velocity875 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell12 %

Torpedo Tubes

533 mm Drilling2 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire1.33 shots/min.

Reload Time45 sec.

Rotation Speed25 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec.

TorpedoG7a T1

Maximum Damage13,700

Torpedo Speed64 knot

Torpedo Range6 km.

AA Defense

105 mm/65 SK C/33 on a Dop. L. C/31 mount7 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second116.2

. . . Firing Range4.5 km.

20 mm/65 C/38 on a Flak 35 Vierling L/38 mount5 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second30

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

37 mm/83 SK C/30 on a Dopp LC/30 mount8 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second20.8

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm/65 C/38 on an L/30 single mount10 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second30

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed30 knot

Turning Circle Radius800 m.

Rudder Shift Time14.5 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range15.19 km.

Air Detectability Range9.94 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

VII

Special

Scharnhorst '43 — German special premium Tier VII battleship.

The lead ship in a series of two battleships designed for raiding operations entered service a few months before the outbreak of World War II. Scharnhorst conducted her first battle raid in November 1939. It was followed by support for a landing in Norway, a raid into the Atlantic Ocean, and a breakthrough across the English Channel. In 1943, the battleship was transferred to Norway to attack enemy Arctic convoys. On December 26, 1943, Scharnhorst, flying Rear Admiral Erich Bey's flag, was sunk in battle by an Allied squadron off the North Cape.

Scharnhorst '43 was first released on 6 December 2023, as the reward for the 10th stage of the Holidays in Santa City event's free progression line.

Modules

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Dispersion (m)	Maximum HE Shell Damage (HP)	Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell (%)	Maximum AP Shell Damage (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
283 mm/54.5 SK C/34 on a Drh LC/34 mount	2.6	25	248	3,200	20	7,600		0	0

	Hit Points (HP)	Armor (mm)	Armor (mm)	Main Turrets (pcs.)	Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.)	AA Mounts (pcs.)	Torpedo Tubes (pcs.)	Hangar Capacity (pcs.)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Scharnhorst '43	56,300	16	360	3	7/4/4	10/5/8/7	2			0	0

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	Torpedo Tubes Reload Time (sec)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Damage (HP)	Torpedo Speed (knot)	Torpedo Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
G7a T1	1.3	45	7.2	13,700	64	6		0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
FKS Typ 7 Mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 160,000 hp	30		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning: The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

Scharnhorst '43 is an analogue of Scharnhorst, but even more attuned to brawling. A fearsome suite of auxiliary weapons means she is especially lethal in close-quarters combat, but comes at the expense of main battery performance.

Main Battery

When it comes to main battery guns, Scharnhorst '43 isn’t like most battleships. Like Scharnhorst, she only has 283mm guns, which are significantly smaller than most of her Tier VII counterparts. To compensate, she has a fast 23 second reload and good 2.0 sigma, which means she is more likely to land shells where aimed. She may look and perform more like a battlecruiser, but she still has battleship dispersion. While the reload is three seconds longer than on Scharnhorst, she can still manage to fire two salvos in the time it takes most other battleships to reload.

Another difference is that Scharnhorst '43 uses the standard battleship armor piercing shell fuse time of 0.033 seconds as opposed to Scharnhorst’s improved 0.010 seconds, which means she in practice means she has a better chance of citadelling battleships, but more likely to overpenetrate enemy cruisers. She also has a slightly shorter main battery range of 18.8 km, and, unlike Scharnhorst, it can't be temporarily improved by mounting the Spotting Aircraft  consumable (see Consumables below).

In all other regards, Scharnhorst '43 and Scharnhorst have identical gunnery characteristics. Captains of Scharnhorst will find her ballistics quite comfortable, with the only real downside being her lackluster high explosive shell performance. Bearing all this in mind, Scharnhorst '43’s guns are more effective against battleship superstructures or upper armor belts for more reliable damage.

Torpedoes

Scharnhorst '43’s torpedo armament looks identical to those of Scharnhorst, but with one major difference. They have the same 6 km range and 64 knot speed, but with an unrivaled 45 second reload that makes her a fearsome opponent in close-quarters combat. This gives her the ability to launch torpedoes in advance of engaging an opponent, and possibly have reloaded her torpedo tubes for a killing blow as she sails past her opponent. That is, assuming her torpedo tubes haven’t been knocked out or destroyed in the meantime.

Secondary Battery

In common with most German battleships, Scharnhorst '43 has a fearsome secondary battery with high penetration and standard German battleship accuracy. In fact, it’s even more impressive than Scharnhorst’s secondary battery owing to the faster reload on all of her secondaries. Her 105mm dual-purpose guns reload in just 3.1 seconds, and her heavier 150mm guns reload in only 6.5 seconds. The incredible volume of fire that her secondary battery can dish out gives her excellent potential damage-per-minute in a close-quarters brawl and decent fire-starting capabilities.

Survivability

Scharnhorst '43 and Scharnhorst share an identical armor scheme, which is strong all-around. She boasts a thick icebreaker armor belt that protects her from being citadelled through the bow, and her citadel is well-protected by turtleback armor scheme, traditional of German battleships. A mediocre 22% torpedo damage reduction will help to take the edge off of any unfortunate torpedo strikes, but her below-average pool of hitpoints means that she must utilize her maneuverability and situational awareness to avoid taking torpedoes in the first place. Fortunately, she is equipped with four charges of the standard Repair Party consumable to recover some hitpoints throughout the course of a battle.

Maneuverability

In terms of speed and handling, Scharnhorst '43 is yet again almost identical to Scharnhorst. She has the same 30 knot top speed, 800 meter turning radius, and 14.5 second rudder shift. Her large surface detection radius means that opponents will most likely see her before she spots them, but Scharnhorst '43 has an ace up her sleeve. She is equipped with an enhanced version of the Engine Boost consumable that increases her top speed by 15%, enabling her to rapidly close the distance to her victim to within secondary gun battery range, where she can inflict heavy damage.

Consumables

As mentioned previously, Scharnhorst '43 is equipped with the standard Damage Control Party  and Repair Party  consumables. These will keep her in the fight longer, which she will definitely need given her high stakes, high reward brawling playstyle. She also has access to a 15% Engine Boost  similar to those found on French vessels (3 charges), allowing her to rapidly close to within brawling range of other ships or get out of harm’s way. She also comes with a Catapult Fighter  by default - there is no option to swap it out for a Spotting Aircraft .

Anti-Aircraft Defenses

Scharnhorst '43’s anti-aircraft suite is identical to that of Scharnhorst, which is below-average. She has good long-range damage-per-second but only a 5.2 km range, and her short- and medium-range damage output is abysmal. It is, in effect, a fireworks show welcoming enemy aircraft to the ship.

ASW

Scharnhorst '43 is equipped with standard air-dropped depth charges, featuring an 8 kilometer range and 30 second reload. She gets two flights that drop one depth charge each, dealing a maximum 3400 damage over a blast radius of 375m.

Battle Performance

Scharnhorst '43 is a close-quarters combat player’s dream. She excels at brawling thanks to her faster secondary battery and torpedo reloads combined with a good overall armor scheme and powerful Engine Boost  consumable. The slightly longer reload on her main battery guns compared to Scharnhorst will not feel so significant at close range - it’s still faster than almost all of the battleships she will face in her matchmaking spread. Captains are recommended to isolate opponents then charge in, guns blazing, chipping away hitpoints and closing the distance until they can deliver the final knockout blow with her torpedoes.

Pros:

• Great armor scheme
• Relatively quick main battery reload for a battleship
• Incredibly quick torpedo reload (45 seconds!)
• High rate of fire on secondary guns
• Access to improved speed boost consumable

Cons:

• Below-average HP pool
• Low-caliber main battery guns for a battleship, low penetration
• Poor AAA
• Large detection radius
• No option for spotter plane

Research

As a premium ship, Scharnhorst '43 has no module upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades are:

• Slot 1: Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1 
• Slot 3: Secondary Battery Modification 1
• Slot 4: Damage Control System Modification 2

Commander Skills

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack			Defense
1	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type. ★	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance when firing at submarines. ★	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except:  Damage Control Party ,  Repair Party .	Emergency Repair Specialist -3% cooldown time of Damage Control Party  and Repair Party . ★	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning about a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5 km.	Preventive Maintenance −30% chance of main armament, engines, steering becoming incapacitated +15% to HP of secondary and AA guns. ★★
2	Grease the Gears +20% main turret traverse speed. ★★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells. Base fire chance reduced by half. ★	Brisk So long as the ship remains undetected: +10% ship speed. ★	Vigilance +25% detection range of enemy torpedoes +7% damage reduction of Torpedo Protection System. . ★★★	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery.	AAA & ASW Expert +15% continuous AAA and flak damage . +10% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −40% ship consumables reload time..
3	Super-Heavy AP Shells +7.5% AP shell damage −10% fire and flood damage received +25% fire and flood duration.	Long-Range Secondary Battery Shells +20% secondary battery firing range. ★★★	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★	Basics of Survivability -15% repair, fire, and flooding duration. ★★	Improved Repair Party Readiness −0.8% reload time of Repair Party each time your ship receives potential damage equal to 100% of the ship's base HP. After receiving 2M HP potential damage: +1 charge of Repair Party ..	Focus Fire Training In an active priority AA sector: •  +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. •  +25% continuous damage. •  +1 flak burst per salvo. −10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament..
4	Furious 1st fire / flood   −10% Main battery reload time 2nd etc. (up to 5), each   −5% Main battery reload time ★	Manual Secondary Battery Aiming −10% secondary battery reload time. −10% secondary battery dispersion. When firing at a manually selected target: dispersion gradually improves from -25% to -50%. ★★★	Close Quarters Combat -10% reload time of main battery if an enemy ship is spotted within secondary range. ★★★	Emergency Repair Expert Damage Control Party  and Repair Party : +1 charge (each). +10% action time .	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★★	Fire Prevention Expert -10% risk of fire. Three fires maximum. ★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Scharnhorst '43 equips the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Repair Party  – 4 charges
• Slot 3: Engine Boost  – 3 charges
• Slot 4: Catapult Fighter  – 3 charges

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Scharnhorst '43 comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.

Signals

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Juliet Charlie -100% to the risk of magazine detonation. ★	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration. ★★★	India Yankee -20% to fire duration. ★★★	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy.	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding. ★★	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating. ★★
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time. ★	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts.	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed.	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables. ★★	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used. ★★★
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire .

Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.

Gallery

Historical Info

Scharnhorst '43, 1943

Specifications

32,358 tons displacement, standard

234.9m Length

30m beam

9.9m draft

---

Armament

Main

Nine (3x3) 28.3cm/54.5 SK C/34 guns

Secondary

Twelve (4x2, 4x1) 15cm/55 SK C/28 guns

Fourteen (7x2) 10.5cm/65 SK C/33 dual-purpose guns

Anti-aircraft

Sixteen (8x2) 37mm SK C/30 AA guns

Thirty-Eight (7x4, 10x1) 20mm SK C/30 or C/38 AA guns

Torpedoes

Six (2x3) 53.3cm G7a T1 torpedoes

Aircraft Facilities

3 Arado Ar 196A floatplanes

1 aircraft catapult

Scharnhorst, circa 1939.

History

Design

With the commissioning of the last Deutschland-class vessel in 1936, the Kriegsmarine found itself in possession of warships that could outrun almost every ship that outgunned them, while being able to outgun almost every ship that could outrun them. The few exceptions to this were the British battlecruisers HMS Renown, HMS Repulse, and HMS Hood, and the Japanese battleships of the Kongo class. The entry of Deutschland and her sister ships into service led the French begin designing a new class of battlecruisers — the Dunkerque class — which would be larger, stronger, and faster.

Having learned the intended operational specifications of Dunkerque and her sisters, German designers began development on improved versions of the Deutschland-class, known as Panzerschiff D and Panzerschiff E. Shortly after, however, the French laid down Strasbourg, which was a more heavily-armored Dunkerque and would again outclass the nascent German designs. The Kriegsmarine responded by designing an even more powerful ship, this time with a third turret — to help overcome the difference in firepower between the two classes — a tougher armor scheme, and a stronger propulsion to allow high speeds.

This step was — strictly speaking — not entirely legal. The Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany from possessing any warship in excess of 10,000 tons displacement. With the new class being designed for a displacement in excess of 30,000 tons, they were in clear violation of their treaty obligations. Subsequently, Hitler reached out to Great Britain and initiated negotiations of a new Anglo-German Naval Treaty, which partially legitimized the construction of the new ships. Whether the treaty fully covered the legitimacy of the new ships remains topic of discussion even today.

The armament of these ships consisted of three triple turrets with 283mm guns, the same caliber as those found on the Deutschland class. However, these guns were modified to increase their performance: the barrel was lengthened, and the weight of the shell increased. Additionally, the reloading and hoist system saw an improvement to allow a faster rate of fire, with reloads of 17 seconds being achieved during trials. Despite these improvements, German command knew that the 283mm guns were not competitive against larger surface units and planned early on to replace these guns with more powerful 380m twin turrets (the same as would later be mounted on the Bismarck class). One of the reasons to not install the turrets from the get-go was to not provoke the ire of their British neighbors, as negotiations with them were ongoing.

The secondary armament was a mixed load out of twelve 150mm guns, mounted in four twin and four single mountings, and a dual purpose battery of seven twin 105mm guns. In 1942 — following the usage of these ships as merchant raiders — both Scharnhorst and Gneisenau received two triple torpedo launchers that had been removed from light cruisers Nürnberg and Leipzig. The mid-range anti aircraft armament consisted of eight twin 37mm Flakzwilling 30, which were designed as a weapon against medium bombers; against mono planes, however, these guns would have limited effectiveness. Short range AA was provided by a steadily increasing number of 20mm guns in both single and quad mountings.

The propulsion was upgraded from the Deutschlands. Unlike the diesel propulsion of their immediate predecessors, the Scharnhorst class went back to traditional steam propulsion, able to crank out 125,000 shaft horsepower across three shafts; output could be pushed up to over 160,000 in times of great need. This gave the Scharnhorst class a design speed of 31 knots, with the highest noted speed being above 33 knots. A stern catapult would allow them to operate seaplanes for the purposes of scouting.

The protection of the Scharnhorst class was drastically improved. The main armor belt was 320mm thick, and behind it followed a 105-110mm strong turtleback, which would deflect shells away from the vitals at short combat ranges. The horizontal protection consisted of a 50mm strong main deck, and the vital areas had an additional 80-95mm strong armored deck.

During their service these ships saw several modifications. The most important ones were the addition of an Atlantic bow in 1939 to improve the seaworthiness, the removal of the optical rangefinders of the A-turret in 1941 due to the lenses being constantly coated with water, the aforementioned addition of triple-tube torpedo launchers in 1942, and the continual addition of radar and sensory equipment for the purpose of detecting and engaging opposing vessels.

Service

Scharnhorst officially completed trials in July 1939 and all modifications were completed near the end of August 1939. She began World War II by returning to Kiel where she received repairs for blast damage sustained during training. On 21 November 1939, both Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were ordered to sea in the Arctic. During this patrol, they encountered and sank the armed merchant cruiser HMS Rawalpindi, returning to Germany for maintenance in January 1940.

Having completed a second, failed sortie into the North Sea, the pair returned to port in time to participate in the invasion of Norway. Sailing in April, they, along with ten destroyers, were to cover the invasion of Narvik. Encountering HMS Renown on 9 April, Gneisenau came off the worse in an inconclusive engagement, with Scharnhorst sustaining significant environmental damage from the heavy seas.

Returning to port and making good all damage, both Scharnhorst and Gneisenau again sailed in support of German operations in Norway in June. On 8 June 1940, they encountered aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and her escorts, destroyers HMS Ardent and HMS Acasta. They sank Glorious, but Scharnhorst was torpedoed by Acasta and was forced to make for Trondheim. Scharnhorst eventually returned to Germany in June, but it would be the end of the year before she was back in action.

In late December 1940, both Scharnhorst and Gneisenau sailed as part of Operation Berlin in the Atlantic. Forced back to port by bad weather and mechanical failures, both ships returned within days, but sortied again on 22 January 1941. This time they managed to break into the Atlantic, and proceeded to sink twenty-two ships, returning to Brest in occupied France in March 1941. Here they became favorite targets of the Royal Air Force, with both ships being severely damaged and spending much of the year under repair and refit. It was here where both ships were refit with torpedo banks that had been landed by cruisers Leipzig and Nürnberg.

Having been joined in the meantime by cruiser Prinz Eugen on 11 February 1942, both Scharnhorst and Gneisenau left Brest for Operation Cerberus (which famously became known as the "Channel Dash"). While the force managed to evade British attacks, both Gneisenau and Scharnhorst struck mines, Scharnhorst twice. All ships reached Kiel on 13 February. Scharnhorst spent several months under repair.

It was not until January 1943 when Scharnhorst was finally returned to action, and she was sent to the Arctic. With the increasing presence of Allied air and sea power, Scharnhorst failed to make port in Narvik until March, her earlier attempts having been abortive. Moving to Altafjord, she remained at anchor — with the exception of a single sortie with Tirpitz — until December 1943.

Her final voyage (which is now referred to as the Battle of the North Cape) began on Christmas Day, 1943. Ordered to intercept two Russia-bound convoys, she sortied with five destroyers under the command of Konteradmiral Erich Bey. Having intercepted one of the convoys on 26 December, Scharnhorst, which had separated from her destroyer screen, was in turn intercepted by the convoy screen, which contained battleship HMS Duke of York, heavy cruiser HMS Norfolk, light cruisers HMS Belfast, HMS Jamaica, and HMS Sheffield, and eight destroyers. Engaged, Scharnhorst fought against numerically superior forces blind, as her FuMO 27 radar was disabled early on due to shellfire from Norfolk. Eventually, Scharnhorst was damaged by gunfire, then torpedoed, finally sinking with heavy loss of life.

Historical Inaccuracies

• Scharnhorst’s camouflage represents her appearance when she was sunk in the Battle of the North Cape in December 1943. She is still wearing her coat of arms which was removed in September 1939.
• Scharnhorst’s camouflage when she took part in Operation Zitronella in September 1943 is missing.
• Scharnhorst’s paint scheme during Operation Cerberus in February 1942 is also missing.
• Scharnhorst’s Reichsadler ("Imperial Eagle") on her stern is missing.
• Scharnhorst’s actual main battery reload time is 17 seconds, but altered to 20 seconds due to game balance.

Historical Gallery

• 

  The wappen (coat of arms) of Scharnhorst.

• 

  Launching ceremony of Scharnhorst, 3 October 1936.

• 

  Scharnhorst underway, date and location unknown.

• 

  Scharnhorst, circa 1939.

• 

  Scharnhorst in port during the winter of 1939–1940.

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  Scharnhorst in Kiel during the winter of 1939-1940.

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  An icy view of Scharnhorst's forward battery, 1939-1940.

• 

  Scharnhorst in port.

• 

  Scharnhorst firing against HMS Glorious.

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  Scharnhorst at sea.

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  Gneisenau (fore) and Scharnhorst (distance) as seen from Prinz Eugen during Operation Cerberus, February 1942.

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  Second view of Gneisenau (fore) and Scharnhorst (distance) from Prinz Eugen during Operation Cerberus, February 1942.

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  Aerial reconnaissance photo of Scharnhorst in Kiel after the Channel Dash, 1942.

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  Scharnhorst in Altafjord, Norway, 1943.

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  Survivors from Scharnhorst disembarking in Scapa Flow.

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  Memorial in Wilhelmshaven, Germany for Scharnhorst's crew.

References

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 12.9.

Testing Changes

• DevBlog 476:
  • Preliminary characteristics.
• DevBlog 489:
  • Sigma value increased from 1.8 to 2.
  • AP shell fuse delay increased from 0.01 to 0.033 s.
  • Added the Engine Boost consumable with the following parameters:
    • Maximum speed: +15%.
    • Action time: 180 s.
    • Reload time: 90 s.
    • Number of charges: 3.
  • Parameters of the Repair Party consumable were changed and will now be more similar to other battleships:
    • Reload time increased from 60 to 80 s.
    • HP restoration per second reduced from 337 to 281.
• DevBlog 495:
  • Secondary gun parameters were changed:
    • Maximum HE shell damage of 105 mm guns reduced from 1,200 to 1,100.
    • Fire chance of 105 mm guns increased from 5 to 8%.
    • Maximum HE shell damage of 150 mm guns reduced from 1,700 to 1,500.
    • Fire chance of 150 mm guns increased from 8 to 12%.

• Update 12.11:
  • Added as the reward for completing the 10th stage for the free progression line of the Holidays in Santa City event.

Ships of Germany

Battleships