Friedrich der Große

The Friedrich der Große in game represents the 1939 "Battleship H" (H-39) design, with the upgraded hull incorporating hypothetical increases in AA armament and an electronics suite that would have matched the late-war Tirpitz. The second main gun option in game are the planned 42.0 cm guns for the revised 1941 "Battleship H" (H-41) design, though the in game upgraded hull remains that of the H-39. It shares its name with the Kaiser-class battleship Friedrich der Große.

History

The earliest design studies for "Schlachtschiff H" ("Battleship H") date to 1935, and were near repeats of the early designs for the Bismarck-class ships, armed with 35-centimeter (14 in) guns. Intelligence indicating that the Soviet Navy was planning the Sovetsky Soyuz class with 38 cm (15 in) guns prompted the Germans to increase the caliber of the ship's armament to 38 cm as well on 5 October 1936. The Oberkommando der Marine (OKM) issued staff requirements at the end of October for a ship of 35,000 long tons (36,000 t) armed with eight 38 cm guns with a speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph). The ship's radius of action was to be at least equal that of the Deutschland-class cruisers.

Design work on the ship that came to be designated H-39 began in 1937. The design staff was instructed to improve upon the design for the preceding Bismarck class; one of the requirements was a larger-caliber main battery to match any battleship built by a potential adversary. It appeared that Japan would not ratify the Second London Naval Treaty, which would bring an escalator clause that permitted signatories to arm battleships with guns of up to 40.6 cm (16.0 in) caliber. By virtue of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, signed in 1935, Germany was considered to be a party to the other international naval arms limitation treaties. In April, Japan refused to sign the treaty; shortly thereafter, the United States Navy announced it would arm the new North Carolina-class battleships with 40.6 cm guns.

Admiral Werner Fuchs, responsible for the staff section in the OKM that determined the operating requirements for the ship, discussed the vessel's design with Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany. Hitler demanded guns larger than any possible adversary, but guns of the caliber demanded by Hitler would have required displacements of over 80,000 long tons (81,000 t) and drafts so deep as to prevent the use of Germany's ports without significant dredging. Fuchs eventually convinced Hitler that the 40.6 cm gun was the optimal choice for the H-39 design. In 1938, the OKM developed Plan Z, the projected construction program for the German navy. A force of six H-39 class battleships was the centerpiece of the fleet. Plan Z was finalized by January 1939, when Admiral Erich Raeder, the commander of the Kriegsmarine, presented it to Hitler. He approved the plan on 18 January and granted the Kriegsmarine unlimited power to bring the construction program to fruition.

Design

As finalized, the H-39 design called for a ship 266 m (873 ft) long at the waterline and 277.8 m (911 ft) long overall. The beam was to have been 37 m (121 ft) with a designed draft of 10 m (33 ft). At standard displacement, which was 52,600 long tons (53,400 t), the draft was slightly under the limit, at 9.6 m (31 ft). With the ship fully loaded, at 62,600 long tons (63,600 t), draft rose significantly, to 11.2 m (37 ft). Four bilge keels added to the stability of the ships.

The ships were to be powered by twelve MAN 9-cylinder double acting 2-stroke diesel engines. The engines were arranged in groups of four, on three shafts, and drove three-bladed screws 4.8 m (16 ft) in diameter. Four auxiliary boilers were installed to provide backup power. The power-plant was rated at 165,000 shaft horsepower (123,000 kW) and 260 rpm; it provided a top speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) as designed. The design had one main rudder along the keel behind the center shaft and two smaller wing rudders. The main armament was to consist of eight 40.6 cm SK C/34 guns in four twin gun turrets. The 40.6 cm (16 in) gun was 52 calibers long and fired a 1,030 kg (2,270 lb) AP shell at a muzzle velocity of 810 m/s (2,657 ft/s). The guns were supplied with a total of 960 rounds of ammunition or 120 shells per gun. The secondary armament is the same as on the Bismarck, with twelve 15.0 cm guns in six mounts. The AA armament consists of sixteen 10.5 cm guns in eight mounts, sixteen 37 mm guns, and twenty-four 20 mm guns. The armor layout reflects the general protection scheme used by the Germans since the Nassau-class, which emphasized close range protection. The upper belt armor is 145 mm while the lower main belt armor is 300 mm with a sloped "turtleback" section, 150 mm by the magazines and 120 mm by the machinery, behind it. The upper deck was 80 mm (3.1 in) thick above the magazines and 50 mm (2.0 in) over the machinery spaces. The main armored deck was 120 mm (4.7 in) and 100 mm (3.9 in) thick, respectively. The design had extensive splinter protection over the bow and stern, with a 60-150 mm splinter belt at the bow. The torpedo defense system was largely similar to the system on the Bismarck.

Service

Only four shipyards in Germany had slipways large enough to build the six new battleships. The OKM issued orders for construction of the first two ships, "H" and "J", on 14 April 1939. The contracts for the other four ships, "K", "L", "M", and "N", followed on 25 May. The keels for the first two ships were laid at the Blohm & Voss dockyard in Hamburg and the Deschimag shipyard in Bremen on 15 July and 1 September 1939, respectively. The outbreak of war in September 1939 interrupted the construction of the ships. Work on the first two was suspended and the other four were not laid down, as it was believed they would not be finished before the war was over. The keel for "H" had 800 t (790 long tons; 880 short tons) of steel installed, 3,500 t (3,400 long tons; 3,900 short tons) of steel had been machined, out of 5,800 t (5,700 long tons; 6,400 short tons) of steel supplied to Blohm & Voss by that point. Only 40 t (39 long tons; 44 short tons) of steel had been worked into the keel for "J", out of 3,531 t (3,475 long tons; 3,892 short tons) of steel delivered. Steel for the other four ships had been ordered and partially machined for installation, though no assembly work had begun. It was expected to resume work on the ships after a German victory in the war.

The ships neither received names nor were official name proposals published. The names, which appear in several publications (Hindenburg, Friedrich der Große, Großdeutschland) are pure speculation. Especially the often mentioned Großdeutschland (= "Greater Germany") is highly unlikely, as Hitler always feared the loss of a vessel with name of Germany (compare the renaming of Deutschland to Lützow). The only hint on the names of the units were given by Hitler himself, who mentioned during documented unofficial talks, that he would propose the names Ulrich von Hutten and Götz von Berlichingen for the ships, as these names are not connected with persons of the third Reich or the country itself, so the loss would not have a significant negative psychological and propaganda effect on the German people.

Historical Inaccuracies

• No ship in the Kriegsmarine was ever named Friedrich der Große.

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  An artist's interpretation of an H-class battleship by Richard Allison

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  One of the 40.6 cm guns at Batterie Lindemann

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  One of the 15 cm turrets on Bismarck, the same type as would have been mounted on the H class.