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Sunday, 17 January 2016

German dreadnought battleship SMS (ex-Ersatz Sachsen) Westfalen 1907-1924


Laid down at the shipyard AG Weser, Bremen, Germany on 12 August 1907, launched on 1 July 1908, commissioned on 16 November 1909 and finally broken up at Birkenhead, England in 1924.

Of the Nassau-class consisting of the Nassau. Posen, Rheinland and Westfalen. They were built to replace the Sachsen-class under the temporarily names Ersatz Bayern, Ersatz Sachsen, Ersatz Württemberg and Ersatz Baden. General specifications of this class. Displacement 18.570 tons/18.280 long tons (design)-21.000 tons/(full load) and as dimensions 146,1 x 26,9 x 8,76 metres or 479.4 x 88.3 x 28.9 feet, The 3 shaft vertical expansion engines delivered 21.699 ihp allowing a speed of 19 (design)-20,2 knots and with a speed of 12 knots a range of 8.300 nautical miles. Their crew numbered 1008 (standard)-1.033 (acting as 2nd command flagship)-1.087 (acting as squadron flagship) men. The armour consisted of a 30cm thick belt, 3cm thick torpedo bulkheads while the turrets, battery and conning tower were protected by respectively 28cm, 16cm and 40cm. Double bottom 88% and 19 watertight compartments. The armament consisted of 6x2-28cm/11” L/45 guns, 12-15cm/5.9” quick firing L/45 guns, 16-8,8cm/3.5” quick firing L/45 guns and 6-45cm/18” torpedo tubes.