German battle cruiser SMS Ersatz Gneisenau [1916]

Mackensen-class

Ersatz Yorck-class

Part of the Ersatz Yorck-class battle cruisers consisting of the Ersatz Yorck, Ersatz Scharnhorst and Ersatz Gneisenau, preceded by the never completed Mackensen-class and succeeded by the never realized O-class of the 1940s. The design of the Ersatz Yorck-class was used as basis for the mid-1930s built Scharnhorst-class battlecruisers. Building ordered under the War building program 1915 at the Germaniawerf at Kiel, Germany with yard number 250 but never executed while potential of workers was needed for other purposes.

Displacement 32,971 (design)-33.500 (normal)--37.400 (maximum) tons and as dimensions 227,8 (waterline) x 30,4 x 9,3 metres x 747 x 99.5 x 28,5 feet. The armament consisted of 4x2-38cm/15” L/45 quick firing guns, 12-15cm/5.9” L/45 quick firing guns mounted in casemates, 8-8,8cm/3.45” L/45 anti aircraft guns, 3-60cm/24” submerged torpedo tubes (1 bow, 2x1 broadsides) and 3 aircraft. The Krupp cemented armour consisted of a 10/4”-30cm/12” thick belt, 3/1.2”-9cm thick deck with the turrets protected by 11cm/4.3” (roofs)27cm/11” (sides) and the secondary armament by 15cm/15.9” thick armour by the casemates and 7cn/2.8” thick splinter shields. The machinery consisted of 4 sets Parsons fluid Föttinger transmission steam, 24 coal fired Marine single ended boilers and 8 oil-fired double ended Marine boilers delivering 90.000hp at 295rpmallowing a speed of 27,3 knots. Coal bunker capacity 788 (normal)-3.937 (maximum) tons and fuel oil capacity 295 (normal)-689 (maximum) tons resulting with a speed of 14 knots in a range of 5.500 nautical miles. Crew numbered in wartime 1.227 men.