Progress German naval shipbuilding program 1935 in 1937

Scharnhorst

German battleship Gneisenau. Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

Admiral Graf Spee

Admiral Hipper. Drawing of G.J. Frans Naerebout, earlier published in Op de lange deining

German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper. ©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

Leipzig

American naval attaché at Berlin, Germany referred on 9 July 1937 to an article in the Boersen Zeitung dated 6 July. The program started in 1935 to get the German navy to a strength allowed under the Anglo-German agreement. In 1941 was the program to be executed and numbered the German navy 5 battleships, 3 panzerschiffe [the so-called pocket battleships] of the Deutschland-class (Deutschland, Admiral Graf Spee and Admiral Scheer, already commissioned), 2 aircraft carriers, 14 cruisers, 40 destroyers and a total tonnage of 23,000 tons of submarines. Two 26,000 tons battleships namely the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were already launched and 2-35,000 tons were laid down. The keel of the fifth battleship was to be laid. A start was made with 1-19,500 ton aircraft carrier [Graf Zeppelin]. Of the 14 cruisers were 5-6,000 ton cruiser commissioned (Nürnberg, Leipzig, Köln, Karlsruhe and Königsberg), 2-10,000 ton cruisers launched (Von Hipper and Blücher) and a third one on the ways. Earlier visited the naval attaché Kiel where 5 destroyers, 1 cuiser and 1 battleship were under construction although progressing very slow.

Source

National Archives USA. Record Group 38: Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Series: Secret Naval Attaches Reports. Estimate of potential military strength (pt.). Summaries. Reports from London, Paris, Brussels, Rome and Berlin. Roll M975-001.