Battlecruiser SMS Seydlitz – The battlecruiser that literally would not die
Background & Development history (1909 – 1910)
SMS Seydlitz is a German battlecruiser built in the early 1910’s for the Imperial German Navy, similar to Von Der Tan she unlike other German battlecruisers was a unique ship as she was the only ship of her class, that being said her design is reminiscent of that of the previous Moltke class battlecruiser which in all fairness is actually correct as she is still not a Moltke class battlecruiser but in fact was a new and revised design in comparison which saw her with a number of improvements. Compared to the Moltke class, Seydlitz was armed about the same manner as the previous class though some of the early plans called for either 8 12 inch guns like that of the succeeding Derfflinger class or the same 10 11 inch guns like the Moltke class ships though it was decided to go with the ladder option and they also consider the option of using triple gun turrets instead however these were discarded as they ended up sticking with the previous 11 inch gun turrets, additionally her hull was armor was revised with her armor being increased to nearly 12 inches at it thickest, her hull was elongated though her beam was actually was less than Moltke and the draft was only 0.10 m deeper in comparison, additionally she was also a knot faster with her speed being 26.5 knots or 49.1 km/h; 30.5 mph thanks to in part of her more powerful engines though interestingly she would end up being slower on trails than when Moltke was on sea trails however in practice when they were loaded Seydlitz was faster, along with all the changes this resulted in her being 3,000 tons heavier in displacement however these changes would truly prove their worth during her service as she would prove to be one of the best German Battlecruisers ever finished.
Her designs were finished and then was presented to the the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) who initially rejected the approval of her construction as they stated that they would not tolerate the cost being higher than the previous Moltke class which almost spelled a sudden end to the design as the Navy Department considered shelving the new design and instead to build a third Moltke class ship however her design would be saved thanks to Admiral Tirpitz as he was able to negotiate a discount on armor plate from both Krupp and Dillingen as well as put pressure on builder Blohm & Voss, for a discount on her construction and thanks to his efforts they were also able to make some material improvements to her design, and on January 27th, 1910 the Kaiser finally approved of her construction and she was originally laid down with the provisional name of Cruiser J as German ship building practice would see the ships receive names while under construction rather than prior to being laid down
History (1910 – 1930)
Spoiler
Specifications
Displacement –
Design – 24,988 t (24,593 long tons)
Fully loaded – 28,550 t (28,100 long tons)
Length – 200.6 m (658 ft 2 in)
Beam – 28.5 m (93 ft 6 in)
Draft – 9.29 m (30 ft 6 in)
Installed power –
27 × water-tube boilers
88,510 shp (66,002 kW)
Propulsion –
4 × screw propellers
4 × Parsons turbines
Speed – 26.5 knots (49.1 km/h; 30.5 mph)
Range – 4,200 nmi (7,800 km; 4,800 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement – 1,068 total
Armament –
Primary armament –
10 × 28 cm (283mm) (11 in) SK L/50 C/09 guns (5 × 2) (870 rounds total, 87 rounds per gun) (guns can elevate from -8/+13.5 Degrees elevation however 1916 refit allows changed this to -8/+16 Degrees elevation)
Secondary Armament –
12 × 15 cm (150mm) (5.9 in) SK L/45 C/09 guns (-7/+20 Degrees elevation) (Ranged was increased with 1916 refit)
12 × 8.8 cm (88mm) (3.5 in) SK L/45 C/13 guns (As Built) (2400 to 4200 rounds total, 200 to 350 rounds per gun)
10 x 8.8 cm (88mm) (3.5 in) SK L/45 C/13 guns (1914) (2000 to 3500 rounds total, 200 to 350 rounds per gun)
*All 8.8 cm guns other than the 2 AA versions were removed in 1916
Anti Aircraft guns –
2 x 8.8 cm (88mm) (3.5 cm) Flak L/45 C/13 guns (AA version) (Added in 1914) (400 to 700 rounds total, 200 to 350 rounds per gun)
Torpedo tubes –
4 × 50 cm (500mm) (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (11 torpedoes carried total)
(early on used the G6 torpedo however she received the G7 in the same year as entering service so as built config could get either Torpedo)
Armor –
Belt: 300mm – 100mm
bulkheads: 220mm – 100mm
deck: 80mm – 30mm + 50mm armored on slope under the main deck (varies upon which part of the ships deck)
turrets: 250mm – 70mm
barbettes: 230mm – 30mm
casemates: 150mm – 35mm
CT: 350mm – 80mm
torpedo bulkhead: 45mm