The famous German battleship Gneisenau was commissioned in 1938 on the eve of World War II. The project of this ship has become one of the most ambitious of its time. The battleship served until 1943, when it was seriously damaged in another battle. It was sent for repairs, but in the end they decided to mothball it. In 1945, shortly before the defeat of Germany, the ship was scuttled. In history, he remained famous not only for his military exploits, but also for his outstanding performance.
Construction history
The German battleship Gneisenau is one of the most famous ships of World War II. Its history began in 1933, when the Third Reich decided to build two ships of the new Scharnhorst type. The project was carried out in complete secrecy. Officially, the battleship "Gneisenau" was passed off as another ship of the "Deutschland" type. However, there was a significant difference between the public fiction and the real vessel.
"Gneisenau" was distinguished by a colossal mass of 19 thousand tons, and its power was 161 thousand horsepower. The crew of the battleship consisted of 1669 servicemen. According to all its characteristics, the ship was conceived as a grandiose weapon - the pearl of the German fleet. And it wasno wonder, because the leadership of the Third Reich liked to initiate amazing and expensive projects, one of which, no doubt, was Gneisenau. The battleship was created as a response to the British and French navies (primarily to the French Dunkirk-class ships). Its main differences from other models were a noticeable increase in armor and weapons.
In 1935, the ship even had to be relaid due to the emergence of a new, even more daring, in terms of design, project. The launch was made on December 8, 1936. On that day, one of the load-bearing chains burst, causing the ship to speed up and run ashore. Trouble turned into damage to the stern.
Guns
The ship "Gneisenau" (battleship) was named after the armored cruiser that became famous during the First World War, which belonged to the squadron of Admiral Spee. The sign was not chosen at random. "Gneisenau" was the first battleship of the German Navy, built in the interwar period. The years of humiliation and sanctions following the Treaty of Versailles are over. But due to the fact that the German fleet remained numerically weak, in the 30s it was supposed to make the Gneisenau a ship intended exclusively for raids. In the Third Reich, successes were expected from the new ship, similar to those that the predecessor of the same name became famous for.
During the interwar period in Germany, the production of 283-mm guns, made specifically for Gneisenau, began. The battleship received guns similar to those installed on the Dunkirks. Furthermore,the defensive and offensive elements of the German ship were tested with an eye to the expected opposition to the French ships of this type. The 283-mm guns were superior in performance to the guns of the Deutschland. Their range and firepower were formidable for their caliber. The success of the new weapons could not but cause approval in Berlin.
To control firing at ships, the Gneisenau received a set of instruments that had previously proven themselves on Bismarck-class battleships and Hipper-class cruisers. The artillery fire was regulated from the posts located in the turrets of the directors. They were supplied with telescopes, which were used by the officers responsible for the shooting, as well as by the gunners. Turrets stabilized with gyroscopes.
The most modern equipment for those times was at the post. For example, a ballistic computer recorded speed, bearing, change in distance to the target, and even took into account the weather. Complex calculations were carried out in special blocks with instruments. The artillery fire control system regulated three towers. At the same time, they could fire at several targets at once (or focus on the same one).
Shells
The Germans used several types of shells on the Gneisenau. First, armor-piercing. They were used against well-defended targets. They had a bottom fuse and a small explosive charge. Secondly, these were semi-armor-piercing shells. According to the British classification, they were also often called "common". They got a little more explosives and had moresplinter effect. Used against targets with not too thick armor.
Finally, thirdly, "Gneisenau" received high-explosive shells. They had a head fuse and were used against unarmored targets (destroyers, anti-aircraft guns, searchlights, unprotected manpower, etc.). These rules for the use of shells did not change in the German fleet throughout the war. Semi-armor-piercing and high-explosive shells had an initial speed of 900 meters per second and were lighter (with some weighing more than 100 kilograms). They were loaded using a special hydraulic drive.
At first, shells were fed through grapples and overhead rails. Then, from the ring roller tables, they fell into the lift. The main charges were distinguished by brass sleeves. Special trays were provided for their transportation. Secondary projectiles were fed manually. The ship's ammunition consisted of 1800 charges (1350 main and 450 secondary).
Appearance
Most of all, the Gneisenau resembled its twin brother, the Scharnhorst. And yet, there were some external differences between them. Anchors, anti-aircraft guns, and mainmasts were located differently. After the construction of the Gneisenau, it was painted light gray. The only noticeable stains were the coats of arms depicted on both sides of the stem.
In February 1940, it was decided to put red squares with a black swastika on the hull. This was done for identification from the air. The problem was that Luftwaffe aircraft sank two German destroyers by mistake in that one month alone. In the autumn of 1940, during post-repair trials in the B altic Sea, the Gneisenau received camouflage paint.
Displacement
During the design studies, it became clear that the designers would not be able to meet the displacement of 26,000 tons. Initially, it was assumed that Gneisenau would correspond to these figures. The battleship, however, came out more massive, which in 1936 was clearly shown by weight control. The shipyard sounded the alarm. Experts have fears that the ship will become less stable, and its seaworthiness will decrease. In addition, we had to reduce the height of the freeboard. This design maneuver narrowed the range of stability.
The problem of increased displacement was discovered at a time when it was already too late to change the main characteristics of the Gneisenau. The battleship, the design of which proved to be the cornerstone of the entire project, was saved by increasing the width of the hull. As a result, the displacement increased to 33 thousand tons.
Power Plant
The power plant caused a lot of controversy among the designers. It turned out to be the most controversial element of the entire Gneisenau project. The battleship, whose characteristics were distinguished by numbers never seen before, was made through trial and error. With all this, none of the responsible persons wanted to slow down the construction of the vessel again and again.
At the initial design stage, turbo-gear units were chosen as a power plant. With their help, it was planned to kill twohares: guarantee the high speed of the vessel and speed up the delivery time. The units worked in pairs. It was decided to abandon the diesel engine, since there was no engine of this type for such a large ship. A risky choice was made by Admiral Erich Raeder. He understood that the range of the ship would be much less than when using a diesel engine. However, the fleet did not have time to wait for its development and production.
Case
The battleship's hull had a longitudinal structure. It was made from steel. It was decided to use light alloys - so it was possible to reduce weight. The main keel of the vessel was watertight. The entire body was divided into 21 compartments. 7 of them were occupied by the power plant.
It is curious that during the construction of a capital ship, electric arc welding was used for the first time at every stage of production in the case of the Gneisenau. The battleship, whose design description is a curious monument of the era, has become advanced not only in its characteristics, but also in its manufacturing technique.
Welded hulls began to replace hull ones. At the same time, the new manufacturing technique was rough. Her results had many of the shortcomings that are characteristic of the "test of the pen." In June 1940, the Gneisenau was seriously damaged, which showed that specialists would still have to puzzle over how to improve the quality of the welds. They were vulnerable to bomb and torpedo hits. And yet, the use of welding proved to be seriousprogress that set the direction for the development of an entire industry.
One of the most notable features of the battleship's hull was the bow frames, which were distinguished by their low camber. At the same time, anchors remained traditional. They were located in the hawse - one on the starboard side, two on the left. Compared to foreign models, the freeboard was small, and during the completion and redrawing of the project, it became even smaller. Sometimes this design feature led to the fact that powerful splashes formed on the high seas, due to which the ship had to be steered exclusively from the conning tower.
Bow and side parts
The famous battleship Gneisenau, whose photo was equally often featured in enemy intelligence reports and German newspapers, has gone through several modifications of its "face" - the bow. After the battle against the Rawalpindi, the side anchors were removed. Mooring devices were installed at the top of the stem.
In December 1940, another service incident changed the design of the Gneisenau. The battleship, whose main characteristics helped him in battle, became useless during a storm. In December 1940, a storm in the North Sea severely damaged the ship. After this episode, the Gneisenau received reinforced bow decks and breakwaters. It is characteristic that innovations appeared in the course of operation immediately after the next problems arose. The next design solution could not completely solve the problem of "sputum" decks, but reduced its scale toacceptable limit.
There was another noticeable flaw that the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau suffered from. These two ships of the same type differed in poor seaworthiness. The solution to the problem could be an increase in the height of the sides. However, such a modification would naturally lead to an increase in the weight of the armor, which was also impractical. The Germans throughout the entire operation of both ships treated this dilemma in the same way - they sacrificed seaworthiness.
Armor
Traditionally, all large German warships had powerful armor. Was no exception and "Gneisenau". The battleship, whose description is an example of a well-protected vessel, received vertical and horizontal armor distributed in a special way. They helped each other protect the battleship from damage in vital parts of the hull. If the projectile hit the side, it would definitely meet the reinforced armored deck.
Many solutions used in this project were tested for the first time. This feature once again emphasizes how advanced and unique the Gneisenau (battleship) was. The First World War gave German designers a we alth of experience. Deprived of work during the years of the Weimar Republic, they set to work with redoubled energy in building the fleet of the Third Reich.
Stability
The principle of dividing a ship into compartments proved itself during the First World War. It was also used in the design of the Gneisenau. The battleship, cruiser and any other vessel had some value only until the moment of its flooding. Therefore, the problem of stability and keeping the ship afloat has always been one of the first places for German specialists.
The Gneisenau design was made in such a way that the flooding of two adjacent compartments could not lead to deck flooding. The authors of the project implemented several more important and practical ideas. So, all compartments, except for narrow and located at the tip, were divided into several watertight spaces.
Compared to their predecessors, both Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were distinguished by a much larger number of transverse and longitudinal bulkheads. They began to be used even on dreadnoughts. It was thanks to these details that even in the most difficult battles it was possible to maintain the watertightness of the cellars and engine and boiler rooms. Thus, the risk of getting a dangerous roll was significantly reduced.
