Nassau class battleship
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.jpg/300px-SMS_Nassau_(1908).jpg) SMS Nassau |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Nassau |
| Preceded by: | Deutschland class battleship |
| Succeeded by: | Helgoland class battleship |
| Completed: | Four ordered and commissioned |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | battleship |
| Displacement: | 18,570 tonnes (designed) 21,000 tonnes (full load) |
| Length: | 146.1 m (479 ft) |
| Beam: | 26.9 m (88 ft) |
| Draught: | 8.9 m (29 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 3 shafts vertical triple expansion 22,000 shp |
| Speed: | 19 knots (35 km/h) |
| Range: | 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Armament: | 10 × 28 cm (11 in) guns 12 × 15 cm (5.9 in) guns 16 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) guns 5 × 45 cm (18 in) torpedo tubes |
| Armour: | Belt 300 mm turrets 280 mm battery 160 mm Conning Tower 300 mm |
The Nassau class were a class of four German Dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Navy. They were the first German response to the introduction of the 'all-big-gun' British HMS Dreadnought. All four ships were laid down in mid 1907, and completed between May and September 1910.
Contents |
[edit] Design
[edit] Dimensions and machinery
The ships were 146.1 m (479 ft) long, 26.9 m (88 ft) wide, and had a draught of 8.9 m (29 ft). They displaced 18,570 tons with a standard load, and 21,000 tons fully laden. The ships of the Nassau class were powered by a 3 shaft triple expansion engine, which was rated at 22,000 ihp, and delivered a top speed of 19 knots.
As designed, the ships were not particularly good sea-boats. Bilge keels were later added, which helped to improve the problem.
[edit] Armament
Each ship carried twelve 28 cm (11 in) guns in an unusual 'hexagonal' configuration - with one turret fore and aft, and two on each flank of the ship. Seconday armament consisted of twelve 15 cm (5.9 in) guns, along with sixteen 8.8 cm (3.5 in) guns for close defence and six 45 cm (18 in) torpedo tubes.
[edit] Armor
The Nassau class ships had an armored belt that was 30.48 cm (12.00 in) thick at its strongest, where it protected the ship's vitals, and as thin as 7.62 cm (3.00 in) in less critical areas, such as the bow and stern. The barbettes for the main battery had 28 cm (11 in) of armor protection on the exposed portions, and as little as 5 cm (2.0 in) in less exposed areas. The turrets themselves had armor 28 cm (11 in) thick on their faces. The deck was covered by armor plating 6.35 cm (2.50 in) thick.
[edit] Service history
Four ships of the class were built, all seeing action during World War I at the Battle of Jutland. All four ships were surrendered to the Allies after the war. Nassau, Posen, and Rheinland were given to Japan, who subsequently sold them to a British salvage firm. Westfalen was given to England, and also later scrapped.
[edit] External links
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| Dreadnought battleships | Pre-dreadnought battleships |
| Nassau | Helgoland | Kaiser | König | Bayern | Brandenburg | Kaiser Friedrich III | Wittelsbach | Braunschweig | Deutschland |
| Battlecruisers | Armored cruisers |
| Von der Tann | Moltke | Seydlitz | Derfflinger | Mackensen | Ersatz Yorck | Victoria Louise | Fürst Bismarck | Prinz Heinrich | Prinz Adalbert | Roon | Scharnhorst | Blücher |
| Light cruisers | U-boats |
| Gazelle | Bremen | Königsberg | Dresden | Kolberg | Magdeburg | Karlsruhe | Graudenz | Pillau | Wiesbaden | Königsberg | Brummer |Köln | U 1 | U 2 | U 3 | U 5 | U 9 | U 13 | U 16 | U 17 | U 19 | U 23 | U 27 | U 31 | U 43 | U 51 | U 57 | U 63 | U 66 | Mittel U | U 139 | U 142 | U 151 | UA | UB I | UB II | UB III | UC I | UC II | UC III | UE 1 | UE 2 |
