While the Moltke Class and Seydlitz were improvements on the same basic design
as Von der Tann, the Derfflinger Class ships were something completely new.
A great advance over the preceding classes
of German battlecruisers, they were also
head and shoulders above existing British
designs in protection and gun layout. The
eight-gun, four turrets layout of the main
battery was to foreshadow not only the Mackensen and Ersatz Yorck Class battlecruisers, but also the Bayern, Bismarck, and H - Class battleships.
With a further increase in beam over Seydlitz, internal subdivision and underwater protection
was improved. These fine-looking ships show
a flush deck with a marked bow flair, unique
to German capital ships of the era. While
the Derfflinger Class battlecruisers had a reputation as
good sea-boats, the return to lower freeboard
made them rather wet. The freeboard was reduced
to offset the added topweight of the two
superfiring turrets. Gun size was increase
to 12".
These ships had a further increase in protection
above the Seydlitz, and proved to be quite rugged. Lutzow was lost in the war, being scuttled several
hours after being pounded by British capital
ships at Jutland, and then driven too hard
in an effort to escape the area. The other
two were scuttled at Scapa Flow.
| Laid down Derfflinger: 1 Jan 1912 Lutzow: Jul 1912 Hindenburg: 30 Jun 1913 |
Launched Derfflinger: 12 Jul 1913 Lutzow: 29 Nov 1913 Hindenburg: 1 Aug 1915 |
Completed Derfflinger: Sep 1914 Lutzow: Aug 1915 Hindenburg: May 1917 |
Commissioned Derfflinger: 1 Sep 1914 Lutzow: 8 Aug 1915 Hindenburg: 10 May 1917 |
| Fate Derfflinger & Hindenburg: Scuttled Scapa Flow Lutzow: Scuttled after Battle of Jutland |
Builders Derfflinger: Blohm & Voss Lutzow: Schichau Hindenburg:Wilhelmschaven DY |
Complement 1182 |
|
| Displacement 26,180 tons standard, 30,707 tons full load |
Dimensions 689' x 95' |
Draught 27.5' |
|
| Main guns 8x 12"/50 cal (5 x 2) |
Secondary guns 14 x 5.9" (14 x 1) |
Light guns 8 x 3.4 (8 x 1) |
Torpedo tubes 4 x 19.7" submerged |
| Armour Belt: 12" Turrets: 11" Deck: 2.5" C.T.: 11" |
|||
| Machinery 14 Schulz-Thornycroft coal boilers 4 double-ended oil boilers |
Turbines 4 x Marine |
Power output 63,000 shp Hindenburg 72,000 shp |
Shafts 4 |
| Speed 26.5 kts Hindenburg 27 kts |
Range 9,000 NM @ 10 kts |
Fuel 738 tons coal normal 3642 tons coal max + 246 tons oil normal 984 tons oil max |
|
Derfflinger:
14 June 1913 Attempted launch unsuccesful
WWI Service:
16 Dec 1914 Bombardment of Scarborough and
Whitby
24 Jan 1914 Battle of Doggerbank, hit one
time
Aug 1915 Operatins in Gulf of Riga
25 Apr 1916 Bombardment of Lowestoft and
Yarmouth
31 May 1916 Battle of Jutland, struck by
21 shells, 157 killed
24 Nov 1918 Internment at Scapa Flow
21 Jun 1919 Scuttled at Scapa Flow
1934 Refloated
Breaking up at Rosyth delayed by WWII
Broken up by 1948
Lutzow :
Aug 1915 suffered turbine damage during trials,
not completely operational until March 1916
WWI Service:
25 Apr 1916 Bombardment of Lowestoft and
Yarmouth
31 May 1916 Battle of Jutland, struck by
24 heavy shells and 1 21" torpedo, 116
killed 7500 tons of flooding
1 June 1916 ship scuttled 56 5N, 05 53E by
2 torpedoes from German destroyer G38
Wreck partially broken up 1959-62 by Eisen
& Metall, Hamburg
Hindenburg:
17 Nov 1917 Action with British light forces
in Heligoland Blight
24 Nov 1918 Internment at Scapa Flow
21 Jun 1919 Scuttled at Scapa Flow
1930 Refloated on third attempt
1931-32 Broken up at Rosyth
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