In the study of warships, the names BISMARCK and TIRPITZ are legendary. What is not so well known are the German "H-CLASS" battleships that were planned, but never built. This class would have produced the largest warships in the world; even larger than today's ENTERPRISE and NIMITZ class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. By 1936, Nazi Germany was in a program of rapid weapons construction and this lead its Navy to design capital ships that were to be superior to any in the world. Along with its submarine fleet, Germany began construction of two state-of-the- art capital ships, battleships "F" and "G", which became BISMARCK and TIRPITZ.<1> One of the primary design factors for these ships was the depth of the Kiel Canal, which averaged 36 feet. This was the route to travel from building ways in Hamburg and Wilhelmshaven, respectively, to trials in the Baltic. Despite the fact that 16-inch (40.6cm) guns were permitted by the 1936 London Naval Treaty, 15-inch batteries (38cm) were considered more than adequate for penetrating the armor of any ship that would be encountered. Weight thus saved could be placed in more armor, higher speed and/or shallower draft. CHARACTERISTICS<2> BISMARCK TIRPITZ Displacement:<3>(tons) Standard:<4> 41,673 42,343 Full Load:<5> 49,136 48,794 Length: Waterline: 792'6" both Beam: Waterline: 118'1" both Draft: Full Load: 32'9" both Maximum: 33'4" both Max. Speed: 30.8<6> 30.8 Armor: Main Side Belt: 12.6" 12.4" Deck over Magazines: 3.7" 3.9" Deck over Machinery: 3.2" 3.2" Immune Zone:<7> 20,000-30,000 meters (both) BISMARCK GUNNERY<8> Caliber: 14.96"/52 (380mm) Designation: SKC/34 Shell Weight: (lbs) AP:(1) 1,763 SAP:(2) 1,763 HE:(3) 1,763 Muzzle Velocity: 2,690 ft/sec Range: (yds) 52 deg: 45,932 30 deg: 39,589 Armor Penetration: (AP shell) Range (yds) Side (in) Deck (in) 0 29.17 0 7,765 24.26 1.02 19,685 17.31 2.89 Rate of Fire: 2.3 rd/min (1) Armor Piercing (2) Semi-Armor Piercing (3) High Explosive A curious thing: The source in footnote 8 above, lists the weights of BISMARCK'S shells as the same 1,763 pounds. In the case of the American IOWA class, for comparison, the armor- piercing shell is 42% heavier than the high-explosive shell (2,700 pounds vs 1,900). Why are all of BISMARCK'S shells the same weight? Below are listed the latest class of United States and British battleships in service on the date Bismarck was commissioned, 24 August 1940. The USS NORTH CAROLINA and HMS KING GEORGE V classes were still building. BISMARCK and TIRPITZ clearly were state-of-the-art. CHIEF ADVERSARIES<9> SHIP CLASS USS MARYLAND HMS NELSON HMS HOOD Displacement: (Full Load) 33,590 38,000 48,360(1) Main Battery: 8-16" 9-16" 8-15" Speed: (knots) 21 23 31 Commissioned: 1921-23 1927 1920 (1) in 1940 When relations with Great Britain began deteriorating in 1938, Germany adopted their "Z-Plan" that called for a balanced force of surface ships with great fighting strength and extended range. The navy estimated this plan would take ten years to complete, that is 1948/49, and Hitler himself felt he would not need this fleet to support him before 1946.<10> But war came much too soon for his admirals' liking. At the heart of the surface fleet for the Z-Plan were the six battleships of the H CLASS, labeled "H","J","K","L","M","N". With Hitler demanding the six be commissioned by 1944, orders for all were placed in 1939, with the keel for "H" being laid on 15 July. Her construction was stopped, however, on 10 October of the same year after some 3,500 tons of steel were worked into the ship. The keel was scrapped on the slipway in 1940 to make room for U-Boat construction which was, by then, considered more vital to the war effort. None of the other ships were started and the orders were cancelled in late 1939 and 1940. Despite the cancellations, the "H" design saw several modifications in distinct stages, beginning in 1939. When the original design work began on this class in 1937, the following design requirements were worked out by the German Naval Staff:<11> 1) Standard displacement: greater than 50,000 tons 2) Armament: 8 16-inch guns 16 5.9-inch secondaries numerous 105mm and 37mm AA mounts 6 21-inch torpedo tubes 3) Speed: 30 knots 4) Range: 16,000 nautical miles at 19 knots 5) Armor: Immune zone against the 16-inch gun at nominal gun ranges, protection against a torpedo with 551 lb. (250kg) warhead. Although Adolf Hitler was fascinated by, and demanded the placement of, huge guns on battleships, by 1939 the main battery of the H Class was fixed on the 16-inch gun. Development work on this gun had been started in 1934 and a complete battery of test firings, range table firings and test salvos were done. This obsession for larger guns reached its zenith when Hitler ordered the H-Class be armed with 800mm (!) guns beginning with the 1941 design. German technology was capable of building such weapons and in fact, an 800mm gun was built for the Army's Siege Artillery.<12> The following characteristics are available: 800mm GUN<13> Caliber: 800mm (31.5"/40 caliber) Shell Weight: 15,653 lb Muzzle Velocity: 2,362 ft/sec Maximum Range: 41,560 yds Maximum Elevation: 53 deg These demands lead Admiral Erich Raeder to appoint Admiral Werner Fuchs to convince Hitler of the consequences in ship size, construction costs and time if such an armament was specified. These efforts were successful and Hitler relented in favor of the 16-inch gun for H-39. Since the Royal Navy was by now, the prime antagonist, the endurance of any capital ship would prove pivotal in operations since any German ship had to steam great distances to gain access to the open Atlantic and Germany did not possess any overseas bases. Due to its relatively low fuel consumption rate, a diesel power plant was adopted. This arrangement brought the added advantage of offering high performance in a short period of time, whereas a steam propulsion plant required many minutes to raise sufficient pressures. Large caliber secondary turrets were contemplated for the ships, but it was found impossible to obtain the necessary space below decks for the servicing magazines due to the large areas needed by the diesel engines. So, 5.9-inch secondary guns were specified. Basically, the H Class ships were better armed and armored versions of BISMARCK. By the Spring of 1939, distinct characteristics had been established for these ships: H-CLASS, 1939<14> Displacement: (tons) Standard: 52,643 Full Load: 65,592 Length: Waterline: 872'8" Beam: Waterline: 121'5" Draft: Full Load: 36'9" Armament: Main Battery: 8 16-inch/50, 4 x 2 Secondaries: 12 5.9-inch/55, 6 x 2 Anti-Aircraft: 16 105mm/65, 8 x 2 16 37mm/83 caliber guns in 8 twin open mounts (2 armored mounts, 6 with simple shields) 32 20mm in open mounts Torpedoes: 6 21-inch submerged tubes Aircraft: 4 Arado-196 floatplanes Speed: 30 knots Shaft Horsepower: Maximum: 147,950 Over Load: 162,750 Fuel: 9,839 tons (10,000 metric tons) Range: 16,000 nautical miles at 19 knots Armor: Upper Side Belt: 5.9" Lower Side Belt: 11.8" Upper Deck: 2" Lower Armor Deck: 3.9" H-CLASS, 1939 GUNNERY<15> Caliber: 16-inch (406mm) Designation: SKC/34 Shell Weight: (lbs) AP: 2,271 SAP: 2,271 HE: 2,271 Muzzle Velocity: 2,657 ft/sec Range: (yds) 52 deg: 47,025 30 deg: 40,245 Armor Penetration: Range Vertical Horizontal (yds) (in) (in) 0 31.7 - 10,000 25.1 1.4 20,000 18.8 3.2 30,000 13.6 5.0 40,000 10.2 8.5 Rate of Fire: 2 rd/min Max Elevation in Turret: 30 deg The source in footnote 15, again lists all the three types of projectiles as having the same weight, 2,271 pounds. The question persists: How could an armor-piercing shell weigh the same as a high explosive, or bombardment round? The SKC/34 was designed with a very heavy barrel, which allowed the gun to be "bored out" to a larger caliber of 16.54 inches (420mm). With this larger bore the gun barrel would have been 48 calibers long. This was proposed for the later H-41 and 42 designs. The Germans preferred the twin turret design, which had been abandoned by many other countries, because it allowed fewer guns to be lost if a turret was knocked out of action. Triple or quadruple turrets were more efficient in their use and consumption of weight and space, but also required the design and construction of more complicated machinery assemblies and other support features and it was felt there was insufficient time for these operations.<16> Although none of the turrets were ever built, seven of the 16- inch guns were actually constructed. They were fitted into fixed positions for coastal defence purposes where they became known as "Adolf's guns". Three were mounted in Trondenes near Harstad in northern Norway to protect Narvik (a fourth was lost during shipment). Taken over by the Norwegians in 1945, they fired their last practice rounds in 1954 and were placed on the market for sale in 1968. The other three were installed under the name of "Lindemann Battery" near Blanc Nez on the English Channel and probably did not survive the war.<17> Although work on the H Class was postponed due to the outbreak of the war, Hitler ordered design work to proceed and in July 1940, instructed the Navy to begin development on new designs. A number of modifications were proposed based on wartime experience, mostly dealing with increased protection in all areas and the result were the H-Class 1940 configurations "A" and "B." H-CLASS, 1940<18> DESIGN "A" DESIGN "B" Displacement:(tons) Standard: 54,830 62,816 Full Load: 64,575 68,906 Length:(1) 885'10" 941'7" Beam: 123'4" 128'7" Draft: 32'10" for both Armament: Main Battery: 6 16", 3 x 2 8 16", 4 x 2 All Other: Same as "H-39" for both Shaft Horsepower: 226,850 236,700 Speed: 30 knots for both (1) Length may be overall or waterline, exactly which, cannot be confirmed Design "A" was an attempt to maintain the speed and displacement of H-39 but with increased armor protection. The Krupp Works was hard-pressed to manufacture the 16-inch guns along with the other ordnance for which they were responsible, so reducing the number of guns made deliveries a bit easier. The main problem lay in propulsion. Increased horsepower was needed in design "A" to maintain speed over H-39 even though the sizes and displacements were similar. To do this required four propellor shafts, rather than the three used in the 1939 design. Four diesel power plants were impossible to mount in the required beam, doing so would have reduced the torpedo protection. Switching to steam turbine propulsion would allow the use of three shafts, but would also have required lengthening the armored citadel to protect the longer engine rooms and this would have increased the displacement even more, so four shafts using a compromise of diesel/steam turbine machinery was introduced.<19> Design "B" was able to make use of advances in diesel technology by using a more powerful engine that required less space. Aside from this, the same combined diesel/steam turbine arrangement was used as in Design "A". Both the H-40 proposals reflected marked improvement in torpedo protection. The primary attempt was to detonate any torpedo as far away from the vitals of the ship as possible. The greater this distance, the better the protection, but the wider the beam. This was accomplished on the drawing board, by providing as much as a 20 foot wide void, or voids, between the outer skin plate and the final armored bulkhead protecting a vital area. In 1941, Hitler ordered that Battleships "H" and "J" be built immediately after the war (?) and as a result of this, the H-40 designs were set aside and all efforts were concentrated on refining the protection for Battleship "H". Performance penalties were accepted due to the ever increasing weight. Wartime experience showed that improved horizontal protection was mandatory if capital ships were to survive in a war in which the airplane was playing a more dominant role. Increased deck armor would also extend the ship's immune zone outward in gun actions. Since any large German ship had to navigate the shallows of the North Sea, designers had to maintain a maximum draft of about 37 feet. When the directive came down to thicken deck armor for the H-Class ships, it became evident that this draft limit could only be maintained by trimming weight and this was most easily done by sacrificing some fuel. By so doing, the ship's range would be reduced from 20,250 miles (at 19 knots) to 15,250 miles and this option was rejected by the German Supreme Naval Command (Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine-OKM). As a result, the draft was allowed to increase with the promise that deep Atlantic anchorages would soon be available. Due to these changes, the design for H-41 grew: H-CLASS, 1941<20> Displacement:(tons) Standard: 62,989 Full Load: 74,799 Length: Waterline: 901'2" Beam: 127'11" Draft: Full Load: 39'10" Armament: Main Battery: 8 16.54-inch (420mm) guns, 4 x 2 Other: same as "H-39" Speed: 28 knots Shaft Horsepower: 162,750 overload Fuel: 11,810 tons Range: 20,000 nautical miles at 20 knots Armor: Upper Side Belt: 7.8" Lower Side Belt: 11.8" Upper Deck: 3.2" Lower Armor Deck: 4.7" As described earlier, the SKC/34 16-inch gun could be bored out to 16.54 inches and this modification was proposed for H-41. Krupp said the change was slight and studies conducted with H-39 ammunition handling equipment showed the machinery could handle the new rounds. Although greater gun ranges were anticipated with the larger guns firing "sub-caliber" rounds propelled by special powder, no 420mm guns were made. Since the 1941 version of the H-Class was so much larger than the 1939 model, speed and range would suffer if there was no increase in power output. The OKM decided speed and range were not as vital as protection and these performance parameters were allowed to suffer. On a displacement of 73,815 tons, a range of 20,000 nautical miles was possible while steaming at 19 knots.<21> The German Naval High Command was rocked by the loss of BISMARCK on 27 May 1941 and steps were taken immediately to further protect the rudders and propellors of Battleship "H" from similar damage. These changes included providing the option of jettisoning the rudders with explosives without damaging the propellors. At the same time, naval architects were still not satisfied with the torpedo protection thus far designed and new ideas addressing this and underbottom explosions modified the basic H-41 design: MODIFICATIONS TO H-1941 15 November 1941<22> Full-Load Displacement:(tons) 77,752 Waterline Length: 925'2" Beam: 132'10" Full Load Draft: 39'4" The priority of design studies of the H-CLASS battleship was substantially reduced when Albert Speer became Reichsminister for Armament and Munitions on 8 February 1942. Much of the design team was reassigned to build new U-Boats and other projects. A new Naval group under Admiral Topp was handed the task of making the later design studies that became H-42, 43, and 44. In late 1942, Hitler ordered the OKM to consider the feasibility of building "very large battleships". All size constrictions were removed and designs to meet the following criteria were begun: 1) Speed of approximately 30 knots. 2) Deck armor to proof the ship against bombs and plunging artillery fire. 3) Underbottom protection against mines, particularly in machinery spaces. 4) Main battery caliber consistent with other design features.<23> The H-42 design continued the journey toward giantism. While the main battery remained unchanged over H-41, the primary driving force was the desire for ever-increased armor protection and the necessary increases in engine power to drive the extra displacements at 30 knots or better. The deck armor was now considered of paramount importance since the experience of war had shown the vulnerability of surface ships to aerial bombs or plunging artillery shells (as what happened to HMS HOOD in her gun duel with BISMARCK as well as HMS REPULSE and PRINCE OF WALES in their fight against Japanese aircraft on 10 December 1941). The increase in displacement was accompanied by corresponding increases in external dimensions. These were not approached in a real ship until USS ENTERPRISE CVA(N)-65, in 1961. H-CLASS, 1942<24> Displacement:(tons)(1) Design:(2) 88,578 (90,000 metric) Full Load: 96,451 (98,000 metric) Length: Waterline: 1,000' Beam: 140'5" Draft: Design: 38'8" Full Load: 41'8" Armament: Main Battery: 8 16.54" (420mm) 4 x 2 Secondary: 12 5.9" 6 x 2 Anti-Aircraft: 16 4.1" (105mm) 16 37mm 24 20mm Torpedo Tubes: 6 21" Aircraft: 6 Armor: Main Side Belt: 15" Total Decks: 13" Anti-Torpedo: Torpedo detonating plate 25 feet from the armored bulkhead of any vital area. Propulsion: Normal Maximum: 266,300 Overload: 296,000 Speed: Normal Maximum: 31.9 knots Overload: 32.2 knots Range: 20,000 nautical miles at 19 knots (1) Battleships and Battle Cruisers, 1905-1970; lists displacements as 90,000 and 98,000 Long Tons. (2) The definition of "Design Displacement" is unknown To meet the speed requirement, diesels drove the outer two propellors, while turbines drove the inner two with an overload feature. I am no naval architect by any stretch of the imagination, but H-42 seems to be a lot of ship for only eight large-caliber guns. In 1942, Grand Admiral Raeder told Hitler that he felt even the largest battleships would soon be outdated, and he advised Hitler to concentrate on the building of aircraft carriers, such as GRAF ZEPPLIN. Although Hitler agreed, he ordered his industry leaders to look into the possibility of building extra- heavy caliber naval guns in the order of 18 or 24 inches, and larger. These were intended for battleships which were to be the largest ever built and could meet any possible demand. Hitler wanted his ships to be singly superior to anything afloat. Hitler ordered further designs in order to demonstrate the consequences of such a trend towards the gigantic. Guns of 20 inch caliber were considered.<25> In 1943, H-43 design was proposed which retained the basic powerplant of the 1942 design, but which again grew in size. Although the basic armor arrangement of the 1942 variant was retained, addittional protection was afforde below decks against torpedoes and mines. BISMARCK and TIRPITZ had shown a remarkable capacity to sustain damage and this trait was built upon by increasing the minute compartmentation of the H-43 design, as well as further improving the torpedo protection system by another increase in beam. H-CLASS, 1943<26> Displacement:(tons)(1) Design: 109,246 (111,000 metric) Full Load: 118,104 (120,000 metric) Length: Waterline: 1,082' Beam: 157'6" Draft: Design: 39'5" Full Load: 42' Armament: Main Battery: 8 20-inch (508mm) guns 4 x 2 Secondary: as "H-42" Anti-Aircraft: as "H-42" except, 40 20mm Armor: as "H-42" Propulsion: as "H-42" Speed: Maximum & Overload: 31 knots Range: as "H-42" (1) Battleships and Battle Cruisers, 1905-1970; lists the displacements as 111,000 and 120,000 Long Tons. Further increases in torpedo protection characterized the final design effort, H-44. Naval architects felt the torpedo to be the dominate threat to a capital ship and took unprecedented steps to proof the ship against this weapon. These added measures would have rendered the ship able to withstand repeated hits even from the expected allied torpedoes with larger warheads. It probably would have required repeated hits, similar to those that sank YAMATO and MUSASHI, to cripple H- 44.<27> The added threat by non-contact explosions close aboard were addressed by deepening the innerbottom structure. This action was taken in light of the mine damage done to TIRPITZ by British midget submarines on 22 September 1943 as she lay at anchor in Altenfjord, Norway. Considerations were made to further thicken the deck armor to add protection against bombs, but these plans changed when TIRPITZ was sunk in a RAF bombing raid. She capsized at anchor in Tromso Fjord, on 12 November 1944 when struck by three 12,000 lb. "Earthquake" bombs filled with 5,600 lb of Torpex (one was a dud).<28> Designers realized it was hopeless to defend against bombs of this size and all work to improve the "H" class deck armor ended. H-CLASS, 1944<29> Displacement:(tons) Design:(1) 128,930 (131,000 metric) Full Load: 139,264 (141,500 metric) Length: Waterline: 1,133' Beam: 169' Draft: Design: 41'6" Full Load: 44'4" Armament: as "H-43" Armor: as "H-43" Propulsion: as "H-43" Speed: Maximum & Overload: 30 knots Range: as "H-43" (1) Battleships and Battle Cruisers, 1905-1970; lists the displacements as 131,000 and 141,500 Long Tons. While no radar was specified in the original plans, these ships certainly would have been carried it in some form of fire- control and search duties.<30> Those readers familiar with the lines of BISMARCK, can imagine the appearance of these "H" designs, by picturing a lengthened BISMARCK, or TIRPITZ, with a second funnel. Aside from that difference, the similarities are striking. Would these studies have resulted in a successful battleship design? The answer is pure speculation. While it was physically possible to construct such large ships and even larger, as was shown in the decades that followed,<31> it was entirely impractical for Germany to contemplate the construction of such monsters during the war. Even if construction was successful, H-44, for example, would have been too large to enter any existing German port! Would these ships have been effective had they been built? How would they have operated without proper air cover? Look what happened to HMS PRINCE OF WALES, HMS REPULSE, YAMATO and MUSASHI when caught in open waters without air cover. There have been reports that the "H" class ships were serious proposals and naval officials did plan to actually build them, but there doesn't seem to be any concrete evidence that any design after H-42 was serious. H-43 and H-44 appear to have been merely shipbuilding studies which were conducted to obtain some idea about the possibilities for the future... And for the Third Reich, the future was nonexistent. If any reader has questions, comments or especially corrections, please drop me a message. MICHAEL HANSEN 72667,1530 <1> Robert O. Dulin, Jr., and William H. Garzke; Battleships (Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II); p.312 <2> ibid; p.208, 209 <3> It can become confusing when discussing the displacement (weight) of a vessel, because of the necessity of defining the term "ton." At least three different "ton" measurements are used around the world, and we must determine which one applies. Short (US) ton = 2,000 pounds Metric ton = 2,204 pounds Long (English) ton = 2,240 pounds Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 53rd. Edition, 1972-73; p.F-274 In this article, the Long, or English ton will be used. <4> Definition: standard displacement is the weight of the empty hull, armor, other protective equipment, propulsion plant and auxiliary machinery, all weapons and ammunition plus crew and their personal effects, plus washing and drinking water, excluding any fuel or boiler feed water. Siegfried Breyer; Battleships and Battle Cruisers, 1905-1970; p.10 <5> Definition: maximum displacement (full load) is the standard displacement plus maximum fuel, consumable stores, equipment, feed water, inventory as well as all reserves. ibid <6> Robert D. Ballard; The Discovery of the Bismarck; p.22 <7> The immune zone is defined as the range band, within which the armor of a ship is theoretically immune to penetration. In this example, at ranges of less than 20,000 meters, shells will have sufficient energy to penetrate the vertical armor plates, but will strike at too shallow an angle to penetrate the horizontal deck armor. At ranges greater than 30,000 meters, shells plunging at steep angles will have sufficient energy to penetrate horizontal deck plates, but will bounce off vertical plates. Within this zone, neither plates can be penetrated (again, theoretically). Robert O. Dulin, Jr., and William H. Garzke, Jr.; Battleships (United States Battleships in World War II); p.12 <8> 14.96"/52 refers to the bore of the gun (14.96") and the barrel length in calibers (52). One caliber equals the bore diameter. In this case, the gun barrel is 14.96" x 52 = 778", or 64'10" long. Battleships (United States); p.229 <9> Battleships and Battle Cruisers, 1905-1970; p.111-112, 169, 193, 227 <10> Battleships and Battle Cruisers, 1905-1970; p.84 <11> Battleships (Axis and Neutral); p.313 <12> Named "Gustav", it was carried on a special railway mount and used to lay siege to Sevastopol in July 1942. There is some question as to how many 800mm guns were built. Some references say one, others say two. The largest caliber gun ever constructed was the "Tsar Pushka," (King of Cannons) built in the 16th century with a bore of 36.2" and now on display in the Kremlin, Moscow. In World War II, the US Army tested a 36.25" mortar, called "Little David." It never progressed beyond the experimental stage. Guinness Book of World Records, 1991; p.543 <13> Battleships (Axis and Neutral); p.39 <14> ibid; p.314 <15> Battleships (United States); p. 228 <16> Battleships (Axis and Neutral); p.329 <17> Battleships and Battle Cruisers, 1905-1970; p.307 <18> Battleships (Axis and Neutral); p.315 <19> ibid; p.316 <20> ibid; P.319 <21> ibid; p.320 <22> ibid <23> ibid; p.322 <24> ibid; p.323 <25> Battleships and Battle Cruisers, 1905-1970; p.314 <26> Battleships (Axis and Neutral); p.323 <27> ibid; p.326 <28> The normal 12,000 lb. bomb, called "Tallboy", was filled with 3,800 lb. of TNT. Torpex has twice the explosive power of TNT and was normally used in torpedoes. ibid; p.272, 275 <29> ibid; p.323 <30> ibid, p.337 <31> The largest warship(s) are the US "Nimitz" class of nuclear powered aircraft carriers, with full load displacements of up to 100,846 tons (short, metric or long?) and a length of 1,092 feet overall. USS Enterprise is longer, at 1,102 feet overall. The largest ship of any type is the "Happy Giant", an oil supertanker of 1,504 feet overall length, 225'11" in beam and she has a deadweight load of 622,511.7 tons (short, metric or long?). \Guinness Book of World Records, 1991; p.256, 257 Converted to plain ASCII and reformatted by: Larry W. Jewell jewell@mace.cc.purdue.edu