page_title: Scharnhorst-class battleship
section_title: General characteristics
hierarchical_section_title: Scharnhorst-class battleship / Design / General characteristics
caption_attribution_description: English: Drawing of the German warship Scharnhorst in her final configuration in December 1943. Camouflage as seen on photographs prior to Operation Zitronella (a.k.a. Operation Sizilien) in september 1943. Français&#160;: Dessin du Cuirassé allemande Scharnhorst (09/1943). Deutsch: Zeichnung des Schlachtschiffs Scharnhorst der Kriegsmarine. Bauzustand September 1943. Additional info obtained from Schlachtschiff Scharnhorst Gerhard Koop, Klaus-Peter Schmolke, Bernard &amp; Graefe Verlag, Bonn 1991 ISBN 3-7637-5893-3, and, after a hint from user "Graf Spee"[1], Philippe Caresse Le - croiseur de bataille Scharnhorst.
context_page_description: The Scharnhorst class were the first capital ships, referred to as either battleships or battlecruisers, built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine after World War I. The class comprised two vessels: Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Scharnhorst was launched first, and is considered to be the lead ship by some sources; they are also referred to as the Gneisenau class in some other sources, as Gneisenau was the first to be laid down and commissioned. They marked the beginning of German naval rearmament after the Treaty of Versailles. The ships were armed with nine 28 cm SK C/34 guns in three triple turrets; plans to replace these with six 38 cm SK C/34 guns in twin turrets were never realized.
  The two ships were laid down in 1935, launched in late 1936, and commissioned into the German fleet by early 1939. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau operated together for much of the early portion of World War II, including sorties into the Atlantic to raid British merchant shipping. The two ships participated in Operation Weserübung, the German invasion of Norway. During operations off Norway, the two ships engaged the battlecruiser HMS Renown and sank the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious on 8 June 1940.
context_section_description: Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were 226 m (741 ft 6 in) long at the waterline; Scharnhorst was 234.9 m (770 ft 8 in) long overall, while Gneisenau had a slightly shorter overall length, at 229.8 m (753 ft 11 in). The ships both had a beam of 30 m (98 ft 5 in). They were designed to displace 35,540 t (34,980 long tons), which would have given the ships a draft of 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in). At standard displacement of 32,100 long tons (32,600 t), which reduced draft to 8.3 m (27 ft 3 in), while at a full combat load of 38,100 long tons (38,700 t), draft increased to 9.9 m (32 ft 6 in). The ships' hulls were constructed from longitudinal steel frames, over which the outer hull plates were welded. Their hulls contained 21 watertight compartments and had a double bottom for 79% of their length.
  The German navy considered the ships to be poor sea boats; they were bow-heavy when fully equipped and very "wet" as high as the bridge. This problem was mitigated to some extent by replacement of the straight stem with an "Atlantic bow" to both Gneisenau and Scharnhorst in January and August 1939 respectively; use of the "A" turret remained restricted in heavy seas. The ships had rear problems as well; their stern was also frequently "wet" and the ships were very slow entering a turn. They always required assistance from tugboats in shallow waters. With the rudder hard over, the ships lost over 50% speed and heeled over more than 10°. During trials, the ships heeled as much as 13° at hard rudder.
  Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had a crew of between 56 to 60 officers and 1,613 to 1,780 enlisted men. The crew was augmented by another 10 officers and 61 men when serving as a squadron flagship. They carried a number of smaller watercraft, including two picket boats, two launches, two barges, two pinnaces, two cutters, two yawls, and two dinghies.
caption: Scharnhorst, depicted in her 1943 configuration
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