Design 1047 battlecruiser Design 1047 , also known as Project 1047 , was a series of plans for a class of Dutch battlecruiser s prior to the Second World War . The ships were intended to counter a perceived threat posed by Imperial Japanese aggression to the Dutch colonies in the East Indies . Dutch intelligence believed that the Imperial Japanese Navy would deploy its capital ship s ( aircraft carrier s and battleship s ) against their counterparts of the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy , leaving heavy and light cruiser s , along with seaplane carrier s , as the largest ships available for an advance into the East Indies . As such , the 1047s were shaped by the need to be able to fight their way through a fleet composed of these ships and smaller destroyer s . It was hoped that this capability would allow the battlecruisers to act as a fleet in being . After a recommendation from high - ranking Dutch naval officers that the " Koninklijke Marine " ( Royal Netherlands Navy ) be bolstered so any attacker would have to " use such a large part of his military potential that there would be an unacceptable weakening of his capabilities in other theaters " , the Minister of Defense ordered the Navy to prepare designs for a two or three - member class of battlecruisers . As they had not previously designed a modern capital ship , and the only information available on modern designs came from public literature and editions of " Jane ' s Fighting Ships " , the Dutch turned to Germany . This initially bore no results , as the two sides were unable to come to terms . During this time , a preliminary plan was drawn up without foreign assistance ; completed on 11 July 1939 , it was missing many of the post - First World War advances in warship technology . In particular , the armor protection was totally outmoded . Germany and the Netherlands were eventually able to reach an agreement where Germany would release plans and drawings based upon their ideas for a battlecruiser , in return for a guarantee that all needed equipment would be ordered from German firms . With their assistance ( mainly through NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw ) , a rough design was formulated by February 1940 . A visit to Italy prompted a rethink of the internal layout , which led to a set of drawings dated 19 April 1940 . This is the last known design produced prior to Germany ' s invasion and occupation of the Netherlands . Final plans for the ships were never completed , and the ships were never constructed . Background . The Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 marked a period of increasing belligerence from the Japanese Empire , and as the decade progressed the Dutch grew concerned about the security of their East Indies colonies . The islands , which included Java , Sumatra , Borneo and part of New Guinea , were enormously important both politically and strategically to the Dutch , who had lived and traded there for more than three centuries . Over 500 , 000 settlers had moved from the Netherlands to this " second homeland " , and the East Indies possessed abundant valuable resources , the most important of which were the rubber plantations and oilfields ; the islands were the fourth - largest exporters of oil in the world , behind the United States , Iran , and Romania . The " Koninklijke Marine " had only one seagoing armored ship stationed in the East Indies , the coastal - defense ship ( ex - ) . As this ship was considered to be " of little remaining combat value " , three light cruiser s ( , and ) , a few destroyers , and a large submarine fleet were charged with the main naval defense of the islands . The Dutch believed that if war broke out , Japan ' s capital ships would be preoccupied with the battleships of the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy , meaning that the defenses of the East Indies would need to cope only with Japan ' s cruisers . However , the ships were more powerful than their Dutch equivalents and Japan would also have the advantage of numbers . It was estimated that by 1944 , should no new vessels be ordered , the five light cruisers of the " Koninklijke Marine " ( two of the , which were laid down prior to the First World War , , and two of the ) could be facing 18 heavy and 27 light Japanese cruisers . These factors forced the " Koninklijke Marine " to bolster this force , and so the construction of three " super cruisers " capable of overpowering cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy was contemplated . The Washington Naval Treaty and London Naval Treaty limited new cruisers of their signatory nations to not more than a 10 , 000 - ton displacement and guns , but as a relatively minor naval power the Netherlands had not been party to the treaties and was not bound by their restrictions . According to Dutch naval intelligence , the Japanese cruisers did not participate in exercises with the main fleet of battleships and fleet carriers , instead operating with seaplane carrier s , so it was assumed that the battlecruisers would not have to face overwhelming carrier - based air strikes . Moreover , the presence of these powerful ships — whose larger guns could easily out - range any escorting cruisers or destroyers — would give the Dutch a fleet in being in the East Indies that could delay or end plans for an amphibious assault for fear that the invasion would be disrupted or the attacking fleet destroyed . Design . In 1938 , a number of high - ranking naval officers within the " Koninklijke Marine " gathered to discuss possible improvements to the navy . They concluded that the Dutch should have a navy strong enough to force an enemy to " use such a large part of his military potential that there would be an unacceptable weakening of his capabilities in other theaters " . At this , and a note from the Chief of Naval Staff , the Minister of Defence J . C . C . van Dijk ordered the navy on to begin planning and estimating costs for two or possibly three battlecruisers . Requirements for the new battlecruiser design were laid down by the navy a day before the order from van Dijk was made ; they included the ability to steam for 12 hours at 32 knots , an endurance of 4 , 500 nautical miles at 20 knots , a maximum of fifteen minutes for the ship to go from 20 to 30 knots , protection for the engine room that would allow the ship to take hits in that area without being slowed , a draft not to exceed 9 meters , and capacity for six weeks ' worth of supplies . Desired weaponry was nine 280 mm guns in three triple turrets for the main armament , with each gun capable of firing independently , a dual - purpose secondary armament of 120 mm guns in four twin mounts , and an anti - aircraft battery of fourteen in pairs with centralized fire control . Aircraft were to be two fighters and two reconnaissance aircraft . Specific values were given for each aspect of the design ' s armor , which featured substantial anti - torpedo and mine protection and a defense against 28 cm shells and 300 kg bombs . Preliminary designs . With no prior experience in building such large ships — as 1913 plans for 24 , 650 - ton dreadnought s were never brought to fruition due to the First World War — and no significant source of information on more modern vessels — the only material available being unclassified sources such as " Jane ' s Fighting Ships " — the Dutch turned to foreign sources for technical assistance . Although they hoped that the French would release plans for their of ' fast battleships ' , they decided to focus their effort on Hitler ' s Germany . Informal talks had already been held in Berlin on 24 – 25 April 1939 where the Dutch proposed that , in return for the complete plans for the , they would order all of the necessary equipment for their construction program from Germany . A draft design was completed without foreign assistance by the Construction Department on 11 July 1939 , but it did not reflect the numerous technical developments that had entered capital ship designs after the First World War . In particular , its armor scheme was utterly obsolete , as it lacked any substantial amount of deck armor or good underwater protection ; it came closer to the designs of 20 to 25 years previous than to that of a modern warship . Despite German interest in the battlecruiser project , the two sides could not agree on terms . The German delegation insisted that orders placed in their country be guaranteed , with financial compensation to be paid to German companies if the Dutch did not construct the ships . They also refused to release a complete set of plans for the " Scharnhorst " s . Further complicating negotiations , the Dutch Cabinet , which would have to approve any deal , did not convene during the summer of 1939 . While awaiting official approval , Dutch planning went ahead . A contract with Ferrostaal A . G . Essen was drawn up , and on a list of products for purchase in Germany was submitted . Two months later , talks were held in Bremen and Berlin ( on 13 and 31 July , respectively ) in which the Germans agreed to release plans and drawings that , although not specifically of the " Scharnhorst " - class , would reveal their ideas on battlecruiser design . Delivered on 21 August of that year , these showed various modern protection schemes that could be used in the new battlecruisers . On 4 October 1939 , a German admiral previously appointed as a liaison between the two navies asserted that while Germany could not guarantee punctual delivery dates , it could assure the Netherlands that it would pressure the companies to meet the contractual dates and that the Kriegsmarine would not interfere with orders from the same companies . A month later , Ferrostaal A . G . Essen was formally appointed as the Dutch proxy in most of their dealings with Germany ; this appointment did not include Krupp Germaniawerft . Work on armament for the new designs was contracted to Krupp Germaniawerft ; the Dutch met with the company on 31 July 1939 and supplied the characteristics for the main and secondary armament . Turret armor , main armament depression and elevation ( , obtained through the use of hydraulics ) , and the muzzle velocity for the guns ( ) were all specified . Requirements for the secondary armament included a maximum depression of , a maximum elevation of , and approximate armor values for their mounts ( 80 mm front , 150 mm roof , 50 mm sides ) . The fire control arrangement was discussed on 6 November 1939 with the Dutch company NV Hazemeyer Signaal Apparatenfabriek . By this time the propulsion plant , which was to be built in the Netherlands , was taking shape . Requirements sent out in August 1939 mandated that the ships have eight boiler rooms , four sets of geared turbines , and 180 , 000 shp . After further improvements Nevesbu and two German firms ( Krupp Germaniawerft was responsible for the turbines and Deschimag for the boilers ) began sketching preliminary plans . These were then incorporated into two different design studies , one by Nevesbu and the other by NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw ( IvS ) . IvS was purportedly a Dutch company linking Dutch and German designers , but in reality functioned as a front company for German interests . Their design was probably based upon a set of plans drawn up by the Ship Construction Office of the German Navy and received in the Netherlands on 31 August . It did not give the propulsion machinery enough space , and it was thought that this design did not provide enough room for magazines . Nevertheless , it was taken into discussions with the Dutch , where the 11 July design was merged with it . IvS came out with one further plan on 11 March 1940 , the merits of which were discussed with the Dutch in April of that year . Design studies . In December 1939 the two studies produced their design proposals ; both were capable of 180 , 000 shp and both had similar boiler capabilities , but the Dutch design was larger than the German . Although it had the advantage of smaller size , the Dutch were concerned that the German design ' s power plant might not be capable of operating without problems ( the Kriegsmarine did indeed face plant problems during the war ) . However , questions about reliability soon became moot ; it was originally believed that around of the ship ' s length would be required for its propulsion plant , but it was discovered that no more than could be spared if the ship ' s ammunition was to be behind armor — and the German design needed , while the Dutch design needed . December also saw real doubts start to creep over the project , as a new Navy Minister had been appointed , and he believed that the Dutch would be better off acquiring a modern version of the old armored cruiser type . Basic characteristics were drawn up for a , standard ship that had nine guns , a belt and a deck . Even though these vessels would have been superior to any - gunned , treaty cruiser , it was felt that too many compromises would be necessary . The belt and deck armor were judged inadequate , but to achieve the same protection as the battlecruiser design would mean no armament could be fitted . The smaller design also did not feature the speed advantage over opponents that the battlecruisers had . For these reasons the Navy " strongly recommended against the construction of such a ship " , and the proposal was abandoned . The plan for three battlecruisers was authorized in February 1940 ; they , along with two light cruiser s of the " Eendracht " class , would be responsible for the main sea defense of the East Indies . The new light cruisers would replace the older , which would then assume the role of gunnery training ships from grossly obsolete ships such as the protected cruiser , which had been laid down more than forty years prior on 28 September 1898 . The authorization of large battlecruisers meant that a new 40 , 000 - ton floating dock would be built and many improvements to their planned base in the East Indies , the naval yard in Soerabaya , would begin . To handle the construction of such a ship , a new building way was begun by the Netherlands Construction Company , Ltd . . Germany ' s refusal to give the Dutch access to plans detailing the design of the " Scharnhorst " s below the waterline was a major problem . Inexperienced in designing an underwater protection scheme for a ship of this size , the Dutch were forced to turn to Italy for assistance , which allowed a delegation of engineers and naval officers to enter the country in February 1940 . Although the Dutch delegation was barred from viewing technical drawings or the battleship , then under construction , possibly to ensure that the details of their Pugliese system remained a secret , they were allowed to visit , toured several shipyards , interviewed the Chief Constructor of the Italian Navy , and received additional information on the " Scharnhorst " s , the Italians — Germany ' s ally — knowing some details of the ships . Although the issues the Dutch designers were having with a propulsion system were discussed , the delegation came away from Italy entirely uninspired by the Italians ' efforts in that area . On the other hand , the visit provoked a drastic reworking of the internal subdivision of the proposed battlecruisers . The designers got rid of the previously required central longitudinal bulkhead and attempted to raise the double bottom to provide greater protection against magnetic torpedoes . However , due to the requirement for a shallow draft , this modification had to be abandoned . Last design . When another delegation was sent to Germany to discuss the problems with the battlecruisers , the Dutch took their evolving design with them . Dated 19 April 1940 , this was the final version prior to the invasion of the Netherlands by Germany ; Design 1047 was never fully completed . The normal load displacement was now planned to be around . Although the propulsion was not yet finalized , the requirements had been re - examined in March 1940 to ascertain if 160 , 000 shp would be enough , taking into account that a plant that would produce 180 , 000 shp in tropical water would in northern regions produce ca . 200 , 000 shp — warmer waters adversely affect a steam turbine ' s efficiency . The updated requirements also called for eight Yarrow boilers fitted in four boiler rooms , and four Parsons geared turbines in two engine rooms , to drive four propellers at either 40 , 000 or 45 , 000 shp each ( 40 , 000 in tropic water conditions , 45 , 000 in North Sea conditions ) . Length requirements for the machinery had also been altered , once in early March and again on 20 April 1940 ; a total length of 79 . 5 meters was now called for . Armament . The table of characteristics provided by Lt . Jurrien S . Noot for the 19 April 1940 design does not give any armament specifics , as these likely remained unaltered from the earlier 16 February 1940 drawing . This drawing provided the following : a main armament of nine 283 mm guns , a secondary armament of twelve 120 mm dual purpose guns , and an anti - aircraft defense consisting of fourteen Bofors 40 mm guns and eight Oerlikon 20 mm cannons . Work on the main armament was contracted to Krupp Germaniawerft , which based its designs for the turrets , mountings , and guns of the 1047s on the 28 cm SK C / 34 used on the " Scharnhorst " class . With a 315 kg ( 694 lb ) APC shell , the guns would have had a muzzle velocity of 900 m / s ( 2 , 950 ft / s ) and a maximum range of 42 , 600 meters ( 46 , 600 yd ) ; 120 rounds of ammunition would have been stowed for each gun , and the rate of fire would have been about 2 . 5 rounds per minute . The guns would have been able to be elevated to a maximum angle of 45° and trained to 150° , while the loading angle would have been about 2° . Secondary armament was planned to be twelve Bofors guns in dual mounts . It is unclear whether or not these were an older version of the gun ( which had been mounted as the main armament on Dutch destroyers since the 1920s ) or an entirely new version . However , the debate is academic as the new guns were developed in the 1940s during the chaos of the Second World War and were unavailable for warships until after the war ' s end . Detailed specifics such as range or rate of fire are also unknown ; had the older gun been used it would in any case have been updated ( including the use of dual instead of single half - shield mounts ) , and the more modern version did not see service until 1950 , by which time it incorporated improvements from lessons learned during the war . Arguably the best light anti - aircraft gun of the Second World War , the 40 mm Bofors was used for air defense both on land and at sea by many of the countries involved , including the Americans , British , Dutch , Japanese , and Swedish . Produced in the early 1930s , it first entered service with the Royal Netherlands Navy when the cruisers " Java " and " Sumatra " were refitted in 1934 – 35 . Before the Second World War , Hazemeyer , a Dutch subsidiary of the German company Siemens & Halske , had devised " a very advanced triaxial mounting together with a tachymetric control system " for the 40 mm gun . When the Netherlands fell in 1940 , this was brought to the U . K . aboard the minesweeper " Willem van der Zaan " , where it was copied and put into service as the British Mark IV twin mount . The description of the proposed fire control mechanism for the 1047s , discussed on 6 November 1939 , mentions that the 40 mm weapons were " to be controlled autonomously from the gun positions " ; this seems to describe Hazemeyer ' s system , but no direct link is made in sources . The Dutch Navy had already acquired a quantity of the Hispano Suiza 20mm guns before the war for mounting in torpedo boats and other craft and 6 of these were mounted in the cruiser Jacob van Heemskerck when she made her escape to Britain in 1940 . The Hispano fired similar 20x110 ammunition to the Oerlikon but had a higher rate of fire and slightly higher muzzle velocity . The Hispano Suiza however was to prove insufficiently durable for shipboard use and would find its niche as a highly successful aircraft gun . Differences from the " Scharnhorst " class . Despite their superficially similar appearance , there were many differences between the " Scharnhorst " class and the final incarnation of the Dutch design . The 1047 was inferior in its armor protection , but in other respects was far superior : the main guns could be elevated higher , the anti - torpedo system was thicker , the deck protection better accommodated the ship boilers , and the design did not make use of the problematic German power plant . In addition , the 1047s ' anti - aircraft armament was far superior to the " Scharnhorst " class . The use of twelve dual purpose guns — able to function in both anti - surface and anti - aircraft roles — as opposed to the German division between anti - surface guns and anti - aircraft guns , was a more effective solution , as it saved needed space and weight on the ships in addition to simplifying logistics by requiring just one size of secondary ammunition . Fate . With the outbreak of the Second World War , almost all design work was halted , although work on turrets and gunnery arrangements by Krupp Germaniawerft ' s designers continued until the German invasion of the Netherlands in May . The first 1047 - class ship was scheduled to be completed in 1944 , so would in any case have been too late to stop the Japanese advance into the Dutch East Indies . Due to the war , final plans for the ships were never completed , and the ships were never constructed .