Moltke - class battlecruiser The " Moltke " class was a class of two " all - big - gun " battlecruiser s of the German Imperial Navy built between 1909 – 1911 . Named and , they were similar to the previous unique battlecruiser , but the newer design featured several incremental improvements . The " Moltke " s were slightly larger , faster , and better armored , and had an additional pair of 28 centimeter guns . Both ships served during World War I . " Moltke " participated in several major battles with the rest of the High Seas Fleet , including the battles of Dogger Bank and Jutland in the North Sea , and the Battle of the Gulf of Riga and Operation Albion in the Baltic Sea . At the end of the war , " Moltke " was interned with the majority of the High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow while the ships ' fate was being discussed during peace treaty negotiations . The ships were scuttled on 21 June 1919 to prevent their seizure by the Allies . " Goeben " was stationed in the Mediterranean at the start of the war ; she escaped from pursuing Royal Navy ships to Constantinople . The ship , along with the light cruiser , was transferred to the Ottoman Navy soon after arrival . Strategically , " Goeben " played a very important role : she helped bring the Ottoman Empire into the war as a member of the Central Powers , and by acting as a fleet in being the ship prevented Anglo - French attempts to force the Bosporus , and similarly stymied a possible advance by the Russian Black Sea Fleet . " Goeben " was retained by the new Turkish government after the war . Only slightly modified from her original configuration , the ship remained on active service with the Turkish Navy until being decommissioned on 20 December 1950 ; she was stricken from the Navy register on 14 November 1954 . Two years earlier , when Turkey joined NATO in 1952 , the ship was assigned the hull number B70 . The ship was unsuccessfully offered for sale to the West German government in 1963 . Without a group willing to preserve her as a museum ( she was the only surviving dreadnought - type warship in the world , apart from being the only surviving World War I era warship of the Central Powers ) the ship was sold to M . K . E . Seyman in 1971 for scrapping . She was towed to the breakers on 7 June 1973 , and the work was completed in February 1976 . Development . During a May 1907 conference , the Germany Navy Office decided to follow up the unique battlecruiser with an enlarged design . The 44 million marks allocated for the 1908 fiscal year created the possibility of increasing the size of the main guns from the 28 cm ( 11 in ) weapons of the preceding design to 30 . 5 cm ( 12 in ) . However , Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz , along with the Construction Department , argued that increasing the number of guns from 8 to 10 would be preferable , as the 28 cm guns had been deemed sufficient to engage even battleships . Tirpitz also argued that , given the numerical superiority of the Royal Navy ' s reconnaissance forces , it would be more prudent to increase the number of main guns , rather than increase their caliber . The General Navy Department held that for the new design to fight in the battle line , 30 . 5 cm guns were necessary . Ultimately , Tirpitz and the Construction Department won the debate , and " Moltke " was to be equipped with ten 28 cm guns . It was also mandated by the Construction Department that the new ships have armor protection equal or superior to " Von der Tann " s and a top speed of at least . During the design process , there were many weight increases due to growth in the size of the citadel , armor thickness , additions to the ammunition stores , and the rearrangement of the boiler system . It was originally planned to build only one ship of the new design , but due to the strains being put on the Navy design staff , it was decided to build two ships of the new type . They were assigned under the contract names of " Cruiser G " and " Cruiser H " . As Blohm & Voss made the lowest bid for " Cruiser G " , the company also secured the contract for " Cruiser H " . The former was assigned to the 1908 – 09 building year , while the latter was assigned to 1909 – 10 . The contract for " Cruiser G " was awarded on 17 September 1908 , under building number 200 . The keel was laid on 7 December 1908 , and the ship was launched on 7 April 1910 . " Cruiser G " was commissioned on 30 September 1911 as SMS " Moltke " . The ship ' s namesake was Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke , the Chief of Staff of the Prussia n Army in the mid 19th century . " Cruiser H " was ordered on 8 April 1909 with the building number 201 . The ship ' s keel was laid on 12 August 1909 ; the hull was launched on 28 March 1911 . After fitting - out , " Cruiser H " was commissioned on 2 July 1912 as SMS " Goeben " . The ship was named for August Karl von Goeben , a Prussian general who served during the Franco - Prussian War . Design . General characteristics . The " Moltke " - class ships were 186 . 6 meters ( 612 feet ) long , 29 . 4 m ( 96 ft ) wide , and had a draft of 9 . 19 m ( 30 . 2 ft ) fully loaded . The ships displaced 22 , 616 tons normally , and 25 , 300 tons fully loaded . The " Moltke " - class ships had 15 watertight compartments and a double bottom that ran for 78 % of the keel of the ships . They were considered to handle well , with gentle movement even in heavy seas . However , they were slow to answer the helm and were not particularly maneuverable . The ships lost up to 60 % speed and heeled 9 degrees at full rudder . The ships had a standard crew of 43 officers and 1010 men . While " Moltke " served as the I Scouting Squadron flagship , she was manned by an additional 13 officers and 62 men . While serving as the second command flagship , the ship carried an additional 3 officers and 25 men to the standard complement . Propulsion . " Moltke " and " Goeben " were powered by four - shaft Parsons turbine s in two sets and 24 coal - fired Schulz - Thornycroft boilers , divided into four boiler rooms . The boilers were composed of one steam drum and three water drums apiece , and produced steam at . After 1916 , the boilers were supplemented with tar - oil . The Parsons turbines were divided into high - and low - pressure pairs . The low - pressure turbines were the inner pair , and were placed in the aft engine room . The high - pressure turbines were on either side of the low - pressure pair , and were located in the forward wing rooms . The turbines powered four propellers , 3 . 74 m ( 12 . 3 ft ) in diameter . The ships ' powerplants delivered a rated and a top speed of 25 . 5 knots ( 47 . 2 km / h ) . However , in trials " Moltke " attained and a top speed of 28 . 4 kts ; " Goeben " s powerplant produced only a slightly lower horsepower and top speed . At 14 knots ( 26 km / h ) , the ships had a range of 4 , 120 nautical miles ( 7 , 630 km ) . The " Moltke " - class ships were equipped with 6 turbo generators that delivered 1 , 200 kW ( 1 , 600 hp ) of power at 225 volts . The ships were designed to carry 1 , 000 tons of coal , although in practice they could store up to 3 , 100 tons . Fuel consumption on the six - hour forced trial was 0 . 667 kilogram per horsepower / hour at , and . 712 kg per hp / hr at for both ships . Armament . The main armament was ten 28 cm ( 11 in ) SK L / 50 guns in five twin turrets . The guns were placed in Drh . L C / 1908 turret mounts ; these mountings allowed a maximum elevation of 13 . 5 degrees . This elevation was 7 . 5 degrees less than in the preceding " Von der Tann " , and , as a consequence , the range was slightly shorter , at 18 , 100 m ( 19 , 800 yd ) , than the 18 , 900 m ( 20 , 700 yd ) of " Von der Tann " s guns . In 1916 , during a refit , the elevation was increased to 16 degrees , for an increased range of 19 , 100 m ( 20 , 900 yd ) . One turret , " Anton " , was located fore , two aft ( " Dora " turret superfiring over " Emil " ) , and two , " Bruno " and " Cäsar " , were wing turrets mounted en echelon . The guns fired armor - piercing and semi - armor - piercing shells , which both weighed 302 kg ( 670 lb ) . The guns could fire at a rate of 3 rounds per minute , and had a muzzle velocity of 895 m / s ( 2 , 940 ft / s ) . A total of 810 of these shells were stored aboard the ship . The ships ' secondary armament consisted of twelve 15 cm ( 5 . 9 in ) SK L / 45 cannon , mounted in the MPL C / 06 mounts as in " Von der Tann " . The guns had a total of 1800 shells , at 150 per gun . The 15 cm guns had a range of 13 , 500 m ( 14 , 800 yd ) at construction , although this was later extended to 18 , 800 m ( 18 , 373 yd ) . Initially , twelve 8 . 8 cm ( 3 . 5 in ) SK L / 45 guns were also fitted to defend the ships against torpedo boat s and destroyer s , but these were later removed , with the guns in the aft superstructure replaced with four 8 . 8 cm Flak L / 45 guns . " Moltke " and " Goeben " were also armed with four 50 cm ( 20 in ) torpedo tube s ; one fore , one aft , and two on the broadside , with 11 torpedo es stored . The torpedoes were of the G / 7 model , which weighed 1 , 365 kg ( 3 , 010 lb ) and carried a warhead weighing 195 kg ( 430 lb ) . The torpedoes had a maximum range of 9 , 300 m ( 10 , 200 yd ) at 27 knots ( 50 km / h ) , and 4 , 000 m ( 4 , 400 yd ) when set at 37 knots ( 69 km / h ) . Armor . The ships were equipped with Krupp cemented armor . The level of armor protection for the " Moltke " class was increased from the " Von der Tann " design , to 10 cm ( 3 . 9 in ) in the forward main belt , 27 cm ( 10 . 6 in ) in the citadel , and 10 cm ( 3 . 9 in ) aft . The casemate s were protected by 15 cm ( 5 . 9 in ) vertically and 3 . 5 cm ( 1 . 4 in ) on the roofs . The forward conning tower was protected by 35 cm ( 14 in ) , and the aft tower had 20 cm ( 7 . 9 in ) of armor . The turrets had 23 cm ( 9 . 1 in ) on the face , 18 cm ( 7 . 1 in ) on the sides , and 9 cm ( 3 . 5 in ) on the roofs . The deck armor and sloping armor were both 5 cm ( 2 . 0 in ) , as was the torpedo bulkhead around the barbettes . The torpedo bulkhead was 3 cm ( 1 . 2 in ) in other , less critical areas . As with " Von der Tann " , the armor was Krupp cemented and nickel steel . Service history . Moltke . replaced the armored cruiser in the I Scouting Group on 30 September 1911 . On 19 April 1912 , " Moltke " and light cruisers and departed Germany for a goodwill visit to the United States , and arrived on 30 May . In early July , " Moltke " escorted Kaiser Wilhelm II ' s yacht to Russia . Once the ship returned , the commander of the I Scouting Group made " Moltke " his flagship — a role in which she served until Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper transferred his flag to the newer battlecruiser on 23 June 1914 . " Moltke " participated in most of the major fleet actions conducted by the German Navy during the First World War , including the Battles of Dogger Bank and Jutland in the North Sea , and the Battle of the Gulf of Riga and Operation Albion in the Baltic . The ship took part in several operations to bombard the English coast , including the first raid on Yarmouth , the attack on the towns of Scarborough , Hartlepool , and Whitby , and the second raid on Yarmouth and Lowestoft . " Moltke " was damaged several times during the war : the ship was hit by heavy - caliber gunfire at Jutland , and torpedoed twice by British submarines while on fleet advances . Following the end of the war in 1918 , " Moltke " , together with most of the High Seas Fleet , was interned at Scapa Flow pending a decision by the Allies as to the fate of the fleet . The ship met her end when she was scuttled by her crew , along with the rest of the High Seas Fleet in 1919 to prevent them from being seized by the British Royal Navy . The wreck of " Moltke " was raised on 10 June 1927 , and scrapped at Rosyth from 1927 to 1929 . Goeben . Following the outbreak of the First Balkan War in October 1912 , the German High Command decided to create a Mediterranean Division in an attempt to exert influence in the area . The new squadron consisted of " Goeben " and the light cruiser ; the two ships left Kiel on 4 November and arrived off Constantinople on 15 November . The ships visited several Mediterranean ports , including Venice , Pola , and Naples . The First Balkan War ended on 30 May 1913 , and there was some consideration given to withdrawing the pair to German waters . However , the conflict reignited less than a month later on 29 June , meaning the ships would have to remain in the area . Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June 1914 , Rear Admiral Wilhelm Souchon recognized the imminent outbreak of war , and so immediately sailed to Pola for repair work for " Goeben " . The ships were then ordered to steam to Constantinople . While en route , they were pursued by British forces , but " Goeben " and " Breslau " managed to evade them and reach Istanbul by 10 August 1914 . " Goeben " was transferred to the Ottoman Empire and renamed after Sultan Selim I . Popularly known as " Yavûz " , she was designated as the flagship of the Ottoman Navy , but she retained her German crew . " Goeben " , flying the Ottoman flag , bombarded the Russian port of Sevastopol , captured and sank a Russian minesweeper , and damaged a destroyer on 29 October 1914 . The Russian government responded by declaring war on the Ottoman Empire on 1 November ; Britain and France followed suit on 5 November . By acting as a fleet in being , " Goeben " effectively blocked a Russian advance into the Bosporus , and defended against a similar incursion of British and French pre - dreadnoughts . More powerful British and French warships — which could have dealt with " Goeben " — could not be risked in the heavily mined and U - boat patrolled Turkish waters . In 1936 she was renamed TCG " Yavûz " and remained the flagship of the Turkish Navy until 1950 , although the ship was largely stationary in Izmit from 1948 . In 1952 , Turkey joined NATO , and the ship was assigned the hull number " B70 " . " Yavûz " was decommissioned on 20 December 1950 , and removed from the navy register on 14 November 1954 . The Turkish government attempted to preserve the ship as a museum , including an offer to West Germany to sell the ship back in 1963 , but none of the efforts were successful . " Goeben " was sold for scrapping in 1971 , and was eventually broken up between 1973 and 1976 — the last remaining ship of the Imperial German Navy . Notes . Footnotes Citations