Graf Spee

The Graf Spee was a unique German battlecruiser completed after the conclusion of WW!. The Graf Spee was Germany's largest warship until the commissioning of the battleship Hutton in 1942. The sole member of the Graf Spee Class, she was developed in conjuction with the Nassau-class battleship.

By the end of WW1, only her keel had been completed. Initally intended to be scrapped, the unexpected emergence of a strong post-WW1 Soviet Navy, the German Fleet Scuttle at Scapa Flow, and the post-fire scrapping of Weissach led the Graf Spee being completed in 1927. The premier German warship for over 15 years, she pioneered many German shipbuilding innovations. The Graf Spee would be the first German ship completed with only Oil-fired boilers, turbo-electric turbines, and the first german warship with Turtleback Armor.

The emergence of the Graf Spee directly led to the construction of several interwar battlecruiser designs such as the Soviet *Krasnaya Zvezda*, French *Côte d'Azur*-class, and Italian *Michelangelo Buonarroti*-class.

## Propulsion

### Boilers

20 Shulz-Thorycroft Oil Fired Boilers (175,000shp)

## Complement

### Officers

150

After the first Mackensen-class was laid down in 1915, the British Royal Navy responded by laying down the Admiral-class Battlecruisers. These new british battlecruisers were faster, better armed, more protected then the Mackensens. In response the Kriegsmarine ordered 3 new modified Mackensen-class battlecruisers armed with new 15in guns to counter these new battlecruisers. Additionally, the lessons learned at Jutland ultimately informed the Kriegsmarine that a new ground up design of battleship and battlecruiser were needed.

SImilar to other battlecruiser development of the time (primarily the Admiralty-class and Queen Elizabeth-class), the new battlecruiser would be a stretched version of the battleship. In the fall of 1916, German admiralty ordered 4 Battleships of the Nassau-class, and 6 Graf Spee battlecruisers to begin construction in 1918. The Nassau-class Battleship would weigh in at 37,000 tonnes while the new Graf Spee would tip the scales at 50,000 tonnes.

Laid down in early 1918, only the keel of the Graf Spee had been laid down before World War 1 concluded. During the treaty negioations, the newly founded Reichsmarine was allowed 6 pre-dreadnaught battleships, and 6 cruisers. The intent was to keep the new Reichsmarine the most powerful naval power in the Baltic to counter the Soviet Union. As such, like other German warships under construction, Graf Spee was slated to be scrapped on the slip. However, in 1920 the Soviet Navy commisioned the first Borodino-class Battlecruiser, and was beginning construction on the Sinop-class Battleship.

However, with the scuttling of the German Fleet at Scapa Flow in June 1919, the Allies could only return the 2 German Battleships that were beached at Scapa Flow, *Bayern* and *Baden*. Fearful of a powerful Soviet Baltic fleet, the allies granted Germany special permission to prioritize construction of capital warships. This new order allowed for the completed construction of 3 new battleships, and 4 new battlecruisers. Despite this, due to her relative incompleteness, Graf Spee was still slated for scrapping.

However, in February 1921, a fire broke out at Blohm & Voss Shipyard on the incomplete Nassau-class battleship *Weissach*. The fire was so extensive, the ship was deemed a constructive loss. However, some of the Weissach's machinery, armament, and armored plating had not been yet installed. Due to the similarties between the Nassau and Graf Spee, the salvagable parts of Weissach was loaded on a barge and floated to Wilhemshaven to be installed on Graf Spee.

## Design:

At 47,500 tonnes, the Graf Spee would be the largest German Warship until the completion of the Hutton 20 years later and one of the Largest battlecruisers even completed. The Graf Spee pioneered many German shipbuilding innovations, such as turtleback armor, Turbo-electric turbines, and oil-fired boilers.

## Service History

### Interwar Period

Finally completed in 1927, she entered service with the German Baltic Fleet.

During Hitler's campaign, Graf Spee would be the host to one of Hitlers speeches that would set the tone for the remilitarization of the Rhineland and the eventual naval expansion. During 1935, she would undergo a lengthy refit, which would see her AA complement modernized, and her bridge modernized. She would also be fitted with an Atlantic bow, much in line with the rest of the fleet such as the Scharnhorst-class. In late 1937, her double funnels were a constant sight in the North Sea, as Germany continued to aggressively impede on sovereign waters.

During 1937, she would be present at the British Fleet review, where she would be moored next to the Japanese IJN Kii, as if a sign to come.

### WW2

During 1939, she was originally supposed to be dispatched to Poland on a goodwill trip, that would in reality be the opening site of WW2. However, last minute technical issues saw the much older Schleswig-Holstein battleship to be dispatched. In port during the opening month of WW2, she would be dispatched to Atlantic to hunt down any French warships.

The Graf Spee was put to sea in time to sail to Denmark for the declaration of surrender to be signed on her deck. She would also be present at the surrender of Netherlands aswell, and the only ship tasked with chasing down the Utrecht. However, the Graf Spee's top speed being only 1 knot faster, and with an 8 hour headstart, Utrecht was able to reach Scapa Flow successfully.

She would be dispatched again to try and chase the Utrecht down after it left to leave for the East Indies, but again was unable to catch it before having to return for fuel.

DIspatched to the Atlantic theater in 1940 for convoy raids, she would encounter the Toursville, which was actually returning from a trip to the French colonies in South America, they would engage in a duel that would see the Toursville sunk.

### North Atlantic Service

Returning to combat in November 1940, she would be redeployed to the North Atlantic fleet with the Brandenburg. Here, she would spend much of 1940 and 1941, with the occasional midnight raid on British bound merchant convoys, that U-boats had reported as free of capital warships.

Unknown to all parties, the Graf Spee would secretly use the Fjords of Greenland as a base of operations, with U-boats ferrying diesel fuel and food to the 2 strong fleet.

However, U-boats were incapable of carrying larger machinery, so when Brandenburg needed new barrels for her guns, the two ships made the return trip to Germany. However, during the crossing of the Denmark Straight, the British submarine HMS Scorpion, managed to launch off a volley of torpedo that would strike the Brandenburg. The explosion managed to flood the engine compartment, leading to the Brandenburg being crippled.

With the location reported, the British admiralty sent the HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Rodney, andHMS Thunderchild. Bombers from the Thunderchild managed to strike and eventually sink the crippled Brandenburg, while the Graf Spee came under heavy fire from the HMS Rodney and QE. Taking heavy fire, Graf Spee would be able to sink the QE. However, the much faster Graf Spee would be able to outrun the pursuing British, and return safely to Germany.

After the declaration of war on the United States in December 1941, Graf Spee would be deployed to the North Sea once again to raid merchant convoys bound for Russia.

In 1942, she would be accompany the Bismarck and Derfflinger's famous breakout voyage, where the small fleet would encounter the HMS Hood, HMS Tiger, and HMS Prince of Wales. Firing on the HMS Tiger, it is disputed whether the Bismarck of Graf Spee fired the final round that ended the Tiger. However, on the return trip to Germany, under attack from a large British-American fleet, the Graf Spee would take heavy damage from 3 torpedo hits, and a bomb hit that would destroy her radar and set fire to most of the superstructure.

During 1939, a mechanical fault had seen the deck soaked in oil, and had soaked into the deck wood. After being ignited, the fire burned with a severe intensity that destroyed much of the center superstructure, and heavily damaged the two center most turrets. This led to the Graf Spee being essentially crippled from a relatively minor bomb hit. After the Bismarck's rudder was crippled, she was forced to return to Germany, while Moltke and Prinz Eugen remained to protect the ailing battleship.

Undergoing a lengthy repair, the Graf Spee was refitted with new decking, a modernized fire suppression system, 3in of additional deck armor, and most importantly, rudders that could be blown off in case they were jammed.

After this she would be deployed to the Mediterranean theater to help bolster Italian and Spanish naval forces, and deliver much needed reinforcements to the African Campaign. In particular however, she was flag ship of the siege of Malta, where she would fire off nearly all of her stores of ammunition at the small island. During this, she managed to sink the British HMS Ramillies at her mooring. However, after heavy allied bombardment, the dwindling of supplies, and the incoming British fleet, she would be forced to give up the assault.

With the loss of Derfflinger and Bismarck, During 1943, she would be tasked alongside the Moltke to the Fjords of Norway as a fleet in being. During this time, the RAF would stage several attempts to cripple the battleships. During one of the final attacks, a Tallboy bomb, similar to the one used to sink the Ashitaki, would strike the Graf Spee. Never intended to be bombed, much less by a massive bomb that could cause local earthquakes, the Tallboy bomb managed to blow a 25m hole in the bottom of Graf Spee.

Another Tallboy managed to strike Moltke's bow, from which she was able to recover. But the Graf Spee quickly capsized, and sunk. During 1944, she would be ever so slightly refloated, and moved to form a breakwater at the enterance of the Fjord, to which Tirptiz would be similarly sunk in 1947.