Furtenland-class Battlecruiser

### Armament

4x1 Modell 18 Fd. 19.5 Guns (35.5 cm guns), 8x1 Modell 25 Fd. 8.25 Guns (15 cm guns, casemates), 12x1 Modell 26 Fd. 5.5 Guns (10 cm guns, dual purpose mounts), 4x4 Fd. 33.5 Torpedoes, 10x2 Modell 20 Fd. 1.4 Guns (2.55 cm AA-guns)

## Notes

### Notes

1930-condition

The **Furtenland-class Battlecruiser** is a class of Battlecruisers of the Imperial Navy, designed and built in the 1900s with a major refit between 1922 and 1926. They are the oldest class of battlecruisers, called so in international parlance, the Imperial Navy actually prefers the term Panzerkreuzer or Armored Cruiser. It is expected, that they will be phased out over the course of the 1930s. The hull was the basis for the Imperial Navy Carrier *Eysnberge*.

Eight units, all named after Imperial Provinces, were built. By 1940, all eight were withdrawn from active service and only *SIM Dunkelwald* was still used by the Navy, as a gunnery training vessel. The other seven units were disarmed, hulked and used up as barracks ships.

## Design

* 2 wing turrets. roughly amidships
* evolved from older armored cruisers
* designed for scouting, cruiser killing and fighting in the main battle line (heavier armor), the paradigm of the battlecruiser being the heavy cavalry is younger
* good sea boat, slight weather helm - difficult in reverse gear and tendency to heel (bilge keels added in 1911)
* fifteen watertight compartments, double bottom

### Armor

* Belt Armor: Forward and aft of the citadel 100 mm, by the citadel 250 mm
* forward conning tower: 250 mm
* aft conning tower: 225 mm
* armored deck: 50 mm, reinforced in 1922-Refit to 75 mm over magazines
* torpedo bulkhead: 30 mm, 4 m from the outer hull, space in between now fuel tanks (previously coal bunker)

### Before the 1922-Refit

* originally 28 cm main artillery
* coal-fired boilers, slower

### After the 1922-Refit

* replacement of the main artillery with larger guns but fewer guns (Navy not happy)
* 2 Floatplanes, hangar, catapult
* oil-fired boilers, new turbines

## Service History

### First Service Time (1908-1922)

Initially, there was only one ship of this class planned, but after initial successes with *SIM Furtenland* during her trials, three more were ordered in 1910, with four more in 1911. By 1914, all eight units were in service.

### Ships in class

**Ships**

Battleships: Kayfer-class Fast Battleship, Eyckenbaum-class Battleship, Imperatrix Gundel class Battleship, Bucks-class Fast Battleship
Battlecruisers/"The heavy cavalry of the Fleet": Feuerreiter-class Battlecruiser, Tauläufer-class Battlecruiser, **Furtenland-class Battlecruiser** (decommissioned)
Aircraft Carriers: Feuerbergadler-class Aircraft Carrier (to be commissioned 1941-1944), Tiefbucht-class Light Aircraft Carrier (to be commissioned 1942-1945), Waldschatten-class Aircraft Carrier, Early Aircraft Carriers of the Imperial Navy

**Boats**

Cruisers/"The light cavalry of the Fleet": Prinz-class Cruiser, Prinzessin-class Cruiser, Stadt-class Scout Cruiser
Destroyers: Zerstörer 1935 (Z-211 to Z-240, 30 units), Zerstörer 1925 (Z-151 to Z-210, 60 units), Einheitszerstörer a.k.a. Zerstörer 1918 (Z-121 to Z-150, 30 units) and Zerstörer 1915 (Z-113 to Z-130, 18 units), Zerstörer 1910 (42 units, decommissioned, awaiting scrapping)
Frigates/Flottenbegleiter: Flottenbegleiter 1928
Torpedo Boats: Torpedoboot 1922
**Supply and Support Vessels**

Other: SIM Kloster Garremach (training ship), Unterstützungsboot 1917 (support boat)

**Other Equipment**

**Battleship Artillery:** Modell 24 Fd. 25 Gun (45.5 cm gun), Modell 22 Fd. 22 Gun (40 cm gun)
Fd. 19.5 Guns (35.5 cm guns): Modell 18 Fd. 19.5 Gun, Modell 28 Fd. 19.5 Gun
**Cruiser Artillery:** Modell 25 Fd. 8.25 Gun (15 cm gun)
Fd. 11 Guns (20 cm guns): Modell 10 Fd. 11 Gun, Modell 15 Fd. 11 Gun, Modell 21 Fd. 11 Gun, Modell 28 Fd. 11 Gun
**Destroyer Artillery:**
Fd. 5.5 Guns (10 cm guns): Modell 11 Fd. 5.5 Gun, Modell 18 Fd. 5.5 Gun, Modell 26 Fd. 5.5 Gun (dual purpose mount)
For destroyers with delusions of grandeur: Modell 25 Fd. 8.25 Gun
Anti-Aircraft Artillery: Modell 31 Fd. 2 Gun (36 mm AA-gun), Modell 20 Fd. 1.4 Gun (2.55 cm AA-gun), Modell 26 Fd. 5.5 Gun (10 cm gun, dual purpose mount)
Torpedoes: Fd. 24.7 Aerial Torpedo (450 mm torpedo), Fd. 33.5 Torpedo (610 mm torpedo)
Rockets: Rockets of the Imperial Navy
Mines: Naval mines of the Imperial Navy
Aircraft: List of Aircraft in service with the Imperial Armed Forces
Radar: *Present and accounted for*
Sonar: *Present and accounted for*

Also see: Women in the Imperial Armed Forces, Doctrine of the Imperial Navy, Structure of the Imperial Navy in 1930, Structure of the Imperial Navy in 1940, Marine-Schützen-Korps, Imperatorwerften Wahlerhaven.
Competitors: Shipclasses and equipment of the Sultan's Navy, Structure of the SDF-Navy in 1942, Structure of the Lutetiian Navy in 1942
Project 1940: Structure of the SDF-Navy in 1942, Structure of the Sultan's Navy in 1940, Structure of the Armed Forces of the Principality in 1940, Structure of the Lutetiian Navy in 1942, Structure of the Armed Forces of the Empire of Kupandukira in 1940