SMS Graf von Caprivi

## Graf von Caprivi

SMS Graf von Caprivi as designed, 1906

SMS *Graf von Caprivi* was a (somewhat ironically named) unique armored cruiser, although considered by some to be a battlecruiser, of the Kaiserliche Marine which served in WW1. The largest, and final armored cruiser of the Kaiserliche Marine, *Graf von Caprivi* was designed to counter Royal Navy armored cruisers carrying 9.2" guns like the *Warrior* and *Minotaur* classes, as well as what was wrongly believed to be the specifications of the *Invincible-*class battlecruisers.

## Design

The German Navy had expected armored cruisers—referred to as *Große Kreuzer* (large cruisers), to engage the reconnaissance forces of rival navies, as well as fight in the battle lines. Initially, the next class of armored cruisers was planned to have been a normal progression from the existing *Scharnhorst*-class, with an increased number of 21cm guns. However, the Kaiserliche Marine was soon made aware of the construction of battleship HMS *Dreadnought* which would mark a new era of naval combat, as well as vague details of the *Invincible*-class, a new generation of armored cruisers that would mount larger caliber guns.

A controversial design change to carry the 28cm SK L/40 gun similar to that on the *Deutschland*-class, rather than the 21cm, in response to the potential rivals, immediately made several proposed designs obsolete. The ship would carry 8 of these guns, in four two-gun turrets- Fore, aft and echelon amidships, allowing a full broadside of 8 guns as well as 6 to be fired forwards and blackwards. The secondary battery consisted of 12 casemated 15cm SK L/45 guns and 8 8.8cm guns mounted in raised positions. Torpedo armament was reduced to 2 submerged 45cm tubes with 6 torpedoes carried.

The main belt was 190mm thick running for one deck height at the waterline, with end belts tapering to 90mm extending to the bow and over the steering gear. A 100mm upper belt ran the length between the end main battery turrets. The main armor deck was 25mm thick at the ends, and 50mm amidships, with an additional 20mm deck for the casemate guns. The maximum thickness of armor was 200mm on the faces of the main battery turrets and the conning tower. This was protection adequate against the 9.2" guns of British armored cruisers.

Engineers from the *#history* Design Bureau that had been contracted for the project were also left struggling to achieve the desired speeds on a restricted 16000 ton displacement, so a decision was made to also purchase Parsons-style steam turbines to drive the three shafts of the new armored cruiser, moderately increasing its cost. The selected design had a high maximum design speed of 25.6 knots and could cruise 5000 miles at 12 knots, utilizing coal-fired boilers. For the speed, it was a stout vessel of 160m length and 25m beam, with a draft of 9m at normal load.

However, the design was beginning to become considered unpopular. The machinery spaces would be highly cramped, armor deck slopes had been eliminated to save weight, and the ship would not be able to take fire from the new British 12" guns. At the same time, improved 28cm guns were being developed for the new *Nassau*-class dreadnoughts, but proved too heavy to be fitted into the cramped existing design. The obsolete concept for the new armored cruiser was becoming increasingly apparent, but at the same time, the design process had gone too far for major changes to be made. It was decided that only a single ship of this new class would be constructed, and future resources would be put into designs for proper German battlecruisers on a larger tonnage. This ship was ordered under the provisional name "E-2" in June 1906.

Despite the misgivings of the design, the cruiser, now named *Graf von Caprivi*, proved to be a stable and good seaboat, and the changes made during the design process meant that initially, she was not entirely outclassed even by the newer rival *Invincibles*. However, future generations of battlecruisers would emerge to render *von Caprivi* outdated within less than a decade.

## Service History

SMS *Graf von Caprivi* was launched in March 1908 and commissioned in December 1908, exceeding her design speed to achieve 26.4 knots on forced trials.