Mainz

Ballistics

Armor Model

Overview

During the design of the Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers, German engineers encountered the fact that the proposed project did not fit within the 'Washington' limitations for standard displacement. The armor was not to be inferior to the French cruiser Algérie, which, combined with the required speed and range, led to the total tonnage significantly exceeding the limits. One way to reduce displacement was to reduce the caliber of the main guns: a transition to 190 mm or 170 mm was discussed. The issue of caliber reduction was revisited in 1936 when Germany ordered two cruisers with armament of twelve 150 mm guns in four turrets. However, these cruisers were designed such that their barbettes were identical to the barbettes of cruisers with 203 mm guns, which could easily be installed instead of the 150 mm. Nevertheless, neither of these ships was completed in Germany as a cruiser.