Von der Tann

Ballistics

Armor Model

Overview

The German navy required a qualitative leap to fight British battlecruisers. The new ship was armed with four turrets with 283 mm guns, as on the Nassau-class battleships. Steam engines were replaced by turbines, significantly increasing speed, and the armor already significantly surpassed the British. SMS Von der Tann was built at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg. With the start of World War I, the ship participated in raids on Yarmouth, Scarborough, and Hartlepool in attempts to lure the Grand Fleet from its bases. In the summer of 1915, Von der Tann participated in skirmishes with Russian cruisers in the Baltic. During the Battle of Jutland, the ship sank the battlecruiser Indefatigable but itself received several hits from British ships, resulting in all of Von der Tann's artillery being disabled. The battlecruiser conducted several more unsuccessful raids into the North Sea. After Germany's capitulation, Von der Tann moved to Scapa Flow, where it was scuttled by its crew on June 21, 1919.