Moltke class battlecruiser

The "Moltke" class was a class of two battlecruisers of the Kaiserliche Marine (German Navy), built between 1909-1911. The ships were an improvement upon the design of the previous "Von der Tann" unique battlecruiser.

Development

In May 1907, the Germany Navy Office decided to follow up the "Von der Tann" with an enlarged design. It was decided to increase the number of main guns to 10, as opposed to their caliber. It was also mandated that armor protection was to be at least as good as on "Von der Tann", along with a top speed of at least convert|24.5|knot|km/h|0.

Two ships of the new design were to be built, under the contract names of "Cruiser "G" and "Cruiser "H". Blohm and Voss received both contracts in 1909. "Cruiser "G" was commissioned on 30 September 1911, as SMS "Moltke". Her sister "Goeben" was commissioned 2 July 1912.

Design

Armament

The main armament was increased to ten 28 cm guns in five twin turrets. Two superfiring turrets were located aft, one fore, and two wing turrets. The turrets initially allowed an elevation of 13°, for a maximum range of 18,100 m, although in 1916, elevation was increased to 16°, slighting extending the range to 19,100 m. The ships carried 810 shells total.

The secondary armament consisted of twelve 15 cm cannon, and initially, twelve 8.8 cm guns, although those were removed, with the guns in the aft superstructure replaced with 8.8 cm flak guns. The ships were also armed with four 50 cm torpedo tubes; one fore, one aft, and two on the broadside, with 11 torpedoes stored.

Armor

The level of armor protection for the "Moltke" class was increased from the "Von der Tann" class, to 100 mm in the forward main belt, 270 mm in the citadel, and 100 aft. The casemates were protected by 150 mm vertically and 35 mm on the roofs. The forward conning tower was protected by 350 mm, and the aft had 200 mm of armor. The turrets had 230 mm on the face, 180 mm on the sides, and 90 mm on the roofs. The deck armor and sloping armor were both 50 mm, as was the torpedo bulkhead around the barbettes. The torpedo bulkhead was 30 mm in other, less critical areas. As with the "Von der Tann", the armor was Krupp cemented and nickel steel.

ervice history

The ships of the "Moltke" class led distinguished careers during World War I. "Moltke" participated in several battles in the North Sea, including the Battle of Dogger Bank, Battle of Jutland, and the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight.

At the start of the war, "Goeben" was transferred to the Ottoman Empire, and helped bring the Ottomans into the war on the side of Germany. She effectively blocked a Russian advance into the Bosporus. "Goeben" served in the Turkish Navy until 1971, when she was sold for scrap.