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HELGOLAND CLASS DREADNAUGHTS,
HELGOLAND, THURINGEN, OSTFRIESLAND, OLDENBURG
BATTLESHIPS. First World war German Battleships, German naval Histories of the
Battleships in brief. |
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HELGOLAND CLASS DREADNAUGHTS
The first three ships were ordered in the 1908 Budget and completed in 1911 -
1912. First German battleships to be armed with 12 inch main guns, More space
than the Westfalen class, a greater beam allowed the Turrets to be placed
further inboard which gave more protection to the magazines. between 1915 to
1917, the 3.4 inch guns were removed and replaced with four 3.4 inch Anti
aircraft guns.
 | HELGOLAND build by Howaldtswerke at Kiel and launched on the 25th
September 1909. on the 31stMay 1916 took part in the Battle of Jutland, stricken
on the 5th November 1919 and was surrendered to Britain on the 5th August
1920, as a replacement for a scuttled battleship at Scapa Flow.
Scrapped at Morecambe 1924. |
| THURINGEN Built at A.G Weser at Bremen and launched on the 27th
November 1909, and commissioned on the 1st July 1911. Took part in the Battle of
Jutland, Stricken in November 1919, given to France as was reparation,
transferred to Cherbourg on the 29th April 1920. There are two different
conflicting reports of her final end. either scrapped at Lorient 1922, or
used as a target ship by the French and finally scrapped in 1933. |
| OSTFRIESLAND Built at Wilhelmshaven Dock Yard and launched on the30th
September 1909. and commissioned on the 1st August 1911. Took part in the Battle
of Jutland but hit a mine while returning to port after the battle on the
1st June 1916 ( damage below the starboard wing turret ) she could travel at
15knots but this was again reduced to 10 knots when Ostfriesland a sharp
turn to avoid an imaginary submarine. surrendered to the United
States and was used as a target ship for aerial bombing and was sunk, (The first
battleship to be sunk by Aerial Bombing) she was hit by seventeen bombs
four of the bombs were between 500 LB and 1,000 LB and sunk off Cape Henry
USA. |
| OLDENBURG Built by Schichau, Danzig and launched on the
30th June 1910, and commissioned on the 1st May 1912. Olden burg was the
fastest on the class and took part on the 31st May 1916 Battle of Jutland and
Stricken on the 5th November 1919. Given to Japan as part of war reparations,
but was sold back to Britain for scrapping and scrapped at Dordrecht 1921. |
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BATTLESHIP DETAILS
WEIGHT 24,380 TONS, TO 24,700 TONS
DIMENSIONS 546FT (166M) X 93.5FT(28.5M) X 27.5FT(8.9M)
SPEED 20.5 KNOTS TO 21 KNOTS
ARMAMENT TWELVE 12-INCH GUNS IN PAIRS IN SIX TURRETS. FOURTEEN
5.9INCH SINGLE GUNS, AND FOURTEEN 3.4INCH SINGLE GUNS
LATER IN 1917 THE 3.4 INCH GUNS REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH TWO TO FOUR 3.4
INCH ANTI AIRCRAFT GUNS. SIX 20 INCH TORPEDO TUBES
(SUBMERGED).
COMPLIMENT OF 1100 TO 1390 (1284 to 1390 during the Battle of Jutland
)
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