July 1934War with France is still raging after 1 and half year.
Germany fleet has quite a losses:
4/4 predrednoughts
2/6 battleships
1/3 battlecruiser (during war additional 1 battlecruiser was commissioned)
6/10 heavy cruisers
4/12 light cruisers (during war additional 4 cruisers were commissioned)
1/1 fleet carrier
0/1 light carrier
13/32 destroyers
Additional 1 fleet carrier, 3 light cruisers and 18 destroyers are expected to be commissioned in following months.
Lesson learnt will be summarized after the war. As French fleet is decimated quite a lot and no match even small Reichsmarine, the decision was made to replace battleships lost during the war.
Lesson learnt operating capital ships during war
1. Visibility in North Sea, Atlantic and Baltic sea is usually between 9000 and 21000 yards, usually opening salvos starting at maximum range of 20000 yards but gunfire is maintained between 10000 and 18000 yards. Ships need to be protected especially against shells hitting belt and turret faces.
Recommendation: increase belt and turret faces to 380 mm
2. As visibility is worse, threat of torpedo attacks from destroyers in high and several torpedo hits were scored on both sides
Recommendation: increase secondary battery and consideration of increased tertiary battery against destroyers
3. Threat of air attack, especially from torpedo bombers increased rapidly.
Recommendation: increase AA suit of battleship
4. During battle, it happens sometimes that seaplanes on board get hit and started serious fires.
Recommendation: remove seaplanes from capital ships and use light ships for scouting
5. Our battle experience shows that for long battles our capital ships usually runs low on ammunition.
Recommendation: increase ammunition storage for main guns at least by 10 %
Another study of foreign designs were done. Actual ship size is about 40000 tons, 9x16" guns and armour at least 13".
Recommendation is used Nassau class design and adapt all recommendation into design with trying to minimize costs.
changes from recommendations:
- removed seaplanes
- increase belt and turret faces to 380 mm
- upgraded secondary armament to 10 double 15.2 cm turrets
- upgraded tertiary armament to new 10 double 10. cm dual purpose turrets
- increase AA suit - 4 AA directors, 13 double 4 cm AA guns, 6 double machine guns
Additional the machinery and hull was optimized to achieve ships 28 knots.
To maintain costs within reasonable amount, the main change was done to main guns by implementing two quadruple turrets. Ship will have one gun less however storage of ammunition was increased from 720 (9x80) to 800 (8x100).
With all these changes, ships should be able maintain in battle condition longer having more ammunition and should have better protection against main threats with just slightly increased costs from previous Nassau class battleships.
Nassau class - costs 133.9M
Mecklenburg class - costs 135.1