Bayern Class Battleships

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR CLASS
For S.M.S. Bayern and Baden:
Displacement: 28530 metric tons/design, 32200 metric tons/maximum
Length: 180 m. Beam: 30 m. Draught: 9.4 m.
For S.M.S. Sachsen and Württemberg:
Displacement: 28800 metric tons/design, 32500 metric tons/maximum
Length: 182.4 m. Beam: 30 m. Draught: 9.4 m.
Main Armament: Eight 38 cm quick firing guns, of 45 calibres length, arranged in four double superfiring turrets, two each fore and aft.
Secondary and
Tertiary Armaments:		 Sixteen 15 cm quick firing guns of 45 calibres length, in casemates. Eight 88 mm guick firing guns in single mounts, and two single mount 88 mm anti-aircraft guns. Five 60 mm underwater torpedo tubes, one in bows, two on each beam.
Armor: Armoured bulkheads: 170-200mm...Side armour: 0-100mm aft/350 center tapered to 170mm, 200-30mm forwards...Horizontal armour: armoured deck 120-100mm aft, 50mm center, 30-40mm forward, inclines 30mm...Citadel armour: 250mm... Main turrets: 350mm fronts, 250mm sides, 120mm tops, barbettes 350mm... Casemates: 170mm...Control tower: 350mm front with 200mm top, 170mm aft with 170 top.
Machinery: S.M.S. Bayern...Eleven marine boilers feeding three Parsons turbines. Developed 55967 shaft horsepower at 22 knots.
S.M.S. Baden...Same as for Bayern except for being fitted with Schichau turbines. Design output of 35000 s.h.p. at 22 knots., actually developed 56275 s.h.p. at 21 knots.
S.M.S. Württemberg...Nine marine boilers with AEG-Vulcan turbines. Design output 48000 s.h.p. at 22 knots.
S.M.S. Sachsen...Six marine boilers feeding two Parsons turbines, and one MAN six-cylinder two-stroke Diesel engine. Design output 54000 s.h.p. at 22.25 knots.
All Ships...Three propellers, two parallel rudders.
For S.M.S. Bayern:
Fuel reserves: 900 tons coal/normal, 3400 tons coal/maximum. 200 tons oil/normal, 620 tons oil/maximum.
Radius of action: 5000 nautical miles at 12 knots, 4485 naut. mi. at 15 kn., 3740 naut. mi. at 17 kn.
For S.M.S. Baden:
Fuel reserves: 900 tons coal/normal, 3400 tons coal/maximum. 200 tons oil/normal, 620 tons oil/maximum.
Radius of action: 2390 nautical miles at 21.5 knots.
For S.M.S. Württemberg:
Fuel reserves: 750 tons coal/normal, 3100 tons coal/maximum. 360 tons oil/normal, 900 tons oil/maximum.
Radius of action: Never established.
For S.M.S. Sachsen:
Fuel reserves: 500 tons coal/normal, 2700 tons coal/maximum. 400 tons oil/normal, 1300 tons oil/maximum.
Radius of action: Projected, with Diesel engine alone, 2000 nautical miles at 12 knots.

Additional General Information for Class:
Designed 1910-1912 by the Naval Design Office, and planned to be one new addition to the fleet (Bayern), with three as replacements for the obsolete warships S.M.S. Wörth (Baden), Kaiser Wilhelm II (Württemberg), and Kaiser Friedrich III (Sachsen). While the British increased the calibre of their main armaments to 13.5in (34.3cm) and other European navies were housing larger calibre guns in triple turrets, the Imperial Navy felt confident in retaining the twelve inch gun and double turret for several reasons. Chief among these were the results of extensive tests which showed the German 12in shells had greater armour piercing abilities than British shells of the same size and that the German shells were indeed only marginally less effective than the British 13.5in. Triple gun turrets required substantially larger deck openings, with related loss in structural rigidity, and a generally slower rate of firing due to slower ammunition supplies to the centre gun. Ultimately, the decision to retain the double turret as opposed to the triple turret was taken based upon the fact that six double turrets corresponded in weight to four triple turrets, and that the "shell weight" of double gun turrets with the next larger gun calibre was nearly equal to triple turrets with the then currently used calibre guns. Thus, in 1913 the Imperial Navy decided to increase the size of the main battleship armament to 38cm and the main battlecruiser batteries to 35cm. Plans already drawn for the Bayern class were reworked for this increased calibre. Alas, only two of these splendid ships were completed before the end of the War, and then not in time to be tested in battle at Jutland. These sisters cost roughly RM50,000,000 each and were known as very sea-kindly, highly manoverable ships.
SHIPS IN CLASS
S.M.S. Bayern
Budget year: 1912 Builders: Howaldtswerke, Kiel Laid down: Sep.20.13 Launched: Feb.18.15 Completed: Mar.18.16
Ship's History:
Still on her acceptance trials during the battle of Jutland...Aug.19.16 sortie to the North Sea...Oct.19.16 again sortied to North Sea...Sep.19.17 in action in the Baltic, struck Russian mine Oct.12.17...during repairs side torpedo tubes removed...Apr.23.18 sortie to the Norwegian coast...Nov.26.18 interned at Scapa Flow...Jun.21.19 scuttled, considered total loss...raised Sep.34... scrapping completed at Rosyth by 1935.
S.M.S. Baden
Budget year: 1912 Builders: F. Schichau, Danzig Laid down: Sep.29.13 Launched: Oct.30.15 Completed: Oct.19.16
Ship's History:
Fleet flagship from Mar.17...Apr.23.18 sortie to the Norwegian coast...Jan.19 interned at Scapa Flow as substitute for the stilll uncompleted S.M.S. Mackensen... Jun.29.19 crew attempted to scuttle her, but beached by tugs while sinking... made watertight again Jul.19 and subsequently used as target ship...ultimately sunk by gunfire from British battleships off Portsmouth Aug.16.21.
S.M.S. Sachsen
Budget year: 1913 Builders: F. Krupp, Germaniawerft, Kiel Laid down: (Order placed Apr.7.14) Launched: Nov.21.16 Completed: Not completed.
Ship's History:
Never finished, work halted at the end of hostilities, about nine months short of completion...deleted from the Navy List Nov.3.19...sold for breaking up 1920 and scrapped 1921 at Kiel.
S.M.S. Württemberg
Budget year: 1914 Builders: AG Vulcan, Hamburg Laid down: Jan.4.15 Launched: Jun.20.17 Completed: Not completed.
Ship's History:
Orders placed Aug.12.14...construction halted at the end of hostilities, approximately one year short of completion...deleted from the Navy List Nov.3.19...sold for scrapping 1921, at Hamburg.

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Blane C. Rhoten - eichfelder@gmail.com - Last updated 24.September.2005.

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