O-Class Battlecruiser (Plan Z Fast Commerce Raider!)
PLAN Z RAIDER - 1939 Fast Commerce Raider! - 3 ships planned: O, P, Q (NEVER laid down!). 35,240 tons, 35 KNOTS (VERY FAST!), 6× 38cm (15") guns in 3× twin turrets (2 forward + 1 aft). 9,000 nm range (Atlantic raiding!). Thin armor (160mm belt - emphasized SPEED over protection!). Design: SPEED + RANGE + FIREPOWER! Hunt British cruisers & destroy convoys! Faster than BBs (35 vs 30 kts), outgun cruisers (15" vs 6-8")! Part of Plan Z (1938-1939 design). CANCELLED September 1939 (WWII outbreak!). Never laid down. All resources to U-boats/destroyers/aircraft. Dönitz's U-boat priority CORRECT! Would need 3-4 years (1939-1942/1943). Germany couldn't fuel existing ships by 1941! Bismarck's loss proved surface futility. Would likely be sunk by air power! Resources better spent on U-boats! Plan Z fantasy vs WWII reality!
Specifications
- Displacement (std)
- 28900 t
- Displacement (full)
- 38500 t
- Length
- 839.9 ft
- Beam
- 98.4 ft
- Crew
- 1965 (estimated)
- Ships built
- 0 (planned but never laid down, cancelled 1939)
- Commissioned
- Never (cancelled before construction)
- Decommissioned
- Never built
Performance
- Top speed
- 35 kn
- Range
- 15000 nm at 19 knots
Armament
- Main guns
- "6× 38cm SK C/34 guns" (3× twin turrets - 15-INCH!)
- Secondary guns
- "6× 15cm SK C/28 guns" (3× twin turrets)
- Torpedoes
- None
Armor & Systems
- Belt
- 160mm (6.3 inches - THIN! Speed emphasized!)
- Deck
- 80mm (3.1 inches - thin deck)
- Fire control
- Advanced fire control, radar planned
In-Game
- Tier
- T3
- Game power
- 51.3
- Research cost
- 10,157
- Credit cost
- 35,910
Notable
- **PLAN Z BATTLECRUISER!** (Fast commerce raider!)
- 35,240 tons standard, 38,500 tons full load
- 3 ships planned (O, P, Q) - NEVER laid down!
- 6× 38cm (15") guns in 3× twin turrets (2 superfiring forward + 1 aft)
- **35 KNOTS** maximum speed (VERY FAST for capital ship!)
- 176,000 shp turbines (high power for speed!)
- 9,000 nm range at 19 knots (commerce raiding capability!)
- Thin armor: 160mm belt (emphasized speed over protection!)
- Design philosophy: SPEED + RANGE + FIREPOWER!
- Designed to hunt British cruisers & destroy convoys!
- Faster than battleships (35 vs 30 kts), outgun cruisers (15" vs 6-8")!
- Part of Plan Z program (1939-1945 planned)
- Design completed 1938-1939
- **CANCELLED September 1939** (WWII outbreak!)
- Never laid down (unlike H-39)
- All resources diverted to U-boats, destroyers, aircraft
- Dönitz's U-boat priority proved correct!
- Would have been 3-4 year construction (1939-1942/1943)
- Germany couldn't fuel existing ships by 1941!
- Bismarck's loss (1941) proved surface fleet futility
- Would likely be sunk by air power (RAF/Fleet Air Arm)
- Resources better spent on U-boats (proven in hindsight!)
- Plan Z fantasy vs WWII reality!