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Fürst Bismarck  

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Fürst Bismarck		23	Kiel KW	1895	25.9.1897	1.4.1900	stokers TS 3.1915, disarmed 1916

Technical data

Displacement normal, t	10690
Displacement full, t	11461
Length, m	127.0 oa 125.7 wl
Breadth, m	20.4
Draught, m	7.80 mean 8.46 deep load
No of shafts	3
Machinery	3 VTE, 4 Thornycroft + 8 cylindrical boilers
Power, h. p.	13500
Max speed, kts	18.7
Fuel, t	coal 1400 + oil 120
Endurance, nm(kts)	4560(10)
Armour, mm	belt: 200 - 100, deck: 30 with 50mm slopes, main turrets: 200, secondary turrets: 100, casemates: 100, CT: 200 - 100
Armament	2 x 2 - 238/37 SK L/40 C/97, 12 x 1 - 149/37 SK L/40 C/97, 10 x 1 - 88/27 SK L/30 C/89, 4 x 1 - 7.9/79, 6 - 450 TT (1 bow, 4 beam, 1 stern)
Complement	621

Standard scale images

Graphics

Project history

Fürst Bismarck was Germany's first armoured cruiser, though apart from her narrow but thick belt and more and heavier big guns she was very much an enlarged version of the Victoria Louise class. She was wood-sheathed and spent her first decade in overseas service.

Ship protection

Narrow belt protected all waterline length, was 200mm between main barbettes (tapered to 100mm at lower edge) and 100mm at ship ends and was backed by 200mm wood. 30mm protective deck was connected with its lower edge by 50mm slopes. Fwd CT had 200m sides and 30mm roof, aft CT had 100mm sides and 30mm roof. Main turrets had 200mm sides and 40mm crowns, 4 15cm guns were placed in the turrets with 100mm sides, others were protected by 100mm casemates with 70mm shields.

Modernizations

1915: - 2 x 1 - 149/37, 4 x 1 - 7.7/79

Naval service

She was rebuilt between 1910 and 1915, only to spend a short time in coast defence and then be disarmed and relegated to training stokers in 1916.