SMS Deutschland - Guide 069

The Deutschland class pre-dreadnoughts of the Imperial German Navy are today's subject.

Next on the list:
-G3 class (NB)
-USS North Carolina
-Tillman Battleship Special
-Deutschland class (1930)
-KMS Graf Spee
-Tone class
-HMS Warrior (1860)
-IRN Potemkin
-Hipper class
-KMS Prinz Eugen
-Yamato class
-Italia class
-Tsesarevich
-Βασίλισσα Ολγα (Basilissa Olga)
-Nagato class
-Monitor Parnaiba
-G-class destroyer
-HMS Glowworm
-Town class cruisers
-USS Wichita
-Lord Nelson class
-Essex class
-Slava (Pre-dreadnought)
-USS Massachusetts
-Pensacola class
-HIJMS Oyodo
-Riachuelo (NB)
-I-19
-HMS Ark Royal
-ORP Błyskawica
-USS West Virginia
-Amagi Class
-Tosa Class
-Alaska class
-Derfflinger class
-Yorktown class
-Tre Kronor class
-Nelson class
-Gato class
-Admiralen class
-H class (NB)
-Greek 'Monarch' class destroyers
-'Habbakuk' project
-USS Texas
-USS Olympia
-HIJMS Mikasa
-County class
-KMS Tirpitz
-Montana class
-Florida class
-USS Salt Lake City
-Storozhevoy
-Flower class
-USS San Juan
-HMS Sheffield
-USS Alaska
-USS Texas
-USS Johnston
-Dido class
-Hunt class
-HMS Vanguard
-Mogami class
-Almirante Grau
-Surcouf
-Von der Tann
-Massena

Specials:
-Fire Control Systems
-Protected Cruisers
-Scout Cruisers
-Naval Artillery
-Tirpitz (damage history)

[mikebronicki]

It is a bit crazy that a pre-Dreadnaught was still fighting up to the day before WW2 ended! That would be like seeing an Iowa class BB in the Iraq War. 😁

[Maril]

Pre-WW1 and WW1 ships were really beautiful. Loving the pre-dreadnoughts :D

[donpacificbobcater]

Man if only Schlesien didn’t strike that mine, we may have been able keep a second pre-dreadnought battleship around.

[laciehardman]

Ships that bristle with guns look so badass. Missiles and drones may have replaced guns, but these old ships' appearance are still more intimidating and cooler looking.

[sireric]

Thx a lot for this awesome Video! It is just remarkable that a pre dreadnought crusier ship from zur "Deutschland" Class like the SMS Schleswig Holstein saw service till 1966 as a russian target ship. Although outdatet at beginning in 1906 it was used as a warship in WW1 and also fired the very first shells onto the Polish Island "Westernplatte" at september 1st 1939 at 4:45 ! An hour befor ju87 divebomber attacked Polish citys. After WW2 the Schleswwig Holstein was taken by the sovjets and renamed into "Borodino". There the ship saw service as a training ship and later on as a target. It was send to the bottom in august 1966 with an estimated service time of almost exact 60 Years! Incredible

[willrogers]

I believe I’ve already voiced my affection for Imperial Germany’s battleships, and I’ll say now that I’m also a fan of the later pre-dreadnought designs. (Mikasa of Tsushima Straights fame is one of my favorite warships of the modern era) However, after watching this video, I’ve been introduced to a class of ship that I knew almost nothing about, but am now quite fond of. The Deutschland-class pre-dreadnoughts aren’t the toughest or hardest hitting, and like their cousins from other nations, they’re a bit on the tubby side. But dash it all, they’ve got *character*!

(Translation: Never again will we see ships that carry this much firepower, yet can still be described as “cute”.)

[grivolas]

My grandfather clock has this class painted on the moon dial.

[jimmiller]

It's been a great six years Drach.

[thomasmacdonough]

I really wanted to know more about these ships, and it was kinda hard to find info in them as they were drowned out by the incredibly famous pocket battleships bearing the same name. I am so glad I found this video though, as it thought me everything I wanted to know about these lovely ships.

[pflash]

Schleswig-Holstein has the history of being the ship that fired the first shots of the Polish invasion on Sept. 1, 1939.

[mitchberg]

I love these videos, and I also realize you may have addressed this in the past couple of years since this video came out.

But just to help with your German pronunciation:

POMM-ern
SHLEZ-vig HOL-shtein
SHLEZ-yen
BROWN-shvaig

[mikeholton]

vastly overachieving expectations. a well built class of ships for their day.

[ExGavalonnj]

Thanks for making this! It was my suggestion from ages ago, keep up the good work.

[edwardhawke]

Great guide. I would like to see more Royal Navy Pre-Dreadnoughts like the King Edward VII class.

[Deevo]

Interesting that the Schleswig Holstein was in service at the beginning of WW2 meaning there were actually four Deutschland class ships in service with the German navy at the time.

[matthewrobinson]

Great video, as always. So glad you referred to the ships properly, as feminine.

[VersusARCH]

Curious case of German battleships: almost first to be built, last to be sunk. Not bad for a class dubbed the "5 minute ships" three decades before they were finally sunk...

[red.]

That extra watertight compartment certainly didn't help Pommern, at Jutland.

[red.]

I find it interesting, that a Deutschland class battleship remained flagship until the commissioning of Friedrich der Grosse, when there were Nassau and Helgoland class Dreadnoughts available. Were none of these ships built with flag facilities?

[dennismccunney]

One question occured to me in wathching these vieos. For the longest time, battlecriser, battleships, and dreadnoughts all included torpedo tubes as part of the armaments. Are thre any instances where any of these ships, in any navy, actually fired torpedos at an enemy? My impression is that including torpedos in the armament was a It's what we've always done" matter, with no thought about whether it still served a useful purpose.