The Kriegsmarine's Largest Boondoggle (TNO)

KMS Thule, Grossedeutsche Reich Thule-class "Super-Schlachtschiff" laid down 1950

Displacement:
	114,490 t light; 121,784 t standard; 139,793 t normal; 154,200 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
	(1,186.02 ft / 1,131.89 ft) x 168.96 ft x (41.67 / 45.22 ft)
	(361.50 m / 345.00 m) x 51.50 m  x (12.70 / 13.78 m)

Armament:
      12 - 18.90" / 480 mm 52.0 cal guns - 3,968.32lbs / 1,800.00kg shells, 150 per gun
	  Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1950 Model
	  3 x 4-gun mounts on centreline ends, majority forward
		1 raised mount - superfiring
      16 - 5.87" / 149 mm 55.0 cal guns - 100.31lbs / 45.50kg shells, 150 per gun
	  Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1950 Model
	  8 x Twin mounts on sides, evenly spread
      20 - 5.04" / 128 mm 61.0 cal guns - 57.32lbs / 26.00kg shells, 400 per gun
	  Dual purpose guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1950 Model
	  6 x Twin mounts on sides, evenly spread
		6 raised mounts
	  4 x Twin mounts on sides, evenly spread
		4 double raised mounts
      32 - 2.17" / 55.0 mm 77.0 cal guns - 4.41lbs / 2.00kg shells, 1,500 per gun
	  Anti-air guns in deck mounts, 1950 Model
	  16 x Twin mounts on sides, evenly spread
      64 - 0.79" / 20.0 mm 65.0 cal guns - 0.33lbs / 0.15kg shells, 2,000 per gun
	  Anti-air guns in deck mounts, 1950 Model
	  16 x Quad mounts on sides, evenly spread
		4 raised mounts
      Weight of broadside 50,533 lbs / 22,922 kg
      Main Torpedoes
      6 - 21.0" / 533 mm, 23.58 ft / 7.19 m torpedoes - 1.632 t each, 9.794 t total
	submerged side tubes
      2nd Torpedoes
      18 - 21.0" / 533 mm, 23.58 ft / 7.19 m torpedoes - 1.632 t each, 29.381 t total
	below water reloads

Armour:
   - Belts:		Width (max)	Length (avg)		Height (avg)
	Main:	13.8" / 350 mm	475.39 ft / 144.90 m	15.58 ft / 4.75 m
	Ends:	1.97" / 50 mm	656.46 ft / 200.09 m	15.58 ft / 4.75 m
	Upper:	7.87" / 200 mm	475.39 ft / 144.90 m	8.01 ft / 2.44 m
	  Main Belt covers 65 % of normal length

   - Torpedo Bulkhead - Additional damage containing bulkheads:
		2.36" / 60 mm	475.39 ft / 144.90 m	39.50 ft / 12.04 m
	Beam between torpedo bulkheads 150.92 ft / 46.00 m

   - Gun armour:	Face (max)	Other gunhouse (avg)	Barbette/hoist (max)
	Main:	21.7" / 550 mm	8.33" / 212 mm		21.7" / 550 mm
	2nd:	8.27" / 210 mm	5.25" / 133 mm		7.09" / 180 mm
	3rd:	4.72" / 120 mm	2.66" / 68 mm		4.72" / 120 mm
	4th:	0.59" / 15 mm	      -			      -

   - Armoured deck - multiple decks:
	For and Aft decks: 11.02" / 280 mm
	Forecastle: 1.97" / 50 mm  Quarter deck: 1.97" / 50 mm

   - Conning towers: Forward 15.75" / 400 mm, Aft 15.75" / 400 mm

Machinery:
	Diesel Internal combustion generators,  plus diesel motors,
	Electric motors, 4 shafts, 294,046 shp / 219,358 Kw = 30.00 kts
	Range 20,000nm at 19.00 kts
	Bunker at max displacement = 32,417 tons

Complement:
	3,614 - 4,699

Cost:
	£78.574 million / $314.296 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
	Armament: 10,233 tons, 7.3 %
	   - Guns: 10,177 tons, 7.3 %
	   - Weapons: 56 tons, 0.0 %
	Armour: 43,219 tons, 30.9 %
	   - Belts: 7,137 tons, 5.1 %
	   - Torpedo bulkhead: 1,641 tons, 1.2 %
	   - Armament: 12,555 tons, 9.0 %
	   - Armour Deck: 20,058 tons, 14.3 %
	   - Conning Towers: 1,828 tons, 1.3 %
	Machinery: 7,035 tons, 5.0 %
	Hull, fittings & equipment: 53,653 tons, 38.4 %
	Fuel, ammunition & stores: 25,303 tons, 18.1 %
	Miscellaneous weights: 350 tons, 0.3 %
	   - Hull above water: 80 tons
	   - On freeboard deck: 120 tons
	   - Above deck: 150 tons

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
	Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
	  323,039 lbs / 146,528 Kg = 95.7 x 18.9 " / 480 mm shells or 49.5 torpedoes
	Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.22
	Metacentric height 15.8 ft / 4.8 m
	Roll period: 17.9 seconds
	Steadiness	- As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 92 %
			- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.63
	Seaboat quality  (Average = 1.00): 1.84

Hull form characteristics:
	Hull has a flush deck,
	  a straight bulbous bow and a round stern
	Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.614 / 0.624
	Length to Beam Ratio: 6.70 : 1
	'Natural speed' for length: 33.64 kts
	Power going to wave formation at top speed: 45 %
	Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
	Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 45.00 degrees
	Stern overhang: 4.92 ft / 1.50 m
	Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
				Fore end,	 Aft end
	   - Forecastle:	29.00 %,  49.21 ft / 15.00 m,  39.37 ft / 12.00 m
	   - Forward deck:	21.00 %,  39.37 ft / 12.00 m,  39.37 ft / 12.00 m
	   - Aft deck:	21.00 %,  39.37 ft / 12.00 m,  39.37 ft / 12.00 m
	   - Quarter deck:	29.00 %,  39.37 ft / 12.00 m,  39.37 ft / 12.00 m
	   - Average freeboard:		40.51 ft / 12.35 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
	Space	- Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 57.2 %
		- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 294.1 %
	Waterplane Area: 141,714 Square feet or 13,166 Square metres
	Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 132 %
	Structure weight / hull surface area: 300 lbs/sq ft or 1,467 Kg/sq metre
	Hull strength (Relative):
		- Cross-sectional: 0.96
		- Longitudinal: 1.55
		- Overall: 1.00
	Excellent machinery, storage, compartmentation space
	Excellent accommodation and workspace room
	Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
	Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

Aviation Facilities:
- 2x heavy aircraft recovery and boat handling cranes.
- 1x cross-deck catapult for floatplanes.
- Below-decks hangar for 2x floatplanes.

Other Facilities:
- Flag facilities in superstructure.

Designed by the Kriegsmarine in 1945 with the intent of matching and utterly surpassing the Japanese Yamato-class battleships, the Thule-class proved to be yet another sign of Germany's victory going utterly to their heads. Armed with twelve guns larger than anything ever put to sea, in turrets larger and heavier than some cruisers, and capable of a 30 knot flank speed - with a range sufficient to allow it to sail from a port in Brittany to ports in nominally ally controlled Oman without refueling - and armor theoretically sufficient to defeat all but the largest guns Germany's madmen could dream up, the Thule-class was the greatest battleship ever designed - only to hit the waves long after the battleship was a concept so obsolescent as to attract not awe from the rest of the world, but mocking ridicule.

With the economic collapse of the early 1950s, the Thule-class found itself trapped in the unenviable position of simultaneously being too valuable a piece of internal propaganda to dispose of, and too colossal a resource expenditure to genuinely use. Relegated primarily to use in propaganda films, mixed with sometimes transporting the Fuhrer when he wishes to visit one of Germany's vassals while sending a message, the Thule-class is more commonly found tied up in port, simply due to the sheer quantities of fuel consumed when underway.