Gneisenau class battlecruiser
The Gneisenau class battlecruisers were large heavy gun warships of World War II vintage of the German navy, or Kriegsmarine. Due to the cost and prestige of such ships, they are often referred to as "capital ships". Like the "pocket battleships" of the Deutschland class, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were political compromises, symbols of international power for the Hitler regime, but designed not to overly inflame the British. The Royal Navy refers to them as "battlecruisers" [1], as do most references which use Royal Navy sources, because they traded extra guns for their 32 to 33 knot (60 km/h) speed and extended range to allow for commerce raiding. As their designed main armament wasn't ready in time, they initially carried 9-11 in (280 mm) guns in three triple turrets, two forward and one aft, inferior to any Royal Navy capital ship of the time. If they had carried their designed main armament of 6-15 in (380 mm) guns in three twin turrets, they would have been formidable opponents, faster than any British capital ship and nearly as well armored. But due to Hitler's shifting attitudes towards the surface navy and the priorities of war, they retained their 11 in (280 mm) guns in triple turrets, like the Deutschland's, throughout their careers.
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