SMS Helgoland

SMS Helgoland

SMS Westfalen

SMS Kaiser

SMS Helgoland

SMS Westfalen

SMS Kaiser

Germany

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.3	6.3	6.3

Class:

Battleship

Research:230 000

Purchase:640 000

Show in game

Description

The Helgoland-class, SMS Helgoland, 1911 was the lead ship of the Helgoland-class battleships built for Kaiserliche Marine in the early 1910s. Helgoland was laid down on 11th November 1908 and commissioned on 23rd August 1911. Helgoland was intended to replace old coastal defence ship Siegfried in service and complement the older 283 mm armed Nassau-class. Helgoland took part in actions against the Royal Navy during WWI, where it participated in shelling of the British coast as well as the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in August 1915. Helgoland was also present during the Battle of Jutland where she was lightly damaged by Barham or Valiant; a 15-inch shell hit and penetrated the main armoured belt which required her to enter dry dock. During the battle, Helgoland sank destroyer HMS Fortune with her 15 cm secondary battery. In November 1918, the ship's crew took part in the Wilhelmshaven mutiny. After the armistice, Helgoland was handed over to the Allies as reparation for the ships sunk at Scapa Flow. She was handed over to Britain formally on 5th August 1920 and was scrapped at Morecambe on 3rd March 1921.

Introduced in Update "New Power", Helgoland features 305 mm main armament as opposed to the previous Nassau-class's 283 mm guns, offering heavier firepower. However, due to the turret placement, Helgoland is only able to fire four out of six turrets when utilizing full broadside. Helgoland also has shell rooms placed along the waterline, making hits penetrating the main belt devastating to the ship. The rooms are protected by additional armour in the form of coal bunkers, offering temporary additional protection. The disadvantage of Helgoland also lies in tightly packed machinery, where all the engines are in a single section next to each other. If shells hit this area, they will completely immobilize the ship.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Citadel210 / 300 / 35 mm

Main fire tower300 / 250 / 290 mm

Hull25 mm (steel)

Superstructure16 mm (steel)

Number of section9

Displacement24 700 t

Crew1 113 people

This Helgoland-class dreadnought comes with a thick side armoured belt of 300 mm, and other places being 90 to 170 mm thick. This can stop 356 mm HE rounds except at the higher sections of the bow and stern.

All 6 turrets have thick barbettes, which AP shells have to go through after the already thick side armour.

Ammunition is surrounded by coal bunkers, in addition to a turtle-back armour scheme.

In short: she is one of the toughest battleships in the game, as long as she faces fair opponents.

To survive longer, do not repair secondary battery. Doing so will remove crew from your armoured hull and put it in the vulnerable secondary turrets, for them to be killed again.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB44 / 25 km/h

RB38 / 22 km/h

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	44	25
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	38	22

Being a dreadnought, it was all about armour and firepower. She will reach a little bit over 38 km/h maxed out.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB23 145 → 28 560

RB29 205 → 36 038

Total cost of modifications220 600

339 000

Talisman cost2 100

Crew training185 000

Experts640 000

Aces1 700

Research Aces720 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

450 / 600 / 100 %

196 / 196 / 196 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 380 Rudder Replacement Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 250 Propeller Replacement Research: 9 100 Cost: 14 000 230 Engine Maintenance Research: 24 000 Cost: 37 000 610	Damage Control Division Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 380 Fire Division Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 250 Shrapnel Protection Research: 9 100 Cost: 14 000 230 Ventilation Research: 9 100 Cost: 14 000 230 New Pumps Research: 24 000 Cost: 37 000 610 Ammo Wetting Research: 24 000 Cost: 37 000 610	305mm_ger_l_3_3_navy_sap_ammo_pack Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 380 Auxiliary Armament Targeting Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 250 305mm_ger_l_3_4_navy_apc_ammo_pack Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 250 150mm_ger_skl45_naval_sap_ammo_pack Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 250 Primary Armament Targeting Research: 9 100 Cost: 14 000 230 Improved Rangefinder Research: 9 100 Cost: 14 000 230 150mm_ger_skl45_l_3_7_naval_ap_ammo_pack Research: 9 100 Cost: 14 000 230

Armament

Primary armament

6 х Turret2 x 305 mm/50 SK L/50 cannon

Ammunition170 rounds

Vertical guidance-8° / 14°

Her primary armament is somewhat lacking for her size. She has 6 turrets, but only 4 can fire at a broadside. 3 can fire most of the time and worst case scenario only 2 will fire.

Her turrets have each double 305 mm guns, this is somewhat lacking for long range fights.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		1,000 m	2,500 m	5,000 m	7,500 m	10,000 m	15,000 m
Spgr. L/3.8 Bdz	HE	167	149	124	103	87	66
Spgr. L/3.3 SAP	SAP	481	430	357	299	252	193
Psgr. L/3.4	APC	519	463	383	320	270	205

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (s)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Spgr. L/3.8 Bdz	HE	855	405.9	0.025	17	27	79°	80°	81°
Spgr. L/3.3 SAP	SAP	850	410	0.025	17	10.8	47°	60°	65°
Psgr. L/3.4	APC	855	405.5	0.025	17	13.6	48°	63°	71°

Secondary armament

14 х Turret150 mm/45 SK L/45 cannon

Ammunition150 rounds

14 х Turret88 mm/45 SK L/45 cannon

Ammunition200 rounds

While her primary armament is lacking, she makes it up with great secondaries.

She has fourteen 150 mm guns in casemates all around the ship, and fourteen 88 mm guns with fragmentation shells. Torpedo boats will not like getting close to you.

Even her 150 mm are a real threat to any destroyers, even light cruisers.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		1,000 m	2,500 m	5,000 m	7,500 m	10,000 m	15,000 m
Sprgr. L/4.1 Kz	HE	21	21	21	21	21	21
Sprgr. L/4.1 Bdz	SAPBC	95	80	61	47	37	28
Psgr. L/3.7	APCBC	238	201	153	117	93	71

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (s)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Sprgr. L/4.1 Kz	HE	835	45.3	0	0.1	1,600	79°	80°	81°
Sprgr. L/4.1 Bdz	SAPBC	835	45.3	0.01	7	1,050	48°	63°	71°
Psgr. L/3.7	APCBC	835	45.3	0.015	7	990	48°	63°	71°

Additional armament

Setup 116 x 500 mm G6c torpedo

She comes with fixed underwater torpedo tubes. Being an old ship, her torpedoes are not remotely good.

She carries a total of sixteen torpedoes, in several launchers: 1 forward, 1 rear, 2+2 per broadside.

Her torpedoes carry only 160 kg of TNT, which may not be enough to break through the torpedo bulges of other dreadnoughts and heavy cruisers. This means that several hits are needed.

Usage in battles

Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Massive firepower, primary and secondary
• Heavily armoured, making it hard to sink

Cons:

• Has no anti-air defences
• Is very slow
• 305 mm may have difficulties destroying other dreadnoughts from afar

History

SMS Helgoland, Circa 1911-1917.

SMS Helgoland was the lead ship of the Helgoland-class of pre-WWI dreadnought battleships. Being an incremental improvement upon the preceding Nassau-class battleships, they featured a more powerful 12-inch (305 mm) battery and improved propulsion system. Built in 1909, she saw service in World War 1; she served in the raid on Scarborough, Battle of Riga, and Battle of Jutland. After the war, Helgoland was handed to the United Kingdom as a war reparation; she was scrapped in 1924.

Design and construction

The Helgoland-class was of overall similar construction to the preceding Nassau-class. They displaced 22,500 tons standard, and with 28,000 shaft horsepower, were capable of making 20 knots (37 km/h). The Helgoland featured a unique hexagonal main armament arrangement, similar to the Nassau-class, but had a higher-calibre main battery of twelve 12-inch (305 mm) guns in six twin-turrets. The Helgoland also carried numerous 5.9-inch (150 mm) guns and 88 mm guns in casemate mountings. She later gained four 88 mm high-angle anti-aircraft weapons, but this is not reflected in the game. As a result, the 1911 Helgoland didn't have any anti-aircraft protection. Finally, the Helgoland carried six 50 cm torpedo tubes mounted underneath the waterline.

The Helgoland was laid down in November of 1908, named after the Heligoland archipelago in the North Sea. She was launched in September of 1909. She was completed and commissioned on August 23rd 1911, after the completion of three years of construction.

Operational history

The Helgoland entered service with the German 1st Battle Squadron, which formed the core of the German battleship strike force. She participated in some training exercises before the war, along with her sister ships. After the start of the First World War, Helgoland saw her first combat action at the Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool, and Whitby. Due to heavy fog, the British and German forces never directly engaged despite the fact that Helgoland was at one point just 10 nautical miles away from the British fleet. Helgoland later participated in the Battle of the Gulf of Riga, though she failed to see major combat action.

Helgoland participated in the Battle of Jutland, where she was located at the centre of the German battleship line. As a result, she saw less action than ships at the front of the formation, such as the battleship Konig. Despite this, Helgoland still fired 63 12-inch shells, and took a hit from a 15-inch shell that caused a moderate amount of flooding. The battle of Jutland was a tactical victory for the German fleet, having lost less ships and men than the British. However, it was a strategic victory for the British as the German grand fleet would never set sail in large numbers again.

Helgoland, along with her sister ships, were docked at Wilhelmshaven until the end of the war; she was supposed to participate in the suicidal German raid against the British fleet, in an attempt to secure better surrendering conditions. However, this failed as the sailors manning the ship mutinied. Thus, Helgoland was handed to the British as a war reparation, along with her three sister ships. She was eventually scrapped by 1924.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the SMS Helgoland from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #227 - Metal Beasts section at 00:28 discusses the SMS Helgoland.

See also

Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the ship;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Refeences

Citations

Bibliography

• World War 1 Co. (1998). Helgoland Class Dreadnought Battleship. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/battleship/sms-helgoland.html
• Military Factory. (2020, September 4). SMS Helgoland Dreadnought Battleship. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/detail.asp?ship_id=sms-helgoland-battleship-imperial-german-navy

Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft
Minelayer
R-1-class	Drache(*)**
Battleships
Helgoland-class	SMS Helgoland*
Bayern-class	SMS Bayern*
	*Previously Howaldtswerke, Kiel **Previously Deutsche Werft, Hamburg (*)KB Zmaj before it was captured by Nazi Germany