Difference between revisions of "Admiral Graf Spee"
(Filled empty text areas with text in General info. Corrected pro's and con's that were clearly outdated and even wrong.) (Tag: Visual edit) |
|||
| Line 13: | Line 13: | ||
=== Survivability and armour === | === Survivability and armour === | ||
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}} | {{Specs-Fleet-Armour}} | ||
| − | + | Admiral Graf Spee is the most armored of the 3 Deutschland-class ships. She sits between a heavy cruiser and a battlecruiser. | |
| + | |||
| + | Unlike dreadnoughts, she was made to face only cruisers and destroyers, while keeping a large operational range. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The result was that her armor was made thick enough to barely resist cruiser shells of the era . | ||
| + | |||
| + | In war thunder, Graf Spee will not have too much trouble facing 150mm and smaller shells. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Her crew is quite limited for her size, it is highly recommended to repair only when major damages are sustained, like losing a main turret or all engines. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Doing otherwise will constantly feed her AA guns with fresh crew ready to be knocked unconscious again by the first 203mm HE shell that comes. | ||
| + | |||
| + | It is worth noting that, being considered a heavy cruiser in war thunder, her torpedo bulge can stop torpedoes up to 250kg of TNT equivalent. This will save you from most early PT boat's torpedoes, and most airforce's torpedoes. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Against aircraft attacks, she has sufficient AA to defend herself, but with the lack of variable time fuze and radar aiming, some planes will pass her defenses. | ||
=== Mobility === | === Mobility === | ||
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}} | {{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}} | ||
| − | + | Her mobility for her BR is sub par. Many other heavy cruisers will cruise over 60kph, where she will barely manage over 50kph. She can't avoid torpedoes. | |
{{NavalMobility}} | {{NavalMobility}} | ||
| Line 30: | Line 44: | ||
{{main|283 mm/52 SK C/28 (283 mm)}} | {{main|283 mm/52 SK C/28 (283 mm)}} | ||
| − | + | Her 283mm cannons are effective against most targets. The only issue is that there are only 6 guns total, and she must take a relatively large angle to fire both turrets on a target. | |
| + | |||
| + | The advantage with them is that she can attack dreadnought and cause significant damages, even reach ammo racks through a dreadnought's armor by using AP shells. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The bad part is the very long reload time of 30 seconds where most cruisers she faces will shoot every 5 to 10 seconds. This results in a rather low DPS, and makes it hard to hit small targets at long ranges. | ||
=== Secondary armament === | === Secondary armament === | ||
| Line 36: | Line 54: | ||
{{main|15 cm/55 SK C/28 (150 mm)}} | {{main|15 cm/55 SK C/28 (150 mm)}} | ||
| − | + | Her secondary armament consists of eight 150mm single turrets, for on each side. Those are very handy should your main turret get knocked out. They're also good against PT boats due to their much better reload time. Her 105mm guns are dual purpose, but can only fire HE-TF shells, making it barely effective against any vessel. | |
=== Anti-aircraft armament === | === Anti-aircraft armament === | ||
| Line 42: | Line 60: | ||
{{main|10.5 cm SK C/33 AA (105 mm)|3.7 cm SK C/30 (37 mm)|2 cm/65 C/30 (20 mm)}} | {{main|10.5 cm SK C/33 AA (105 mm)|3.7 cm SK C/30 (37 mm)|2 cm/65 C/30 (20 mm)}} | ||
| − | + | Her AA suite is somewhat decent for a 1939 ship. She doesn't have her 1945 modernisation which added 4cm AA guns, but her 37mm and 20mm are enough to knock out large aircrafts. | |
| + | |||
| + | The lack of HE-VT is very noticeable, aircrafts may still penetrate her AA fire to drop their ordinance. | ||
=== Torpedo armament === | === Torpedo armament === | ||
{{main|G7a (533 mm)}} | {{main|G7a (533 mm)}} | ||
| − | + | Her torpedoes will often get knocked out. They are placed over the stern, and usually, first incoming shots fall a bit far, knocking them out directly. | |
| − | + | It is recommended not to apply the "torpedo mode" upgrade, as the aditionnal range is hard to take advantage of. And her torpedoes with the modifications will go slower than most cruisers she will face, making them near useless. | |
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | ' | + | == Usage in battles == |
| + | Use her at ranges where cruisers will have a bit of trouble shooting her. While she can take some hits, she remains a heavy cruiser, and doesn't like getting focused. The enemy will want to sink you first as they fear your 283mm. | ||
| − | + | You should try to sink dreadnought first, because you're the only cruiser out there that can hurt them. | |
| − | |||
=== Modules === | === Modules === | ||
| Line 104: | Line 122: | ||
'''Pros:''' | '''Pros:''' | ||
| − | * | + | * Wide range of guns calliber to face all threats |
| − | * | + | * Armor can stop cruiser's HE shells to some degree |
| − | + | * 283mm main guns can face dreadnoughts | |
| − | * | + | * Good AA suite to 1939's standards (outclassed by late WW2 AA cruisers) |
| − | |||
| − | * | ||
'''Cons:''' | '''Cons:''' | ||
| − | * | + | * Rather large target for enemy bombs and torpedoes |
| − | * | + | * 283 mm cannons have a long reload time of 30sec |
| − | * Armour can be | + | * Armour can be defeated from cruiser's AP shells at closer ranges |
== History == | == History == | ||
| Line 142: | Line 158: | ||
Nonetheless, the British cruisers succeeded in crippling the ''Graf Spee'' - a single 8-inch shell from ''Exeter'' hit the engine compartment and disabled the ship's diesel cleaning system. As a result, the ship had just 16 hours of ready fuel, eliminating her chances of returning home.<ref name=":2" /> Shadowed by ''Achilles'' and ''Ajax'', the damaged ''Graf Spee'' docked at the neutral port of Montevideo to conduct repairs, repatriate prisoners, and obtain medical attention for injured crewmembers. However, because of the neutrality agreements of the Hague Convention, the ship was only able to dock for 72 hours. During this time, Allied intelligence tricked the Germans into thinking that a superior Allied force was located outside the bay, including the battlecruiser ''Renown'' and carrier ''Ark Royal''.<ref name=":2" /> In fact, only the heavy cruiser HMS ''Cumberland'' had arrived, as the reinforcement force would not be able to arrive for another week.<ref name=":2" /> | Nonetheless, the British cruisers succeeded in crippling the ''Graf Spee'' - a single 8-inch shell from ''Exeter'' hit the engine compartment and disabled the ship's diesel cleaning system. As a result, the ship had just 16 hours of ready fuel, eliminating her chances of returning home.<ref name=":2" /> Shadowed by ''Achilles'' and ''Ajax'', the damaged ''Graf Spee'' docked at the neutral port of Montevideo to conduct repairs, repatriate prisoners, and obtain medical attention for injured crewmembers. However, because of the neutrality agreements of the Hague Convention, the ship was only able to dock for 72 hours. During this time, Allied intelligence tricked the Germans into thinking that a superior Allied force was located outside the bay, including the battlecruiser ''Renown'' and carrier ''Ark Royal''.<ref name=":2" /> In fact, only the heavy cruiser HMS ''Cumberland'' had arrived, as the reinforcement force would not be able to arrive for another week.<ref name=":2" /> | ||
| − | The deceiving news of British reinforcements was a fatal blow to the ''Graf Spee''. After considering their options and discussing with the high command in Germany, the decision was made to scuttle the ship, as the ''Graf Spee''<nowiki />'s damage and insufficient ammunition would prevent her from breaking out.<ref name=":1" /> On December 17th, the ''Graf Spee'' was scuttled in the River Plate estuary. Three days later, her captain committed suicide in full uniform over the ''Graf Spee''<nowiki />'s battle ensign.<ref name=":1" /> The remainder of the crew were interned in Uruguay for the duration of the war, while the ship was partially broken up on site between 1942 and 1943. | + | The deceiving news of British reinforcements was a fatal blow to the ''Graf Spee''. After considering their options and discussing with the high command in Germany, the decision was made to scuttle the ship, as the ''Graf Spee''<nowiki/>'s damage and insufficient ammunition would prevent her from breaking out.<ref name=":1" /> On December 17th, the ''Graf Spee'' was scuttled in the River Plate estuary. Three days later, her captain committed suicide in full uniform over the ''Graf Spee''<nowiki/>'s battle ensign.<ref name=":1" /> The remainder of the crew were interned in Uruguay for the duration of the war, while the ship was partially broken up on site between 1942 and 1943. |
== Media == | == Media == | ||
| Line 150: | Line 166: | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:'' | ''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;'' | * ''reference to the series of the ship;'' | ||
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' | * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' | ||
| Line 164: | Line 181: | ||
=== Bibliography === | === Bibliography === | ||
| + | |||
* Wiki Team. (2020). German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee. Retrieved November 13, 2020. [https://military.wikia.org/wiki/German_cruiser_Admiral_Graf_Spee Website] | * Wiki Team. (2020). German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee. Retrieved November 13, 2020. [https://military.wikia.org/wiki/German_cruiser_Admiral_Graf_Spee Website] | ||
* Tikannen, A. (2020). Graf Spee. Retrieved November 13, 2020. [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Graf-Spee Website] | * Tikannen, A. (2020). Graf Spee. Retrieved November 13, 2020. [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Graf-Spee Website] | ||
Revision as of 21:29, 30 December 2020
Contents
Description
The Deutschland-class, Admiral Graf Spee, 1939 is a rank IV German heavy cruiser
with a battle rating of 5.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.95 "Northern Wind".
General info
Survivability and armour
Admiral Graf Spee is the most armored of the 3 Deutschland-class ships. She sits between a heavy cruiser and a battlecruiser.
Unlike dreadnoughts, she was made to face only cruisers and destroyers, while keeping a large operational range.
The result was that her armor was made thick enough to barely resist cruiser shells of the era .
In war thunder, Graf Spee will not have too much trouble facing 150mm and smaller shells.
Her crew is quite limited for her size, it is highly recommended to repair only when major damages are sustained, like losing a main turret or all engines.
Doing otherwise will constantly feed her AA guns with fresh crew ready to be knocked unconscious again by the first 203mm HE shell that comes.
It is worth noting that, being considered a heavy cruiser in war thunder, her torpedo bulge can stop torpedoes up to 250kg of TNT equivalent. This will save you from most early PT boat's torpedoes, and most airforce's torpedoes.
Against aircraft attacks, she has sufficient AA to defend herself, but with the lack of variable time fuze and radar aiming, some planes will pass her defenses.
Mobility
Her mobility for her BR is sub par. Many other heavy cruisers will cruise over 60kph, where she will barely manage over 50kph. She can't avoid torpedoes.
| Mobility Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||
| AB | |||
| Upgraded | 62 | 25 | |
| RB/SB | |||
| Upgraded | 53 | 22 | |
Modifications and economy
| Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armament
Primary armament
Her 283mm cannons are effective against most targets. The only issue is that there are only 6 guns total, and she must take a relatively large angle to fire both turrets on a target.
The advantage with them is that she can attack dreadnought and cause significant damages, even reach ammo racks through a dreadnought's armor by using AP shells.
The bad part is the very long reload time of 30 seconds where most cruisers she faces will shoot every 5 to 10 seconds. This results in a rather low DPS, and makes it hard to hit small targets at long ranges.
Secondary armament
Her secondary armament consists of eight 150mm single turrets, for on each side. Those are very handy should your main turret get knocked out. They're also good against PT boats due to their much better reload time. Her 105mm guns are dual purpose, but can only fire HE-TF shells, making it barely effective against any vessel.
Anti-aircraft armament
Her AA suite is somewhat decent for a 1939 ship. She doesn't have her 1945 modernisation which added 4cm AA guns, but her 37mm and 20mm are enough to knock out large aircrafts.
The lack of HE-VT is very noticeable, aircrafts may still penetrate her AA fire to drop their ordinance.
Torpedo armament
Her torpedoes will often get knocked out. They are placed over the stern, and usually, first incoming shots fall a bit far, knocking them out directly.
It is recommended not to apply the "torpedo mode" upgrade, as the aditionnal range is hard to take advantage of. And her torpedoes with the modifications will go slower than most cruisers she will face, making them near useless.
Usage in battles
Use her at ranges where cruisers will have a bit of trouble shooting her. While she can take some hits, she remains a heavy cruiser, and doesn't like getting focused. The enemy will want to sink you first as they fear your 283mm.
You should try to sink dreadnought first, because you're the only cruiser out there that can hurt them.
Modules
| Tier | Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Dry-Docking | Tool Set | 283 mm Psgr L/3.7 APBC | 15 cm Spgr. L/4.4 Bdz (m.Hb) | Anti-Air Armament Targeting | |
| II | Rudder Replacement | Fire Protection System | Smokescreen | 283 mm Spgr L/4.2 Bdz SAP | Auxiliary Armament Targeting | |
| III | Propeller Replacement | Shrapnel Protection | Ventilation | Improved Rangefinder | 15 cm Pzgr. L/3.7 (m.Hb) | Primary Armament Targeting |
| IV | Engine Maintenance | New Pumps | Ammo Wetting | Torpedo Mode | ||
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Wide range of guns calliber to face all threats
- Armor can stop cruiser's HE shells to some degree
- 283mm main guns can face dreadnoughts
- Good AA suite to 1939's standards (outclassed by late WW2 AA cruisers)
Cons:
- Rather large target for enemy bombs and torpedoes
- 283 mm cannons have a long reload time of 30sec
- Armour can be defeated from cruiser's AP shells at closer ranges
History
The Admiral Graf Spee was a ship of the Deutschland class, a series of 10-thousand ton cruisers built to the limitations of the Treaty of Versailles. Despite her small tonnage, the Graf Spee was armed with six 11-inch (283 mm) main guns in two triple turrets, a much more powerful armament than its allied counterparts. As a result, the ships of the Deutschland class were nicknamed "Pocket Battleships" by the UK, and "Panzerschiff" (armoured ship) within the Kriegsmarine.[1] The ship conducted several patrols near Spain during the Spanish Civil War, and participated in the Coronation Review of King George VI. The ship was responsible for the sinking of 9 merchant vessels during the first months of the Second World War, before being intercepted by a task force of the British Navy at the River Plate. Having caused extensive damage to her pursuers but damaged herself, the Graf Spee was scuttled in the mouth of the River Plate on December 17th 1939.[2]
Design and construction
Following Germany's defeat in the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles, the Kriegsmarine was limited to a force of pre-dreadnought battleships and cruisers, with a 10-thousand tonne limit on new vessels. In the early 1920s, the German naval ministry started working on a new design of ships that could replace its ageing pre-dreadnoughts. Initially, designs included a slow, heavily armed "monitor"-type vessel, as well as a faster "heavy-cruiser" type design. Following several years of changes, a final design was adopted featuring six 283 mm guns in two 3-gun turrets.[3] Despite some initial opposition from the victorious powers (the United Kingdom, United States and France), the ships were allowed to be built as they did not violate the Treaty of Versailles.
The new Deutschland-class ships were named "Panzerschiffs", or "Armoured Ships". However, they would soon become known as the "Pocket Battleship". Though they were of similar size to their counterparts (like the British County-class cruisers), the ships carried a much more powerful armament and had greater armour protection.[3] The vessels displaced between 11,500 and 12,500 tonnes (though it was stated in public that they were 10-thousand tonnes only) standard, and up to 16,000 tonnes full load.[1] Armament consisted of six 11-inch guns in two triple turrets, as well as a secondary armament of eight 5.9-inch guns in single turrets.[1] The ship was capable of making 26 knots (48 km/h) and had a main armour belt of 100 mm thickness.[1]
Three Deutschland-class ships were built: Deutschland (later Lutzow), Admiral Scheer, and Admiral Graf Spee. The Graf Spee was ordered as Panzerschiff C and was laid down in 1932.[3] It replaced the old pre-dreadnought Braunschweig and was named after Admiral Maximilian von Spee.[3] The ship was launched in 1934, and was christened by the daughter of Von Spee. The ship was formally commissioned into the German Fleet on January 6th, 1936.[3]
Service history
Following its commissioning, the ship became the flagship of the German fleet. The ship participated in several non-intervention patrols off of the coast of Spain, and later represented Germany at King George VI's Coronation Review. The vessel also participated in several goodwill visits during the period of 1936-1938.[3]
Prior to the start of the Second World War, the Graf Spee sailed into the Southern Atlantic to be in the best position for commerce raiding. On September 26th 1939, the Graf Spee was ordered to commence raiding against allied merchantmen in the southern Atlantic. Four days later, the cruiser located and captured the TSS Clement,[4] which was sunk using gunfire and torpedoes. As a result, a formidable task force was put together to locate and destroy the Spee; this consisted of the carriers HMS Hermes, Eagle, Ark Royal, and Bearn (of the French navy), the battleships Dunkerque, Strasbourg (both of the French Navy), and HMS Renown, as well as 16 cruisers.[3]
The task force initially failed to locate the Spee, allowing her to destroy eight more merchantmen. This brought her total tonnage destroyed to 50,089 tonnes. However, the last Merchantmen was able to signal the Spee's location to the Allies - as a result, the cruisers HMS Exeter, Ajax, and Achilles were sent to intercept the ship.[4]
Battle of the River Plate and Scuttling
On the morning of December 5th 1939, a ship was sighted across the Graf Spee's starboard bow. This was the cruiser Exeter, actively searching for the Spee.[2] The Graf Spee proceeded to close in and open fire, while the British cruisers immediately returned fire with their main batteries. In the span of a few hours, the Graf Spee was able to inflict heavy damage on all three cruisers, especially the Exeter, who received extensive damage: all four of her main battery turrets were knocked out, as well as the bridge and torpedo tubes.[4] Having been hit with numerous 11-inch shells, the ship was burning and developed a list due to extensive flooding. However, a strong defence was put up by cruisers Ajax and Achilles, allowing the crippled cruiser to make it to the Falkland Islands for repairs.
Nonetheless, the British cruisers succeeded in crippling the Graf Spee - a single 8-inch shell from Exeter hit the engine compartment and disabled the ship's diesel cleaning system. As a result, the ship had just 16 hours of ready fuel, eliminating her chances of returning home.[3] Shadowed by Achilles and Ajax, the damaged Graf Spee docked at the neutral port of Montevideo to conduct repairs, repatriate prisoners, and obtain medical attention for injured crewmembers. However, because of the neutrality agreements of the Hague Convention, the ship was only able to dock for 72 hours. During this time, Allied intelligence tricked the Germans into thinking that a superior Allied force was located outside the bay, including the battlecruiser Renown and carrier Ark Royal.[3] In fact, only the heavy cruiser HMS Cumberland had arrived, as the reinforcement force would not be able to arrive for another week.[3]
The deceiving news of British reinforcements was a fatal blow to the Graf Spee. After considering their options and discussing with the high command in Germany, the decision was made to scuttle the ship, as the Graf Spee's damage and insufficient ammunition would prevent her from breaking out.[2] On December 17th, the Graf Spee was scuttled in the River Plate estuary. Three days later, her captain committed suicide in full uniform over the Graf Spee's battle ensign.[2] The remainder of the crew were interned in Uruguay for the duration of the war, while the ship was partially broken up on site between 1942 and 1943.
Media
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
References
Bibliography
- Wiki Team. (2020). German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee. Retrieved November 13, 2020. Website
- Tikannen, A. (2020). Graf Spee. Retrieved November 13, 2020. Website
- Hickman, K. (2019, October 2). Pocket Battleship: Admiral Graf Spee. Retrieved November 13, 2020. Website
- McGibbon, I. (2014, November 27). Battle of the River Plate. Retrieved November 13, 2020. Website
| Germany heavy cruisers | |
|---|---|
| Admiral Hipper-class | Admiral Hipper · Prinz Eugen |
| Deutschland-class | Admiral Graf Spee |
