Scharnhorst-Class Battleship Model — Handcrafted, 36 in
Scharnhorst-Class Battleship Model — Handcrafted, 36 in
How big is it?
Length about 91 cm / 36.0 in. Drawn to scale; the model outline is a simplified shape.
Model details
- Size
- 36 in / 91 cm
- Construction
- Handcrafted
- Condition
- Fully assembled, ready to display
- Display
- Wooden base with brass nameplate
- Collection
- Battle Ship Models
- Item no.
- CM580
The larger edition of Germany's fast battleships, at 36 inches.
Specification
- 36 inches
- Handcrafted hull and superstructure
- Three triple main turrets with individual barrel detail
- Secondary turrets, anti-aircraft mounts, catapult and aircraft crane
- Masts, rangefinders, radar and boats
- Mounted on a display base with nameplate
- Fully assembled
Battleship or battlecruiser
Naval historians have argued about the Scharnhorst class for eighty years. The armour was battleship-grade — thicker than HMS Hood's. The speed, at 31 knots, was battlecruiser territory. The guns were too light for either.
The Royal Navy classified them as battlecruisers; the Kriegsmarine called them battleships. In practice they behaved like commerce raiders that could outrun anything strong enough to beat them and outfight anything fast enough to catch them — which worked until Scharnhorst met a force that was both.
History
The Channel Dash of February 1942 humiliated Britain. Scharnhorst was sunk off the North Cape in December 1943 with the loss of nearly two thousand men.