Peter Strasser, German Aircraft Carrier laid down 1935
Displacement: 26,787 t light; 27,543 t standard; 30,455 t normal; 32,785 t full load
Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
825.56 ft / 803.81 ft x 82.02 ft (Bulges 91.86 ft) x 26.25 ft (normal load) [251.63 m / 245.00 m x 25.00 m (Bulges 28.00 m) x 8.00 m]
Armament:
16 - 5.04" / 128 mm guns (8x2 guns), 63.99lbs / 29.02kg shells, 1935 Model Dual purpose guns in deck mounts with hoists on side, all amidships, all raised mounts - superfiring
24 - 1.46" / 37.0 mm guns (12x2 guns), 1.55lbs / 0.70kg shells, 1929 Model Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts on side ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts - superfiring
32 - 0.79" / 20.0 mm guns (8x4 guns), 0.24lbs / 0.11kg shells, 1935 Model Machine guns in deck mounts on side, evenly spread, all raised mounts
Weight of broadside 1,069 lbs / 485 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 240
Armour:
Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 3.94" / 100 mm 531.50 ft / 162.00 m 11.48 ft / 3.50 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Upper: 1.97" / 50 mm 531.50 ft / 162.00 m 16.40 ft / 5.00 m
Main Belt covers 102 % of normal length
Torpedo Bulkhead and Bulges: 1.57" / 40 mm 531.50 ft / 162.00 m 24.08 ft / 7.34 m
Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 1.97" / 50 mm 0.79" / 20 mm 1.97" / 50 mm
2nd: 0.79" / 20 mm 0.39" / 10 mm -
3rd: 0.39" / 10 mm 0.39" / 10 mm -
Armour deck: 2.76" / 70 mm, Conning tower: 6.69" / 170 mm
Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines plus diesel motors, Electric motors, 4 shafts, 144,771 shp / 107,999 Kw = 32.50 kts
Range 12,500nm at 15.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 5,242 tons
Complement: 1,152 - 1,498
Cost: £8.276 million / $33.102 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 134 tons, 0.4 %
Armour: 5,131 tons, 16.8 %
- Belts: 1,716 tons, 5.6 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 746 tons, 2.4 %
- Armament: 86 tons, 0.3 %
- Armour Deck: 2,442 tons, 8.0 %
- Conning Tower: 141 tons, 0.5 %
Machinery: 4,113 tons, 13.5 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 9,562 tons, 31.4 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 3,669 tons, 12.0 %
Miscellaneous weights: 7,847 tons, 25.8 %
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship): 47,188 lbs / 21,404 Kg = 737.5 x 5.0 " / 128 mm shells or 6.4 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.11
Metacentric height 4.5 ft / 1.4 m
Roll period: 18.2 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 70 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.10
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.53
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.550
Length to Beam Ratio: 8.75: 1
'Natural speed' for length: 32.51 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 52 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 46
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 30.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 3.28 ft / 1.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 31.99 ft / 9.75 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 27.89 ft / 8.50 m
- Mid (50 %): 27.89 ft / 8.50 m
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 27.89 ft / 8.50 m
- Stern: 27.89 ft / 8.50 m
- Average freeboard: 28.22 ft / 8.60 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 100.7 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 220.9 %
Waterplane Area: 47,902 Square feet or 4,450 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 137 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 125 lbs/sq ft or 611 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.97
- Longitudinal: 1.25
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather
1047 tons for 30mm of deck armor over the hangar deck
Space for 80 aircraft (48 fighters, 32 attack aircraft), + 8 spares at 25 tons each
100 tons reserved for command spaces
40 tons reserved for electronics
100 tons reserved for future growth
Peter Strasser – Laid down Jan 1935; launched Mar 1936; completed Dec 1937
Graf Zeppelin – Laid down Jul 1935; launched Oct 1936; completed Jun 1938
Refitted in 1946/47 as follows:
Peter Strasser, German Aircraft Carrier laid down 1935
Displacement: 26,686 t light; 27,543 t standard; 30,455 t normal; 32,785 t full load
Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
825.56 ft / 803.81 ft x 82.02 ft (Bulges 91.86 ft) x 26.25 ft (normal load) [ 251.63 m / 245.00 m x 25.00 m (Bulges 28.00 m) x 8.00 m]
Armament:
16 - 4.13" / 105 mm guns (8x2 guns), 35.32lbs / 16.02kg shells, 1946 Model Automatic rapid fire guns in deck mounts with hoists on side, all amidships, all raised mounts - superfiring
24 - 2.17" / 55.0 mm guns (12x2 guns), 5.08lbs / 2.30kg shells, 1946 Model Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts on side ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts - superfiring
Weight of broadside 687 lbs / 312 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 600
Armour:
Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 3.94" / 100 mm 531.50 ft / 162.00 m 11.48 ft / 3.50 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Upper: 0.98" / 25 mm 531.50 ft / 162.00 m 16.40 ft / 5.00 m
Main Belt covers 102 % of normal length
Main belt does not fully cover magazines and engineering spaces
Torpedo Bulkhead and Bulges:
1.57" / 40 mm 531.50 ft / 162.00 m 24.08 ft / 7.34 m
Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 0.98" / 25 mm 0.98" / 25 mm 0.98" / 25 mm
2nd: 0.59" / 15 mm 0.39" / 10 mm -
Armour deck: 2.76" / 70 mm, Conning tower: 5.91" / 150 mm
Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines plus diesel motors, Electric motors, 4 shafts, 144,771 shp / 107,999 Kw = 32.50 kts
Range 12,500nm at 15.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 5,242 tons
Complement: 1,152 - 1,498
Cost: £8.114 million / $32.456 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 100 tons, 0.3 %
Armour: 4,732 tons, 15.5 %
- Belts: 1,359 tons, 4.5 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 746 tons, 2.4 %
- Armament: 61 tons, 0.2 %
- Armour Deck: 2,442 tons, 8.0 %
- Conning Tower: 124 tons, 0.4 %
Machinery: 4,113 tons, 13.5 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 9,441 tons, 31.0 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 3,769 tons, 12.4 %
Miscellaneous weights: 8,300 tons, 27.3 %
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship): 46,573 lbs / 21,125 Kg = 1,318.6 x 4.1 " / 105 mm shells or 6.2 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.11
Metacentric height 4.5 ft / 1.4 m
Roll period: 18.2 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 71 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.06
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.53
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.550
Length to Beam Ratio: 8.75: 1
'Natural speed' for length: 32.51 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 52 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 46
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 30.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 3.28 ft / 1.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 31.99 ft / 9.75 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 27.89 ft / 8.50 m
- Mid (50 %): 27.89 ft / 8.50 m
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 27.89 ft / 8.50 m
- Stern: 27.89 ft / 8.50 m
- Average freeboard: 28.22 ft / 8.60 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 102.3 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 220.9 %
Waterplane Area: 47,902 Square feet or 4,450 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 138 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 124 lbs/sq ft or 603 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.97
- Longitudinal: 1.24
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather
Summary of refit:
Thin the upper belt armor to 25mm, thin the conning tower armor to 150mm
Alter the armament - replace 128mm with 105mm battery, replace 37mm with 55mm battery, delete 20mm battery
General modernization of internal spaces for service life extension
Add catapults
Upgrade radar and electronic systems, fire direction and control
Upgrade damage control features
Breakdown of miscellaneous weight
1,047 tons for 30mm of deck armor over the hangar deck
6,400 tons for 80 aircraft
200 tons for 8 spare aircraft @ 25 tons each
100 tons for two steam catapults @ 50 tons each
100 tons for combat information/fighter direction center
100 tons for surface search and navigational radars
100 tons for air search radars
100 tons for fire control radar and directors
100 tons for future growth/To be determined
53 tons for enhanced damage control features (CO2 purge, etc)
Summary of refit:
Thin the upper belt armor to 25mm, thin the conning tower armor to 150mm
Alter the armament - replace 128mm with 105mm battery, replace 37mm with 55mm battery, delete 20mm battery
General modernization of internal spaces for service life extension
Add catapults
Upgrade radar and electronic systems, fire direction and control
Upgrade damage control features
Estimated cost to refit: 6,672 tons per vessel
Estimated time to refit: 267 days
Graf Zeppelin: Refit commenced 1 October 1946, Refit completed 25 June 1947
Peter Strasser: Refit commenced 1 January 1947, Refit completed 25 September 1947