Difference between revisions of "Scharnhorst"

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{{Specs-Card
 
{{Specs-Card
 
|code=germ_battleship_scharnhorst
 
|code=germ_battleship_scharnhorst
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
 
<!-- ''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship's creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot: if a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them identify the ship in question.'' -->
 
<!-- ''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship's creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot: if a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them identify the ship in question.'' -->
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German battlecruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Winged Lions"]].
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (along with her sister ship Gneisenau) was designed as a battleship right from the start by the Kriegsmarine. However, restriction imposed by the Treaty of Versailles (and as Germany were unable to built any large calibre guns at that time due to the lack of industrial capabilities) forced the Kriegsmarine to fit her with smaller 283 mm guns. Launched in January 1939, Scharnhorst spent early WWII raiding British convoys in the Atlantic with her sister Gneisenau. In mid-1940, they also participated in the German invasion of Norway, during which they engaged the battlecruiser [[HMS Renown]] and sank [[HMS Glorious]], which had been converted to an aircraft carrier, as well as their destroyer escorts. In 1943, while attempting to raid Allied convoys on their way to the Soviet Union, Scharnhorst and her five escorting destroyers were intercepted by a British task force, including the battleship HMS Duke of York, light cruisers [[HMS Belfast]] and [[HMS Norfolk]], and destroyer [[HMCS Haida]], in the Battle of the North Cape on 26 December. Scharnhorst was sunk, with only 36 survivors. With all other German battleships damaged or otherwise engaged, the battle itself was a major turning point in Allied naval control in the Atlantic and Arctic, and would prove to be the last battle between battleships in European waters.
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It was introduced in [[Update "Winged Lions"]]. Although the Scharnhorst is almost universally classed as a battleship in real life due to her protection, her fast top speed and smaller armaments compared to her contemporaries in the 1930s caused the British to classify the ship as a battlecruiser. This peculiar characteristic is reflected in-game, where the Scharnhorst's mobility, protection, and weaker but fast-firing guns made her a formidable heavyweight mid-to-close range brawler.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
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{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
 
<!-- ''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.'' -->
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''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.''
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Being an interwar battleship design, the {{PAGENAME}} is exceptionally well-protected, especially when compared to the Great War-era dreadnoughts that are quite common at her BR.
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Externally, the {{PAGENAME}} is clad with 50 mm of armour at the deck and 35 mm at the port and starboard sides. The plating protects her huge crew count of 1,908 sailors from HE blasts of most cruiser-calibre guns (203 mm and less) and absorb a considerable damage from larger calibre shells and small bombs quite well.
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Internally, the {{PAGENAME}}'s citadel feature two layers of armour. The external part features 320 mm of armour at the port and starboard (save for a small gap with 170 - 245 mm of armour strips) and 200 mm at the bow and stern, while the internal citadel is 105 mm of turtleback armour angled at 60 degrees, along with an additional 40 mm of armour protecting the internal crew and engine compartments from shrapnel. Put simply, the {{PAGENAME}} is a very tough nut to crack, capable of taking hundreds of hits from other capital ships and staying afloat. Only the heaviest of bombs (such as the infamous FAB-5000 of the [[Pe-8]]) will be capable of sinking her in one hit.
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While the {{PAGENAME}}'s armour makes her seemingly invincible, she does have one glaring weakness; flood damage control. In real life, the {{PAGENAME}} suffered from poor watertight capability, especially in heavy sea conditions which often caused her electrical system to be damaged and made her quite vulnerable to flood damage. This is reflected in-game by her tendency to quickly flood when taking a hit by torpedoes or even a shell hit below her waterline.
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Although the {{PAGENAME}}'s armour is enough to take multiple torpedo hits (including the Japanese "Long Lance" torpedo) and remain afloat, doing so will cause the ship to rapidly flood, especially if the ship is hit on the bow where her only water pump is located. As the {{PAGENAME}}'s pumps take at least 20 seconds to restore 10% of the buoyancy and breach repair often takes a considerable amount of time, the ship will often lose over 50% of buoyancy within a minute if under heavy fire or being hit by a torpedo(es) if the damage isn't taken care of soon enough, essentially immobilising the ship. Thus, it is always recommended to repair any breach damage regardless of the severity, lest the ship sinks in the process.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}
 
<!-- ''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.'' -->
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''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.''
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As a fast battleship, the {{PAGENAME}}'s top speed is quite good. At 68 (AB)/57 (RB) km/h, she can keep up with the other cruisers and is capable of closing the distance to deal more damage to the enemy.
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Due to her large displacement, however, the {{PAGENAME}} is also quite slow to decelerate, this will hinder the ship's ability to make most evasive manoeuvres from enemy fire and torpedoes.
  
 
{{NavalMobility}}
 
{{NavalMobility}}
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=== Modifications and economy ===
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
 
{{Specs-Economy}}
 
{{Specs-Economy}}
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After seakeeping modifications (Tool Set and Fire Protection System), researching the 283 mm APCBC shell should be your first priority, as the HE shell no longer cuts it against capital ship that were common at the BR. Then, you can either focus on the survivability to upgrade your water pumps or improve the ship's mobility. Gunnery and other shell options should be left for the end as the {{PAGENAME}} already has a good gun handling even when stock and the other shell choices are situational at best.
  
 
== Armament ==
 
== Armament ==
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{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
 
<!-- ''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <code><nowiki>{{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}</nowiki></code>. Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <code><nowiki>{{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}</nowiki></code>. Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.'' -->
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{{main|283-mm/54,5 SK C/34 (283 mm)}}
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{{main|283 mm/54,5 SK C/34 (283 mm)}}
  
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''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <code><nowiki>{{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}</nowiki></code>. Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.''
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The {{PAGENAME}} features nine 283 mm/54,5 SK C/34 cannons as the main armament, mounted in three triple turrets in A-Bs-X setup. Despite the turret's size and heavy armour plating, it has a generally good traverse speed and handling.
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Due to the gun's relatively small calibre compared to other capital ships, it will often struggle to deal damage against enemy battleships at longer ranges (~10 km), though this is compensated by a surprisingly fast reload time for its calibre at 17.2 second (ace crew).
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 +
As the gun is essentially the 283 mm found on the [[Admiral Graf Spee]] but with a slightly longer barrel, it also shares similar shell options:
 +
 
 +
* The default HEF shell has ~21 kg of TNT filler, which is actually worse than that of the Graf Spee's (with ~23 kg of filler), though this is compensated with the gun's higher rate of fire. The shell can deal considerable damage to enemy cruisers, but it is fairly ineffective against capital ships.
 +
* The APCBC shell has noticeable improvement over the Graf Spee's, with 380 mm of penetration at 10 km (compared to 335 mm at 10 km of the Graf Spee's). These penetration values are noticeably better than that of the 305 mm on the Great War-era dreadnoughts, though due to the low shell mass (a quarter less than an average 305 mm shell), the shell has rather mediocre post-penetration damage against capital ships. Nevertheless, these should be your go-to shell as it is capable of tearing the enemy ship's internal modules apart, especially at closer ranges (~7.5 km).
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* The SAPBC shell has a reasonable penetration of 186 mm at 10 km, albeit its filler is on the lower side at 16.72 kg TNT. This shell is largely situational due to it being ineffective against capital ship's armour but more than potent enough to destroy any cruisers or smaller ships.
 +
* The anti-air HE-TF is largely useless, primarily due to the limited gun elevation that restrict them from engaging enemy aircraft at closer ranges (~3 km). Thus you should rely on your dedicated anti-air defense instead.
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 +
{{:283 mm/54,5 SK C/34 (283 mm)/Ammunition|283 mm Spgr. L/4.4 Kpf.Z HE, 283 mm Psgr. L/4.4 APCBC, 283 mm Spgr. L/4.4 Bd.Z SAP, 283 mm Spgr. L/4.4 Zt.Z HE-DF}}
  
 
=== Secondary armament ===
 
=== Secondary armament ===
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<!-- ''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.'' -->
 
{{main|15 cm/55 SK C/28 (150 mm)}}
 
{{main|15 cm/55 SK C/28 (150 mm)}}
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The {{PAGENAME}} is equipped with twelve 150 mm/55 SK C/28 cannons, distributed in a pair of single and twin turrets on the port and starboard sides each. Up to 6 guns can be fired from the boardsides. These guns are useful for dealing extra damage on enemy cruisers and smaller ships, but almost useless against capital ships due to the lack of penetration at longer ranges.
  
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''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''
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By default, the gun is loaded with a HE shell with a decent 3.91 kg of TNT filler, enough to knock out most PT boats in one hit. The researchable SAPBC and APCBC shell has a rather poor penetration, with 47 mm and 95 mm at 10 km range respectively. Since your main guns already have enough damage output to deal with cruisers, upgrade for the secondary armament should be left until spaded.
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 +
{{:15 cm/55 SK C/28 (150 mm)/Ammunition|15 cm Spgr. L/4.5 Kz (m.Hb), 15 cm Pzgr. L/3.7 (m.Hb), 15 cm Spgr. L/4.4 Bdz (m.Hb)}}
  
 
=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
 
=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
 
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
 
<!-- ''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.'' -->
 
<!-- ''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.'' -->
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{{main|10.5 cm SK C/33 AA (105 mm)|3.7 cm SK C/30 (37 mm)|2 cm/65 C/38 (20 mm)}}
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{{main|SK C/33 AA (105 mm)|SK C/30 (37 mm)|2 cm/65 C/38 (20 mm)}}
  
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''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''
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As a World War II capital ship, the {{PAGENAME}} sports an impressive array of aerial defenses. She is outfitted with 14 x 105 mm Flak cannons in seven twin mounts, 16 x 37 mm AA guns in eight twin mounts, and 34 x 20 mm AA guns in ten single mounts and six quadruple mounts. With 64 guns of various calibres, the {{PAGENAME}} has a good air coverage at almost any range.
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 +
A small caveat worth noting, however, is that the 105 mm gun can only be loaded with a HE-TF shell, this means it is rather ineffective against any sneaky PT boats that might getting too close.
  
 
=== Additional armament ===
 
=== Additional armament ===
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{{main|G7a (533 mm)}}
 
{{main|G7a (533 mm)}}
  
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''Describe the available additional armaments of the ship: depth charges, mines, torpedoes. Talk about their positions, available ammunition and launch features such as dead zones of torpedoes. If there is no additional armament, remove this section.''
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As with most of the bluewater Kriegsmarine ship, the {{PAGENAME}} comes with 14 x G7a standard-issued torpedoes. Launched from a triple launcher from the port and starboard side each. Given the {{PAGENAME}}'s role as a fast battleship, these torpedoes are useful in a close-range engagements due to the fast speed but short range without "Torpedo mode" modification, though its effectiveness at longer ranges were quite poor due to the slow speed with "Torpedo mode" modification and the low number of warheads launched per salvo. Thus, it is not recommended to use it in a large, open maps where long-range engagements were common.
 +
 
 
=== Scout plane ===
 
=== Scout plane ===
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{{main|Ar 196 A-3}}
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{{Specs-Fleet-Plane}}
  
 
Located amidships is a single catapult for an Arado Ar 196 scout plane which provides unique offensive and defensive abilities, expanding tactical options. Ship-launched scout planes fly just like regular tree units but lack munition choices and cockpit views. Alongside the typical abilities of strafing, dropping 2 x 50 kg bombs, and capping zones, the Ar 196 and other scout planes have the added ability to lay down smoke cover (up to 3 times). It is essentially the [[Ar 196 A-3|event aircraft]] except with smoke generators, so it will be a familiar unit for those who have the event version. Captains will be wise to remember to utilise the aircraft and consider when best to use it, for example to cap a point early or late in the match, to create a smoke screen to stymie enemy bombardment and repair, to attack enemy units directly, or perhaps something completely new! The threat of bombers carrying many large bombs is significant, so using the Ar 196 as top cover can also be considered, though its effectiveness may be limited.
 
Located amidships is a single catapult for an Arado Ar 196 scout plane which provides unique offensive and defensive abilities, expanding tactical options. Ship-launched scout planes fly just like regular tree units but lack munition choices and cockpit views. Alongside the typical abilities of strafing, dropping 2 x 50 kg bombs, and capping zones, the Ar 196 and other scout planes have the added ability to lay down smoke cover (up to 3 times). It is essentially the [[Ar 196 A-3|event aircraft]] except with smoke generators, so it will be a familiar unit for those who have the event version. Captains will be wise to remember to utilise the aircraft and consider when best to use it, for example to cap a point early or late in the match, to create a smoke screen to stymie enemy bombardment and repair, to attack enemy units directly, or perhaps something completely new! The threat of bombers carrying many large bombs is significant, so using the Ar 196 as top cover can also be considered, though its effectiveness may be limited.
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== Usage in battles ==
 
== 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).'' -->
 
<!-- ''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).'' -->
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''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).''
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The Scharnhorst is one of the best protected vessels in the game against the AP rounds. The only truly feasible way to counter the Scharnhorst is with high explosive rounds.
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Acting as a fast battleship, the Scharnhorst has the capability to be used as a brawler, using its speed and armour to move faster across the map than most battleships and battlecruisers, enabling it to effectively contest capture points and close the distance when attacking enemy ships.
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Although the main cannons are only 283 mm, the shells have a relatively high armour penetration value (APCBC can penetrate 333 mm at 30° angle of attack from 7,500 m) enabling it to penetrate most battleships and battlecruisers, at close to medium range. However, the shells have quite small explosive filler, meaning that the post-penetration damage is relatively low, and it might require few direct hits to cripple key components, and selecting munitions best suited for the target is essential, with SAPBC and HE being often the preferred options over APCBC.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
 
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
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''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''
 
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
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* Big guns on a fast cruiser hull
+
* Incredibly resilient to armour-piercing shells thanks to very thick turtleback armour over the [[ammo racks]]. At typical combat ranges, it stops most of the best AP shells in the game. High-calibre HE remains the primary way to counter it through direct gunfire.
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* High top speed and decent acceleration
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* Great gun handling - relatively high turret rotation and gun elevation speed for the calibre
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* Fast reload speed for main guns of this calibre
 +
* Secondary guns are effective when up close
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* Effective AA capability
 
* One scout seaplane
 
* One scout seaplane
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* Fast reload for big guns
 
−
* effective AA
 
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
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*
+
* Being a very large vessel, slow to decelerate or turn, makes it more vulnerable to being hit by torpedoes, bombs, or rockets.
 +
* Prone to crew depletion and flooding damage, especially from cumulative salvos of large-calibre HE shells or torpedoes.
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* 283 mm shells damage is inferior compared to other battlecruisers, with typically have a bigger guns
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
 
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 
[[File:Scharnhorst (1939).jpg|thumb|350px|German battlecruiser Scharnhorst.]]
 
[[File:Scharnhorst (1939).jpg|thumb|350px|German battlecruiser Scharnhorst.]]
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The '''Scharnhorst''' was a German battlecruiser (or battleship depending on classification) that served in WWII, the lead ship of her class.<ref name=":0">Kalu, M. C. (2019)</ref> Designed to counter the French Dunkerque-class battleships, Scharnhorst was a significantly-enlarged and improved development on the previous Deutschland-class pocket battleships (“panzerschiffe”).<ref name=":1">Farley, R. (2017)</ref> Scharnhorst operated with her sister ship Gneisenau during the early years of WWII, wreaking havoc on allied shipping. However, she ultimately met her demise at the Battle of North Cape, where she was sunk by a large British force led by the battleship HMS Duke of York.<ref name=":2">Potts, J. R. (2019)</ref>
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The '''Scharnhorst''' was a German battlecruiser (or battleship depending on classification) that served in WWII, the lead ship of her class.<ref name=":0">Kalu, M. C. (2019)</ref> Designed to counter the French Dunkerque-class battleships, Scharnhorst was a significantly-enlarged and improved development on the previous Deutschland-class pocket battleships ("panzerschiffe").<ref name=":1">Farley, R. (2017)</ref> Scharnhorst operated with her sister ship Gneisenau during the early years of WWII, wreaking havoc on allied shipping. However, she ultimately met her demise at the Battle of North Cape, where she was sunk by a large British force led by the battleship HMS Duke of York.<ref name=":2">Potts, J. R. (2019)</ref>
  
 
=== Design and development ===
 
=== Design and development ===
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== Media ==
 
== Media ==
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
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''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
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 +
;Skins
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* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_battleship_scharnhorst Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
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* ''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.'' -->
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''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
  
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* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
+
* [[USS Alaska]]
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* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
+
* [[Kronshtadt]]
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
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* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
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 +
* [[wt:en/news/7453-development-the-battlecruiser-scharnhorst-and-shipboard-reconnaissance-aircraft-en|[Devblog] The Battlecruiser Scharnhorst and shipboard reconnaissance aircraft]]
 +
 
=== References ===
 
=== References ===
  
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;Bibliography
 
;Bibliography
  
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* Editors of GWR. (n.d.). ''Longest range hit by a ship's gun''. Guinness World Records. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-range-hit-by-a-ships-gun</nowiki> 
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* Editors of GWR. (n.d.). ''Longest range hit by a ship's gun''. Guinness World Records. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-range-hit-by-a-ships-gun</nowiki>
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* Farley, R. (2017, April 8). ''Scharnhorst: Nazi Germany's Super Battleship or paper tiger?'' The National Interest. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from <nowiki>https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/scharnhorst-nazi-germanys-super-battleship-or-paper-tiger-20078</nowiki> 
+
* Farley, R. (2017, April 8). ''Scharnhorst: Nazi Germany's Super Battleship or paper tiger?'' The National Interest. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from <nowiki>https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/scharnhorst-nazi-germanys-super-battleship-or-paper-tiger-20078</nowiki>
−
* Kalu, M. C. (2019, April 4). ''Speed and strength - Scharnhorst - german battleship with 25 photos''. WAR HISTORY ONLINE. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.warhistoryonline.com/history/speed-and-strength-scharnhorst-german-battleship-with-25-photos.html</nowiki> 
+
* Kalu, M. C. (2019, April 4). ''Speed and strength - Scharnhorst - german battleship with 25 photos''. WAR HISTORY ONLINE. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.warhistoryonline.com/history/speed-and-strength-scharnhorst-german-battleship-with-25-photos.html</nowiki>
−
* Lettens, J. (2008, August 28). ''Wrecksite - Scharnhorst Battleship 1939-1943''. Wrecksite.eu. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?115556</nowiki> 
+
* Lettens, J. (2008, August 28). ''Wrecksite - Scharnhorst Battleship 1939-1943''. Wrecksite.eu. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?115556</nowiki>
−
* Potts, J. R. (2019, May 2). ''KMS Scharnhorst. Military Factory - Global Defense Reference''. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/detail.php?ship_id=KMS-Scharnhorst</nowiki> 
+
* Potts, J. R. (2019, May 2). ''KMS Scharnhorst. Military Factory - Global Defense Reference''. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/detail.php?ship_id=KMS-Scharnhorst</nowiki>
−
* Roblin, S. (2021, December 19). ''Scharnhorst: How hitler's pocket battleship was destroyed''. 19FortyFive. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/12/scharnhorst-how-hitlers-pocket-battleship-was-destroyed/</nowiki> 
+
* Roblin, S. (2021, December 19). ''Scharnhorst: How hitler's pocket battleship was destroyed''. 19FortyFive. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/12/scharnhorst-how-hitlers-pocket-battleship-was-destroyed/</nowiki>
  
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{{ShipManufacturer Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven}}
 
{{Germany battlecruisers}}
 
{{Germany battlecruisers}}

Latest revision as of 12:57, 12 November 2024

Scharnhorst
germ_battleship_scharnhorst.png
GarageImage Scharnhorst.jpg
ArtImage Scharnhorst.jpg
Scharnhorst
Germany flag.png Germany
VI Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
7.0 7.0 7.0
Class:
Research:390 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:1 050 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Scharnhorst-class, Scharnhorst, 1943 (along with her sister ship Gneisenau) was designed as a battleship right from the start by the Kriegsmarine. However, restriction imposed by the Treaty of Versailles (and as Germany were unable to built any large calibre guns at that time due to the lack of industrial capabilities) forced the Kriegsmarine to fit her with smaller 283 mm guns. Launched in January 1939, Scharnhorst spent early WWII raiding British convoys in the Atlantic with her sister Gneisenau. In mid-1940, they also participated in the German invasion of Norway, during which they engaged the battlecruiser HMS Renown and sank HMS Glorious, which had been converted to an aircraft carrier, as well as their destroyer escorts. In 1943, while attempting to raid Allied convoys on their way to the Soviet Union, Scharnhorst and her five escorting destroyers were intercepted by a British task force, including the battleship HMS Duke of York, light cruisers HMS Belfast and HMS Norfolk, and destroyer HMCS Haida, in the Battle of the North Cape on 26 December. Scharnhorst was sunk, with only 36 survivors. With all other German battleships damaged or otherwise engaged, the battle itself was a major turning point in Allied naval control in the Atlantic and Arctic, and would prove to be the last battle between battleships in European waters.

It was introduced in Update "Winged Lions". Although the Scharnhorst is almost universally classed as a battleship in real life due to her protection, her fast top speed and smaller armaments compared to her contemporaries in the 1930s caused the British to classify the ship as a battlecruiser. This peculiar characteristic is reflected in-game, where the Scharnhorst's mobility, protection, and weaker but fast-firing guns made her a formidable heavyweight mid-to-close range brawler.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Citadel150 / 320 / 80 mm
Main fire tower360 / 200 / 170 mm
Hull25 mm (steel)
Superstructure16 mm (steel)
Number of section9
Displacement37 902 t
Crew1 908 people

Being an interwar battleship design, the Scharnhorst is exceptionally well-protected, especially when compared to the Great War-era dreadnoughts that are quite common at her BR.

Externally, the Scharnhorst is clad with 50 mm of armour at the deck and 35 mm at the port and starboard sides. The plating protects her huge crew count of 1,908 sailors from HE blasts of most cruiser-calibre guns (203 mm and less) and absorb a considerable damage from larger calibre shells and small bombs quite well.

Internally, the Scharnhorst's citadel feature two layers of armour. The external part features 320 mm of armour at the port and starboard (save for a small gap with 170 - 245 mm of armour strips) and 200 mm at the bow and stern, while the internal citadel is 105 mm of turtleback armour angled at 60 degrees, along with an additional 40 mm of armour protecting the internal crew and engine compartments from shrapnel. Put simply, the Scharnhorst is a very tough nut to crack, capable of taking hundreds of hits from other capital ships and staying afloat. Only the heaviest of bombs (such as the infamous FAB-5000 of the Pe-8) will be capable of sinking her in one hit.

While the Scharnhorst's armour makes her seemingly invincible, she does have one glaring weakness; flood damage control. In real life, the Scharnhorst suffered from poor watertight capability, especially in heavy sea conditions which often caused her electrical system to be damaged and made her quite vulnerable to flood damage. This is reflected in-game by her tendency to quickly flood when taking a hit by torpedoes or even a shell hit below her waterline.

Although the Scharnhorst's armour is enough to take multiple torpedo hits (including the Japanese "Long Lance" torpedo) and remain afloat, doing so will cause the ship to rapidly flood, especially if the ship is hit on the bow where her only water pump is located. As the Scharnhorst's pumps take at least 20 seconds to restore 10% of the buoyancy and breach repair often takes a considerable amount of time, the ship will often lose over 50% of buoyancy within a minute if under heavy fire or being hit by a torpedo(es) if the damage isn't taken care of soon enough, essentially immobilising the ship. Thus, it is always recommended to repair any breach damage regardless of the severity, lest the ship sinks in the process.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB68 / 25 km/h
RB59 / 22 km/h

As a fast battleship, the Scharnhorst's top speed is quite good. At 68 (AB)/57 (RB) km/h, she can keep up with the other cruisers and is capable of closing the distance to deal more damage to the enemy.

Due to her large displacement, however, the Scharnhorst is also quite slow to decelerate, this will hinder the ship's ability to make most evasive manoeuvres from enemy fire and torpedoes.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode Upgrade Status Maximum Speed (km/h) Turn Time (s) Turn Radius (m)
Forward Reverse
AB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 68 25
RB/SB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 59 22

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB26 389 → 34 437 Sl icon.png
RB31 996 → 41 754 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications296 000 Rp icon.png
463 000 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost2 400 Ge icon.png
Crew training300 000 Sl icon.png
Experts1 050 000 Sl icon.png
Aces2 200 Ge icon.png
Research Aces890 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
450 / 600 / 100 % Sl icon.png
214 / 214 / 214 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Seakeeping Unsinkability Firepower
Mods new ship hull.png
Dry-Docking
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship rudder.png
Rudder Replacement
Research:
17 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
26 000 Sl icon.png
460 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship screw.png
Propeller Replacement
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship engine.png
Engine Maintenance
Research:
16 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
25 000 Sl icon.png
430 Ge icon.png
Mods ship damage control crew.png
Damage Control Division
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods ship fire control crew.png
Fire Division
Research:
17 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
26 000 Sl icon.png
460 Ge icon.png
Mods ship anti fragmentation protection.png
Shrapnel Protection
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods ship venting.png
Ventilation
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship pumps.png
New Pumps
Research:
16 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
25 000 Sl icon.png
430 Ge icon.png
Mods ship ammo wetting.png
Ammo Wetting
Research:
16 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
25 000 Sl icon.png
430 Ge icon.png
Mods new aa caliber turrets.png
Anti-Air Armament Targeting
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
283-mm Psgr. L/4,4 APCBC
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
150mm_ger_c36_naval_he_base_fuse_ammo_pack
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods new aux caliber turrets.png
Auxiliary Armament Targeting
Research:
17 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
26 000 Sl icon.png
460 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
283-mm Spgr. L/4,4 Bdz SAP
Research:
17 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
26 000 Sl icon.png
460 Ge icon.png
Mods new main caliber turrets.png
Primary Armament Targeting
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods ship rangefinder.png
Improved Rangefinder
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
150mm_ger_c36_naval_apc_ammo_pack
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods torpedo.png
Torpedo Mode
Research:
16 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
25 000 Sl icon.png
430 Ge icon.png
Mods he frag dist fuse ship.png
283-mm Spgr. L/4,4 Zt.Z HE-DF
Research:
16 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
25 000 Sl icon.png
430 Ge icon.png
Mods shipSupportPlane.png
Hydroplane
Research:
16 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
25 000 Sl icon.png
430 Ge icon.png

After seakeeping modifications (Tool Set and Fire Protection System), researching the 283 mm APCBC shell should be your first priority, as the HE shell no longer cuts it against capital ship that were common at the BR. Then, you can either focus on the survivability to upgrade your water pumps or improve the ship's mobility. Gunnery and other shell options should be left for the end as the Scharnhorst already has a good gun handling even when stock and the other shell choices are situational at best.

Armament

Primary armament

3 х Turret3 x 283 mm/54,5 SK C/34 cannon
Ammunition450 rounds
Vertical guidance-8° / 40°
Main article: 283 mm/54,5 SK C/34 (283 mm)

The Scharnhorst features nine 283 mm/54,5 SK C/34 cannons as the main armament, mounted in three triple turrets in A-Bs-X setup. Despite the turret's size and heavy armour plating, it has a generally good traverse speed and handling.

Due to the gun's relatively small calibre compared to other capital ships, it will often struggle to deal damage against enemy battleships at longer ranges (~10 km), though this is compensated by a surprisingly fast reload time for its calibre at 17.2 second (ace crew).

As the gun is essentially the 283 mm found on the Admiral Graf Spee but with a slightly longer barrel, it also shares similar shell options:

  • The default HEF shell has ~21 kg of TNT filler, which is actually worse than that of the Graf Spee's (with ~23 kg of filler), though this is compensated with the gun's higher rate of fire. The shell can deal considerable damage to enemy cruisers, but it is fairly ineffective against capital ships.
  • The APCBC shell has noticeable improvement over the Graf Spee's, with 380 mm of penetration at 10 km (compared to 335 mm at 10 km of the Graf Spee's). These penetration values are noticeably better than that of the 305 mm on the Great War-era dreadnoughts, though due to the low shell mass (a quarter less than an average 305 mm shell), the shell has rather mediocre post-penetration damage against capital ships. Nevertheless, these should be your go-to shell as it is capable of tearing the enemy ship's internal modules apart, especially at closer ranges (~7.5 km).
  • The SAPBC shell has a reasonable penetration of 186 mm at 10 km, albeit its filler is on the lower side at 16.72 kg TNT. This shell is largely situational due to it being ineffective against capital ship's armour but more than potent enough to destroy any cruisers or smaller ships.
  • The anti-air HE-TF is largely useless, primarily due to the limited gun elevation that restrict them from engaging enemy aircraft at closer ranges (~3 km). Thus you should rely on your dedicated anti-air defense instead.

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/4,4 Kpf.Z HE HE 64 64 64 64 64 64
Psgr. L/4.4 APCBC APCBC 578 538 477 425 380 312
Spgr. L/4,4 Bd.Z SAP SAPBC 287 266 235 209 186 152
Spgr. L/4,4 Zt.Z HE-DF HE-TF 64 64 64 64 64 64
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/4,4 Kpf.Z HE HE 900 315 0 0.1 21.49 79° 80° 81°
Psgr. L/4.4 APCBC APCBC 890 330 0.035 15 7.21 48° 63° 71°
Spgr. L/4,4 Bd.Z SAP SAPBC 900 315 0.035 15 16.72 48° 63° 71°
Spgr. L/4,4 Zt.Z HE-DF HE-TF 900 311 0 0.1 21.49 79° 80° 81°

Secondary armament

4 х Turret2 x 15 cm/55 SK C/28 cannon
Ammunition400 rounds
4 х Turret15 cm/55 SK C/28 cannon
Ammunition200 rounds
Main article: 15 cm/55 SK C/28 (150 mm)

The Scharnhorst is equipped with twelve 150 mm/55 SK C/28 cannons, distributed in a pair of single and twin turrets on the port and starboard sides each. Up to 6 guns can be fired from the boardsides. These guns are useful for dealing extra damage on enemy cruisers and smaller ships, but almost useless against capital ships due to the lack of penetration at longer ranges.

By default, the gun is loaded with a HE shell with a decent 3.91 kg of TNT filler, enough to knock out most PT boats in one hit. The researchable SAPBC and APCBC shell has a rather poor penetration, with 47 mm and 95 mm at 10 km range respectively. Since your main guns already have enough damage output to deal with cruisers, upgrade for the secondary armament should be left until spaded.

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/4.5 Kz (m.Hb) HE 37 37 37 37 37 37
Pzgr. L/3.7 (m.Hb) APCBC 252 213 162 124 97 71
Spgr. L/4.4 Bdz (m.Hb) SAPBC 123 104 79 60 47 35
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/4.5 Kz (m.Hb) HE 875 45.5 0 0.1 3.64 79° 80° 81°
Pzgr. L/3.7 (m.Hb) APCBC 875 45.5 0.015 7 1.1 48° 63° 71°
Spgr. L/4.4 Bdz (m.Hb) SAPBC 875 45.5 0.015 7 3.03 48° 63° 71°

Anti-aircraft armament

7 х Turret2 x 10.5 cm/60 SK C/33 AA cannon
Ammunition840 rounds
8 х Turret2 x 3.7 cm SK C/30 mounting
Ammunition4000 rounds
6 х Turret4 x 2 cm/65 C/38 automatic cannon
Ammunition8000 rounds
Belt capacity40 rounds
Fire rate480 shots/min
10 х Turret2 cm/65 C/38 automatic cannon
Ammunition2000 rounds
Belt capacity40 rounds
Fire rate480 shots/min
Main articles: SK C/33 AA (105 mm), SK C/30 (37 mm), 2 cm/65 C/38 (20 mm)

As a World War II capital ship, the Scharnhorst sports an impressive array of aerial defenses. She is outfitted with 14 x 105 mm Flak cannons in seven twin mounts, 16 x 37 mm AA guns in eight twin mounts, and 34 x 20 mm AA guns in ten single mounts and six quadruple mounts. With 64 guns of various calibres, the Scharnhorst has a good air coverage at almost any range.

A small caveat worth noting, however, is that the 105 mm gun can only be loaded with a HE-TF shell, this means it is rather ineffective against any sneaky PT boats that might getting too close.

Additional armament

Setup 114 x 533 mm G7a torpedo
Main article: G7a (533 mm)

As with most of the bluewater Kriegsmarine ship, the Scharnhorst comes with 14 x G7a standard-issued torpedoes. Launched from a triple launcher from the port and starboard side each. Given the Scharnhorst's role as a fast battleship, these torpedoes are useful in a close-range engagements due to the fast speed but short range without "Torpedo mode" modification, though its effectiveness at longer ranges were quite poor due to the slow speed with "Torpedo mode" modification and the low number of warheads launched per salvo. Thus, it is not recommended to use it in a large, open maps where long-range engagements were common.

Scout plane

Main article: Ar 196 A-3

Located amidships is a single catapult for an Arado Ar 196 scout plane which provides unique offensive and defensive abilities, expanding tactical options. Ship-launched scout planes fly just like regular tree units but lack munition choices and cockpit views. Alongside the typical abilities of strafing, dropping 2 x 50 kg bombs, and capping zones, the Ar 196 and other scout planes have the added ability to lay down smoke cover (up to 3 times). It is essentially the event aircraft except with smoke generators, so it will be a familiar unit for those who have the event version. Captains will be wise to remember to utilise the aircraft and consider when best to use it, for example to cap a point early or late in the match, to create a smoke screen to stymie enemy bombardment and repair, to attack enemy units directly, or perhaps something completely new! The threat of bombers carrying many large bombs is significant, so using the Ar 196 as top cover can also be considered, though its effectiveness may be limited.

Usage in battles

The Scharnhorst is one of the best protected vessels in the game against the AP rounds. The only truly feasible way to counter the Scharnhorst is with high explosive rounds.

Acting as a fast battleship, the Scharnhorst has the capability to be used as a brawler, using its speed and armour to move faster across the map than most battleships and battlecruisers, enabling it to effectively contest capture points and close the distance when attacking enemy ships.

Although the main cannons are only 283 mm, the shells have a relatively high armour penetration value (APCBC can penetrate 333 mm at 30° angle of attack from 7,500 m) enabling it to penetrate most battleships and battlecruisers, at close to medium range. However, the shells have quite small explosive filler, meaning that the post-penetration damage is relatively low, and it might require few direct hits to cripple key components, and selecting munitions best suited for the target is essential, with SAPBC and HE being often the preferred options over APCBC.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Incredibly resilient to armour-piercing shells thanks to very thick turtleback armour over the ammo racks. At typical combat ranges, it stops most of the best AP shells in the game. High-calibre HE remains the primary way to counter it through direct gunfire.
  • High top speed and decent acceleration
  • Great gun handling - relatively high turret rotation and gun elevation speed for the calibre
  • Fast reload speed for main guns of this calibre
  • Secondary guns are effective when up close
  • Effective AA capability
  • One scout seaplane

Cons:

  • Being a very large vessel, slow to decelerate or turn, makes it more vulnerable to being hit by torpedoes, bombs, or rockets.
  • Prone to crew depletion and flooding damage, especially from cumulative salvos of large-calibre HE shells or torpedoes.
  • 283 mm shells damage is inferior compared to other battlecruisers, with typically have a bigger guns

History

German battlecruiser Scharnhorst.

The Scharnhorst was a German battlecruiser (or battleship depending on classification) that served in WWII, the lead ship of her class.[1] Designed to counter the French Dunkerque-class battleships, Scharnhorst was a significantly-enlarged and improved development on the previous Deutschland-class pocket battleships ("panzerschiffe").[2] Scharnhorst operated with her sister ship Gneisenau during the early years of WWII, wreaking havoc on allied shipping. However, she ultimately met her demise at the Battle of North Cape, where she was sunk by a large British force led by the battleship HMS Duke of York.[3]

Design and development

Following the end of WWI, Germany's navy was significantly reduced by the Treaty of Versailles, which prevented Germany from owning any modern battleships.[2] As a result, the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) pursued an innovative type of vessel: pocket battleships ("Panzerschiffe": armoured ship) that were small enough to be classified as cruisers, but carried battlecruiser-calibre armament.[2] And thus, Germany built three ships of the Deutschland class of "pocket battleships", armed with six 11-inch (283 mm) guns and displacing ~10,000 tons each. However, these ships were still inadequate to deal with the Royal Navy's battlecruisers, as well as the new French fast battleships Dunkerque and Strasbourg.[2][3] Following the negotiation of the Anglo-German naval agreement, allowing battleship construction, the German government cancelled the 4th and 5th ships of the Deutschland-class and proceeded with a new design.[2]

Scharnhorst's USN recognition drawing.

The new ships were significantly larger and better-armoured than the pocket battleships. Scharnhorst had a displacement of 32,100 tons standard and 38,100 tons fully loaded: a ~20,000-ton increase from the Deutschland class.[3] The ships retained the 11-inch guns of the Deutschlands but gained a third triple turret, bringing the total to 9 guns. While these guns were quite impressive, with a 17-second reload time, they were limited in effectiveness against the armour of enemy battleships.[2] As a result, the ship was designed to be rearmed with 15-inch (381 mm) guns in dual turrets, but the opportunity for this refit never arised.[1] In addition to the main guns, Scharnhorst had twelve 5.9-inch (150 mm) guns mounted in amidships turrets.[2] Anti-aircraft armament consisted of fourteen 4.1-inch (105 mm) dual-purpose guns in twin turrets, sixteen 37 mm and ten (later sixteen) 20 mm anti-aircraft guns.[1] Scharnhorst had two Seetakt radars for fire-control, with a range of ~16 km.[4] She could also carry multiple Arado 196 seaplanes for longer range reconnaissance.[3]

Scharnhorst was designed with a heavy armour belt, up to 12.5 inches of Krupp cemented armour at the waterline.[3] Her main gun turrets had up to 14.3 inches of armour while her deck had up to 5.9 inches of armour. Scharnhorst was massive, at 234 m long,[4] and had a crew of 1,840 men.[1] Her three steam turbines allowed a maximum speed of 31 knots (58.3 km/h), though at this speed, the ship was unmanoeuvrable: during her sea trials in 1939, Scharnhorst took on so much water through the bow that a refit was necessitated: her bow was redesigned with a flared "clipper-style" bow that prevented the forward "A" turret from firing at 0-degree elevation.[3][4]

Operational service

Scharnhorst was ordered in January of 1934 and her keel was laid on June 15th, 1935.[3] Scharnhorst, and her sister Gneisenau, were named after a pair of armoured cruisers sunk at the Battle of the Falkland Islands during the First World War.[2] Scharnhorst was launched on October 3rd, 1936, with Adolf Hitler himself in attendance. She was completed in January of 1939 and entered service under the command of Captain Otto Ciliax.[3]

Early combat service

Scharnhorst saw her first combat action with Gneisenau in November 1939, when the pair of battlecruisers spotted the British merchant cruiser HMS Rawalpindi.[2][3] Despite seeing signals from Scharnhorst to stop and abandon ship, the cruiser decided to valiantly fight on, even as the German battlecruisers possessed a combined eighteen 11-inch guns.[3] After a brief engagement, the Rawalpindi was sunk, and only 38 crew members survived from the crew of 276. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau then escaped in a squall, pursued by British battleships Warspite, Hood, and Repulse, who had sailed in to aid the Rawalpindi.[3]

Scharnhorst firing her forward 283 mm guns at HMS Glorious, June 8th 1940.

In 1940, Scharnhorst participated in the invasion of Norway, where she had a short engagement with the British battlecruiser HMS Renown.[2] This combat resulted in heavy seas-related flooding to Scharnhorst which put her "A" turret out of action; Scharnhorst spent the month of April 1940 in drydock for an overhaul to her gunnery and propulsion systems.[3] Two months later, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau stumbled into the British light carrier HMS Glorious along with her escorting destroyers Ardent and Acasta. In the ensuing battle, all three British ships were sunk, with the loss of 1,519 men.[3] During this engagement, Scharnhorst set a record for the longest range naval gun hit ever recorded, having hit HMS Glorious from a range of 24 km.[5] However, Scharnhorst was hit by a torpedo from Acasta, resulting in the deaths of 50 sailors and severe flooding which put the "C" turret out of action.[3][4] Scharnhorst spent the next five months in drydock for repairs.[3]

Atlantic raids and Channel Dash

Scharnhorst and Gneisenau dashing the English Channel.

In January of 1941, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau broke out into the Atlantic to begin a raid on Allied merchant shipping.[2] During this raid, Scharnhorst sank a total of 9 ships totalling 50,588 tons, while the two ships together sank over 110,000 tons of Allied shipping. Both ships arrived at Brest in late March.[3] The ships were to participate in a massive Kriegsmarine attack in May 1941 alongside the newly-commissioned battleship Bismarck in the Atlantic.[2] However, British aerial raids on Brest resulted in Scharnhorst and Gneisenau being put out of action.[2] Bismarck would ultimately conduct the raid escorted by the cruiser Prinz Eugen, with disastrous results.

In late 1941, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen were holed up in Brest, an unfavourable position given that British bombers conducted regular attacks.[2] As a result, a daring plan was created, for the three capital ships to sail through the English channel in broad daylight, codenamed Operation Cerberus.[3][4] All three ships made it through the channel, though Scharnhorst hit two mines and an E-boat was lost.[2][4] The dash was a great embarrassment to the British Navy and Air Force, as 242 bombers had attempted to destroy the German force.[3]

Battle of North Cape

A diagram of the Battle of North Cape.

Scharnhorst would remain at Kiel for most of 1942, and in early 1943, she sailed with the cruiser Prinz Eugen to Norway to join the battleship Tirpitz.[2] It was with the German Norway squadron that Scharnhorst would meet her demise. In December of 1943, Scharnhorst attempted another sortie into the North Atlantic.[4] However, the British had intercepted German radio messages and were fully aware of what was happening. They sent Convoy JW 55B as bait, with an additional three cruisers as reinforcement. Admiral Bruce Fraser's main fleet, sent to intercept and sink the Scharnhorst, was composed of the battleship Duke of York, heavy cruiser Jamaica and four destroyers.[4]

At 09:00 AM, Scharnhorst contacted the British cruisers Norfolk, Belfast and Sheffield.[3] Both sides exchanged fire, and at 12:41 PM, Scharnhorst unknowingly turned towards the Duke of York. At 04:20 PM, the forces made contact, and Scharnhorst was simultaneously engaged by Duke of York and the smaller escorting ships.[3][4][6] By 07:00 PM, all of Scharnhorst's main-calibre guns and most of her secondary guns had been knocked out. Her engines were knocked out one by one, and at 08:00 PM, the German battlecruiser capsized and exploded.[3] Only 36 survivors were rescued from her crew of 1960.[3][6] The battlecruiser had fought valiantly, unescorted and completely alone against a British force of 13 warships: Scharnhorst had taken 19 torpedoes before she sank, along with hundreds of high-calibre shells.[4][6] Scharnhorst's wreck was discovered in 2000 at a depth of 300 m.[4]

Media

Skins

See also

External links

References

Citations
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Kalu, M. C. (2019)
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 Farley, R. (2017)
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 Potts, J. R. (2019)
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 Roblin, S. (2021)
  5. ↑ Editors of GWR. (n.d.)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lettens, J. (2008)
Bibliography
  • Editors of GWR. (n.d.). Longest range hit by a ship's gun. Guinness World Records. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-range-hit-by-a-ships-gun
  • Farley, R. (2017, April 8). Scharnhorst: Nazi Germany's Super Battleship or paper tiger? The National Interest. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/scharnhorst-nazi-germanys-super-battleship-or-paper-tiger-20078
  • Kalu, M. C. (2019, April 4). Speed and strength - Scharnhorst - german battleship with 25 photos. WAR HISTORY ONLINE. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from https://www.warhistoryonline.com/history/speed-and-strength-scharnhorst-german-battleship-with-25-photos.html
  • Lettens, J. (2008, August 28). Wrecksite - Scharnhorst Battleship 1939-1943. Wrecksite.eu. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?115556
  • Potts, J. R. (2019, May 2). KMS Scharnhorst. Military Factory - Global Defense Reference. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from https://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/detail.php?ship_id=KMS-Scharnhorst
  • Roblin, S. (2021, December 19). Scharnhorst: How hitler's pocket battleship was destroyed. 19FortyFive. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/12/scharnhorst-how-hitlers-pocket-battleship-was-destroyed/


Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven
Torpedo Boats 
Raubtier-class  Jaguar · Leopard · Luchs
Light Cruisers 
K-class  Köln
Leipzig-class  Leipzig
Unique Ships  Emden
Heavy Cruisers 
Deutschland-class  Admiral Graf Spee
Battleships 
Scharnhorst-class  Scharnhorst
See also  Kaiserliche Werft (1871 - 1918)

Germany battlecruisers
  SMS Von der Tann*
  SMS Derfflinger*
Scharnhorst-class  Scharnhorst
  * Unique ship

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