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“Project █████o█████”: battleship Ostfriesland
15 September 2022 Development

The German Helgoland-class dreadnought wielding heavy armor and 305mm guns comes to the game as one of the prizes in the upcoming autumn crafting event. A true old school battleship!

SMS Ostfriesland, battleship, Germany, rank V, Event vehicle

Features:

  • Very well protected
  • Punchy artillery
  • Poor AA capabilities
History▼

In the second generation of German dreadnoughts, the Naval Office approved the design of the "improved Nassau-class" - a class of new battleship with a main battery caliber increased to 305mm, 300mm belt armor, but with cheaper steam engines instead of turbines that were becoming the new military standard. The general layout and hull shape were retained from the Nassau-class battleships - the new ships were in fact enlarged copies of their predecessors. Displacement was increased, as was anti-torpedo protection. Along with the power plant, guns of medium and anti-mine batteries in calibers of 150 and 88 mm, respectively, have been preserved from the battleships of the previous generation. The rhombic layout of the main caliber turrets that were already considered an anachronism, preserved as well. In February 1908, Kaiser Wilhelm II signed a decree to build four battleships of the new class.

The battleship SMS Ostfriesland was laid down at the Wilhelmshaven shipyard and completed by July 1911. On September 22nd, the ship joined the 1st Battle Squadron and in the spring of 1912 became its flagship. With the outbreak of the First World War, the Ostfriesland made sorties into the North Sea, then was sent to the Baltic to counter the Russian fleet, where she conducted exercises and participated in actions in the Gulf of Riga. After returning to their home harbor, the 1st squadron took part in the Battle of Jutland, where Ostfriesland helped in destroying the HMS Black Prince cruiser and was shelling other British ships. At the very end of the battle, Ostfriesland was blown up by a mine, as a result of which a hole of 40×16 ft appeared in the hull, however, the battleship was able to return to Wilhelmshaven by herself along with the squadron. After the Jutland, SMS Ostfriesland participated in a number of less significant operations, and immediately after the capitulation of Germany was decommissioned and assigned to floating barracks. In 1920, the battleship was transferred to the United States as a reparation, and in September Ostfriesland anchored in New York. In 1921, the battleship, along with other German and discomissioned US ships, became the target of a bombing exercise led by the General Mitchell. As a result of the damage received, the battleship Ostfriesland sank near Cape Henry.

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The SMS Ostfriesland is the dreadnought battleship coming to the game as a “naval” prize in the upcoming autumn crafting event. The ship will become an event vehicle at rank V in the German bluewater fleet tech tree.

Ships of this class are already familiar to weathered captains from the sistership SMS Helgoland, the top-tier dreadnought in her research branch. The ship is an excellent example of its type, with a thick armor belt, well-protected barbettes, powerful artillery, but rather slow and completely defenseless against aircraft. Let's talk a little about the new SMS Ostfriesland’s advantages and disadvantages, as well as the differences from the researchable version. All hands on deck!

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A dreadnought is all about armor and guns. The Ostfriesland armor belt reaches 300 mm at the waterline and above, the same massive armor protects the front of the main caliber turrets. Only armor-piercing and high-caliber semi-AP shells at medium and short distances can actually pierce a battleship’s hull side. The main caliber of the battleship is 12x305mm cannons in six turrets, located in a rhombus at an equal height from the deck. Such an arrangement of turrets is a disadvantage of early ships, and allows you to use only four of the six turrets in a broadside. The auxiliary caliber is represented by 14x150mm guns in single-barrel case mate mounts. This is a truly formidable weapon that will save the SMS Ostfriesland from smaller ships while the massive main battery guns are being reloaded.

Unlike SMS Helgoland, the new battleship has an air defense battery… well, if we may say so. A couple of 88mm AA guns, of course, will not be able to protect the leviathan ship from enemy air raids, but will somewhat moderate the ardor of the lonely dare-devils. We keep our fingers crossed and hope for hits - nevertheless, 88mm is a very solid anti-aircraft caliber and shells give a good flak. The armament is supplemented by 6 underwater torpedo launchers with 16 torpedoes. Although torpedoes carry less explosives and have a shorter travel distance than later examples, in some cases, they can do a good job.

The mobility of the battleship is as expected, she slowly accelerates up to a maximum speed of 21.2 knots (about 39 km/h), and maneuvers are quite sluggish too.

So, a new armored monster will appear in War Thunder as one of the prizes of the big autumn crafting event. Stay tuned for more prizes coming soon, and a new hint about the event name!

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