700-04 SMS "MOLTKE"

SMS Moltke was a German battlecruiser (according to the German classification from the beginning of the 20th century - a great cruiser) from the First World War. The keel for this vessel was laid in 1908, the launch took place in 1910, and entry into service in the Kaiserliche Marine - in 1911. The length of the ship was 186.6 meters and a width of 29.4 meters. Full displacement reached approx. 25,400 tons, and maximum speed - approx. 27-28 knots. The deck armament, at the time of launch, consisted of 10 280 mm guns placed in five turrets of two guns, 12 150 mm guns, 12 88 mm guns and 4 torpedo tubes. SMS Moltke was the leading unit of the class of battlecruisers of the same name, consisting of a total of two ships. The vessel was built at the Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg. The Moltke-class ships were built as a de facto enlarged version of the Von der Tann-class ships. Compared to them, they also had reinforced main armament at a similar maximum speed. British Invincible-class battlecruisers were the potential main opponents of the new German units. SMS Moltke was very actively involved in the activities in World War I, taking e.g. participation in the Battle of Dogger Bank (1915) or in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. The ship also served on the Baltic Sea in 1915 and 1917. The unit happily survived until the end of the war. Upon its completion, SMS Moltke was interned at the British base at Scapa Flow, where he was sunk by his own crew on June 21, 1919. In 1927, the wreck was excavated by the British and scrapped.