Deutschland's range of 10,000 nautical miles at 20 knots was well suited to distant commerce raiding. The value of eleven-inch guns against merchant ships was much less clear. A heavy shell could pass through a merchant hull before exploding, depending on the angle of impact. Operating under prize rules required closing to stop the ship, and boarding also offered a chance to gather intelligence before sinking it. Torpedoes were expensive and carried in limited numbers, while the ship already had eight 5.9-inch guns. The raiding mission therefore supplied little justification for the weight of the eleven-inch battery.
Notable Point · 1:42:18-1:43:48
Eleven-inch guns offered little for stopping merchant ships
Long endurance helped commerce raiding, but prize-rule stops and lightly built merchant targets gave little reason for Deutschland's eleven-inch guns.