Germany followed a different path by continuing the capital-ship replacement schedule authorized under the 1912 naval law. The three Ersatz Yorcks would replace Yorck and the two Scharnhorst-class armoured cruisers through a further development of Mackensen. Neither design was completed, and concentrating effort on the four planned 28-knot Mackensens might have delivered usable ships sooner. Their 350 mm guns explain the seemingly odd 13.8-inch calibre, a reminder that German designers specified weapons in metric units. Ersatz Yorck then traded some Mackensen speed, falling to 27.3 knots, for 15-inch guns and the compromise examined through the rest of the episode.
Chapter · 4:00-6:34
A replacement programme overtaken by war
Germany kept the 1912 replacement schedule and enlarged Mackensen, even though focusing on the earlier 28-knot ships might have produced useful hulls sooner.