The hull was ill suited to the North Sea or North Atlantic conditions implied by surface-raiding strategy. The class is instead characterized as principally suited to the Baltic. That creates another contradiction, because a vessel moving through narrow Baltic waters presented its weakest main-battery concentration directly ahead. Individual specifications still looked promising when separated on paper. Once hull shape, firing arcs, sea conditions, service record, and actual employment are considered together, the design loses that appeal.
Notable Point · 1:00:21-1:01:57
A Baltic cruiser asked to solve Atlantic problems
Hull form and forward firing weakness suited neither rough Atlantic raiding nor the confined Baltic situations the ships were most likely to face.