Plan Z's force mix and caliber burden

The proposed fleet included ten battleships, three O-class battlecruisers, four aircraft carriers, fifteen Panzerschiffe, seven N-class cruisers, and twenty-two scout cruisers. Sustaining several capital-ship gun calibers would create a serious logistical problem even before considering the rest of the weapons and machinery. Germany was attempting to create this varied fleet with less naval infrastructure than the Royal Navy. The list therefore exposes a central weakness in Plan Z: prestige categories accumulated faster than a practical system for building, arming, and supporting them.