The Scharnhorst class took a nine-gun arrangement that was plausible for a heavy cruiser and installed it in ships built and employed as battleships. At normal battle ranges, 11-inch armor-piercing shells could not reliably defeat every protected area on contemporary battlecruisers and battleships. The comparison with HMS Rodney is deliberately stark: both ships mounted nine main guns, but Rodney's were 16-inch weapons behind formidable protection. Calling Scharnhorst a battleship therefore attracted capital-ship opposition without giving her capital-ship gun power.
Notable Point · 49:31-52:25
Scharnhorst's battleship role and cruiser-caliber guns
Scharnhorst and Gneisenau carried nine 11-inch guns in a battleship role, creating a mismatch against capital ships armored for long-range battle.