Type 1934 fuel ballast, bow spray and stability

The Leberecht Maass group combined five 127 mm guns with light anti-aircraft weapons, two quadruple torpedo mountings, depth-charge equipment and up to 60 mines. Inadequate stability required the fuel tanks normally to remain at least 30 percent full to provide ballast against weight high in the ship. The ships also suffered from reduced freeboard, weather helm and spray that made the forward guns dangerous to use at speed and reached the bridge. A stem conversion brought considerable improvement, while stern changes did little for the poor turning circle. Active roll damping was later replaced by roll keels. The extensive armament therefore depended on a platform still undergoing significant handling corrections.