LÜTZOW - The Battle of Jutland - Centenary Initiative
15517
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LÜTZOW

Fleet

HochSeeFlotte

Ship Type

Battle-cruiser

Nickname

Ship Class

Derfflinger

Grouping

I Scouting Group (Aufklärungsgruppe) Flagship

Command

Hipper

Builder's Yard

Schichau-Werft, Danzig

Budget Year

1912-1913 Building programme

Construction Notes

Ordered as Ersatz Kaiserin Augusta

Date Laid Down

Launch Date

29.11.2013

Completed date

08.08.2015

Commission date

Year laid down

1912 (may)

Year launched

Year completed

Commission Year

1916 (mar)

Pennant No

Photo Details

Related stories

Sister ships

Derfflinger

Eventual Fate

scuttled 1st June 1916 after heavy battle damage

Jutland result

All action times are CETBy 16:51, two minutes after opening fire, Lutzow hadalready hit Lion twice.At 17:10 Lion hit back but at the same time one of Lutzow's 30 cm shells penetrated Lion's Q turret starting a magzine fire. The magazines were flooded but 30 minutes later a fire ignited causing a huge pillar of flame. At 17:03 Indefatgable was succesfully hit by on der Tann. After she had exploded, Beatt'y lin turned away but in doing so Seydlitz and Derfflinger concentrated on Queen Mary which exploded at 17:26. At the end of the Run to the North, Lutzow's WT cables were damaged reducing her communications to searchlight signals. Attacks from the British 3rd DF and 4th LCS on the Run had not succeeded. Onslow and Acasta had launched unsuccesfully. Onslow was hit three times by Lützow's secondary armament. At 19:15 Defence joined in the attack on Wiesdabden. Hipper thought she was actually the Rostock and did not fire. At 19:16 Harder opened fire and after 5 salvoes on target the Defence blew up at 19.19. 19:24 Lützow was heavily under fire from the 3rd BCS. Invincible scored 8 hits and then became a target herself. Lutzow and Derfllinger concentrated fire on her and at 19:33 she exploded, Lützow's third salvo penetrating her midship's turret. Soon after 19:30 the Grand Fleet was encountered. Scheer could not get away without sacrificing his slower pre-dreadnoughts. His 180 degree turn to starboard putting them on his diengaged side.Hipper left Lützow on board G.39 to seach for another flagship. G.37 and G.45 trued to lay a protective smoke screen but before it was finished the ship was hit four times in quick succession. Her forward and rear turrets were put out of action and at 20:45 she had fired her last shot. Lützow tried to keep up with the fleet at 15 kts but visual contact was lost at 22:13. By 00:45 there was still a chance of her getting back though her speed was down to 7 kts. At 01:00 she had taken more water than her pumps could handle. The forward boiler room flooded at 01:30. At 02:20 she was in danger of capsizing with 8,000 tons of water on board. By 02:45 water was up to the bridge and "Abandon Ship" was ordered. After G.37, G.38 and G.40 had taken as many of the crew as possible off, G.38 put two torpedoes into to her to sink her. She'd been hit 24 times by heavy shell.

Ready for action after dock repairs

Commander

Befehlshaber der Aufklärungsstreitkräfte: Vizeadmiral Franz Hipper, Kapitän zur See Victor Harder

Noteable Officers

Crew complement

Officers

44

Ratings

Killed

115

Wounded

50

Prisoners

Displacement full Load (tons)

26,741

Artefacts Data

Ship's Model

Length (ft)

690.32'

Length (mtrs)

201.4

Beam (ft)

95.14'

Beam (mtrs)

29

Draught (ft)

30.18'

Draught (mtrs)

9.1999999999999993

Max. Speed (knots)

26.4

Range (miles)

Range (kilometres)

Fuel

Could range up to 5,600 nm (6,400 miles)

Propulsion

12 Schulz-Thorneycroft boilers, 235 psi, 4 shaft Parsons turbines giving 80,988 shp in trials.

Armour Main Belt

12" (300 mm)

Deck Armour

1.2" (30 mm)

Turret Armour IN CM

11" (270 mm)

Conning Tower Armour

300 mm

Barbette Armour

10.25"

Weight of armour

Armour / Displacement Ratio

Watertight compartments

General Notes

Fire Control Table

Fire Control - Clock

Primary Gun calibre

30.5 cm (12") SK L/50

No. Primary Turrets

Guns (No.barrels)

8

Primary gun layout

Rounds per main gun

Effective broadside guns

Primary shell Weight (inches or cm)

894

Primary Broadside Weight

7152

Secondary Gun Calibre

15 cm SK L/45 (5.9") in 12 casemates

Guns (No.barrels) 2

14

Rounds per secondary

Other Armament

4 x 8.8 cm in 4 single mounts.

Elevation (degrees)

13.5

Gunnery Range (yards)

20500

Gunnery Range (metres)

Rate of Fire (rds per minute)

3

Shells expended Main

Mines dropped

Shells expended Secondary

Torpedoes fired

Gunnery Notes

Torpedo Type IN

24

No. tubes

4

Torpedo Type MM

600

No. Mines

Torpedo Notes

References & sources