The German navies—specifically the and of Imperial and Nazi Germany, respectively—built a series of battleships between the 1890s and 1940s. To defend its North and Baltic Sea coasts in wartime, Germany had previously built a series of smaller ironclad warships, including coastal defense ships, and armored frigates. With the accession to the throne of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1888, the began a program of naval expansion befitting a Great Power. The navy immediately pushed for the construction of the four s, after which soon followed five ships. The appointment of Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz to the post of State Secretary of the Navy in 1897 accelerated naval construction. Tirpitz's "risk theory" planned a fleet that would be sufficiently powerful so that Great Britain, then the world's preeminent naval power, would avoid risking war with Germany in order to preserve its superiority.

Tirpitz secured a series of Naval Laws between 1900 and 1912 that drastically increased the budget of the navy and authorized scores of battleships; the final law envisioned a fleet of some 41 battleships, 25 of which would have been assigned to the High Seas Fleet, with the remainder in reserve. Following the class were the , , and es, the last pre-dreadnoughts built in Germany. The launch of the "all-big-gun" in 1906 revolutionized battleship construction, and forced Tirpitz to radically alter his shipbuilding plan. In order to remain in the battleship race, Tirpitz secured the funds for the first four German dreadnoughts, the , which were laid down beginning in June 1907. The four s followed in 1908, as well as the five s in 1909–1910. Four s were laid down in 1911–1912, and four s were laid down in 1913–1915, though only two— and —were completed. Germany's defeat in 1918 resulted in the internment of the majority of the High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow; the ships were eventually scuttled on 21 June 1919 to prevent them from being seized by the British Royal Navy. Of the ten battleships interned, only one, , was prevented from sinking; she was later expended as a gunnery target by the Royal Navy.

Following the war, Germany was limited to eight pre-dreadnought battleships, two of which would be in reserve. New warships were severely limited in terms of armament and size. Admiral Erich Raeder was appointed the commander of the German navy in 1928. Raeder initially employed a cautious strategy vis a vis the government of the Weimar Republic. However, the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in 1933 allowed Raeder opportunity to expand the fleet. Hitler's government negotiated the Anglo-German Naval Agreement in 1935, which stipulated the German navy could rebuild to 35 percent of the strength of the Royal Navy. The first new battleships built in Germany were the two ships, and in 1935. The two s followed in 1936; was completed in 1940 and in 1941. Plan Z was formulated in 1939 to rebuild the German navy; the plan called for six additional battleships of the H-39 class. Two of them were laid down in mid-1939, though they were canceled within two months, due to the outbreak of World War II in September 1939. The other four were canceled without any work being done. , , and were sunk during the war and was scuttled in Gotenhafen in 1945. Further design studies were drawn up, culminating in the massive H-44 class, but they were not serious proposals due to the infeasibility and expense of the ships.

+ Key Main guns The number and type of the main battery guns Displacement Ship displacement at full combat load Propulsion Number of shafts, type of propulsion system, and top speed generated Service The dates work began and finished on the ship and its ultimate fate Laid down The date the keel began to be assembled Commissioned The date the ship was commissioned __TOC__

Pre-dreadnought battleships Brandenburg class

The -class ships were the first ocean-going battleships built for the German navy, and marked the beginning of German naval expansion. Previous classes included several types of ironclad ships, including coastal defense ships and armored frigates. The ships were unique for the time in that they were armed with six large-caliber guns instead of four, as was standard on contemporary ships in other navies. The class comprised four ships: , , , and . Of the four ships, and were more advanced, in that their armor was composed of higher quality steel.

The four ships were commissioned into the I Battle Squadron. They saw overseas service during the Boxer Uprising in China in 1900–1901 under the command of Marshal Alfred von Waldersee. Following the return from China, the s were taken into drydock for modernization, which lasted from 1901 to 1905 depending on the ship. During the reconstruction the superstructure was cut down, a second conning tower was added, and the steam boilers were replaced with newer models. and were sold to the Ottoman Empire in 1910 and renamed and , respectively. and were decommissioned and placed into reserve. At the start of World War I, both ships were recalled to active service as coastal defense ships, but due to their age they were quickly demobilized. They spent the remainder of the war as barracks ships before being broken up in 1920.

+ Summary of the class Ship Armament Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 6 × 2 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 1890 19 November 1893 Scrapped, 1920 2 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 29 April 1894 Transferred to the Ottoman Empire on 12 September 1910, sunk 8 August 1915 2 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 14 October 1894 Transferred to the Ottoman Empire on 12 September 1910, scrapped in 1956–1957 2 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 31 October 1893 Scrapped, 1920

Kaiser Friedrich III class

The five -class ships set the standard for later German pre-dreadnought battleships: they carried smaller main guns than their foreign contemporaries, but a heavier secondary battery. This was in accordance with the "hail of fire" theory, which emphasized smaller, rapid firing guns over larger and slower guns. The ships of the class were also the first German battleships to use three screws, which would be used in many subsequent ships, as opposed to two in the s. The class was composed of five ships: , , , , and . All of the ships were named for German emperors.

Upon commissioning, the five ships were assigned to the I Squadron of the Home Fleet (). saw service as the fleet flagship until 1906. After ten years of fleet service, they were replaced with newer ships. They were transferred to the III Squadron of the fleet, which had by then been reorganized as the High Seas Fleet, and placed in reserve. In 1907, all five ships were taken into drydock for significant rebuilding. The funnels were made taller, the superstructure was cut down, and the secondary guns were rearranged; work lasted until 1910. The five ships saw no front-line service during World War I; they were all disarmed and relegated to secondary duties. was used as a torpedo training ship, was used as a headquarters ship, while the other three became prison ships. They were all broken up between 1919 and 1922.

+ Summary of the class Ship Armament Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 4 × 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 1895 7 October 1898 Scrapped, 1920 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 1896 13 February 1900 Scrapped, 1922 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 1898 5 May 1901 Scrapped, 1920 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 4 February 1902 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 10 June 1901 Scrapped, 1919–1920

Wittelsbach class

The class represented an incremental improvement over the preceding class. They were equipped with the same armament of four 24 cm guns, but were given an additional torpedo tube. They had improved defensive capabilities, as they were protected by a more extensive armored belt. They also differed from the preceding ships in their main deck, the entire length of which was flush. The had a cut-down quarterdeck. The ships of the class, which included , , , , and , were the first battleships built under the first Naval Law of 1898.

After joining the fleet, the class ships were assigned to the I Battle Squadron, where they replaced the older -class ships. Like the -class ships, the s were withdrawn from active service after the advent of the dreadnoughts. The five ships were recalled to active service at the outbreak of war in 1914. They were assigned to the IV Battle Squadron and deployed to the Baltic. However, due to their age and vulnerability, they were withdrawn from active service by 1916. They were used as training ships, with the exception of , which was used as a prison ship. In 1919, and were converted into depot ships for minesweepers. By 1922, all of the ships had been broken up for scrap, with the exception of . She was converted into a radio-controlled target ship in 1926–1927. RAF bombers sank the ship in Gotenhafen in 1944; the wreck was broken up in 1949–1950.

+ Summary of the class Ship Armament Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 4 × 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 1899 15 October 1902 Scrapped, 1921 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 1 October 1902 Scrapped, 1922 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 25 October 1902 Sunk in 1944; scrapped, 1949–1950 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 1900 13 April 1904 Scrapped, 1921 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 25 May 1903

Braunschweig class

The class, which consisted of , , , , and , was a considerable improvement over the preceding types of battleships in the German navy. They were equipped with much more powerful 28 cm guns for their main battery, although this was still smaller than the standard guns used on British ships. The main battery turrets were mounted on the forecastle deck, as opposed to one deck higher as in the older ships. They were also larger and faster than their predecessors, though armor protection was largely the same. These ships were authorized under the Naval Law of 1900.

In 1907 the II Battle Squadron was organized; the five -class battleships were assigned to it, along with the five new -class ships. When war broke out in 1914, four of the -class ships were assigned to the IV Squadron alongside the -class ships. and took part in the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in 1915. remained in the II Battle Squadron and saw action at the Battle of Jutland in 1916. After the war, and were converted into depot ships for minesweepers. They were eventually scrapped in 1931. A long section of was retained for use as an explosives target; it was eventually bombed and sunk in April 1945. The hulk was raised and broken up in 1954. The other three ships were used as coastal defense ships, though between 1931 and 1935, they too were withdrawn from service and broken up, with the exception of . was converted into a radio-controlled target ship in 1935 and served in that capacity until the end of World War II in 1945. She was then ceded to the Soviet Navy and renamed .

+ Summary of the class Ship Armament Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 4 × 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 1901 15 October 1904 Scrapped, 1931 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 29 November 1904 Scrapped, 1936 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 1902 19 September 1905 Ceded to USSR, 1946 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 12 July 1905 Partially scrapped in 1931, sunk by bombers in 1945, raised in 1954 and scrapped 3 screws, triple-expansion steam engines, 18 May 1906 Scrapped, 1931

Deutschland class