Profile drawing of Lothringen
14394 tMaximum displacement
127,7 mOverall length
18,7 knMaximum speed
343Complement

A battleship overtaken by a changing age

Lothringen illustrates how quickly battleship development moved: conceived as a major unit of the Braunschweig class, she was overtaken by technology, war and political collapse.

01

Heavier guns for the pre-dreadnought fleet

A 28 cm main battery and powerful 17 cm secondary armament made the class a substantial advance over its immediate predecessors.

02

Useful after the front line moved on

As newer dreadnoughts transformed the battle line, she continued in training, coastal defense and support roles rather than first-line combat.

03

Obsolescence decides her fate

Treaty restrictions and rapid technical change left little place for the aging battleship, which was removed from service and broken up after the war.

Design and service

The story of Lothringen

Compared to the older German battleships, the five ships of the Braunschweig class showed a improvement mainly in the artillery component. The main artillery grew to 28 cm guns while for the first time 17 cm guns were used as secondary artillery. Being maneuverable and good seagoing ship, they tend to roll in heavy seas, bud did not take over much water as it was common for other German ships of this era.

Like their follow ups, the Deutschland class, those ships were obsolete at the outbreak of the war and their active duty was limited to coastal defence only. They were among the few old battleships that Germany was allowed to keep after World War One and they were actively used by the Reichsmarine until the mid 1930.

Preussen and Lothringen were converted to mother ships or F-boats in 1919, Lothringen was again used for fleet operations in the Reichsmarine between 1922 and 1926 and scrapped in 1931.

At a glance

Technical profile

Dimensions, armament, protection and performance.

Dimensions

Size (Max)
14394 t
Length (Total)
127,7 m
Length (Waterline)
126,0 m
Beam
22,2 m
Draft
8,10 m
Crew
343

Armament

28 cm L/40 (L/35)
4 (0 since 1919)
17 cm L/45
14 (10 since 1916, 0 since 1919)
8,8 cm L/35
18 (0 since 1919)
Machine guns
4 (0 since 1919)
45 cm torpedo tubes
6 (0 since 1919)

Armor

Deck
40 mm
Belt
225 mm (max)
Command tower
225 mm (max)
Main guns
300 mm (max)

Machinery

Shafts
3
Turbines
3
Type
3-cyl expansion engines

Performance

Total Performance
16478 shp
Speed
18,7 kn
Range
5200 miles at 10 kn

Construction record

Lothringen

Laid down
Schichau-Werft Danzig, 1902
Launched
27.05.1904
Commissioned
18.05.1906
Fate
scrapped 1931 (Hamburg)