Supertest: German Tier V Battleship Derfflinger

Historical background

The Derfflinger-class was a class of three battlecruisers (Derfflinger, Lützow and Hindenburg) of the Imperial German Navy.

Compared to the usual way of building a class of ship simultaneously or at least, at close intervals between each unit, there is a 2 years gap between the time Derfflinger and Hindenburg were launched (July 1913 for Derfflinger and August 1915 for Hindenburg). This difference is even more noticeable when it comes to their commissioning with 2 years and a half between the time the two ships entered service (September 1914 for Derfflinger and May 1917 for Hindenburg).

Compared to the previous battlecruisers, the Derfflinger-class were larger, armed with 305 mm guns and were more heavily armored. However, as a result of the increased displacement, the Derfllinger-class was also slower than the previous ships.

During World War I, Derfflinger took part in numerous operations including the famous Battle of Jutland during which she helped to sink the battlecruisers HMS Queen Mary and HMS Invincible. Due to the damage she sustained during the engagement, she was out of action until the end of 1916.

The rest of the war turned out to be fairly quiet with the German Navy focusing more on its U-boat campaign. Derfflinger, alongside the rest of the German Navy, was interned in Scapa Flow at the end of the war and was scuttled in June 1919.

If you want to learn more about the Derfflinger-class, here is a video from Drachinifel covering it:

In World of Warships, we are getting Derfflinger as she was in 1916 as she is missing the tripod mast she received later on during the war.

Just like the rest of the new line, Derfflinger features battlecruiser dispersion and the same dispersion as Massachusetts and co. for her secondaries.

Ship’s preview

For the classic reminder, this is a ship in testing, anything can change so don’t look at her like she would already be released.

Modules

Hull	Engine	Gun Fire Control System	Main battery
Derfflinger	76 634 HP	‎FKS Typ 5 Mod. 1	305 mm/50 SK C/08 on a Drh LC/1912 mount
		FKS Typ 5 Mod. 2

Stock and Fully Upgraded Ship

General Characteristics

Main Battery

4 x 2 305 mm/50 SK C/08 on a Drh LC/1912 mount
Maximum Firing Range	14.840 km (stock) 16.324 km (upgraded)
Reloading Time	24.0 s
180 Degree Turn Time	45 s
Optimal firing angles at the front	28°
Optimal firing angles at the rear	30°
Sigma	1.60 sigma
Maximum Dispersion	172 m (stock) 185 m (upgraded)
Shells
Type of Projectile	HE – 305 mm Spr.Gr. L/3.8 Bdz.
Alpha Damage	3 400
Damage	2 520
Penetration capacity	76 mm
Explosion size	1.56
Fire chance	22 %
Projectile Speed	850 m/s
Air Drag	0.414
Projectile Mass	406 kg
Type of Projectile	AP – 305 mm P.Spr.Gr. L/3.4
Alpha Damage	8 300
Projectile Speed	855 m/s
Air Drag	0.419
Projectile Mass	405 kg
Projectile Krupp	2 311
Projectile Detonator	0.01 s
Detonator threshold	51 mm
Ricochet Angles	45° – 60°

Secondary battery

12 x 1 150 mm/45 SK C/09 on an MPL C/06 mount
Maximum Firing Range	4.960 km
Reloading Time	8.57 s
Sigma	1.0 sigma
Shells
Type of Projectile	HE – 150 mm HE K Gr 18
Alpha Damage	1 800
Damage	760
HE penetration	38 mm
Explosion Size	0.57
Chance to Cause Fire	10 %
Projectile Speed	835 m/s
Air Drag	0.407
Projectile Mass	45.3 kg
8 x 1 88 mm/45 Flak on an MPL C/13 mount
Maximum Firing Range	4.960 km
Reloading Time	4.0 s
Sigma	1.0 sigma
Shells
Type of Projectile	HE – 88 mm Spr.Gr.
Alpha Damage	1 000
Damage	240
HE penetration	15 mm
Explosion Size	0.24
Chance to Cause Fire	4 %
Projectile Speed	890 m/s
Air Drag	0.446
Projectile Mass	9 kg

Anti-air Armament

Consumables

Slot 1	Slot 2
Fast Damage Control Team Number of charges: 4 Work time: 10 s Cooldown: 40 s	Repair Party Number of charges: 3 Work time: 28 s Cooldown: 80 s HP regeneration: 0.5%/s Casemate damage regeneration: 50% Citadel damage regeneration: 10%

The Armor

External armor protection:

Front and rear armor protection of the middle section:

Turtleback:

Citadel armor protection:

Turrets armor protection:

Hidden armor protection inside the bow and stern:

Personal Opinion

Overall, Derfflinger looks a bit meh compared to the rest of the tier V battleships. At this tier, the speed advantage is getting less relevant, especially with Kongo that can reach 30 knots for example. The firepower, even with the battlecruiser dispersion is definitely on the lower end of the spectrum because of the low number of guns and low caliber and it’s not with the secondaries that it will change much.

If there is one department where Derfflinger beats everyone, it’s the concealment with an amazing 11.96 km spotting range by sea while the closest being Agincourt with 12.24 km.

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Yuzorah

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