CONVENTIONS IN THIS BOOK

IN GENERAL, German terms are translated into their closest English literal equivalents. Reich is not translated, recognising the lack of a straightforward English word for the term (which is perhaps best explained as ‘empire without the necessity of an emperor’), the translation ‘Imperial’ being reserved for Kaiserlich.

This includes ship designations – in particular, Große Kreuzer is translated as ‘large cruiser’ throughout. Unlike the British from 1912, the Germans did not distinguish between pre-dreadnought ‘armoured cruisers’ and dreadnought ‘battlecruisers’ (the term Schlachtkreuzer – ‘battle-cruiser’ – was used for the first and only time in 1939 for the abortive ‘O’ class). Likewise, it was not until the 1930s that the classification ‘destroyer’ was first used for fleet flotilla craft: previously they were formally ‘torpedo boats’ or ‘large torpedo boats’.¹

The only significant exception is that the term ‘battleship’ is used for Linienschiff. This is because the literal translation, ‘ship of the line’, is used with the specific meaning of a First to Third Rate wooden fighting ship of the eighteenth/nineteenth century in British naval terminology, with the resulting scope for confusion (Schlachtschiff – ‘battleship’ was first officially used in Germany for the Scharnhorst class of 1935).²

Turret designations are given according to German practice, which started with ‘A’ at the bow, and then moved aft, along the starboard side to the stern, and then back towards the bow along the port side. Thus, apart from the forward (‘A’) turret, the position of a given lettered turret can only be deduced if the number and layout of turrets in a given ship is known. In contrast, in the Royal Navy, turrets were lettered according to an scheme that usually made the foremost turret ‘A’, any superimposed forward turret ‘B’, any superimposed (or only) aft turret ‘X’ and the aftermost one ‘Y’. A single midships turret was ‘Q’, and any second midships one ‘P’. Secondary batteries are given as alphanumerics, such that ‘S3’ is the third mounting from the bow on the starboard side, ‘P5’, the fifth from the bow on the port.

Turret designations in German capital ships.

Gun calibres are generally given as cited by the owning navy, translated where necessary into metric. Thus, German larger gun calibres are given in centimetres, but French are given in millimetres, while British and American ones are in inches, with the metric equivalent in millimetres (e.g. 13.5in [343mm]). Armour thicknesses are given consistently in millimetres, with varying thicknesses of belt armour given from the stern forward.

Place names are given as per German usage during the period covered by the book, with modern equivalents in parentheses where appropriate. For other German terms, the following translations/abbreviations are used.

Admiralstab	Naval Staff
Aufklärungsgruppe	Scouting Group
Befehlshaber	Flag Officer
Geschwader	Squadron
Marine-Inspektion	Navy Inspectorate
Marine-Kabinett	Naval Cabinet
Matrosen-Division	Sailor-infantry Division [naval personnel fighting on Western Front]
Oberkommando der Marine	Naval High Command
Ostasiengeschwader	East Asia Squadron
Panzerfahrzeug	Armoured Vessel
Reichs-Marine-Amt	Reich Naval Office
Schulverbande	Training Unit
Sucherverbande	Minesweeping Unit
Stammschiff	Parent ship (fully-manned vessel within reserve formation)
Verband	Unit
Vermehrungsbauten	Additional Construction ship
Vorpostenflottille	Forward Defence Flotilla

Abbreviations

AA	anti-aircraft
BA	Bundesarchiv (in photographic credits)
BCS	Battle Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy)
BLR	Breech-loading Rifle
BRT	British Registered Tons
BS	Battle Squadron (Royal Navy)
CinC	Commander-in-Chief
CS	Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy)
DF	Destroyer Flotilla (Royal Navy)
Div	Division
DW	deadweight tonnage
F	Flagship
FF	Fleet Flagship
FO	Flag Officer
HC	Horizontal Compound
HSE	Horizontal Single Expansion
QF	Quick Firing gun
kt	knot(s)
LCS	Light Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy)
MLR	Muzzle-loading Rifle
MMS	Motor minesweeper (F-Boat)
NHHC	US Naval History and Heritage Command (in photographic credits)
nm	nautical mile(s)
SG	Scouting Group (Aufklärungsgruppe)
Sqn	Squadron (Geschwader)
SNO	Senior Naval Officer
SO	Senior Officer
t	tonne (metric ton)
T	ton (long ton)
TBF	Torpedo Boat Flotilla
TT	Torpedo tube(s)
VTE	Vertical Triple Expansion
WZB	Wilhelmhaven-Zeitung Bilddienst (in photographic credits)
2F	2nd Flagship

 

1. Although a series of particularly large vessels requisitioned from foreign contracts at the outbreak of the war were referred to colloquially as ‘torpedo boat destroyers’, albeit officially still ‘large torpedo boats’ – as were even the 2000t, 15cm-armed, S113 class.

2. Although frequently erroneously called ‘battlecruisers’ in English-language sources.