Manufacturer: Heller / Scratchbuild
Scale: 1/400
Additional parts: USS Arizona hull, spare part box
Model build: Mar - Jun 2017
Kriegsmarine Küstenpanzerschiff Helgoland
Heller / Scratchbuild
1/400
1/400
The Helgoland's Fury: A Tale of Duty and Adaptation
The year was 1929. The Helgoland, a squat, iron beast christened after a fierce North Sea island, lurched out of the shipyard. It wasn't much to look at - all squat decks and low freeboard - but within its hull pulsed the heart of the future. It was a test bed, a cobbled-together warship carrying the hopes of a nation. Its revolutionary features - a welded hull and thundering diesel engines - were untested at this scale. Some whispered it was a gamble, a Frankenstein's monster of the sea.
Captain Hans Schmidt, a gruff veteran with a salt-and-pepper beard, wasn't one for whispers. He took the helm, his weathered face etched with a mixture of apprehension and pride. The Helgoland wasn't a speed demon, but it was theirs - a symbol of German ingenuity. It patrolled the treacherous North Sea, its powerful guns a deterrent, its low profile a constant battle against the rolling waves. The baptism of fire came from the skies. British bombers, drawn like moths to a flame, attacked. The Helgoland's crew, a motley bunch of green recruits and seasoned veterans, fought back with a ferocity born of both fear and defiance. The thunder of their guns echoed across the waves, two bombers falling victim to their fury.
Then came 1940. Norway. The Helgoland's slow pace kept it from the initial invasion, but soon it was chugging north, a guardian amidst the fjords. Bergen, Åndalsnes, Molde - each port became a temporary home, the ship a constant reminder of German might. But the war had a way of twisting plans. In late 1942, the Helgoland found itself back in the Baltic, its guns silent, its role reduced to training the next generation of warriors.
1944. The tide was turning. The Helgoland, its once-proud guns worn from years of inactivity, was called upon to unleash its fury once more. Shells rained down on the advancing Soviet lines, a desperate attempt to stem the tide. This wasn't glamorous sea combat; it was a brutal fight for survival. Soviet submarines lurked beneath the waves, but the Helgoland, a lucky ship, evaded their torpedoes twice during its frantic evacuation missions.
By April 1945, the guns sputtered their last. The Helgoland, a testament to ambition and resilience, became a vessel of mercy. Seven trips it made, ferrying desperate souls across the Baltic, a beacon of hope amidst the encroaching darkness. Finally, scuttled in the Heikendorf Bight, it met its end, its legacy etched in the memories of those it saved and the battles it fought. The Helgoland may not have been a glorious warship, but it was a survivor, a symbol of unwavering spirit in the face of relentless change.
Background:
After World War One Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles which limited its military in a quite significant way. The Marine was only allowed to build replacements for its ageing battleships that did not extend the size of 10.000 ts.
In the development phase, several variation, form cruiser like ships, coast-defence vessels or small, pre-WWi style battleships were discussed
The result were the Panzerschiffe Deutschland, Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee. With their paradigm of "faster than stronger ships and stronger than faster ships", they were cruiser sized ships with a much stronger armament of 6x28 cm (11") guns.
However, those designs were not without opposition inside the German Navy.
The Ship:
As the Panzerschiffe introduced several new technologies for a warship of their sizes, like intensive welding of the hull, diesel engines as main propulsion, it was uncertain if those technologies would be manageable. Therefore it was planned to build a small coat-defence ship using the technologies and equipment that was planned for the Panzerschiffe.
The ship - which then was named "Helgoland" was laid down in 1925 and completed by 1929. Due to the usage of new technology, construction took over four years. Its hull was welded and it was powered by two diesel engines. Main armament were the planned 28cm (11") guns the Panzerschiffe.
The ship was of a quite simple design which did not allow high speeds but those were not required on a coast-defence ship. While the test of new technology was quite successful, the operational usefulness of the Helgoland was a different story.
With its low free board, the ship took over a lot water in the sometimes heavy North Sea weather.
In the years before World War II, the Helgoland was mainly used as a training ship for engine, gun and deck crews. After the outbreak of the war, the Helgoland operated in the German Bight, mainly near Wilhlemshaven in its intended coast-defence role.
In that time, the ship was attacked by British bombers a few times, but only was slightly damaged. Two approaching bombers could be shoot down in that time.
1940 saw Operation Weserübung, the Invasion of Norway. Due to its low speed, the Helgoland was not part of the first attack, but it was send to Norway in 1940 where it was based in several Norwegian ports like Bergen, Åndalsnes, Molde, Trondheimm, Alesund and Stavangar.
The ship stayed in Norwegian waters until late 1942, when it was send into the Baltic sea and again assigned in its role as a training ship. In late 1944 the ships guns fired the first time in anger, when shelling Russian troops at the Kurland front line.
Those kind of operations continued until April 1945, at that point the guns of the ship were completely worn out. There, the ship was used to evacuate military personal and civilian refugees from Baltic ports to Denmark. During the 7 trips, the ship was attacked twice by soviet submarines, but luckily, they did not score any hit.
At the end of the war, the Helgoland was scuttled at the Heikendorf Bight and scrapped until 1950.
The model shows the "Helgoland" in the Baltic Sea in June 1944.
Technical Data (created with SpringSharp)
Helgoland, Germany Coast Defence Ship laid down 1925
Displacement:
4.723 t light; 5.243 t standard; 6.009 t normal; 6.622 t full load
Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(357,61 ft / 347,77 ft) x 59,06 ft x (16,08 / 17,46 ft)
(109,00 m / 106,00 m) x 18,00 m x (4,90 / 5,32 m)
Armament:
6 - 11,02" / 280 mm 52,0 cal guns - 715,22lbs / 324,42kg shells, 150 per gun
Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1925 Model
2 x Triple mounts on centreline ends, evenly spread
4 - 5,91" / 150 mm 55,0 cal guns - 111,15lbs / 50,42kg shells, 150 per gun
Breech loading guns in deck and hoist mounts, 1925 Model
4 x Single mounts on side ends, evenly spread
4 raised mounts
4 - 1,46" / 37,0 mm 83,0 cal guns - 1,77lbs / 0,80kg shells, 800 per gun
Anti-air guns in deck mounts, 1925 Model
4 x Single mounts on sides amidships
4 raised mounts
10 - 0,79" / 20,0 mm 65,0 cal guns - 0,27lbs / 0,12kg shells, 1.500 per gun
Machine guns in deck mounts, 1925 Model
10 x Single mounts on centreline, evenly spread
10 raised mounts
Weight of broadside 4.746 lbs / 2.153 kg
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 3,15" / 80 mm 196,85 ft / 60,00 m 13,12 ft / 4,00 m
Ends: 1,57" / 40 mm 131,23 ft / 40,00 m 6,56 ft / 2,00 m
19,69 ft / 6,00 m Unarmoured ends
Main Belt covers 87% of normal length
Main belt does not fully cover magazines and engineering spaces
- Torpedo Bulkhead:
1,77" / 45 mm 196,85 ft / 60,00 m 13,12 ft / 4,00 m
- Hull Bulges:
0,39" / 10 mm 196,85 ft / 60,00 m 13,12 ft / 4,00 m
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 5,51" / 140 mm 3,15" / 80 mm 3,15" / 80 mm
2nd: 0,79" / 20 mm 0,39" / 10 mm -
- Armoured deck - single deck: 1,18" / 30 mm For and Aft decks
Forecastle: 0,71" / 18 mm Quarter deck: 0,71" / 18 mm
- Conning towers: Forward 5,91" / 150 mm, Aft 0,00" / 0 mm
Machinery:
Diesel Internal combustion motors,
Direct drive, 2 shafts, 6.987 shp / 5.212 Kw = 17,00 kts
Range 8.500nm at 14,00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 1.379 tons
Complement:
340 - 443
Cost:
£2,333 million / $9,334 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 1.050 tons, 17,5%
Armour: 1.260 tons, 21,0%
- Belts: 424 tons, 7,1%
- Torpedo bulkhead: 169 tons, 2,8%
- Bulges: 38 tons, 0,6%
- Armament: 270 tons, 4,5%
- Armour Deck: 317 tons, 5,3%
- Conning Tower: 42 tons, 0,7%
Machinery: 227 tons, 3,8%
Hull, fittings & equipment: 2.185 tons, 36,4%
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1.286 tons, 21,4%
Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0,0%
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
7.018 lbs / 3.183 Kg = 10,5 x 11,0 " / 280 mm shells or 1,6 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1,36
Metacentric height 3,9 ft / 1,2 m
Roll period: 12,6 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 48 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0,96
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1,51
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck,
a ram bow and a round stern
Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0,637 / 0,646
Length to Beam Ratio: 5,89 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 18,65 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 47 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 30
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 0,00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0,00 ft / 0,00 m
Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
Fore end, Aft end
- Forecastle: 20,00%, 15,75 ft / 4,80 m, 15,75 ft / 4,80 m
- Forward deck: 40,00%, 15,75 ft / 4,80 m, 15,75 ft / 4,80 m
- Aft deck: 25,00%, 15,75 ft / 4,80 m, 15,75 ft / 4,80 m
- Quarter deck: 15,00%, 15,75 ft / 4,80 m, 15,75 ft / 4,80 m
- Average freeboard: 15,75 ft / 4,80 m
Ship tends to be wet forward
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 137,4%
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 137,2%
Waterplane Area: 15.546 Square feet or 1.444 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 91%
Structure weight / hull surface area: 120 lbs/sq ft or 584 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0,76
- Longitudinal: 2,11
- Overall: 0,84
Caution: Hull subject to strain in open-sea
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is cramped
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather
The model was scratch project with leftover parts of my spare part box. Build in scale 1/400, it stared with the underwater ship of the USS Arizona (scale 1/700). The hull and deck on top were build from plastic sheets while the superstructure, guns, etc are leftovers of an old Heller 1/400 scale Lützow kit, my father had build in 1978. The original ship itself was destroyed many years ago, but some parts did survive which I could reuse now.
The model is airbrushed with Revell Aqua Color and I used additional PE arts plus EZ-Line for the antennas.
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