Hey Guys, What TRIAL SPEEDS does the WWI Conway's book list for the SMS Seydlitz and SMS Derfflinger Classes? Thanks, Bob
Sorry I can't answer your question (I don't have Conway's) but I can say that whoever DOES have a Conway's should also read the text. Sometimes it lists trial speed, or higher speeds attained during service, in the text description of the ship. For example, my brother's Giussano is listed in the statistics as going 39 knots, but the text states that its sister-ship Barbiano hit 42.05 knots during trials.
Also as a rule the Germans (in WW1 anyway) tended to be conservative when giving the official speeds of their ships. Trial speeds are often much faster than operational speeds as the ships were usually light and run in shallow water. Pax, A. p.s. as to the orginal question, my Conway's is not handy at the moment but Groner lists 28.1 knots as max for Seydlitz with 26 knots as the design speed Derfflinger is 25.5 max with a 26.5 knot designed speed
Conways says 26.5 for Seydlitz and and the same for Derfflinger. They did say the Derfflinger's speed was equivalent to 28 knots in deep water at normal load.
I just got my copy of Conway's 1906-1921 I read the page on Derfflinger, but I'm not sure I buy the "deep water" theory... Even at deep draft, they still had close to 100 feet of water under the keel, I'm not sure that having 200ft under the keel would yield an extra 2 knots of speed (28.3 kts)...
Saying that the Derfflinger's speed was "equivalent to 28 knots in deep water at normal load" is not the same as saying it actually went 28 knots. If it didn't actually go 28 knots, then it didn't go 28 knots, and that's that. Ships fail to achieve their theoretical max speeds often enough, and analysts make mistakes all the time. Better check if your club will accept the higher theoretical speed.
