P-class cruiser (Central Victory)

P-class cruiser
Class overview
Operators:	Imperial German Navy
Preceded by:	Deutschland class cruiser
Succeeded by:	O-class battlecruiser
Planned:	12
Completed:	12
Cancelled:	0
General characteristics
Type:	Heavy cruiser
Displacement:	23,700 tons (23,300 long tons; 26,100 short tons) design
Length:	230 m (750 ft)
Beam:	26 m (85 ft)
Draft:	7.2 m (24 ft)
Propulsion:	12 MAN 9-cylinder diesels, 165,000 shp
Speed:	33 knots (61 km/h) maximum
Range:	25,000 nautical miles (46,000 km) at 13 knots (24 km/h) 15,000 nautical miles (28,000 km) at 19 knots (35 km/h)
Armament:	6 × 28 cm (11 in) guns 4 × 15 cm (5.9 in) guns 4 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) AA guns 4 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) AA guns 6 × 53.3 cm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes
Armor:	Barbettes: 80 to 100 mm (3.1 to 3.9 in) Belt: 40 to 120 mm (1.6 to 4.7 in) Deck: 70 mm (2.8 in) Torpedo bulkhead: 30 mm (1.2 in)
Aircraft carried:	2 ×  Arado Ar 196 seaplanes
Aviation facilities:	2 × steam catapults

The P class is a Imperial German Navy group of twelve heavy cruisers; they were the successor to the Deutschland-class heavy cruisers and all twelve cruisers were built at Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven. Design work began in 1937 and continued until 1939; at least nine designs were considered. The final design was armed with six 28 cm (11 in) quick-firing guns in two triple turrets, as in the preceding Deutschland-class. The ships were designated as Panzerschiff (armored ship), and given the preliminary names P1–P12. They were an improved design over the preceding planned D-class heavy cruisers, which had been laid down in 1934. With an lenght of 230 m (750 ft), they are among the largest heavy cruisers ever built in history. They were succeeded by the much larger O-class battlecruisers.