Battlecruisers 1915-1945 Quiz | Military Matters

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1. This class of British battlecruisers were some of the largest ships ever built for the Royal Navy. Only one of the four ships planned was completed, just after the end of WW1, and she served into the Second World War. Can you name her?

Answer: HMS Hood

The "Admiral" class of four ships were laid down in 1916. Due to the need to build smaller convoy escorts, work on "Anson", "Howe", and "Rodney" was suspended in 1919, and they were cancelled. "Hood" was completed in 1920. Weighing 45,000 tons and armed with eight 15 inch guns, she was the pride of the Royal Navy until sunk in May, 1941 by the German "Bismarck".

2. This next class of battlecruiser was authorized by the Royal Navy in 1919. Due to the cost and the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922, none of the G-3 class were ever laid down. How many ships were authorized?

Answer: Four

The G-3 class were authorized to keep up with the U.S. and Japanese navies, both of which had larger and better armed ships under construction than the British "Admiral" class. The class would have weighed 48,000 tons and carried nine 16 inch guns.

3. The Austro-Hungarian Navy designed three different classes of battlecruiser between 1915 and 1917. How many of these ships were ever completed?

Answer: None

The Austro-Hungarian Navy designed battlecruisers to counter rumored French and Italian ships. The designs ran from 34,000 to 36,000 tons, armed with 14, 15, or 16 inch guns. By the time that the designs were complete, the country's economy could not provide the funding for the ships.

4. Between the years 1914-1945, how many battlecruisers were built by the French Navy?

Answer: None

Although France designed 3 different battlecruiser classes in 1914, none were ever laid down. The designs called for a 27,000 ton ship with either 13.4 inch or 14.6 inch guns. The Dunkerque class of 1938 were sometimes called battlecruisers due to their smaller size and armament than contemporary foreign ships, but the French always referred to them as "fast battleships".

5. The Japanese Navy laid down four "Amagi" class battlecruisers in 1920. How many of these were completed as designed?

Answer: None

The Japanese "Amagi" class would have displaced 41,000 tons and carried ten 16 inch guns. The ships were laid down in 1920, but were cancelled in 1922 due to the Washington Naval Treaty. "Akagi" was completed as an aircraft carrier and was sunk at the Battle of Midway in June, 1942.

6. The first American battlecruiser class were the Lexingtons of 1916. The design was changed several times, and the ships weren't laid down until 1920. How many ships were planned?

Answer: Six

The six ships of the Lexington class were cancelled in 1923 under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. Two of them, Lexington and Saratoga, were completed as aircraft carriers. Lexington was sunk at the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942, while Saratoga was expended in the 1946 Bikini nuclear tests.

7. Which European country designed the Mackensen class battlecruisers in 1915?

Answer: Germany

The "Mackensen" class comprised four units which would have been armed with eight 14 inch guns. Previous German battlecruisers carried 11 or 12 inch weapons, and the "Mackensens" would have been equal to the Royal Navy's latest battlecruiser classes. The other three ships were the "Graf Spee", "Prinz Eitel Friedrich", and an unnamed fourth unit. All ships were broken up in 1922.

8. The last battlecruisers designed for the Imperial German Navy were the "Ersatz Yorck" class of 1916. How many ships were in this class?

Answer: Three

The "Ersatz Yorck" class were to be the last three ships of the "Mackensen" class, but were redesigned to mount eight 15 inch guns. All three ships were cancelled in 1918.

9. The Russian Navy designed a class of four battlecruisers in 1912. How many of these ships were completed?

Answer: None

The "Borodino" class of 1912 would have been powerful ships, with twelve 14 inch guns on a displacement of 37,000 tons. The other ships were named "Izmail", "Navarin", and "Kinburn". None were completed before the 1917 revolution.

10. Nazi Germany planned a battlecruiser class as part of the "Z" fleet rebuilding plan. Known as the "O" class, they were authorized in 1937, but cancelled in 1939. Why were the ships cancelled?

Answer: The Outbreak of WW2

The "O" class battlecruisers would have displaced 35,000 tons and carried six 15 inch guns. When war broke out in 1939, the ships were cancelled when the "Z" plan was abandoned as unrealistic.

11. The Japanese Navy designed a battlecruiser class in 1939, rumors of which inspired the Americans to create the Alaska class "large cruisers". How many of these ships did the Japanese plan to build?

Answer: Two

The "B-65" class of warships would have carried nine 12 inch guns on a 32,000 ton displacement. A total of two were planned. The ships were designed to destroy enemy cruisers and destroyers in preparation for the decisive fleet action called for in Japanese planning.

12. The Netherlands, worried about Japanese designs on their colonies in the Pacific, designed a class of battlecruisers in 1940. Where were the ships to be built?

Answer: Germany

The Netherlands undertook to design a class of battlecruisers to protect their possessions in Indonesia. Known as Project 1047, these ships would have displaced 28,000 tons and carried nine 11 inch guns, similar to the German "Scharnhorst" class. A total of nine ships were projected, but none were ever laid down.

13. The Soviet Union laid down two battlecruisers in 1939, but neither one was ever completed. What became of them?

Answer: Scrapped 1947

The "Kronstadt" and "Sevastopol" were both laid down in 1939, but Soviet shipyards lacked the capacity and the skilled workers to build them and the other ships authorized by the government. The ships were designed with six 15 inch guns on a displacement of 42,000 tons. Both incomplete hulls were broken up in 1947.

14. Another Soviet battlecruiser design was the "Stalingrad" class of 1941, which were also delayed by World War II and the inefficiency of Soviet shipyards. Do you know how many of these ships were planned?

Answer: Four

The "Stalingrad" class, at 36,500 tons and armed with nine 12 inch guns, would have been very comparable to the U.S. "Alaska" class and the Japanese "O" class ships. The "Stalingrad" was the only ship laid down, the others, "Moskva", "Kronstadt", and an unnamed 4th ship, cancelled in 1951. "Stalingrad" was scrapped in 1952.

15. The only American battlecruisers ever completed were the two ships of the Alaska class in 1944. How many ships were originally planned for this class?

Answer: Six

The "Alaska" and "Guam" were both completed in 1944. Work on "Hawaii" was stopped when she was some 75% complete, and the three other ships, "Philippines", "Puerto Rico", and "Samoa" were all cancelled in 1943. The ships had a short life, only serving until 1947 and being scrapped in 1961.

Source: Author Reamar42

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
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Battlecruisers 1915-1945 Trivia Quiz

The battlecruiser was introduced by the British Royal Navy in 1910, and the last ones were built in the 1940s. Many different navies designed them, but not all of the ships projected were built. How much do you know about these ships?

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