German to WW2

After 1919, the German Navy was reduced to six old pre-Dreadnought battleships that served in turn until replacements could be built. Hannover is modelled as in commission in 1930.

The use of welding and the employment of Diesel engines permitted the mounting of 11 inch guns on a cruiser hull with a very large cruising range for commerce raiding. Direct descendants of the engines are still in service in merchant ships today

Scharnhorst was completed like Gneisenau, with a straight stem and mainmast attached to the funnel, as modelled here.

A 1/1250 scale metal model of KMS Prinz Eugen in 1941 by Navis Neptun 1030, see photograph.

Modelled as she appeared for her Atlantic sortie with Bismarck. Clearly a lucky ship, she survived WW2 in the form modelled as Neptun No.1030A.

Sunk by coastal defences during the invasion of Norway!

The second pocket battleship to be completed, she was bigger and better than Deutschland and her slightly larger sister Graf Spee appeared almost identical when she joined the fleet. Scheer was soon taken in dockyard hands and given a pole type bridge (see Neptun 1034) in 1940.

Following torpedo damage during Norway operations, the pocket battleship was re-built, re-named and re-classified as a heavy cruiser in the form seen here.

All the German light cruisers suffered from having a short range and rarely strayed outside the Baltic during WW2. Nurnberg survived the war and was transferred to USSR in 1946 to be renamed Admiral Makarov.

A 1/1250 scale second hand model of Leipzig by Navis Neptun 1041. The model is in excellent condition and only differs from new in that the shade of grey paint is slightly lighter than today's factory finish.

Almost all the light cruisers were badly damaged during the Invasion of Norway and Leipzig was no exception. She never returned to front line duties, her torpedo tubes were put on Tirpitz and a boiler room was permanently out of commision. She became a school ship, static after being rammed by Prinz Eugen in the Baltic.

The only K-class Light Cruiser to survive the invasion of Norway in usable condition, she was unlucky enough to be sunk on the day before VE Day!

Another casualty of the Norwegian Campaign, Bombed and sunk at Bergen!

Karlsruhe suffered extensive hull damage during a deep ocean cruise in 1937 and had the hull stiffened before WW2. In 1940, she was damaged by a torpedo from HMS Truant and was scuttled by a torpedo from KMS Jaguar.

One of 6 old Battleships that Germany was allowed to retain after WW1, she was used as a training and accommodation ship until almost the end of WW2.

Obsolete by WW2, she was used primarily for coastal bombardment.

A 1/1250 scale model of Grille in 1938 by Navis Neptun 1055.

When Emily Cadwallader refused to sell her yacht, Savarona III, to the Germans, this similar but larger yacht was ordered from Blohm & Voss.

A 1/1250 scale metal model of the German training and depot ship Hela in WW2 by Navis Neptun 1056.

a 1/1250 scale metal model of the ex-German battleship Hannover converted to a target ship in WW2 by Neptun 1056C.

A 1/1250 scale metal model of the former pre-dreadnought battleship, Hessen, as converted to a radio controlled target ship from 1938. Hessen survived WW2 and became the Russian "Tsel".

The weight of the twin turret made these ships very wet in a seaway and many were fitted with a single gun in a lightweight shield instead (see Neptun1061A & B).

The weight of the twin turret made these ships very wet in a seaway and many were fitted with a single gun in a lightweight shield to reduce pitching.

ZG3 was the British-built Greek Destroyer, Vasilefs Georgios, of 1938 which had been sunk in drydock during the invasion of Greece by German Forces. She was re-floated and refitted and served in the Mediterranean until sunk off Tunisia.

Another exquisite small model from Navis, new in July 2013!

Aegir or Agir was an Odin class coastal defence ship launched in 1895. The main armament comprised 3 x 9.4" guns. Displacement was nominally 3750 tons.

A 1/1250 scale model of German battlecruiser, Seydlitz under tow for Rosyth for scapping in 1930. This is the third model in the Coastlines series showing aspects of the salvage work on the High Seas Fleet that had been scuttled in Scapa Flow in 1919.