| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators |  Kriegsmarine |
| Preceded by | D-class cruiser (planned) |
| Succeeded by | Admiral Hipper class |
| Planned | 12 |
| Completed | 0 |
| Cancelled | 12 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Heavy cruiser |
| Displacement | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 26 m (85 ft 4 in) |
| Draft | 7.20 m (23 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power | 165,000 PS (163,000 shp) |
| Propulsion | 12 × diesel engines |
| Speed | 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph) |
| Range | 25,000 nmi (46,000 km; 29,000 mi) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) |
| Armament |
|
| Armor |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 × Arado 196 seaplanes |
| Aviation facilities | 2 × steam catapults |
The P class was a planned group of twelve heavy cruisers of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine; they were the successor to the Deutschland-class cruisers. Design work began in 1937 and continued until 1939; at least twenty designs were submitted with nine of them being considered. There were three designs that were selected as the final contenders. One design was armed with six 283mm main guns in one triple turret forward and one more turret aft. It had two 150mm double secondary gun turrets as secondary armament with one being positioned above and just fore of the aft of the main 283mm main turret, and the other being in front and lower of the front main gun turret. This design had more beam than the other 2 designs. It also mounted 2 seaplanes on its fantail instead of the mid ship area. 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 cruisers, which had been canceled in 1934. Although the ships were already assigned to shipyards, construction never began on the P-class ships after the O-class battlecruiser design superseded them.