Project Jutland - The "5 Minute Fleet" & other stories

Batch 4 is launched

SMS Braunschweig cruises towards the action

Jutland the project continues with gusto, I am finding myself running out of ships to paint quicker than they arrive and once again the ship building yard is empty. I have orders in at a couple of suppliers so back to waiting by the letter box.

The 2 Sqns of the 5 min fleet

First up are the 6 Pre Dreadnoughts of the German High Seas Fleet, these models are from WTJ. Known as the 5 Minute Fleet because that was how long they would last if they came under fire, they were massively outdated at the time of Jutland and were withdrawn from front line service immediately after the battle. Thankfully for them they spent most of the battle at the end of the German line out of sight due to visibility.

2 photos of one of the 5 Deutschland Class Ships,  Schleswig-Holstein to give you an idea of the detail on the model.

There was just one of the preceding Braunschweig Class at the battle, the lead ship. Very similar to the Deutschland but some of the secondary guns were in turrets giving them better elevation.

A couple of Helgoland Class made this batch

I placed an order a while back with Magister Militum for the remaining 8 German Dreadnoughts required however following the sales at Salute they only had 2 left, so here they are. Great looking ships, not sure how much snapps had been drunk when they decided the turret layout, looks like a Friday Afternoon design to me !

SMS Frankfurt a Wiesbaden Light Cruiser

I also had a few Light ships in the box so they got done in this batch, so here is an update on the Germans.

Dreadnoughts - Required 16, Done 10. 6 on order awaiting delivery

Pre Dreadnoughts - Required 6, Complete

Battlecruisers - Required 5, Complete

Light Cruisers - Required 11, done 6, 5 on order awaiting delivery.

Destroyers / TBD - Required 61, done 24. 37 to get.

So of the 99 ships 51 are done or just over 50% with mostly Light stuff left.

Another 4 M Class Destroyers

For the British the progress is,

Dreadnoughts - 28 Required, Complete
Battlecruisers - 9 Required, Complete
Armoured Cruisers - 8 Required, 8 to get.
Light Cruisers - 26 Required, 8 complete, 10 on order awaiting delivery, 8 to get.
Destroyers / TBD - 79 Required, 24 done, 55 to get
Seaplane Carrier - 1 Required, trying to source a model of it.

So of 151 ships, 69 are done or 46 %. Apart from the Armoured Cruisers it's all Light stuff left.

Three more Light Cruisers for the British