SMS Konig and Jutland

Don:

According to Siegfried Breyer ("Battleships and Battle Cruisers 1905-1970") "the Only capital ships of World War I were fitted with anti-torpedo nets.  They were removed after the Battle of Jutland and not fitted again."  He states that the Konig recevied 10 hits during the battle and was repaired at the Kaiserliche Werft, Kiel, with the work being completed by July 21, 1916, so it would seem that the ship was not very seriously damaged during the battle (compared to the Seydlitz which barely made it back to port and was out of action until September, 1916).

In the general notes for the class, Breyer states that "All ships, with the exception of Kronprinz (Wilhelm) carried the thin pole mast until 1917...  This was later replaced by a thicker one which carried in the top a larger control position with a RF (only Konig carried two control positions, one above the other)."

So I think that you are fairly safe in omitting the torpedo nets to depict the ship as she appeared from July 1916 until the pole mast was replaced in 1917. 

I think that Breyer is as reliable a source as you could want.

Good luck with the build!

Mike

Thanks very much, Mike.  I would like to depict the Konig as it appeared at Jutland, so will keep the nets.  Besides, they and the booms and other fittings add a lot of  detail.  Have to finish the Real de France before I start the Konig, but the Real is coming along well- finishing the yards and should start rigging today.

If I remember right the shelf running around the hull that the torpedo net should sit on is missing from the kit. The shelf is included in the White Ensign Models etch set for the Konig but I don't think it is in the GMM set. White Ensign also do an earlier Jutland period mast in white metal & a PE torpedo net set.

You could probably make the shelf out of thin brass sheet or plastic card?

Here is a link to a review of the WEM PE set for reference:

http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/pe/whiteensign/konig-pe/wem-konig.html 

There is link to a review of the pre 1917 mast on the page as well.

I have been stalled on a build of the Konig for a few years now. Got as far as needing to get the PE kit & never got round to it & put the kit back in the box. That was 5 years ago. Oops :)