SMS Derfflinger was a German battlecruiser (German Grosser Kreuzer), the keel of which was laid in March 1912, the launch took place in July 1913, and entry into service with the Kaiserliche Marine took place in September 1914. The length of the ship was 210.4 meters, with a maximum width of about 29 meters. Full displacement reached 31,200 tons, and the maximum speed did not exceed 27 knots. The armament of the unit consisted of: 8 305 mm guns, 12 150 mm guns, 8 88 mm rapid-fire guns and 4 torpedo tubes.
SMS Derfflinger was the first of three battlecruisers in the class of the same name, the Derfflinger. This type of unit was developed as a kind of German response to the British Lion-class battlecruisers. Their construction was largely based on the design of the Seydlitz type units, with significant modifications in the caliber and spacing of the main artillery, as well as in the propulsion system. SMS Derfflinger was built at the Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, and in November 1914 the unit became part of the 1st Reconnaissance Group, which over time also included the other Derfflinger-class ships. The ship took part in the bombing of Scarborough in 1914 and the Battle of Dogger Bank in 1915, as well as in the greatest naval battle of World War I - the Battle of Jutland (1916). He was instrumental in the sinking of HMS Queen Mary and HMS Invincible during the Jutland Battle. After World War I, the ship was interned at the British base at Scapa Flow, where on June 21, 1919, she was self-sunk by her own crew.