Germany's Naval Ambitions: The Concrete Ships and Giant Battleships That Never Were Germany’s naval ambitions during WWII led to radical designs that never fully materialized. The H-Class super-battleships, planned starting in 1939, were designed to reach 30 knots and carry massive 20-inch guns, dwarfing the Bismarck. Meanwhile, desperate steel shortages birthed experimental concrete ships between 1943 and 1945. These slow-moving vessels were primarily used for transport and fuel storage. While