Only two Bayern class battleships were commissioned during the war - SMS Bayern and SMS Baden. Sachsen and Wurttemberg, the last two ships, were slightly modified versions of the first pair. To enhance their endurance it was planned to include the Diesel engine, so these ships were to be slightly longer and heavier than the older sisters while armor and armament remained the same. Unfortunately, both ships were never completed - SMS Sachsen was stopped about 9 months before completion, when she had all main turrets with 38 cm (SK L45) guns, main belt, deck armor, funnels, machinery and lots of other gears, including the main bridge base. Her guns were later removed and used on the Western Front. Five 38 cm guns formed two batteries along the Belgium coast, called Deutschland and Pommern. Incomplete, SMS Sachsen was scrapped after the War, in 1921.

SMS Sachsen (Ersatz Kaiser Friedrich III) Vital Statistics
displacement : 28 800 tons standard / 32 500 tons maximum
lenght : 182,4 m (181,8 m waterline)
beam : 30 m
draught : 9,3 / 9,4 m
armament : 8 x 38 cm, 16 x 15 cm, 8 x 88 AA guns, 5 x 60 cm torpedo tubes (below waterline)
shipyard : Germaniawerft Kiel
laid down : 7.04.1914
launched : 21.11.1916

I've always wanted to have a shipyard diorama (for example - a battleship during construction). I should ask a question also : "do I like Bayern class battleships ?" I own SMS Baden, built in 2001 and rebuilt in 2004, SMS Bayern, built in 2003 and have decided to build SMS Sachsen, so the answer is - YES ! Anyway a crazy idea, as there're only a very limited number of photographs of her in various stages of construction and a couple of rough profiles. Having many books and articles on WWI German ships I've noticed that each drawing in fact pictured a different ship. I'm afraid all are rather the products of authors creativity, no one could be called a real ship construction. Conclusion ? It's not possible to build an accurate scale model... But I've wanted to, so I've decided to use the following references :

- large plans of SMS Bayern and SMS Baden,
- photos of SMS Sachsen (mainly from Koop & Schmolke books)
- photos of various WWI German battleships and battlecruisers during construction (mainly from Griessmer and Koop & Schmolke books).

I used the following parts :
- 1/700 SMS Bayern, WSW kit - heavily modified hull and main turrets only,
- storehalls from HP Models 1/700 harbor kit - sides only, heavily modified
- 1/700 crane set#2, Loose Cannon kit,
- 1/700 two dock sections, Loose Cannon,
- 1/700 naval figures, GMM
- ladders, railings etc. (various producers),
- 1/700 Modelkrak and WSW boats,
- various scraps and spare parts from other kits. The rest has been built from the scratch, including two small buildings, truck, ship funnels and all details. "Dampfklappenprahme Nr. 3" is a scratch-built item also. Water
- acrylic paint with varnish.

The final result is not perfect, but... I have a shipyard diorama and SMS Sachsen in one. Plans for the future ? Obviously a Wurttemberg diorama, perhaps a launched ship or some like this. Not this year anyway.