 The ships of the Wittelsbach class were the first battleships built under the first Naval Law of 1898 . The ships represented an incremental improvement over the preceding Kaiser Friedrich III class . They were equipped with the same armament of 24 cm guns , but were given an additional torpedo tube . They also had improved defensive capabilities , as they were protected by a more extensive armored belt . They also differed from the preceding ships in their main deck , the entire length of which was flush ; in the Kaiser Friedrich III @-@ class ships , the quarterdeck was cut down . 
