 Built by the Kaiserliche Werft at their shipyard in Wilhelmshaven , Hindenburg was the third and final ship of her class ; her sister ships were Derfflinger and Lützow . Designed as a replacement for the elderly protected cruiser Hertha , Hindenburg 's keel was laid down on 30 June 1913 . She was launched on 1 August 1915 , but due to shifting construction priorities in time of war , she was not completed until 10 May 1917 , by which time it was too late for her to see any significant operations in World War I. At the time , British naval intelligence believed the ship was commissioned so late because she had had parts removed to repair Derfflinger after the battle of Jutland in June 1916 . In actuality , construction proceeded slowly because of labor shortages . 
