 Gille 's battlecruiser design called for a displacement of 28 @,@ 247 t ( 27 @,@ 801 long tons ; 31 @,@ 137 short tons ) on a hull that was 205 meters ( 673 ft ) long between perpendiculars , with a beam of 27 m ( 88 ft 7 in ) at the waterline and an average draft of 9 @.@ 03 m ( 29 ft 8 in ) . The freeboard forward was 7 @.@ 15 m ( 23 ft 5 in ) , and aft was 4 @.@ 65 m ( 15 @.@ 3 ft ) . The hull lines of the ships proved to be highly efficient in tank tests during the design process . Due to the extreme weight of the main battery turrets at the bow and stern , the hull had to be strengthened to handle the strain . Very strong longitudinal bracing was incorporated , and the inner and outer skins of the hull was thickened to reinforce the bracings . The ships ' expected metacentric height was 1 @.@ 03 m ( 3 ft 5 in ) , comparable to the British Lion class . Each ship would be crewed by 41 officers and 1 @,@ 258 enlisted men . 
