Scharnhorst matchup redux

[Opecoiler]

Inspired by the last battleship debate several years back. I dare you to name one treaty-era battleship that, in a realistic fight with the German battleship/battlecruiser Scharnhorst, wouldn't either sink her or force her to run away.

[Mike DiCenso]

Poor Scharnhorst, what'd she ever do to you to deserve such treatment? ;-)
-Mike

[Kor_Dahar_Master]

Inspired by the last battleship debate several years back. I dare you to name one treaty-era battleship that, in a realistic fight with the German battleship/battlecruiser Scharnhorst, wouldn't either sink her or force her to run away.

Not a easy task considering how awsome the ship and crew were, Admiral Fraser commented to his officers after she was finally sunk "Gentlemen, the battle against Scharnhorst has ended in victory for us. I hope that if any of you are ever called upon to lead a ship into action against an opponent many times superior, you will command your ship as gallantly as Scharnhorst was commanded today".

[Opecoiler]

Not a easy task considering how awsome the ship and crew were, Admiral Fraser commented to his officers after she was finally sunk "Gentlemen, the battle against Scharnhorst has ended in victory for us. I hope that if any of you are ever called upon to lead a ship into action against an opponent many times superior, you will command your ship as gallantly as Scharnhorst was commanded today".

Well, the ship was anything but awesome.

For a start, it's underarmed. The Germans intended to replace the triple 11" turrets with twin 15's like on the Bismarck, but because of more pressing war needs, they never got around to it.

Second, it and her sister had a decidely dubious record in actual combat.

In 1940 off the coast of Norway, both S&G had a brief tussle with HMS Renown, an old battlecruiser. Despite the fact that it was two modern ships with 18 big guns among them vs. one WWI-era relic with 6 big guns, the battle was indecisive. To add insult to injury, Renown scored more hits on her opponents than they scored on her. Later, during their Atlantic sortie, the ships ran from a single WWI-era Revenge class. That was deliberate, given that Graf Spee and Bismarck showed that a single large shell hit to a vital area could leave the ship helpless on the open sea.


I'll post more, but that shows how ineffective these ships actually were.

[Jedi Master Spock]

Like any grossly ignorant individual (and perhaps a few well informed individuals), I chose to immediately consult Wikipedia.

Interestingly, the Wikipedians have already engaged in this sort of speculation:

If a later proposal to upgrade the main armament to six 38 cm (15 in) guns in three twin turrets had been implemented, Scharnhorst might have been a very formidable opponent, faster than any British capital ship and nearly as well armored.

If 11" guns are insufficient to actually sink an enemy battleship, perhaps we should continue under the caveat "had the Scharnhorst's weapons been upgraded as planned"?

EDIT: Also, on review of the OP, what precisely constitutes a treaty-era battleship? I think it might make a little bit of a difference.

[User1435]

Treaty Battleship should mean any battleship retained by the great powers under the terms of the Washington Treaty. To wit:

USS Arkansas
US New York Class
US Nevada Class
US Pennsylvania Class
US New Mexico Class
US California Class
US Colorado Class

HMS Hood
RN R-Class
RN Renown class
RN Nelson class
RN Queen Elizabeth class

IJN Kongo class
IJN Fuso class
IJN Ise class
IJN Nagato class

Misc. old French & Italian battleships

To answer the question asked, Scharnhorst is tactically and strategically much superior to any one of them in their 1921 configuration. Did you mean to ask "Treaty Battleship, in the World War II era"? If so, I would argue that

Arkansas
Repulse
Renown
All old French & Italian ships
Possibly USN Texas class
Possibly RN R-class

remain tactically inferior to Scharnhorst. All expect the Kongos and possibly Hood, Repulse, and Renown remain strategically inferior due to their slow speed.

In practical terms, Scharnhorst would decline action with any of them if she could, since even a victory could easily leave Scharnhorst with her speed to reduced to escape from enemy reinforcements, a la Bismarck.