About this 3D model

SMS Sachsen was the lead ship of the Imperial German Navy's first class of purpose-built steam-only capital ships, laid down at the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin in 1875 and commissioned in 1878. A central citadel ironclad designed for Baltic Sea coastal defense, she carried six powerful 26cm barbette guns and a heavily layered armor belt, and was built to sortie from fortified bases to break enemy blockades — a direct response to the French naval blockade Germany had suffered during the Franco-Prussian War. Her most enduring historical legacy, however, extends far beyond German waters. The same AG Vulcan shipyard that built Sachsen was subsequently contracted by the Chinese Beiyang Fleet to construct the battleships Dingyuan and Zhenyuan, directly based on the Sachsen class design — ships that would go on to fight at the Battle of the Yellow Sea in 1894 and shape the entire course of East Asian naval history. Our 1:96 scale 3D printable model captures Sachsen in her original pre-reconstruction configuration, with the distinctive four funnels, open bow barbette, and the characterful low-freeboard silhouette that defined the class before the late 1890s overhaul transformed her appearance. If you also own our Dingyuan or Zhenyuan models, displaying Sachsen alongside her Chinese descendants makes for a uniquely compelling historical grouping that tells the full story of how one German shipyard's design shaped naval history on the other side of the world. Her sister ships were: SMS Bayern SMS Württemberg SMS Baden