The -class ships were long and had a beam of and a draft of forward and aft. The ships were designed to displace on a standard load, and up to fully laden. The s hulls were composed of longitudinal steel frames, over which the outer hull plates were riveted. This was the same type of construction as in the preceding -class battlecruisers, and was intended to save weight compared to the traditional method of construction, which incorporated both longitudinal and transverse frames. The ships' hulls contained 18 watertight compartments and a double bottom that ran for 92 percent of the length of the hull. This was significantly greater than the older -class ships, which had a double bottom for only 65 percent of the length of the hull.
