After World War I, replacement capital ships for the German Navy were limited to 10,000 tons and 280 mm guns. Admiral Graf Spee cost 82 million Reichsmark to build and much weight was saved by using electric arc welding instead of rivets. Admiral Graf Spee was launched in 1934.She and her two sisters, Deutschland (later renamed Lutzow) and Admiral Scheer, were frequently referred to as pocket battleships by the British. She is considered one of the most famous German warships. A year after her loss, her sisters were reclassified as heavy cruisers.