In the late 1930s, the leaders of the German Navy developed a project that was intended for use as part of a naval blockade of Great Britain by raider formations. Twelve P-class ships created based on the development of the Deutschland-class ironclad project were supposed to act as the main strike force in this plan. In 1939, contracts were signed with dockyards for the construction of these ships, but the order was subsequently canceled in favor of O-class battleships. The original documentation specified the ship class as Handelszerstörer, or "Raider".