In the late 1930s, the German Navy High Command ordered the development of 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 panzerschiff (heavy cruiser) 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 battlecruisers. The original documentation specified the ship class as Handelsstörer, or "Raider."