 The ships were ordered under the provisional names P1 through P12; the contracts were awarded to a number of German shipyards, including Deutsche Werke in Kiel, Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, and the KM Dockyard in Wilhelmshaven.However, Plan Z was reduced in size, and the number of armored ships was pared down to only eight vessels.This caused several of the contracts to be shifted around amongst the various shipbuilding companies.