Even with the completion of the two Scharnhorst-class battleships and the construction of two Bismarck-class battleships, the German Navy had fewer ships than other European navies. This led to a decision in 1937 to build ships to an improved Deutschland-class design. After more than twenty designs were considered to meet the navy's specifications,[lower-alpha 1] one was chosen; it was designated as cruiser "P" (the "P" for panzer — German: "armor").