Brandenburg class battleship
Encyclopedia
The four Brandenburg-class pre-dreadnought
battleships were Germany's
first ocean-going battleships. They were also the first German warship, of any type, to be fitted with wireless communications. The class comprised , , , and . All were laid down in 1890 and completed by 1893, except for Weißenburg, which was completed in 1894. The lead ship, Brandenburg, was built at the cost of 9.3 million Marks
and Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm cost 11.23 million Marks. The British Royal Navy
derisively referred to the ships as the "whalers."
Brandenburg and her three sisters served in a wide range of roles. In 1900, the four ships were deployed to China during the Boxer Rebellion
, after which they were substantially modernized. In 1910, two of the ships, Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm and Weißenburg, were sold to the Ottoman Navy
. Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm was sunk in 1915 by a British submarine while Weißenburg survived the war, only to be broken up in 1938. Brandenburg and Wörth saw limited service during World War I as coastal defense ships before they were withdrawn for auxiliary duties. Both ships were sold for scrapping in May 1919.
. They followed a number of coastal defense ships, including the and es that were only intended for local defense of the German coastline. Design work on the ships began in late 1888, under the leadership of Vice Admiral Alexander Graf von Monts, who also secured funding for the new ships from the Reichstag
. Admiral von Monts was the first naval officer appointed by the recently crowned Kaiser Wilhelm II.
The Brandenburg-class ships were the foundation of what eventually became the High Seas Fleet
. As they represented a shift in the strategic outlook of the German navy, the traditional method of ship construction, which relied heavily on foreign models, was abandoned. Some experimentation was implemented in the design process, particularly in the armor types that were installed on the ships. Brandenburg and Wörth were equipped with compound armor that consisted of several layers of different materials, while the latter two ships received Harvey nickel-steel alloy armor plating.
of 19.5 m (64 ft) which was increased to 19.74 m (64.8 ft) with the addition of torpedo nets, and had a draft of 7.6 m (24.9 ft) forward and 7.9 m (25.9 ft) aft. The Brandenburgs displaced 10013 MT (9,854.8 LT) at their designed weight, and up to 10670 MT (10,501.5 LT) at full combat load.
As was the standard for German warships of the period, the hulls of the Brandenburg-class ships were constructed from both transverse and longitudinal steel frames, over which the steel side plates were rivet
ed. The vessels had 13 watertight compartments and a double bottom
that ran for 48 percent of the length of the hull. The German navy regarded the ships as excellent sea-boats; the Brandenburgs had easy motion. They were also responsive to commands from the bridge and had a moderate turning circle. Speed loss at hard rudder was reduced to 30 percent, and the metacentric height
was 1.05 m (3.4 ft). However, the ships were "wet" at high speeds and suffered from severe pitching. The ships' crew numbered 38 officers and 530 enlisted men, though while serving as the squadron flagship the standard crew was augmented by an additional 9 officers and 54 men.
that was 5 m (16.4 ft) in diameter. Both sets had their own engine room. Twelve transverse cylindrical boilers, with three fireboxes each, supplied steam to the engines at up to 12 atmospheres
of pressure. The boilers were also divided into two boiler rooms. The engines were rated at 10000 ihp, though in practice maximum power ranged from 9,686 ihp for Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm to 10,228 ihp in Wörth. The ships had a designed speed of 16.5 knots (9 m/s); Brandenburg was the slowest, at 16.3 kn (8.9 m/s), while Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm and Wörth both achieved 16.9 kn (9.2 m/s) on trials. The ships were designed to carry 650 MT (639.7 LT) of coal for the boilers, though additional spaces in the hull allowed for up to 1050 MT (1,033.4 LT). This enabled a maximum range of 4300 nautical miles (7,963.6 km) at a cruising speed of 10 kn (5.4 m/s). Electrical power was provided by three generators. The equipment varied from ship to ship; power output ranged from 72.6 to 96.5 kilowatts at 67 volt
s. The ships each had a single rudder
.
The vessels were unusual for their time in possessing a broadside
of six heavy guns in three twin gun turret
s, rather than the four guns typical of contemporary battleships. The forward and after turret carried 28 cm (11 inch) K L/40 guns,In Imperial German Navy gun nomenclature, "K" stands for Kanone (cannon), while the L/40 denotes the length of the gun. In this case, the L/40 gun is 40 calibers, meaning that the gun barrel is 40 times as long as it is in diameter. while the center turret carried a shorter L/35 barrel. The shorter barrels were required to allow the turret to train from side to side. The L/40 guns were mounted in Drh.L. C/92 type turrets, which provided depression to −5 degrees and elevation to 25 degrees. Both types of guns could fire armor-piercing
(AP) and high explosive (HE) shells, at a rate of fire
of about 2 per minute. These shells weighed 240 kg (529 lb), and used the 73 kg (161 lb) RPC 12 propellant
charge. Muzzle velocity
for the L/40 gun was 820 meters per second (2,690 fps). At maximum elevation, these guns could hit targets out to 15,900 m (17,400 yards). Because the barrels of the L/35 guns were shorter, they had a correspondingly lower muzzle velocity, which was approximately 685 mps (2,247 fps). As a result, the range of the guns was somewhat shorter, at about 14,400 m (15,800 yd). At a range of 12,000 m (13,120 yd), the AP shell could penetrate up to 160 mm (6.3 in) of belt armor. Ammunition magazines stored a total of 352 shells. While a novel concept, the midships turret caused prohibitive blast damage to the surrounding superstructure when fired, which led to the idea being abandoned.
The Brandenburg-class's secondary armament initially consisted of seven 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/35 quick-firing guns in casemates arranged around the forward superstructure
. During the modernization between 1902 and 1904, the Brandenburgs received an additional 10.5 cm gun. These guns were supplied with a total of 600 rounds, although after the modernization, the 10.5 cm magazines were increased to provide storage for a total of 1,184 shells.
The ships also carried eight 8.8 cm (3.45 in) SK L/30 quick-firing guns, also mounted in casemates. Four were placed in pairs in sponson
s towards the bow, while the remaining four were emplaced around the rear superstructure. These guns were supplied with a total of 2,000 shells, though as with the 10.5 cm guns, ammunition storage was increased during the modernization, to 2,384 rounds. These guns fired 13.8 kg (30.4 lb) at a muzzle velocity of 590 mps (1,936 fps). Their rate of fire was approximately 15 shells per minute; the guns could engage targets out to 10,500 m (11,480 yd). The gun mounts were manually operated.
The ships were also armed with six 45 cm torpedo tubes, all in above-water swivel mounts. Four tubes were mounted on the sides of the ship, another in the bow, and the last in the stern. The tubes were supplied with a total of 16 torpedoes. These weapons were 5.1 m (201 in) long and carried a 87.5 kg (193 lb) TNT warhead. They could be set at two speeds for different ranges. At 26 kn (14.2 m/s), the torpedoes had a range of 800 m (870 yd). At an increased speed of 32 kn (17.4 m/s), the range was reduced to 500 m (550 yb). One of the tubes was removed during the modernization.
, but due to delivery problems, Brandenburg and Wörth were armored with a composite armor
. The composite armor was constructed by layering steel-clad wrought iron
plates and wood planks, which was backed by two more layers of sheet iron. Krupp
's nickel steel armor was based on the Harvey process
, which enriched the upper layers of the steel with carbon. This type of armor produced greater strength with thinner armor belts, which enabled ships equipped with it to carry more complete protection. Some portions of Brandenburg did receive the new Krupp armor, including the barbette
s that held the fore and center main battery turrets. All four ships retained teak
backing to their armor belts.
The Brandenburgs had a 60 mm (2.4 in) thick armored deck. The forward conning tower
had 300 mm (11.8 in) thick sides and a 30 mm (1.2 in) thick roof. Above the waterline
, the armored belt was 400 mm (15.7 in) in the central portion of the ship and tapered slightly to 300 mm fore and aft. Including the teak backing, the total thickness of the belt in the strongest area was 600 mm (23.6 in). Below the waterline, the armored belt was significantly thinner; the thickest section of the belt was 200 mm (7.9 in) thick, and tapered down to 180 mm (7.1 in) on either end of the belt. The ships' cupola
s had 50 mm (2 in) thick roofs and sides that consisted of three 40 mm (1.6 in) thick layers, for a total of 120 mm (4.7 in). The barbettes were 300 mm thick and backed with 210 mm (8.3 in) of wood.
(name of the ship to be replaced)". Brandenburg was laid down at the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin in 1890. She was launched on 21 September 1891. Fitting out work, which included the installation of the ship's armament, lasted until 19 November 1893 when she was commissioned into the German navy. Wörth was ordered as battleship B, and was laid down at Germaniawerft in Kiel
also in 1890. Initial work on the ship proceeded the slowest of all four vessels of the class; she wasn't launched until 6 August 1892. However, fitting out work proceeded quickly, and she was commissioned on 31 October 1893, the first ship of the class to enter active duty. Weißenburg, ordered as battleship "C", was also laid down at the AG Vulcan shipyard in 1890 and launched on 14 December 1891. She was the last ship of the class to enter active service, when she was commissioned on 5 June 1894. Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm was the fourth and final ship of the class. She was ordered as battleship D, and was laid down at the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven
in 1890. She was the first ship of the class to be launched, on 30 June 1891. She was commissioned into the fleet the same day as her sister Brandenburg.
Shortly after the turn of the century, the ships were all taken into the drydocks at the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven for a major reconstruction. Wörth was the first to do so, starting in 1901. Weißenburg followed in 1902, Brandenburg in 1903, and Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm entered the shipyard in 1904. During the modernization, a second conning tower was added in the aft superstructure, along with a gangway. The ships had their boilers replaced with newer models, and also had the hamper amidships reduced. The modifications resulted in a weight decrease of between 500 MT (492.1 LT) and 700 MT (688.9 LT) depending on the ship.
The ships of the Brandenburg-class were assigned to the I Division of the I Battle Squadron upon their commissioning, along with the four older s, though by 1901–2, the Sachsens were replaced by the new s. They saw their first major operation in 1900, when they were deployed to China during the Boxer Rebellion
. The expeditionary force consisted of the four Brandenburgs, six cruiser
s, 10 freighters, three torpedo boat
s, and six regiments of marines, under the command of Marshal Alfred von Waldersee. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz
opposed the plan, which he saw as unnecessary and costly. The force arrived in China after the siege of
Peking had already been lifted. As a result, the task force suppressed local uprisings around Kiaochow. In the end, the operation cost the German government more than 100 million marks.
After the Brandenburg-class ships emerged from their refit in 1905, they rejoined the active fleet. However, they were rapidly made obsolete by the launch of in 1906. As a result, their service careers were limited. On 12 September 1910, Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm and Weißenburg, the more advanced ships of the class, were sold to the Ottoman Empire
and renamed Barbaros Hayreddin and Turgut Reis respectively. At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Brandenburg and Wörth were assigned to coastal defense duties, though this lasted only until 1915, when they were withdrawn from active service. That year, both ships were transferred to the role of barracks ships; Brandenburg was stationed in Libau
while Wörth was in Danzig. It was intended to rebuild Brandenburg as a target ship, though this plan was eventually abandoned. Both Brandenburg and Wörth were struck from the naval register on 13 May 1919 and sold for scrapping. The two ships were purchased by Norddeutsche Tiefbauges, a shipbreaking firm headquartered in Berlin; the firm had Brandenburg towed to Danzig where she and her sister ship
were broken up for scrap.
On 8 August 1915, Barbaros Hayreddin was en route to support the Turkish defenses at the Dardanelles
when she was sunk by the British submarine , with the loss of 253 men. On 19 January 1918, the battlecruiser and light cruiser left the Dardanelles
to attack British ships. At 11:30, Goeben ran aground and was subjected to air attacks, which impeded salvage attempts. On 25 January, Turgut Reis arrived on the scene and towed the battlecruiser back to port. Turgut Reis survived the war and was used as a training ship in 1924. She was later used as a hulk
in the Bosporus
, and eventually scrapped in 1938.
Pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought battleship is the general term for all of the types of sea-going battleships built between the mid-1890s and 1905. Pre-dreadnoughts replaced the ironclad warships of the 1870s and 1880s...
battleships were Germany's
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
first ocean-going battleships. They were also the first German warship, of any type, to be fitted with wireless communications. The class comprised , , , and . All were laid down in 1890 and completed by 1893, except for Weißenburg, which was completed in 1894. The lead ship, Brandenburg, was built at the cost of 9.3 million Marks
German gold mark
The Goldmark was the currency used in the German Empire from 1873 to 1914.-History:Before unification, the different German states issued a variety of different currencies, though most were linked to the Vereinsthaler, a silver coin containing 16⅔ grams of pure silver...
and Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm cost 11.23 million Marks. The British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
derisively referred to the ships as the "whalers."
Brandenburg and her three sisters served in a wide range of roles. In 1900, the four ships were deployed to China during the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
, after which they were substantially modernized. In 1910, two of the ships, Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm and Weißenburg, were sold to the Ottoman Navy
Ottoman Navy
The Ottoman Navy was established in the early 14th century. During its long existence it was involved in many conflicts; refer to list of Ottoman sieges and landings and list of Admirals in the Ottoman Empire for a brief chronology.- Pre-Ottoman:...
. Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm was sunk in 1915 by a British submarine while Weißenburg survived the war, only to be broken up in 1938. Brandenburg and Wörth saw limited service during World War I as coastal defense ships before they were withdrawn for auxiliary duties. Both ships were sold for scrapping in May 1919.
Design
The Brandenburg-class ships were the first ocean-going battleships built by the German NavyKaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
. They followed a number of coastal defense ships, including the and es that were only intended for local defense of the German coastline. Design work on the ships began in late 1888, under the leadership of Vice Admiral Alexander Graf von Monts, who also secured funding for the new ships from the Reichstag
Reichstag (German Empire)
The Reichstag was the parliament of the North German Confederation , and of the German Reich ....
. Admiral von Monts was the first naval officer appointed by the recently crowned Kaiser Wilhelm II.
The Brandenburg-class ships were the foundation of what eventually became the High Seas Fleet
High Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet was the battle fleet of the German Empire and saw action during World War I. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet was renamed as the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was the architect of the fleet; he envisioned a force powerful enough to...
. As they represented a shift in the strategic outlook of the German navy, the traditional method of ship construction, which relied heavily on foreign models, was abandoned. Some experimentation was implemented in the design process, particularly in the armor types that were installed on the ships. Brandenburg and Wörth were equipped with compound armor that consisted of several layers of different materials, while the latter two ships received Harvey nickel-steel alloy armor plating.
General characteristics
The ships of the Brandenburg-class were 113.9 m (373.7 ft) long at the waterline and 115.7 m (379.6 ft) long overall. They had a beamBeam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of 19.5 m (64 ft) which was increased to 19.74 m (64.8 ft) with the addition of torpedo nets, and had a draft of 7.6 m (24.9 ft) forward and 7.9 m (25.9 ft) aft. The Brandenburgs displaced 10013 MT (9,854.8 LT) at their designed weight, and up to 10670 MT (10,501.5 LT) at full combat load.
As was the standard for German warships of the period, the hulls of the Brandenburg-class ships were constructed from both transverse and longitudinal steel frames, over which the steel side plates were rivet
Rivet
A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the buck-tail. On installation the rivet is placed in a punched or pre-drilled hole, and the tail is upset, or bucked A rivet...
ed. The vessels had 13 watertight compartments and a double bottom
Double bottom
A double bottom is a ship hull design and construction method where the bottom of the ship has two complete layers of watertight hull surface: one outer layer forming the normal hull of the ship, and a second inner hull which is somewhat higher in the ship, perhaps a few feet, which forms a...
that ran for 48 percent of the length of the hull. The German navy regarded the ships as excellent sea-boats; the Brandenburgs had easy motion. They were also responsive to commands from the bridge and had a moderate turning circle. Speed loss at hard rudder was reduced to 30 percent, and the metacentric height
Metacentric height
The metacentric height is a measurement of the static stability of a floating body. It is calculated as the distance between the centre of gravity of a ship and its metacentre . A larger metacentric height implies greater stability against overturning...
was 1.05 m (3.4 ft). However, the ships were "wet" at high speeds and suffered from severe pitching. The ships' crew numbered 38 officers and 530 enlisted men, though while serving as the squadron flagship the standard crew was augmented by an additional 9 officers and 54 men.
Machinery
The ships were equipped with two sets of 3-cylinder triple-expansion engines; each set drove a 3-bladed screwPropeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
that was 5 m (16.4 ft) in diameter. Both sets had their own engine room. Twelve transverse cylindrical boilers, with three fireboxes each, supplied steam to the engines at up to 12 atmospheres
Atmosphere (unit)
The standard atmosphere is an international reference pressure defined as 101325 Pa and formerly used as unit of pressure. For practical purposes it has been replaced by the bar which is 105 Pa...
of pressure. The boilers were also divided into two boiler rooms. The engines were rated at 10000 ihp, though in practice maximum power ranged from 9,686 ihp for Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm to 10,228 ihp in Wörth. The ships had a designed speed of 16.5 knots (9 m/s); Brandenburg was the slowest, at 16.3 kn (8.9 m/s), while Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm and Wörth both achieved 16.9 kn (9.2 m/s) on trials. The ships were designed to carry 650 MT (639.7 LT) of coal for the boilers, though additional spaces in the hull allowed for up to 1050 MT (1,033.4 LT). This enabled a maximum range of 4300 nautical miles (7,963.6 km) at a cruising speed of 10 kn (5.4 m/s). Electrical power was provided by three generators. The equipment varied from ship to ship; power output ranged from 72.6 to 96.5 kilowatts at 67 volt
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
s. The ships each had a single rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
.
Armament
Broadside
A broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare.-Age of Sail:...
of six heavy guns in three twin gun turret
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
s, rather than the four guns typical of contemporary battleships. The forward and after turret carried 28 cm (11 inch) K L/40 guns,In Imperial German Navy gun nomenclature, "K" stands for Kanone (cannon), while the L/40 denotes the length of the gun. In this case, the L/40 gun is 40 calibers, meaning that the gun barrel is 40 times as long as it is in diameter. while the center turret carried a shorter L/35 barrel. The shorter barrels were required to allow the turret to train from side to side. The L/40 guns were mounted in Drh.L. C/92 type turrets, which provided depression to −5 degrees and elevation to 25 degrees. Both types of guns could fire armor-piercing
Armor-piercing shot and shell
An armor-piercing shell is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate armor. From the 1860s to 1950s, a major application of armor-piercing projectiles was to defeat the thick armor carried on many warships. From the 1920s onwards, armor-piercing weapons were required for anti-tank missions...
(AP) and high explosive (HE) shells, at a rate of fire
Rate of fire
Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. It is usually measured in rounds per minute , or per second .-Overview:...
of about 2 per minute. These shells weighed 240 kg (529 lb), and used the 73 kg (161 lb) RPC 12 propellant
Propellant
A propellant is a material that produces pressurized gas that:* can be directed through a nozzle, thereby producing thrust ;...
charge. Muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from approximately to in black powder muskets , to more than in modern rifles with high-performance cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger, all the way to for tank guns...
for the L/40 gun was 820 meters per second (2,690 fps). At maximum elevation, these guns could hit targets out to 15,900 m (17,400 yards). Because the barrels of the L/35 guns were shorter, they had a correspondingly lower muzzle velocity, which was approximately 685 mps (2,247 fps). As a result, the range of the guns was somewhat shorter, at about 14,400 m (15,800 yd). At a range of 12,000 m (13,120 yd), the AP shell could penetrate up to 160 mm (6.3 in) of belt armor. Ammunition magazines stored a total of 352 shells. While a novel concept, the midships turret caused prohibitive blast damage to the surrounding superstructure when fired, which led to the idea being abandoned.
The Brandenburg-class's secondary armament initially consisted of seven 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/35 quick-firing guns in casemates arranged around the forward superstructure
Superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships...
. During the modernization between 1902 and 1904, the Brandenburgs received an additional 10.5 cm gun. These guns were supplied with a total of 600 rounds, although after the modernization, the 10.5 cm magazines were increased to provide storage for a total of 1,184 shells.
The ships also carried eight 8.8 cm (3.45 in) SK L/30 quick-firing guns, also mounted in casemates. Four were placed in pairs in sponson
Sponson
Sponsons are projections from the sides of a watercraft, for protection, stability, or the mounting of equipment such as armaments or lifeboats, etc...
s towards the bow, while the remaining four were emplaced around the rear superstructure. These guns were supplied with a total of 2,000 shells, though as with the 10.5 cm guns, ammunition storage was increased during the modernization, to 2,384 rounds. These guns fired 13.8 kg (30.4 lb) at a muzzle velocity of 590 mps (1,936 fps). Their rate of fire was approximately 15 shells per minute; the guns could engage targets out to 10,500 m (11,480 yd). The gun mounts were manually operated.
The ships were also armed with six 45 cm torpedo tubes, all in above-water swivel mounts. Four tubes were mounted on the sides of the ship, another in the bow, and the last in the stern. The tubes were supplied with a total of 16 torpedoes. These weapons were 5.1 m (201 in) long and carried a 87.5 kg (193 lb) TNT warhead. They could be set at two speeds for different ranges. At 26 kn (14.2 m/s), the torpedoes had a range of 800 m (870 yd). At an increased speed of 32 kn (17.4 m/s), the range was reduced to 500 m (550 yb). One of the tubes was removed during the modernization.
Armor
Weißenburg and Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm were armored with nickel steel Krupp armourKrupp armour
Krupp armour was a type of steel armour used in the construction of capital ships starting shortly before the end of the 19th century. It was developed by Germany's Krupp Arms Works in 1893 and quickly replaced Harvey armour as the primary method of protecting naval ships.The initial manufacturing...
, but due to delivery problems, Brandenburg and Wörth were armored with a composite armor
Compound armour
Compound armour was a type of armour used on warships in the 1880s. By the end of the decade it had been rendered obsolete by nickel-steel armour.-Prior armours:...
. The composite armor was constructed by layering steel-clad wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
plates and wood planks, which was backed by two more layers of sheet iron. Krupp
Krupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
's nickel steel armor was based on the Harvey process
Harvey armor
Harvey armor was a type of steel armor developed in the early 1890s in which the front surfaces of the plates were case hardened. The method for doing this was known as the Harvey process....
, which enriched the upper layers of the steel with carbon. This type of armor produced greater strength with thinner armor belts, which enabled ships equipped with it to carry more complete protection. Some portions of Brandenburg did receive the new Krupp armor, including the barbette
Barbette
A barbette is a protective circular armour feature around a cannon or heavy artillery gun. The name comes from the French phrase en barbette referring to the practice of firing a field gun over a parapet rather than through an opening . The former gives better angles of fire but less protection...
s that held the fore and center main battery turrets. All four ships retained teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
backing to their armor belts.
The Brandenburgs had a 60 mm (2.4 in) thick armored deck. The forward conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
had 300 mm (11.8 in) thick sides and a 30 mm (1.2 in) thick roof. Above the waterline
Waterline
The term "waterline" generally refers to the line where the hull of a ship meets the water surface. It is also the name of a special marking, also known as the national Load Line or Plimsoll Line, to be positioned amidships, that indicates the draft of the ship and the legal limit to which a ship...
, the armored belt was 400 mm (15.7 in) in the central portion of the ship and tapered slightly to 300 mm fore and aft. Including the teak backing, the total thickness of the belt in the strongest area was 600 mm (23.6 in). Below the waterline, the armored belt was significantly thinner; the thickest section of the belt was 200 mm (7.9 in) thick, and tapered down to 180 mm (7.1 in) on either end of the belt. The ships' cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
s had 50 mm (2 in) thick roofs and sides that consisted of three 40 mm (1.6 in) thick layers, for a total of 120 mm (4.7 in). The barbettes were 300 mm thick and backed with 210 mm (8.3 in) of wood.
Construction
Ordered as battleship A,German warships were ordered under provisional names; new additions to the fleet were given letter designations, while those that were intended to replace older vessels were given "ErsatzErsatz
Ersatz means 'substituting for, and typically inferior in quality to', e.g. 'chicory is ersatz coffee'. It is a German word literally meaning substitute or replacement...
(name of the ship to be replaced)". Brandenburg was laid down at the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin in 1890. She was launched on 21 September 1891. Fitting out work, which included the installation of the ship's armament, lasted until 19 November 1893 when she was commissioned into the German navy. Wörth was ordered as battleship B, and was laid down at Germaniawerft in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
also in 1890. Initial work on the ship proceeded the slowest of all four vessels of the class; she wasn't launched until 6 August 1892. However, fitting out work proceeded quickly, and she was commissioned on 31 October 1893, the first ship of the class to enter active duty. Weißenburg, ordered as battleship "C", was also laid down at the AG Vulcan shipyard in 1890 and launched on 14 December 1891. She was the last ship of the class to enter active service, when she was commissioned on 5 June 1894. Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm was the fourth and final ship of the class. She was ordered as battleship D, and was laid down at the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven
Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven
Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven was a German shipbuilding company in Wilhelmshaven, Prussian Hanover. It was founded in 1853, first as Königliche Werft Wilhelmshaven but renamed in 1871 with the proclamation of the German Empire...
in 1890. She was the first ship of the class to be launched, on 30 June 1891. She was commissioned into the fleet the same day as her sister Brandenburg.
Shortly after the turn of the century, the ships were all taken into the drydocks at the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven for a major reconstruction. Wörth was the first to do so, starting in 1901. Weißenburg followed in 1902, Brandenburg in 1903, and Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm entered the shipyard in 1904. During the modernization, a second conning tower was added in the aft superstructure, along with a gangway. The ships had their boilers replaced with newer models, and also had the hamper amidships reduced. The modifications resulted in a weight decrease of between 500 MT (492.1 LT) and 700 MT (688.9 LT) depending on the ship.
Service history
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
. The expeditionary force consisted of the four Brandenburgs, six cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s, 10 freighters, three torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
s, and six regiments of marines, under the command of Marshal Alfred von Waldersee. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz
Alfred von Tirpitz
Alfred von Tirpitz was a German Admiral, Secretary of State of the German Imperial Naval Office, the powerful administrative branch of the German Imperial Navy from 1897 until 1916. Prussia never had a major navy, nor did the other German states before the German Empire was formed in 1871...
opposed the plan, which he saw as unnecessary and costly. The force arrived in China after the siege of
Battle of Peking
The Battle of Peking, or the Relief of Peking, was the battle on 14–15 August 1900 in which a multi-national force relieved the siege of foreign legations in Peking during the Boxer Rebellion...
Peking had already been lifted. As a result, the task force suppressed local uprisings around Kiaochow. In the end, the operation cost the German government more than 100 million marks.
After the Brandenburg-class ships emerged from their refit in 1905, they rejoined the active fleet. However, they were rapidly made obsolete by the launch of in 1906. As a result, their service careers were limited. On 12 September 1910, Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm and Weißenburg, the more advanced ships of the class, were sold to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and renamed Barbaros Hayreddin and Turgut Reis respectively. At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Brandenburg and Wörth were assigned to coastal defense duties, though this lasted only until 1915, when they were withdrawn from active service. That year, both ships were transferred to the role of barracks ships; Brandenburg was stationed in Libau
Liepaja
Liepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
while Wörth was in Danzig. It was intended to rebuild Brandenburg as a target ship, though this plan was eventually abandoned. Both Brandenburg and Wörth were struck from the naval register on 13 May 1919 and sold for scrapping. The two ships were purchased by Norddeutsche Tiefbauges, a shipbreaking firm headquartered in Berlin; the firm had Brandenburg towed to Danzig where she and her sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
were broken up for scrap.
On 8 August 1915, Barbaros Hayreddin was en route to support the Turkish defenses at the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
when she was sunk by the British submarine , with the loss of 253 men. On 19 January 1918, the battlecruiser and light cruiser left the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
to attack British ships. At 11:30, Goeben ran aground and was subjected to air attacks, which impeded salvage attempts. On 25 January, Turgut Reis arrived on the scene and towed the battlecruiser back to port. Turgut Reis survived the war and was used as a training ship in 1924. She was later used as a hulk
Hulk (ship)
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Although sometimes used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, the term most often refers to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed, retaining only its flotational qualities...
in the Bosporus
Bosporus
The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
, and eventually scrapped in 1938.