Kaiser class armored frigate
Encyclopedia
The Kaiser class of ironclad warship
s was a pair of vessels built for the German
Imperial Navy
in the early 1870s. The lead ship, , was laid down in 1871 and launched in 1874. was laid down in 1872 and launched in 1874; both ships were built by the Samuda Brothers
shipyard in London. They were the last German capital ship
s built by a foreign shipyard. Built as armored frigates, the ships were armed with a main battery of eight 26 cm (10.2 in) guns in a central armored battery and were capable of a top speed of 14 kn (7.6 m/s).
Both ships served with the fleet following their commissioning in 1875, though they spent a significant part of their career in reserve, as Germany maintained only a small number of ships on active duty for training cruises in the period. The ships were substantially rebuilt in the 1890s into armored cruiser
s and stationed in Asia for three years. Kaiser was the flagship
of Otto von Diederichs
's East Asia Squadron
during the seizure of the Kiautschou Bay concession in November 1897. Following their return to Germany in 1899–1900, the ships were used in several secondary roles, including as harbor and barracks ships. The ships were stricken from the naval register in 1906; Deutschland was used as a target ship before being sold for scrap in 1908, though Kaiser served on as a floating barracks until she too was sold in 1920.
; their construction was awarded to the Samuda Brothers
shipyard in London. The ships were the last German capital ship
s to be built abroad. All subsequent German capital ships were built by German shipbuilding firms. Kaiser and Deutschland were laid down in 1871 and 1872, respectively. Kaiser was launched on 19 March 1874 and commissioned into the fleet on 13 February 1875. Deutschland was launched on 12 September 1874 and joined her sister in the fleet on 20 July 1875.
, the vessels displaced 7654 metric tons (7,533.1 LT). When the vessels were fully loaded, they displaced 8940 MT (8,798.8 LT). Their hulls
were built with transverse bulkheads and double longitudinal iron frames; iron plating covered teak
backing. The ships had nine watertight compartments and a double bottom
that ran for 59 percent of the length of the hull.
The German navy regarded the ships as good sea boats, very sensitive to commands from the helm, and with a gentle motion. The ships had a moderate turning radius and were very stable. Their standard complement consisted of 32 officers and 568 enlisted men, and while serving as a squadron flagship, this could be augmented by an additional nine officers and 47 sailors. When serving as the second flagship, the crew was increased six officers and 35 enlisted men. After their reconstruction in the 1890s, the ships' crews were significantly increased, to 36 officers and 620 enlisted men. The size of the command staffs grew as well, to 11 officers and 57 enlisted for the squadron flagship and nine officers and 48 men for the second flagship. The ships carried a number of smaller boats, including one picket boat, two launches
, one pinnace, two cutters, two yawl
s, and two dinghies
.
The three ships were powered by one 2-cylinder single expansion engine
built by J. Penn & Sons of Greenwich
. The ships' engines drove a single four-bladed screw that was 6.86 m (22.5 ft) in diameter. The engines were supplied with steam by eight coal-fired trunk boilers
, which were also provided by J Penn & Sons. The eight boilers were trunked into two large, retractable funnels. They were also equipped with a full ship rig
with a total surface area of 1623 m² (1,941.1 sq yd). Three generators provided 30 kilowatts of electrical power. The ships' designed speed was 14 knots (7.6 m/s), at over 5600 ihp. The ships were designed to store 680 MT (669.3 LT) of coal, though Deutschland was modified to carry up to 880 MT (866.1 LT). Kaiser was able to steam for 2470 nautical miles (4,574.4 km) at a cruising speed of 10 kn (5.4 m/s), though due to her sigificantly greater fuel capacity, Deutschland could steam for 3200 nmi (5,926.4 km) at that speed. At maximum speed, the ships' ranges were reduced to 1115 nmi (2,065 km) and 1440 nmi (2,666.9 km), respectively.
. An L/20 gun is twenty calibers, meaning it is twenty times as long as it is wide in diameter. These guns were supplied with 768 rounds of ammunition. They could depress to −4° and elevate to 9°; this enabled a maximum range of 5200 m (17,060.4 ft). As built, the ships were also equipped with one 21 cm (8.3 in) L/22 gun. The 21 cm weapon had a maximum range of 5900 m (19,357 ft). Between 1891–1897, Kaiser and Deutschland were rebuilt and their armament was significantly altered. Kaiser was equipped with one 15 cm (5.9 in) L/30 gun, six 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/30 quick-firing guns, and nine 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 quick-firing guns, while eight 15 cm L/30 and eight 8.8 cm SK L/30 guns were installed on Deutschland. Four 3.7 cm (1.5 in) auto-cannon were added as well. Both ships also had five 35 cm (13.8 in) torpedo tube
s added: Deutschlands tubes were installed in the hull, underwater, while Kaisers tubes were placed above water. Both ships had a stock of 13 torpedo
es.
The ships' armor was made of wrought iron
and backed with teak
. The armored belt ranged in thickness from 127 to 254 mm (5 to 10 in) and was backed with 90 to 226 mm (3.5 to 8.9 in) of teak. Their decks were 38 millimetre thick. Kaisers conning tower
was protected with a 30 mm (1.2 in) thick roof and 50 mm (2 in) thick sides, while Deutschlands had a 30&nbps;mm thick roof and 100 mm (3.9 in) thick sloped side armor. The central battery, which housed the ships' main armament, was 203 mm (8 in) thick on the broadside and 178 mm (7 in) thick on the sloped ends. This was backed with 264 mm (10.4 in) and 192 mm (7.6 in) thick sections of teak, respectively.
in 1877 in response to unrest in the Ottoman Empire
related to the Russo-Turkish War; the violence threatened German citizens living there. The squadron, under the command of Rear Admiral Carl Ferdinand Batsch, steamed to the ports of Haifa
and Jaffa
in July 1877, but found no significant tensions ashore. Batsch then departed and cruised the Mediterranean for the remainder of the summer, returning to Germany in October.
Kaiser and Deutschland were placed in reserve following the cancellation of the 1878 maneuvers, and remained there for a decade, with the exception of the 1883 maneuvers. During the maneuvers, both ships' steam engines proved troublesome, and indeed forced a temporary halt to the training exercises when they simultaneously broke down. The two ships were reactivated in 1889 to participate in cruises following the coronation of Kaiser Wilhelm II. These included a state visit to Great Britain in August 1889 and a tour of the Mediterranean in the winter of 1889–1890.
Between 1891 and 1897, the two ships were heavily rebuilt as armored cruiser
s. They were significantly rearmed with a large number of medium and smaller caliber guns. Kaiser served in Asian waters from 1897 to 1899, while her sister was on the Asia station from 1898 to 1900. Admiral Otto von Diederichs
, then the commander of the East Asia Squadron
, used Kaiser for his flagship
. The ship was involved in the seizure of the Kiautschou Bay concession in November 1897 and subsequently deployed in protection German interests in the Philippines
during the Spanish-American War
in 1898.
Kaiser and Deutschland were reduced to harbor ships on 3 May 1904. Kaiser was renamed Uranus on 12 October 1905 and Deutschland became Jupiter on 22 November of that year. The ships were stricken from the naval register on 21 May 1906; Deutschland was used briefly as a target ship in 1907 while Kaiser was used as a barracks ship for in Flensburg
. The Kaiserliche Marine sold Deutschland in 1908 for 120,000 marks; she was broken up for scrap the following year in Hamburg-Moorburg. Kaiser was ultimately broken up in 1920 in Harburg
.
Ironclad warship
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire,...
s was a pair of vessels built for the German
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...
Imperial Navy
Kaiserliche 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...
in the early 1870s. The lead ship, , was laid down in 1871 and launched in 1874. was laid down in 1872 and launched in 1874; both ships were built by the Samuda Brothers
Samuda Brothers
Samuda Brothers was an engineering and ship building firm at Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs in London, founded by Jacob and Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda. The site is now occupied by Samuda Estate....
shipyard in London. They were the last German capital ship
Capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they generally possess the heaviest firepower and armor and are traditionally much larger than other naval vessels...
s built by a foreign shipyard. Built as armored frigates, the ships were armed with a main battery of eight 26 cm (10.2 in) guns in a central armored battery and were capable of a top speed of 14 kn (7.6 m/s).
Both ships served with the fleet following their commissioning in 1875, though they spent a significant part of their career in reserve, as Germany maintained only a small number of ships on active duty for training cruises in the period. The ships were substantially rebuilt in the 1890s into armored cruiser
Armored cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like other types of cruiser, the armored cruiser was a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship, and fast enough to outrun any battleships it encountered.The first...
s and stationed in Asia for three years. Kaiser was the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of Otto von Diederichs
Otto von Diederichs
Ernst Otto von Diederichs was an Admiral of the German Imperial Navy, serving in the predecessor Prussian Navy and the Navy of the North German Confederation.-Education, war and peace:Diederichs entered the Prussian...
's East Asia Squadron
German East Asia Squadron
The German East Asia Squadron was a German Navy cruiser squadron which operated mainly in the Pacific Ocean between the 1870s and 1914...
during the seizure of the Kiautschou Bay concession in November 1897. Following their return to Germany in 1899–1900, the ships were used in several secondary roles, including as harbor and barracks ships. The ships were stricken from the naval register in 1906; Deutschland was used as a target ship before being sold for scrap in 1908, though Kaiser served on as a floating barracks until she too was sold in 1920.
Design
The design for the Kaiser class was prepared in 1869 by Sir Edward ReedEdward James Reed
Sir Edward James Reed , KCB, FRS, was a British naval architect, author, politician, and railroad magnate. He was the Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy from 1863 until 1870...
; their construction was awarded to the Samuda Brothers
Samuda Brothers
Samuda Brothers was an engineering and ship building firm at Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs in London, founded by Jacob and Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda. The site is now occupied by Samuda Estate....
shipyard in London. The ships were the last German capital ship
Capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they generally possess the heaviest firepower and armor and are traditionally much larger than other naval vessels...
s to be built abroad. All subsequent German capital ships were built by German shipbuilding firms. Kaiser and Deutschland were laid down in 1871 and 1872, respectively. Kaiser was launched on 19 March 1874 and commissioned into the fleet on 13 February 1875. Deutschland was launched on 12 September 1874 and joined her sister in the fleet on 20 July 1875.
General characteristics
The ships of the Kaiser class were 88.5 m (290.4 ft) long at the waterline and 89.34 metres (293.1 ft) long overall. They had a beam of 19.1 m (62.7 ft) and a draft of 7.39 m (24.2 ft). At the designed displacementDisplacement (ship)
A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...
, the vessels displaced 7654 metric tons (7,533.1 LT). When the vessels were fully loaded, they displaced 8940 MT (8,798.8 LT). Their hulls
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
were built with transverse bulkheads and double longitudinal iron frames; iron plating covered 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. The ships had nine 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 59 percent of the length of the hull.
The German navy regarded the ships as good sea boats, very sensitive to commands from the helm, and with a gentle motion. The ships had a moderate turning radius and were very stable. Their standard complement consisted of 32 officers and 568 enlisted men, and while serving as a squadron flagship, this could be augmented by an additional nine officers and 47 sailors. When serving as the second flagship, the crew was increased six officers and 35 enlisted men. After their reconstruction in the 1890s, the ships' crews were significantly increased, to 36 officers and 620 enlisted men. The size of the command staffs grew as well, to 11 officers and 57 enlisted for the squadron flagship and nine officers and 48 men for the second flagship. The ships carried a number of smaller boats, including one picket boat, two launches
Launch (boat)
A launch in contemporary usage refers to a large motorboat. The name originally referred to the largest boat carried by a warship. The etymology of the word is given as Portuguese lancha "barge", from Malay lancha, lancharan, "boat," from lanchar "velocity without effort," "action of gliding...
, one pinnace, two cutters, two yawl
Yawl
A yawl is a two-masted sailing craft similar to a sloop or cutter but with an additional mast located well aft of the main mast, often right on the transom, specifically aft of the rudder post. A yawl (from Dutch Jol) is a two-masted sailing craft similar to a sloop or cutter but with an...
s, and two dinghies
Dinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel. It is a loanword from either Bengali or Urdu. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor,...
.
The three ships were powered by one 2-cylinder single expansion engine
Marine steam engine
A marine steam engine is a reciprocating steam engine that is used to power a ship or boat. Steam turbines and diesel engines largely replaced reciprocating steam engines in marine applications during the 20th century, so this article describes the more common types of marine steam engine in use...
built by J. Penn & Sons of Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
. The ships' engines drove a single four-bladed screw that was 6.86 m (22.5 ft) in diameter. The engines were supplied with steam by eight coal-fired trunk boilers
Boiler (steam generator)
A boiler or steam generator is a device used to create steam by applying heat energy to water. Although the definitions are somewhat flexible, it can be said that older steam generators were commonly termed boilers and worked at low to medium pressure but, at pressures above this, it is more...
, which were also provided by J Penn & Sons. The eight boilers were trunked into two large, retractable funnels. They were also equipped with a full ship rig
Full rigged ship
A full rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing vessel with three or more masts, all of them square rigged. A full rigged ship is said to have a ship rig....
with a total surface area of 1623 m² (1,941.1 sq yd). Three generators provided 30 kilowatts of electrical power. The ships' designed speed was 14 knots (7.6 m/s), at over 5600 ihp. The ships were designed to store 680 MT (669.3 LT) of coal, though Deutschland was modified to carry up to 880 MT (866.1 LT). Kaiser was able to steam for 2470 nautical miles (4,574.4 km) at a cruising speed of 10 kn (5.4 m/s), though due to her sigificantly greater fuel capacity, Deutschland could steam for 3200 nmi (5,926.4 km) at that speed. At maximum speed, the ships' ranges were reduced to 1115 nmi (2,065 km) and 1440 nmi (2,666.9 km), respectively.
Armament and armor
The Kaiser class ships were armed with eight 26 cm (10.2 in) L/20 guns mounted in a central armored battery amidships.L/20 denotes the length of the gun in terms of bore caliberCaliber (artillery)
In artillery, caliber or calibredifference in British English and American English spelling is the internal diameter of a gun barrel, or by extension a relative measure of the length....
. An L/20 gun is twenty calibers, meaning it is twenty times as long as it is wide in diameter. These guns were supplied with 768 rounds of ammunition. They could depress to −4° and elevate to 9°; this enabled a maximum range of 5200 m (17,060.4 ft). As built, the ships were also equipped with one 21 cm (8.3 in) L/22 gun. The 21 cm weapon had a maximum range of 5900 m (19,357 ft). Between 1891–1897, Kaiser and Deutschland were rebuilt and their armament was significantly altered. Kaiser was equipped with one 15 cm (5.9 in) L/30 gun, six 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/30 quick-firing guns, and nine 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 quick-firing guns, while eight 15 cm L/30 and eight 8.8 cm SK L/30 guns were installed on Deutschland. Four 3.7 cm (1.5 in) auto-cannon were added as well. Both ships also had five 35 cm (13.8 in) torpedo tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s added: Deutschlands tubes were installed in the hull, underwater, while Kaisers tubes were placed above water. Both ships had a stock of 13 torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es.
The ships' armor was made of 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...
and backed with 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...
. The armored belt ranged in thickness from 127 to 254 mm (5 to 10 in) and was backed with 90 to 226 mm (3.5 to 8.9 in) of teak. Their decks were 38 millimetre thick. Kaisers 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....
was protected with a 30 mm (1.2 in) thick roof and 50 mm (2 in) thick sides, while Deutschlands had a 30&nbps;mm thick roof and 100 mm (3.9 in) thick sloped side armor. The central battery, which housed the ships' main armament, was 203 mm (8 in) thick on the broadside and 178 mm (7 in) thick on the sloped ends. This was backed with 264 mm (10.4 in) and 192 mm (7.6 in) thick sections of teak, respectively.
Service history
After their commissioning in 1875, both ships served with the fleet. They formed half of a squadron sent to the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
in 1877 in response to unrest in 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...
related to the Russo-Turkish War; the violence threatened German citizens living there. The squadron, under the command of Rear Admiral Carl Ferdinand Batsch, steamed to the ports of Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
and Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
in July 1877, but found no significant tensions ashore. Batsch then departed and cruised the Mediterranean for the remainder of the summer, returning to Germany in October.
Between 1891 and 1897, the two ships were heavily rebuilt as armored cruiser
Armored cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like other types of cruiser, the armored cruiser was a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship, and fast enough to outrun any battleships it encountered.The first...
s. They were significantly rearmed with a large number of medium and smaller caliber guns. Kaiser served in Asian waters from 1897 to 1899, while her sister was on the Asia station from 1898 to 1900. Admiral Otto von Diederichs
Otto von Diederichs
Ernst Otto von Diederichs was an Admiral of the German Imperial Navy, serving in the predecessor Prussian Navy and the Navy of the North German Confederation.-Education, war and peace:Diederichs entered the Prussian...
, then the commander of the East Asia Squadron
German East Asia Squadron
The German East Asia Squadron was a German Navy cruiser squadron which operated mainly in the Pacific Ocean between the 1870s and 1914...
, used Kaiser for his flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
. The ship was involved in the seizure of the Kiautschou Bay concession in November 1897 and subsequently deployed in protection German interests in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
in 1898.
Kaiser and Deutschland were reduced to harbor ships on 3 May 1904. Kaiser was renamed Uranus on 12 October 1905 and Deutschland became Jupiter on 22 November of that year. The ships were stricken from the naval register on 21 May 1906; Deutschland was used briefly as a target ship in 1907 while Kaiser was used as a barracks ship for in Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
. The Kaiserliche Marine sold Deutschland in 1908 for 120,000 marks; she was broken up for scrap the following year in Hamburg-Moorburg. Kaiser was ultimately broken up in 1920 in Harburg
Harburg
Harburg is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It takes its name from the town of Harburg upon Elbe, which used to be the capital of the district but is now part of Hamburg...
.