SMS Kaiser Karl der Große
Encyclopedia
SMS Kaiser Karl der Grosse (His Majesty's Ship "Karl the Great
") was a German pre-dreadnought
battleship
of the , built around the turn of the 20th Century for the German Imperial Navy
.In German, the ship's name was rendered with an eszett, as Kaiser Karl der Große. Most English-language sources replace the eszett. Kaiser Karl der Große was built in Hamburg
, at the Blohm and Voss
shipyard. She was laid down in September 1898, and completed in February 1902, at the cost of 20,385,000 Mark
s. The ship was armed with four 24 centimetres (9.4 in) guns in two twin gun turret
s and had a top speed of 17.5 knots (9.5 m/s).
Kaiser Karl der Große served with the active fleet until 1910, by which time the new "all-big-gun" dreadnought battleships were entering service. As the ship was completely obsolete, she was withdrawn from active service and placed in the Reserve Fleet. At the outbreak of World War I
in August 1914, the ship was placed back in active duty as a coastal defense ship, though by February 1915 she was again placed in reserve. Kaiser Karl der Große ended her career as a prison ship in Wilhelmshaven
. Following the German defeat in November 1918, the ship was sold to ship-breakers and scrapped in 1920.
in Hamburg
under construction number 136. She was ordered under the contract name "B" as a new ship of the fleet. The new battleship was launched on 18 October 1899 and commissioned on 4 February 1902.
The ship was 125.3 metre long overall and had a beam
of 20.4 metre and a draft
of 7.89 metre forward and 8.25 metre aft. The vessel was powered by three 3-cylinder vertical triple expansion engines that drove three screws. Steam was provided by four Marine-type and eight cylindrical coal-fired boilers. Kaiser Karl der Großes powerplant was rated at 13000 ihp, which generated a top speed of 17.5 knots (9.5 m/s).
The ship's armament consisted of a main battery of four 24 cm (9.4 in) SK L/40 guns in twin gun turret
s,In Imperial German Navy gun nomenclature, "SK" (Schnellfeuerkanone) denotes that the gun quick firing, while the L/40 denotes the length of the gun. In this case, the L/40 gun is 40 calibers, meaning that the gun is 40 as times long as it is in diameter. one fore and one aft of the central superstructure
. Her secondary armament consisted of eighteen 15 cm (5.9 inch) SK L/40 guns and twelve 8.8 cm (3.45 in) SK L/30 quick-firing guns. The armament suite was rounded out with six 45 cm torpedo tubes, all in above-water swivel mounts.
in the Baltic. Kaiser Karl der Große and several other battleships were then tasked with forcing an entry into the mouth of the Elbe River, where the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal and Hamburg
could be seized. The "hostile" flotilla accomplished these tasks within three days.
In 1903, the fleet, which was composed of only one squadron of battleships, was reorganized as the "Active Battle Fleet." Kaiser Karl der Große remained in the I Squadron along with her sisterships and the newest s, while the older ships were placed in reserve in order to be rebuilt.
In 1905 the fleet was rearranged; Kaiser Karl der Große and her sister remained in the I Squadron, while their sisters were moved to the II Squadron. The German Navy in 1905 consisted of four divisions of three battleships each, with two divisions per squadron. This was supported by a cruiser division, composed of two armored cruiser
s and six protected cruiser
s. In September 1906, Karl der Große and the rest of the fleet conducted major training maneuvers in the Baltic. During the exercises, the fleet traveled to Swinemünde to conduct a goodwill operation with the British Channel Fleet
, which was anchored in the port at the time.
In 1908, the ship was assigned to the II Division of the I Squadron of the High Seas Fleet
, along with three of her sister-ships. The ships of her class were rebuilt between 1908 and 1910, though Kaiser Karl der Grosse did not receive this treatment. However, in 1910, the new dreadnought battleships were beginning to come into service with the fleet. Thoroughly obsolete compared to the new "all-big-gun" battleships, Kaiser Karl der Große was then decommissioned and placed into reserve. By 1914, the ship had been assigned to the V Squadron of the Reserve Fleet, alongside her four sisterships and the battleship .
, signed on 28 June 1919, Germany was permitted to retain only six battleships of the " or Lothringen
types." On 6 December 1919, the ship was struck from the naval list and sold to ship-breakers. The following year, Kaiser Karl der Große was broken up for scrap metal in Rönnebeck.
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
") was a German pre-dreadnought
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...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
of the , built around the turn of the 20th Century for 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 German, the ship's name was rendered with an eszett, as Kaiser Karl der Große. Most English-language sources replace the eszett. Kaiser Karl der Große was built in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, at the Blohm and Voss
Blohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss , is a German shipbuilding and engineering works. It is a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; there were plans to sell 80% of Blohm + Voss to Abu Dhabi Mar Group, but talks collapsed in July 2011.-History:It was founded on April 5, 1877, by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss as a...
shipyard. She was laid down in September 1898, and completed in February 1902, at the cost of 20,385,000 Mark
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...
s. The ship was armed with four 24 centimetres (9.4 in) guns in two 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 and had a top speed of 17.5 knots (9.5 m/s).
Kaiser Karl der Große served with the active fleet until 1910, by which time the new "all-big-gun" dreadnought battleships were entering service. As the ship was completely obsolete, she was withdrawn from active service and placed in the Reserve Fleet. At the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in August 1914, the ship was placed back in active duty as a coastal defense ship, though by February 1915 she was again placed in reserve. Kaiser Karl der Große ended her career as a prison ship in Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
. Following the German defeat in November 1918, the ship was sold to ship-breakers and scrapped in 1920.
Construction
Kaiser Wilhelm II, the emperor of Germany, believed that a strong navy was necessary for the country to expand its influence outside of continental Europe. As a result, he initiated a program of naval expansion in the late 1880s; the first battleships built under this program were the four ships. These were immediately followed by the five s, of which Kaiser Karl der Große was a member. The ship's keel was laid in 1898 at the Blohm and VossBlohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss , is a German shipbuilding and engineering works. It is a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; there were plans to sell 80% of Blohm + Voss to Abu Dhabi Mar Group, but talks collapsed in July 2011.-History:It was founded on April 5, 1877, by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss as a...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
under construction number 136. She was ordered under the contract name "B" as a new ship of the fleet. The new battleship was launched on 18 October 1899 and commissioned on 4 February 1902.
The ship was 125.3 metre long overall and had a beam
Beam (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 20.4 metre and a draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
of 7.89 metre forward and 8.25 metre aft. The vessel was powered by three 3-cylinder vertical triple expansion engines that drove three screws. Steam was provided by four Marine-type and eight cylindrical coal-fired boilers. Kaiser Karl der Großes powerplant was rated at 13000 ihp, which generated a top speed of 17.5 knots (9.5 m/s).
The ship's armament consisted of a main battery of four 24 cm (9.4 in) SK L/40 guns in 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,In Imperial German Navy gun nomenclature, "SK" (Schnellfeuerkanone) denotes that the gun quick firing, while the L/40 denotes the length of the gun. In this case, the L/40 gun is 40 calibers, meaning that the gun is 40 as times long as it is in diameter. one fore and one aft of the central 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...
. Her secondary armament consisted of eighteen 15 cm (5.9 inch) SK L/40 guns and twelve 8.8 cm (3.45 in) SK L/30 quick-firing guns. The armament suite was rounded out with six 45 cm torpedo tubes, all in above-water swivel mounts.
Service history
Kaiser Karl der Große joined the German fleet in February 1902. On 31 August 1902, the fleet conducted the annual summer training maneuvers. Kaiser Karl der Große was assigned to the "hostile" force, as were several of her sister-ships. The "hostile" force was first tasked with preventing the "German" squadron from passing through the Great BeltGreat Belt
The Great Belt is a strait between the main Danish islands of Zealand and Funen . Effectively dividing Denmark in two, the Belt was served by the Great Belt ferries from the late 19th century until the islands were connected by the Great Belt Fixed Link in 1997–98.-Geography:The Great Belt is the...
in the Baltic. Kaiser Karl der Große and several other battleships were then tasked with forcing an entry into the mouth of the Elbe River, where the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal and Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
could be seized. The "hostile" flotilla accomplished these tasks within three days.
In 1903, the fleet, which was composed of only one squadron of battleships, was reorganized as the "Active Battle Fleet." Kaiser Karl der Große remained in the I Squadron along with her sisterships and the newest s, while the older ships were placed in reserve in order to be rebuilt.
In 1905 the fleet was rearranged; Kaiser Karl der Große and her sister remained in the I Squadron, while their sisters were moved to the II Squadron. The German Navy in 1905 consisted of four divisions of three battleships each, with two divisions per squadron. This was supported by a cruiser division, composed of two 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 six protected cruiser
Protected cruiser
The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...
s. In September 1906, Karl der Große and the rest of the fleet conducted major training maneuvers in the Baltic. During the exercises, the fleet traveled to Swinemünde to conduct a goodwill operation with the British Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
, which was anchored in the port at the time.
In 1908, the ship was assigned to the II Division of the I Squadron of 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...
, along with three of her sister-ships. The ships of her class were rebuilt between 1908 and 1910, though Kaiser Karl der Grosse did not receive this treatment. However, in 1910, the new dreadnought battleships were beginning to come into service with the fleet. Thoroughly obsolete compared to the new "all-big-gun" battleships, Kaiser Karl der Große was then decommissioned and placed into reserve. By 1914, the ship had been assigned to the V Squadron of the Reserve Fleet, alongside her four sisterships and the battleship .
World War I
At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, Kaiser Karl der Große and her sisters were brought back to actice service and mobilized as the V Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet. They were assigned to coastal defense in the Baltic, though they served in this capacity for a very short time. In February 1915, they were again withdrawn from service and placed in reserve. In 1916, Kaiser Karl der Große was employed as a prison ship in Wilhelmshaven. According to Article 181 of the Treaty of VersaillesTreaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
, signed on 28 June 1919, Germany was permitted to retain only six battleships of the " or Lothringen
Braunschweig class battleship
The Braunschweig class battleships were pre-dreadnought battleships of the Kaiserliche Marine . The class comprised five ships: , , , , and...
types." On 6 December 1919, the ship was struck from the naval list and sold to ship-breakers. The following year, Kaiser Karl der Große was broken up for scrap metal in Rönnebeck.