Preussen-class ironclad

in 1887

The class of ironclad turret ships was a class of three ships built for the German Imperial Navy in the early 1870s. The lead ship, , was laid down in 1871 and launched in 1873. also was laid down in 1871 and launched in 1874. , although the first to be laid down, in 1869, was the last to be completed, launched in 1875. The ships served in the fleet starting in 1876, when was commissioned.

was lost in 1878 during maneuvers shortly after her commissioning, when a pair of small sailing boats crossed the bows of and , which caused both ships to undertake emergency maneuvers. In the confusion, collided with , causing the latter to sink. Both and served in the fleet until the 1890s, when they were relegated to secondary duties, including serving as harbor ships, and later as coal hulks. The ships were eventually scrapped following the end of World War I, in 1919 and 1920, respectively.

Design

File:HMS Monarch diagrams Brasseys 1888.jpg

Plan and profile drawing of , which strongly influenced the design

In 1867, the new North German (Imperial Diet) approved a fleet plan that called for a fleet of sixteen ironclad warships (along with a number of other warships) by 1877. The ironclad fleet was intended to serve as a coastal defense force to prevent another blockade of German ports as had been conducted by the Danish Navy during the Second Schleswig War in 1864. By 1867, the Germans had acquired a pair of small ironclads— and —and ordered three larger armored frigates—, , and . All of these vessels were purchased from foreign shipbuilders, and in 1868 the first German-built warship, , was laid down. She was followed immediately by the class, which were to be the first uniform class of warships for the fleet.Template:Sfn

The design for the class was prepared in 1868 under the direction of the (Admiralty Council) by the chief designer, Carl Elbertzhagen.Template:Sfn He had intended to build a casemate ship modeled on the Austro-Hungarian ironclad , which eschewed the traditional broadside arrangement for a smaller number of larger-caliber guns in a two-story casemate that was more flexible than a broadside battery. The first vessel, , was laid down according to this design, but while work was ongoing in 1869, Elbertzhagen redrafted the plan, creating a turret ship that mounted a pair of revolving twin-gun turrets of the type designed by Cowper Coles. The new vessel followed the same pattern as the British ironclad . Since the heavy turrets had to be mounted relatively low to prevent instability, a low freeboard was necessary, which reduced seakeeping. To remedy this deficiency, Elbertzhagen incorporated a built-up forecastle and sterncastle, with hinged bulwarks that could be raised while the ship was underway and lowered to employ the guns. The reworking of the design caused significant delays in construction of .Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

General characteristics

File:Preussen class ironclad.png

Profile drawing of a -class ironclad

The ships of the class were long at the waterline and long overall. They had a beam of and a draft of forward and aft. As designed, the vessels displaced . When the vessels were fully loaded, they displaced . Their hulls were built with transverse and longitudinal iron frames; iron plating covered teak backing. The ships had twelve watertight compartments and a double bottom that ran for 60 percent of the length of the hull.Template:Sfn

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 tight turning radius, but were crank and slow while under sail. Their standard complement consisted of 46 officers and 454 enlisted men. The ships carried a number of smaller boats, including one picket boat, two launches, one pinnace, two cutters, two yawls, and two dinghies.Template:Sfn

The three ships were powered by one 3-cylinder single expansion engine; Template:'s engine was built by AG Vulcan, while and were equipped with engines manufactured by F A Egells of Berlin. The ships' engines drove a single four-bladed screw that was in diameter. The engines were supplied with steam by six coal-fired transverse trunk boilers, which were provided by the Imperial Dockyard in Wilhelmshaven. The six boilers were trunked into a single large, retractable funnel amidships. She was also equipped with a full ship rig. Three generators provided 30 kilowatts of electrical power.Template:Sfn The ships' top speed was , at . The ships were capable of storing of coal; this enabled the ships to steam for at a cruising speed of .Template:Sfn

Armament and armor

File:SMS Grosser Kurfurst under sail.png

SMS under sail before her loss

The class ships were armed with a main battery of four 26 cm RK L/22 guns. These were originally built with a caliber. When it became known that shallower grooves (see rifling) were better, the existing gun barrels were bored up. Therefore, the actual caliber became . These four guns were mounted in a pair of steam-powered twin-gun turrets placed amidships. The turrets were mounted on what would have been the battery deck. These guns were supplied with 400 rounds of ammunition. They could depress to −3° and elevate to 11°; this enabled a maximum range of .Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Since the fore and sterncastles blocked fire directly ahead or astern, the ships were also equipped with two [[17 cm RK L/25|Template:Cvt RK L/25]] chase guns, one on either end of the vessel. Two hundred rounds of ammunition were supplied to these guns. As with the 26 cm guns, the 17 cm weapons could elevate to 11° for a maximum range of 5,000 m.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Between 1889 and 1891, and were rebuilt and their armament was significantly augmented. Six and later ten SK L/30 quick-firing guns were installed, supplied with up to 2,500 rounds of ammunition. Two auto-cannons were added as well. Both ships also had five torpedo tubes added: Template:'s tubes were installed in the hull, underwater, while Template:'s tubes were placed above water. Both ships had a stock of 13 torpedoes.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

The ships' armor was made of wrought iron and backed with teak. The armored belt was arrayed in two strakes. The upper strake was thick; the lower strake ranged in thickness from . Both were backed with of teak. Their forward conning towers were protected with thick sides and thick slopes. The gun turrets had thick roofs and curved sides varying in thickness between backed with thick teak; the thicker armor was located on the fronts of the turrets, where they would be more likely to suffer hits, while the sides and rears received thinner protection.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Construction

File:Die Gartenlaube (1874) b 715.jpg

under construction in 1874

was laid down first in 1869, followed by the other two members of the class in 1871. and were built by the recently established (and thus inexperienced) imperial shipyards; the former by the in Wilhelmshaven and the latter by the in Kiel. was instead ordered from the private AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin. Though begun two years before her sister ships, was completed last, owing to a combination of redesigning the ship after work began and the inexperience of the imperial dockyards. She was under construction for ten years, compared to eight for and just six for .Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Ship Name	BuilderTemplate:Sfn	Laid DownTemplate:Sfn	LaunchedTemplate:Sfn	CommissionedTemplate:Sfn
	, Wilhelmshaven	1869	17 September 1875	6 May 1878
	AG Vulcan, Stettin	1871	22 November 1873	4 July 1876
	, Kiel	1871	20 September 1874	22 November 1877

Service history

File:SMS Grosser Kurfurst sinking.png

sinking in the English Channel

After her commissioning in July 1876, served with the fleet.Template:Sfn She joined a squadron sent to the Mediterranean Sea 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.Template:Sfn

By May 1878, all three -class ships were ready for the annual summer maneuvers of the armored squadron. The three ships were joined by the large armored frigate , and operated under the command of Rear Admiral Batsch. missed the maneuvers after running aground off Nyborg, leaving Batsch just three vessels. While steaming in the English Channel on 31 May, accidentally rammed ;Template:Sfn the latter quickly sank with the loss of between 269 and 284 men.Template:Efn Her loss spurred a series of investigations into the circumstances of the collision, which ultimately resulted in the acquittal of both Batsch, the squadron commander, and Count Alexander von Monts, the captain of . Political infighting over the affair led to ouster of Rear Admiral Reinhold von Werner from the navy.Template:Sfn

and remained in the armored squadron for the training cruises starting in 1879 through 1883, when they were put into reserve and replaced by newer vessels, including the four s.Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn The two ships resumed their duties in the training cycles into the early 1890s. Although was withdrawn from active service in 1891, continued to serve until the end of 1894.Template:Sfn Upon leaving active duty, both ships were used in secondary roles as harbor ships and later as coal hulks for torpedo boats. They were both ultimately sold for scrapping in 1919 following the end of World War I. Both vessels were broken up by 1920.Template:Sfn