SMS König

Template:Infobox ship imageTemplate:Infobox ship careerTemplate:Infobox ship characteristics

SMS Template:Efn was the first of four Template:Sclass dreadnought battleships of the Imperial German Navy () during World War I. (Template:Langx) was named in honor of King William II of Württemberg. The battleship was armed with ten Template:Convert guns in five twin turrets and could steam at a top speed of Template:Convert. Laid down in October 1911, the ship was launched on 1 March 1913. The construction of was completed shortly after the outbreak of World War I; she was commissioned into the High Seas Fleet on 9 August 1914.

Along with her three sister ships, Template:SMS, Template:SMS, and Template:SMS, took part in most of the fleet actions during the war. As the leading ship in the German line on 31 May 1916 in the Battle of Jutland, was heavily engaged by several British battleships and suffered ten large-caliber shell hits. In October 1917, she forced the Russian pre-dreadnought battleship to scuttle herself in the Battle of Moon Sound, which followed Germany's successful Operation Albion.

was interned, along with the majority of the High Seas Fleet, at Scapa Flow in November 1918 following the Armistice. On 21 June 1919, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter gave the order to scuttle the fleet, including , while the British guard ships were out of the harbor on exercises. Unlike most of the scuttled ships, was never raised for scrapping; the wreck is still on the bottom of the bay.

Design

Schematics for this type of battleship; the ships mount five gun turrets, two forward, one in the center between two smoke stacks, and two aft

Plan and elevation view of a ship of the class, from Jane's Fighting Ships 1919

The four Template:Sclasss were ordered as part of the Anglo-German naval arms race; they were the fourth generation of German dreadnought battleships, and they were built in response to the British Template:Sclass that had been ordered in 1909.Template:Sfn The s represented a development of the earlier Template:Sclass, with the primary improvement being a more efficient arrangement of the main battery. The ships had also been intended to use a diesel engine on the center propeller shaft to increase their cruising range, but development of the diesels proved to be more complicated than expected, so an all-steam turbine powerplant was retained.Template:Sfn

displaced Template:Cvt as built and Template:Cvt fully loaded, with a length of Template:Cvt, a beam of Template:Cvt and a draft of Template:Cvt. She was powered by three Parsons steam turbines, with steam provided by three oil-fired and twelve coal-fired Schulz-Thornycroft water-tube boilers, which developed a total of Template:Convert and yielded a maximum speed of Template:Convert. The ship had a range of Template:Convert at a cruising speed of Template:Convert. Her crew numbered 41 officers and 1,095 enlisted men.Template:Sfn

She was armed with ten [[30.5 cm SK L/50 gun|Template:Cvt SK L/50 guns]] arranged in five twin gun turrets:Template:Efn two superfiring turrets each fore and aft and one turret amidships between the two funnels.Template:Sfn was the first German battleship to mount all of her main battery artillery on the centerline. Like the earlier -class battleships, could bring all of her main guns to bear on either side, but the newer vessel enjoyed a wider arc of fire due to the all-centerline arrangement.Template:Sfn Her secondary armament consisted of fourteen [[15 cm SK L/45|Template:Cvt SK L/45 quick-firing guns]] and six [[8.8 cm SK L/45 naval gun|Template:Cvt SK L/45 quick-firing guns]], all mounted singly in casemates. As was customary for capital ships of the period, she was also armed with five Template:Cvt underwater torpedo tubes, one in the bow and two on each beam.Template:Sfn

The ship's armored belt consisted of Krupp cemented steel that was Template:Cvt thick in the central citadel that protected the propulsion machinery spaces and the ammunition magazines, and was reduced to Template:Cvt forward and Template:Cvt aft. In the central portion of the ship, horizontal protection consisted of a Template:Cvt deck, which was reduced to Template:Cvt on the bow and stern. The main battery turrets had Template:Cvt of armor plate on the sides and Template:Cvt on the roofs, while the casemate guns had Template:Cvt of armor protection. The sides of the forward conning tower were also 30 cm thick.Template:Sfn

Service

was ordered under the provisional name "S" and built at the Kaiserliche Werft dockyards in Wilhelmshaven, under construction number 33.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn Her keel was laid down in October 1911 and she was launched on 1 March 1913 by the King's cousin, Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg.Template:Sfn Fitting-out work was completed by 9 August 1914, the day she was commissioned into the High Seas Fleet.Template:Sfn Directly after commissioning, conducted sea trials, which were completed by 23 November 1914.Template:Sfn Her crew consisted of 41 officers and 1,095 enlisted men.Template:Sfn Afterward, the ship was attached to V Division of III Battle Squadron of the German High Seas Fleet, where she would later be joined by her sister ships.Template:Sfn On 9 December, ran aground in the Wilhelmshaven roadstead. Her sister ship , following right behind, rammed her stern and caused some minor damage. was then freed from the bottom and taken back to Wilhelmshaven; repair work lasted until 2 January 1915.Template:Sfn

Operations in the North Sea

A large battleship sits motionless, black smoke billows from its funnels

Recognition drawing of SMS prepared by the Royal Navy

took part in several fleet sorties in support of Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper's battlecruisers of I Scouting Group; however, due to her grounding outside Wilhelmshaven,Template:Sfn the ship missed the first operation of these battlecruisers on the night of 15/16 December 1914, when they were tasked with bombarding the English coast to lure out a portion of the British Grand Fleet to the waiting German fleet.Template:Sfn On 22 January 1915, and the rest of III Squadron were detached from the fleet to conduct maneuver, gunnery, and torpedo training in the Baltic. They returned to the North Sea on 11 February, too late to assist I Scouting Group at the Battle of Dogger Bank.Template:Sfn

then took part in several sorties into the North Sea. On 29 March, the ship led the fleet out to Terschelling. Three weeks later, on 17–18 April, she supported an operation in which the light cruisers of II Scouting Group laid mines off the Swarte Bank. Another fleet advance occurred on 22 April, again with in the lead. On 23 April, III Squadron returned to the Baltic for another round of exercises lasting until 10 May. Another minelaying operation was conducted by II Scouting Group on 17 May, with the battleship again in support.Template:Sfn

participated in a fleet advance into the North Sea which ended without combat from 29 until 31 May. She was then briefly assigned to picket duty in the German defensive belt. The ship again ran aground on 6 July, though damage was minimal. The ship supported a minelaying operation on 11–12 September off Texel. Another fleet advance followed on 23–24 October; after returning, went into drydock for maintenance, rejoining the fleet by 4 November.Template:Sfn The ship was then sent back to the Baltic for more training on 5–20 December. On the return voyage, she was slightly damaged after grounding in the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal during a snow storm.Template:Sfn was in the Baltic on 17 January 1916 for further training, then on 24 January returned to the North Sea. Two fleet advances followed on 5–6 March and 21–22 April.Template:Sfn

was available on 24 April 1916 to support a raid on the English coast, again as support for the German battlecruiser force in I Scouting Group. The battlecruisers left the Jade Estuary at 10:55, and the rest of the High Seas Fleet followed at 13:40. The battlecruiser Template:SMS struck a mine while en route to the target, and had to withdraw.Template:Sfn The other battlecruisers bombarded the town of Lowestoft unopposed, but during the approach to Yarmouth, they encountered the British cruisers of the Harwich Force. A short artillery duel ensued before the Harwich Force withdrew. Reports of British submarines in the area prompted the retreat of I Scouting Group. At this point, Admiral Reinhard Scheer, who had been warned of the sortie of the Grand Fleet from its base at Scapa Flow, also withdrew to safer German waters.Template:Sfn then went to the Baltic for another round of exercises, including torpedo drills off Mecklenburg.Template:Sfn

Battle of Jutland

File:Map of the Battle of Jutland, 1916.svg

Maps showing the maneuvers of the British (blue) and German (red) fleets on 31 May – 1 June 1916

was present during the fleet operation that resulted in the battle of Jutland which took place on 31 May and 1 June 1916. The German fleet again sought to draw out and isolate a portion of the Grand Fleet and destroy it before the main British fleet could retaliate. , followed by her sisters , , and , made up V Division of III Battle Squadron, and they were the vanguard of the fleet. III Battle Squadron was the first of three battleship units; directly astern were the -class battleships of VI Division, III Battle Squadron. Directly astern of the -class ships were the Template:Sclass and Template:Sclasses of I Battle Squadron; in the rear guard were the obsolescent Template:Sclass pre-dreadnoughts of II Battle Squadron.Template:Sfn

Shortly before 16:00 CET,Template:Efn the battlecruisers of I Scouting Group encountered the British 1st Battlecruiser Squadron under the command of David Beatty. The opposing ships began an artillery duel that saw the destruction of Template:HMS, shortly after 17:00,Template:Sfn and Template:HMS, less than half an hour later.Template:Sfn By this time, the German battlecruisers were steaming south to draw the British ships toward the main body of the High Seas Fleet. At 17:30, Template:'s crew spotted both I Scouting Group and the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron approaching. The German battlecruisers were steaming to starboard, while the British ships steamed to port. At 17:45, Scheer ordered a two-point turn to port to bring his ships closer to the British battlecruisers, and a minute later at 17:46, the order to open fire was given.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn

, , and were the first to reach effective gunnery range; they engaged the battlecruisers Template:HMS, Template:HMS, and Template:HMS, respectively, at a range of 21,000 yards.Template:Sfn Template:'s first salvos fell short of her target, and so she shifted her fire to the nearer Tiger. Simultaneously, and her sisters began firing on the destroyers Template:HMS and Template:HMS with their secondary battery.Template:Sfn The two destroyers closed in on the German line, and after having endured a hail of gunfire, maneuvered into a good firing position. Each ship launched two torpedoes apiece at and , although all four weapons missed. In return, a secondary battery shell from one of the battleships hit Nestor and wrecked her engine room. The ship, along with the destroyer Template:HMS, was crippled and lying directly in the path of the advancing German line. Both of the destroyers were sunk, and German torpedo boats stopped to pick up survivors.Template:Sfn At around 18:00, and her three sister ships shifted their fire to the approaching Template:Sclasss of 5th Battle Squadron. initially engaged Template:HMS until that ship was out of range, then shifted to Template:HMS. However, the faster British battleships were able to move out of effective gunnery range quickly.Template:Sfn

File:Konig-class battleship at Jutland, Claus Bergen.jpg

Painting of a -class ship under fire at Jutland by Claus Bergen

Shortly after 19:00, the German cruiser Template:SMS had become disabled by a shell from the British battlecruiser Template:HMS; Rear Admiral Paul Behncke in attempted to maneuver his four ships to cover the stricken cruiser.Template:Sfn Simultaneously, the British III and IV Light Cruiser Squadrons began a torpedo attack on the German line; while advancing to torpedo range, they smothered with fire from their main guns. and her sisters fired heavily on the British cruisers, but even sustained fire from the battleships' main guns failed to drive off the British cruisers.Template:Sfn In the ensuing melee, the British armored cruiser Template:HMS was struck by several heavy caliber shells from the German dreadnoughts. One salvo penetrated the ship's ammunition magazines and, in a massive explosion, destroyed the cruiser.Template:Sfn

Shortly after 19:20, again entered gunnery range of the battleship Template:HMS and opened fire on her target. She was joined by the dreadnoughts Template:SMS, Template:SMS, Template:SMS, and Template:SMS. However, rapidly lost sight of Warspite, as she had been in the process of turning east-northeast.Template:Sfn Nearly simultaneously, British light cruisers and destroyers attempted to make a torpedo attack against the leading ships of the German line, including . Shortly thereafter, the main British line came into range of the German fleet; at 19:30 the British battleships opened fire on both the German battlecruiser force and the -class ships. came under especially heavy fire during this period. In the span of 5 minutes, Template:HMS fired 9 salvos at from a range of 12,000 yards; only one shell hit the ship. The 13.5-inch shell struck the forward conning tower but instead of penetrating, the shell ricocheted off and detonated some 50 yards past the ship. Rear Admiral Behncke was injured, though he remained in command of the ship. The ship was then obscured by smoke that granted a temporary reprieve.Template:Sfn

File:Konig-class battleship at Jutland, Claus Bergen 2.jpg

A -class battleship firing her main guns at Jutland, by Claus Bergen

By 20:00, the German line was ordered to turn westward to disengage from the British fleet. , at the head, completed her turn and then reduced speed to allow the vessels behind her to return to formation. Shortly thereafter, four British light cruisers resumed the attacks on the crippled ; the leading German battleships, including , opened fire on the cruisers in an attempt to drive them off.Template:Sfn The pursuing British battleships had by this time turned further south and nearly managed to "cross the T" of the German line. To rectify this situation, Admiral Scheer ordered a 16-point turn south and sent Hipper's battlecruisers on a charge toward the British fleet.Template:Sfn During the turn, was struck by a 13.5-inch shell from Iron Duke; the shell hit the ship just aft of the rearmost gun turret. suffered significant structural damage, and several rooms were filled with smoke. During the turn to starboard, Vice Admiral Schmidt, the commander of I Battle Squadron, decided to turn his ships immediately, instead of following the leading ships in succession. This caused a great deal of confusion, and nearly resulted in several collisions. As a result, many of the German battleships were forced to drastically reduce speed, which put the entire fleet in great danger.Template:Sfn In an attempt to mitigate the predicament, turned to port and laid a smokescreen between the German and British lines.Template:Sfn

During the battle, suffered significant damage. A heavy shell penetrated the main armored deck toward the bow. Another shell hit the armored bulkhead at the corner and shoved it back five feet, breaking off a large piece from the armor plate in the process. Shell splinters from another hit penetrated several of the casemates that held the 15 cm secondary guns, two of which were disabled. The ammunition stores for these two guns were set on fire and the magazines had to be flooded to prevent an explosion. The ship nevertheless remained combat effective, as her primary battery remained in operation, as did most of her secondary guns; could also steam at close to her maximum speed. Other areas of the ship had to be counter-flooded to maintain stability; 1,600 tons of water entered the ship, either as a result of battle damage or counter-flooding efforts.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The flooding rendered the battleship sufficiently low in the water to prevent the ship from being able to cross the Amrum Bank until 09:30 on 1 June.Template:Sfn was taken to Kiel for initial repairs, as that was the only location that had a floating dry dock large enough to fit the ship. Repairs were conducted there from 4 to 18 June, at which point the ship was transferred to the Howaldtswerke shipyard. was again ready to join the fleet by 21 July.Template:Sfn In the course of the battle, she suffered 45 men killed and 27 wounded, the highest tally for any surviving battleship in the German fleet.Template:Sfn

Subsequent operations

Following completion of repairs, was again detached to the Baltic for training, from the end of July until early August. was back in the North Sea on 5 August. A major fleet sortie occurred on 18–20 August, with again in the lead.Template:Sfn I Scouting Group was to bombard the coastal town of Sunderland, in an attempt to draw out and destroy Beatty's battlecruisers. However, as Template:SMS and Template:SMS were the only battlecruisers in fighting condition, the new battleship Template:SMS and two of Template:'s sisters, and , were temporarily assigned to I Scouting Group. Admiral Scheer and the rest of the High Seas Fleet would trail behind providing cover.Template:Sfn The British were aware of the German plans and sortied the Grand Fleet to meet them, leading to the inconclusive action of 19 August 1916. By 14:35, Scheer had been warned of the Grand Fleet's approach and, unwilling to engage the whole of the Grand Fleet just 11 weeks after the decidedly close call at Jutland, turned his forces around and retreated to German ports.Template:Sfn

remained in port until 21 October, when the ship was again sent to the Baltic for training. The ship returned to the fleet on 3 November. and the rest of III Squadron then steamed out to Horns Reef on 5–6 November. was then assigned various tasks, including guard duty in the German Bight and convoy escort in the Baltic. 1917 saw several training missions in the Baltic during 22 February – 4 March; 14–22 March and 17 May – 9 June. then went into Wilhelmshaven for maintenance on 16 June. The installation of a new heavy foremast and other work lasted until 21 July. On 10 September, again went into the Baltic for training maneuvers.Template:Sfn

Operation Albion

In early September 1917, following the German conquest of the Russian port of Riga, the German navy decided to eliminate the Russian naval forces that still held the Gulf of Riga. The (the Navy High Command) planned an operation to seize the Baltic island of , and specifically the Russian gun batteries on the Sworbe Peninsula.Template:Sfn On 18 September, the order was issued for a joint operation with the army to capture and Moon Islands; the primary naval component was to comprise the flagship, , along with III Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet. V Division included the four -class ships, and was by this time augmented with the new battleship . VI Division consisted of the five -class battleships. Along with 9 light cruisers, 3 torpedo boat flotillas, and dozens of mine warfare ships, the entire force numbered some 300 ships, supported by over 100 aircraft and 6 zeppelins. The invasion force amounted to approximately 24,600 officers and enlisted men.Template:Sfn Opposing the Germans were the old Russian pre-dreadnoughts and , the armored cruisers , , and , 26 destroyers, and several torpedo boats and gunboats. The garrison on numbered some 14,000 men.Template:Sfn

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1970-074-34, Besetzung der Insel Ösel, Truppenanlandung.jpg

German troops landing at

departed Kiel on 23 September for Putziger Wiek, where the ship remained until 10 October.Template:Sfn The operation began on 12 October; at 03:00 anchored off in Tagga Bay and disembarked soldiers. By 05:50, opened fire on Russian coastal artillery emplacements,Template:Sfn joined by , , and the other three -class ships. Simultaneously, the -class ships engaged the batteries on the Sworbe peninsula; the objective was to secure the channel between Moon and Dagö islands, which would block the only escape route of the Russian ships in the Gulf. Both and struck mines while maneuvering into their bombardment positions, with minimal damage to the former. was severely wounded, and had to be withdrawn to Kiel for repairs.Template:Sfn At 17:30, departed the area to refuel; she returned to the Irben Strait on 15 October.Template:Sfn

On 16 October, it was decided to detach a portion of the invasion flotilla to clear the Russian naval forces in Moon Sound; these included the two Russian pre-dreadnoughts. To this end, and , along with the cruisers Template:SMS and Template:SMS and a number of smaller vessels, were sent to engage the Russian battleships, leading to the Battle of Moon Sound. They arrived by the morning of 17 October, but a deep Russian minefield thwarted their progress. The Germans were surprised to discover that the 30.5 cm guns of the Russian battleships out-ranged their own 30.5 cm guns.Template:Efn The Russian ships managed to keep the distance wide enough to prevent the German battleships from being able to return fire, while still firing effectively on the German ships, and the Germans had to take several evasive maneuvers to avoid the Russian shells. However, by 10:00, the minesweepers had cleared a path through the minefield, and and dashed into the bay. By 10:13, was in range of and quickly opened fire. Meanwhile, fired on both and the cruiser . The Russian vessels were hit dozens of times, until at 10:30 the Russian naval commander, Admiral Bakhirev, ordered their withdrawal.Template:Sfn had hit seven times; the damage inflicted prevented her from escaping to the north.Template:Sfn Instead, she was scuttled and her crew was evacuated on a destroyer.Template:Sfn In the course of the engagement, struck the cruiser once. Following the engagement, fired on shore batteries on Woi and Werder.Template:Sfn

On 20 October, was towed by mine sweepers into the Kuiwast roadstead.Template:Sfn transferred soldiers to the island of Schildau, which was then occupied.Template:Sfn By that time, the fighting on the islands was winding down; Moon, Ösel, and Dagö were in German possession. The previous day, the had ordered the cessation of naval actions and the return of the dreadnoughts to the High Seas Fleet as soon as possible.Template:Sfn On the return voyage, struck bottom in a heavy swell. The ship was repaired in Kiel; the work lasted until 17 November.Template:Sfn

Final operations

Following Template:'s return from the Baltic, the ship was tasked with guard duties in the North Sea and with providing support for minesweepers. returned to the Baltic on 22 December for further training, which lasted until 8 January 1918. Another round of exercises was conducted from 23 February to 11 March. On 20 April steamed out to assist a German patrol that was engaged with British forces. The ship was part of the force that steamed to Norway to intercept a heavily escorted British convoy on 23–25 April, though the operation was canceled when the battlecruiser suffered mechanical damage. was briefly grounded in the northern harbor of the island of Helgoland on 30 May. Two months later, on 31 July, and the rest of III Squadron covered a minesweeping unit in the North Sea. The ship then went to the Baltic for training on 7–18 August, after which returned to the North Sea. conducted her last exercise in the Baltic starting on 28 September; the maneuvers lasted until 1 October.Template:Sfn

was to have taken part in a final fleet action days before the Armistice, an operation which envisioned the bulk of the High Seas Fleet sortieing from their base in Wilhelmshaven to engage the British Grand Fleet. To retain a better bargaining position for Germany, Admirals Hipper and Scheer intended to inflict as much damage as possible on the British navy, whatever the cost to the fleet.Template:Sfn On 29 October 1918, the order was given to depart from Wilhelmshaven to consolidate the fleet in the Jade roadstead, with the intention of departing the following morning. However, starting on the night of 29 October, sailors on mutinied.Template:Sfn The unrest spread to other battleships, including .Template:Sfn The operation was ultimately canceled; in an attempt to suppress the mutiny, Admiral Scheer ordered the fleet be dispersed.Template:Sfn and the rest of III Squadron were sent to Kiel. During the subsequent mutiny, Template:'s captain was wounded three times, and both her first officer and adjutant were killed.Template:Sfn

Fate

A map designating the locations where the German ships were sunk.

Map of the scuttled ships showing (#7)

Following the capitulation of Germany in November 1918, most of the High Seas Fleet, under the command of Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, were interned in the British naval base at Scapa Flow.Template:Sfn Prior to the departure of the German fleet, Admiral Adolf von Trotha made clear to Reuter that he could not allow the Allies to seize the ships, under any conditions.Template:Sfn The fleet rendezvoused with the British light cruiser Template:HMS, which led the ships to the Allied fleet that was to escort the Germans to Scapa Flow. The massive flotilla consisted of some 370 British, American, and French warships.Template:Sfn Once the ships were interned, their guns were disabled through the removal of their breech blocks.Template:Sfn

The fleet remained in captivity during the negotiations that ultimately produced the Versailles Treaty. Reuter believed that the British intended to seize the German ships on 21 June, which was the deadline for Germany to have signed the peace treaty. Unaware that the deadline had been extended to the 23rd, Reuter ordered the ships to be sunk. On the morning of 21 June, the British fleet left Scapa Flow to conduct training maneuvers, and at 11:20 Reuter transmitted the order to his ships.Template:Sfn sank at 14:00; the ship was never raised for scrapping, unlike most of the other capital ships that were scuttled. The rights to future salvage operations on the wreck were sold to Britain in 1962.Template:Sfn

The wrecks of and the battleships and were designated maritime scheduled ancient monuments on 23 May 2001. The ship is now a popular dive site in Scapa Flow, lying at a depth of Template:Cvt on a sandy floor to the east of Cava. She turned over as she sank and the hull faces upwards at about Template:Cvt down. There are several dynamited holes in her superstructure where salvagers have gained access to obtain non-ferrous metals.Template:Sfn In 2017, marine archaeologists from the Orkney Research Center for Archaeology conducted extensive surveys of and nine other wrecks in the area, including six other German and three British warships. The archaeologists mapped the wrecks with sonar and examined them with remotely operated underwater vehicles as part of an effort to determine how the wrecks are deteriorating.Template:Sfn

The wreck at some point came into the ownership of the firm Scapa Flow Salvage, which sold the rights to the vessel to Tommy Clark, a diving contractor, in 1981. Clark listed the wreck for sale on eBay with a "buy-it-now" price of £250,000, with the auction lasting until 28 June 2019. Three other wrecks—those of , , and the light cruiser Template:SMS—all also owned by Clark, were also placed for sale. The wrecks of and her two sisters ultimately sold for £25,500 apiece to a company from the Middle East, while sold to a private buyer for £8,500.