The S138 class was a group of sixty-five torpedo boats built for the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) and the Ottoman Navy in the early 1900s. Almost all of the boats served with the German fleet, with only four being sold to the Ottoman Empire in 1910. The German and Ottoman boats saw action in World War I, and several were lost. One Ottoman boat successfully torpedoed and sank a British battleship in 1915. In 1917 and 1918, the German members of the class were all renamed to replace the builder prefix with a standardized "T" prefix. Following Germany's defeat, many of the members of the S138 class were scrapped, either after having been seized as war prizes by the victorious Allied powers or by Germany to comply with the naval disarmament clauses of the Treaty of Versailles. Some boats continued in German service through World War II, after which the surviving vessels were all seized as war prizes.
The boats of the S138 class varied in dimensions, and they gradually increased in size as more vessels were built. The boats were 70.2 to 74 meters (230ft 4in to 242ft 9in)long at the waterline and 70.7 to 74.2m (231ft 11in to 243ft 5in)long overall. They had beam (nautical) of 7.8 to 7.9m (25ft 7in to 25ft 11in) and a draft of 2.75 to 3.06m (9ft 0in to 10ft 0in) forward.[1] The hull for each boat was divided into thirteen watertight compartments, though after V150, they were reduced to twelve compartments. They had a crew of three officers and seventy-seven enlisted men, though from V150 onward, they had larger crews, with eighty-oneenlisted men aboard. When serving as half-flotilla flagships, the boats would have a flotilla leader's staff of four officers and nine enlisted men in addition to the standard crew. The vessels carried a yawl and a dinghy apiece, though later in their careers they carried up to three yawls and the dinghy.[2]
Sailors loading bags of coal aboard one of the S138-class boats
The S138-class boats had a variety of different propulsion systems. The first group of boats, from S138 to V160, were propelled by a pair of vertical, 3-cylinder triple expansion steam engines that drove a pair of three-bladed screw propellers. Steam was provided by three coal-fired water-tube boilers. The rest of the members of the class received direct steam turbines of various manufacturers, including AEG, Schichau-Werke, Zoelly, Germaniawerft, and Parsons. All of the boats used the same two-shaft arrangement as the other members of the class, with the exception of the boats G169 through G172, which were equipped with six Parsons turbines driving three shafts. Steam for both the reciprocating and turbine engines was provided by four water-tube boilers; the boats from S138 through V161 had four coal-fired models, while the remainder of the class had three such boilers and one oil-fired version.[2]
The reciprocating engine-powered boats were rated at 30 knots (56km/h; 35mph) from 10,800 to 10,800 indicated horsepower (10,900 to 11,000PS). The two-shaft turbine boats were rated at 14,600 to 17,300 shaft horsepower (14,800 to 17,500PS) and 32 knots (59km/h; 37mph), while the three-shaft vessels were designed to reach 15,000shp (15,000PS) and 32knots, respectively. The boats had storage capacity for 116 to 194t (114 to 191 long tons; 128 to 214 short tons) of coal and, for those boats with oil-fired boilers, 60 to 181t (59 to 178 long tons; 66 to 200 short tons) of fuel oil. As a result, cruising radius varied significantly, from 920 to 3,500 nautical miles (1,700 to 6,480km; 1,060 to 4,030mi) at 17 knots (31km/h; 20mph). Each vessel was equipped with two 17 kilowatts (23hp) 110-Volt generators for electrical power. Steering was controlled with a pair of rudders, one at the stern and the other in the bow, the latter being retractable.[3]
Armament
Crew operating a deck-mounted torpedo tube aboard a German torpedo boat
The armament for the members of the S138 class changed as more vessels were built. The first eleven vessels, from S138 to S149 were equipped with one 8.8cm (3.5in) SK L/35 gun and three 5.2cm (2in) SK L/55 guns in single gun mounts. They carried one hundred 8.8cm shells and four hundred and fifty 5.2cm rounds. The boats from V150 to V155 only carried two 8.8cm SK L/35 guns with two hundred rounds. The remainder of the class carried two 8.8cm SK L/30 guns, also with two hundred shells. Both versions of the 8.8cm gun fired a shell weighing 7kg (15.4lb); the shorter-barreled L/30 gun had a muzzle velocity of 670 meters per second (2,198ft/s), while the L/35 version had a velocity of 770m/s (2,526ft/s). The L/30 gun could be elevated to 20degrees, for a maximum range of 7,300m (8,000yd), while the L/35 gun could be elevated to 25degrees, for a maximum range of 9,090m (9,940yd). The 5.2cm guns fired a 2kg (3.86lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 850m/s (2,789ft/s). The guns could elevate up to 20degrees, at a maximum range of 7,100m (7,770yd).[2][4]
Throughout their careers, the boats had their armament modified. All of the first eleven vessels had their two of their 5.2cm guns replaced with a second 8.8cm SK L/35 gun, with the exception of S142 and S144 had all three of their 5.2cm guns removed. S146, S153, S155, S165, S168, G170, G172 through G175, S178, S179, V180 through V186, V189, V190, and G192 through G197 had their 8.8cm guns replaced with newer 8.8 cm SK L/45 guns; these guns fired a 10.0kg (22lb) shells at a muzzle velocity of 650m/s (2,133ft/s). At an elevation of 25degrees, they could engage targets out to 9,600m (10,500yd). After World War I, many of the surviving vessels that still carried their older 8.8cm guns had them replaced with the SK L/45 versions, and T185, T190, and T196 received two 10.5cm (4.1in) SK L/45 guns.[2][4]
All members of the class carried three torpedo tubes as their primary offensive armament; the first half of the class's tubes were 45.0cm (17.7in) in diameter, and they carried four torpedoes. From G174 onward, they were equipped with 50.0cm (19.7in) tubes with five torpedoes. All of these tubes were in single, deck-mounted launchers. In their postwar refit, T185, T190, and T196 had their original tubes replaced with four 50cm tubes in double, deck-mounted launchers.[2]
Ships
S169 underway before World War IV182 during peacetime
Several members of the S138 class were lost during World War I in the North and Baltic Seas. V187 was sunk during the Battle of Heligoland Bight on 26 August 1914, one of the first major naval actions of the war.[7]V150 accidentally collided with her sister shipV157 while the pair were cruising in the Jade Bight shortly after midnight on 18 May 1915. V150 sank and 60 of her crew were killed in the accident.[8] On 26 July 1915, V188 was torpedoed and sunk by the British submarineE16 in the North Sea.[7] On 17 December 1915, V191 and the light cruiserBremen ran into a Russian minefield off Windau; both vessels struck mines and sank, with heavy loss of life. Nearly a third of V191's crew were killed, 25 men, along 250 out of Bremen's crew of around 300.[9][10] A week later, a British mine claimed S176 on 23 December, though only seven men were killed in the sinking.[11] While on patrol in the North Sea on 26 March 1916, G194 encountered British naval forces, and the British light cruiser Cleopatra rammed and sank G194, killing 93 of her crew.[7]V162 sank after striking a Russian mine in the Baltic on 15 August 1916; 15 of her crew were killed.[8] Two boats struck mines and sank in the North Sea on 7 July 1918. T138 was lost shortly after 01:00 and 32 of her crew were killed, and G172 was mined and sunk a little over three hours later, killing 16 of her crew.[12] The Muavenet-i Milliye in Ottoman service successfully torpedoed and sank the British pre-dreadnought battleshipHMSGoliath on 13 May 1915 during the Dardanelles campaign, killing 570 of her crew.[13]
In 1917 and 1918, the members of the class were all renamed to replace the builder prefix with a standardized "T" prefix. Following Germany's defeat, many of the members of the S138 class were scrapped, either after having been seized as war prizes by the victorious Allied powers or by Germany to comply with the naval disarmament clauses of the Treaty of Versailles, which permitted Germany to retain only a small fleet that included just twelve destroyers and twelve torpedo boats.[6][14] The older S138-class boats constituted the bulk of those vessels that Germany was permitted to retain, while the more modern, turbine-powered boats were seized. Britain received the bulk of the class members, taking control of T159, T160, T161, T163, T164, T165, T166, T169, T173, T174, T176, T178, T179, T182, T183, T184, T186, T189, T192, T193, T195, and T197. T180 became a Brazilian war prize in 1920, and Japan received T181. All of the boats were scrapped in the early 1920s, with the exception of T189, which ran aground off the English coast in December 1920. Among those stricken by the postwar Reichsmarine to comply with the Versailles Treaty were T142, T147, T167, T168, T170; these boats were also scrapped in the early 1920s.[6]
The boats that continued on in service with the German fleet were T139, T141, T143, T144, T146, T148, T149, T151, T152, T153, T154, T155, T156, T157, T158, T168, T175, T185, T190 and T196. These boats served in a variety of roles in the 1920s and 1930s. Several of them were renamed and converted for training duties: T139 became Pfeil, T141 became the radio control ship Blitz, T153 became the range-finding training ship Eduard Jungmann. V151 was converted into a fast tugboat and she received the name Comet. T144, T149, T168, and T175 remained in active service and were scrapped in 1926–1927. Blitz, T143, T148, T152, T154 joined them at the breaker's yards between 1930 and 1935. Others, including T156 and T158, continued to serve with the fleet through the 1930s, while T196 became the flagship for the Minesweeper Command in 1938. In 1932, T185 was renamed Blitz and converted into a radio control ship to replace her sistership in that role. T190 was renamed Claus von Bevern in 1938 and was used in experiments.[6]
By the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, only a handful of the class remained in service. T157 was mined and sunk in Neufahrwasser on 22 October 1943 and T156—which had been renamed Bremse in 1944—and T155 were scuttled in the final days of the war. V185 and V196 were taken as Soviet war prizes and were renamed Vystrel and Pronzitelnyy, respectively; their ultimate fate is unknown. Claus von Bevern was seized by the United States and was scuttled in the Skagerrak in 1946. T151 and T153 also became US prizes; they were scrapped in 1948–1949. T155, Bremse, and T157 were all raised after the war and scrapped as well. T139 was still in service with the 24th U-boat Flotilla as of 1944, but records of her ultimate fate have not survived.[6]
The Königsberg class, sometimes referred to as the K class, was a class of light cruisers of the German Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine. The class comprised three ships named after German cities: Königsberg, Karlsruhe, and Köln, all built between 1926 and 1930. These ships were the first of the Reichsmarine with a modern cruiser design; their predecessor, Emden, was based on World War I-era designs. They were armed with a main battery of nine 15 cm (5.9 in) guns and with twelve 50 cm (20 in) torpedo tubes.
The German torpedo boats of World War II were armed principally, if not exclusively, with torpedoes and varied widely in size. They were not small schnellboote but small seagoing vessels, the larger of which were comparable to destroyers. During World War II, German torpedo boats were administratively grouped into several torpedo-boat flotillas.
The Derfflinger class was a class of three battlecruisers of the Imperial German Navy. The ships were ordered for the 1912–13 Naval Building Program of the German Imperial Navy as a reply to the Royal Navy's two new Lion-class battlecruisers that had been launched a few years earlier. The preceding Moltke class and the incrementally improved Seydlitz represented the end of the evolution of Germany's first generation of battlecruisers. The Derfflinger class had considerable improvements, including a larger primary armament, all of which was mounted on the centerline. The ships were also larger than the preceding classes. The Derfflinger class used a similar propulsion system, and as a result of the increased displacement were slightly slower.
The Moltke class was a class of two "all-big-gun" battlecruisers of the German Imperial Navy built between 1909–1911. Named SMS Moltke and SMS Goeben, they were similar to the previous battlecruiser Von der Tann, but the newer design featured several incremental improvements. The Moltkes were slightly larger, faster, and better armored, and had an additional pair of 28 cm (11 in) guns.
The Brummer class consisted of two light mine-laying cruisers built for the Imperial German Navy in World War I: SMS Brummer and SMS Bremse. When the war broke out, the Germans had only two older mine-laying cruisers. Although most German cruisers were fitted for mine-laying, a need for fast specialized ships existed. The Imperial Russian Navy had ordered sets of steam turbines for the first two ships of the Svetlana-class cruisers from the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin. This machinery was confiscated on the outbreak of war and used for these ships. Both vessels were built by AG Vulcan.
The S90 class of torpedo boats was a group of large torpedo boats built for the German Imperial Navy in the early 20th century. They were Hochsee-Torpedoboot built to varying designs by Schichau at Elbing and Germaniawerft at Kiel. German torpedo boats were designated by shipbuilder, with the first letter of their designation reflecting their builder.
The Siegfried class was a group of six coastal defense ships built by the German Kaiserliche Marine in the late 19th century. The ships were intended to protect the German coastline from naval attacks. The class comprised the lead ship Siegfried, along with her sisters Beowulf, Frithjof, Heimdall, Hildebrand, and Hagen. All six ships were named after Norse mythological figures. Two further vessels, the Odin class, were built to a similar design but were not identical.
The Bremen class was a group of seven light cruisers built for the Imperial German Navy in the early 1900s. The seven ships, Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin, Lübeck, München, Leipzig, and Danzig, were an improvement upon the previous Gazelle class. They were significantly larger than the earlier class, and were faster and better armored. Like the Gazelles, they were armed with a main battery of ten 10.5 cm SK L/40 guns and a pair of torpedo tubes.
The Kolberg class was a group of four light cruisers built for the German Imperial Navy and used during the First World War. The class comprised four vessels: SMS Kolberg, the lead ship, Mainz, Cöln, and Augsburg. The ships were built between 1908 and 1910, and two, Kolberg and Augsburg, were modernized in 1916–1917. The ships were armed with a main battery of twelve 10.5 cm SK L/45 guns and had a design speed of 25.5 knots. The first three ships were assigned to the reconnaissance forces of the High Seas Fleet; Augsburg was instead used as a torpedo and gunnery training ship.
The V25 class was a class of torpedo boat built for the Imperial German Navy. It was numerically the largest class ever built for the High Seas Fleet, consisting of 71 ships. Of the class, 32 were sunk during World War I, several to mines in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Of those that survived the war 29 were scuttled with the German fleet at Scapa Flow, one was destroyed by a mine on the way there, four were given to Britain and were not scuttled while one was given to Italy and France.
The Type 37 torpedo boat was a class of nine torpedo boats built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in 1941–1942, one boat helped to escort a commerce raider passing through the English Channel into the Atlantic Ocean in late 1941, but their first major action was in early 1942 when they formed part of the escort for a pair of battleships and a heavy cruiser through the Channel back to Germany in the Channel Dash. Two pairs of boats were sent to France at different times in mid-1942 and were part of the escort during an unsuccessful attempt to pass a different commerce raider back through the Channel in October. One boat was assigned to the Torpedo School as a training ship in mid-1942 and the others followed in the next year.
Torpedo boats had been operated by the Imperial German Navy from the very beginning. The "Imperial Navy" existed between 1871 and 1919. In 1870 there had been 14 tugboats and harbour vessels and 7 rowing boats, which had been armed with spar torpedoes to protect the Elbe and Weser during the Franco-Prussian War.
SMS G196 was a S-138-class large torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. She was built by the Germaniawerft shipyard at Kiel between 1910 and 1911, and was launched on 25 May 1911, entering service later that year. She served throughout the First World War, taking part in the Battle of Heligoland Bight on 28 August 1914. She was renamed T196 in February 1918.
SMS V190 was a S-138-class large torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. She was built by the AG Vulcan shipyard at Stettin between 1910 and 1911, completing on 5 August 1911.
The German torpedo boat T3 was one of a dozen Type 35 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during the late 1930s. Completed during the Second World War in 1940, she was assigned to escort duties between Germany and Occupied Norway in August before beginning to escort minelayers in the North Sea the following month. The boat was sunk in France by British bombers in September and was refloated the following year. T3 was assigned to the Torpedo School when her repairs were completed in 1943. She returned to active duty a year later and escorted German ships as they bombarded Soviet positions. The boat sank a Soviet submarine in early 1944 and she struck a mine in March 1945 and sank with heavy loss of life.
The German torpedo boat T6 was one of a dozen Type 35 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during the late 1930s. Completed in 1940, she initially escorted ships through the Skaggerak before she was assigned to escort minelayers as they laid their minefields in the North Sea and English Channel in July. T6 started laying her own minefields two months later and was flagship of the 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla when she struck a mine and sank when attempting to attack several convoys off the Scottish coast in November.
The German torpedo boat T14 was one of nine Type 37 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1941, she helped escort several commerce raiders passing through the English Channel in 1941 and 1942 in addition to blockade runners through the Bay of Biscay into the Atlantic. The boat remained in France until November 1943, during which time she laid several minefields, and was then assigned to the Torpedo School before beginning a lengthy refit in 1944. T14 was assigned to convoy escort duties in the Skagerrak around the beginning of 1945 and survived the war. The boat was allocated to the United States after the war, but she was transferred to France in 1947 and renamed Dompaire. Unused by the French Navy, the boat was stricken from the Navy List in 1951 and subsequently scrapped.
The German torpedo boat T17 was one of nine Type 37 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1941, the ship arrived in France in December. She helped to escort a pair of battleships and a heavy cruiser through the English Channel back to Germany in February 1942 in the Channel Dash and then was ordered to Norway for escort work. The ship returned to Germany in March for a refit before redeploying back to France. T17 began another refit in Germany in early 1943 and was then assigned as a training ship for U-boat flotillas.
The German torpedo boat T34 was one of fifteen Type 39 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1944, the boat was still working up in the Baltic when she struck a mine in November and sank.
The Ålesund class was a proposed class of destroyers planned for the Royal Norwegian Navy. Construction began on two ships in 1938, but the incomplete ships were captured during the German invasion of Norway in 1940. While Germany continued construction works on the two destroyers, neither were completed, with one sunk by sabotage in 1944 and the other by British bombers in 1945. The Norwegians raised one of the destroyers and attempted to complete it, but the incomplete ship was sold for scrap in 1956.
References
Dodson, Aidan (2019). "Beyond the Kaiser: The IGN's Destroyers and Torpedo Boats After 1918". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2019. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. pp.129–144. ISBN978-1-4728-3595-6.
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