History | |
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Name | S16 |
Builder | Schichau-Werke, Elbing |
Launched | 23 April 1912 |
Commissioned | 1 October 1912 |
Fate | Mined 20 January 1918 |
General characteristics | |
Displacement | 697 t (686 long tons) |
Length | 71.1 m (233 ft 3 in) oa |
Beam | 7.6 m (24 ft 11 in) |
Draft | 3.11 m (10 ft 2 in) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 32 knots (59.3 km/h; 36.8 mph) |
Range | 1,190 nmi (2,200 km; 1,370 mi) at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) |
Complement | 74 officers and sailors |
Armament |
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SMS S16 [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2] was a V1-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. The ship was built by Schichau-Werke, at their Elbing shipyard, completing in 1912. S16 served with the German High Seas Fleet during the First World War, taking part in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. She was sunk by a mine on 20 January 1918.
In 1911, the Imperial German Navy decided to break the pattern of each year's orders of torpedo boats being a development of the previous year's designs, as it felt that they were getting too big to work for the fleet, and instead the 12 torpedo boats (six each ordered from AG Vulcan and Germaniawerft [lower-alpha 3] ) (the V1-class) were smaller than those ordered in recent years in order to be more manoeuvrable and so work better with the fleet. This change resulted in the numbering series for torpedo boats being restarted. The 1912 programme placed orders for a flotilla of 12 torpedo boats of similar design (S13 to S24) with Schichau-Werke. [2] The reduction in size resulted in the ships' seaworthiness being adversely affected, however, [2] with the 1911 and 1912 torpedo boats acquiring the disparaging nickname "Admiral Lans' cripples". [1] [3]
The Schichau boats were 71.5 m (234 ft 7 in) long overall and 71.0 m (232 ft 11 in) at the waterline, with a beam of 7.43 m (24 ft 5 in) and a draught of 2.77 m (9 ft 1 in). Displacement was 568 tonnes (559 long tons) normal and 695 tonnes (684 long tons) deep load. Three coal-fired and one oil-fired water-tube boilers fed steam to two direct-drive steam turbines rated at 15,700 metric horsepower (15,500 shp; 11,500 kW), giving a design speed of 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph). [3] 108 tonnes (106 long tons) of coal and 72 tonnes (71 long tons) of oil were carried, giving a range of 1,050 nautical miles (1,940 km; 1,210 mi) at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) or 600 nautical miles (1,100 km; 690 mi) at 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph). [2]
S16's armament consisted of two 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 naval guns [lower-alpha 4] in single mounts fore and aft, together with four 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes with one reload torpedo carried. Up to 18 mines could be carried. [2] [3] The ship had a crew of 74 officers and other ranks. [2] In 1916, the guns were replaced by more powerful 8.8 cm SK L/45 naval guns. [3]
S16, yard number 867, [3] was launched at Schichau's shipyard in Elbing, East Prussia (now Elbląg in Poland) on 23 April 1912 and was commissioned on 1 October 1912. [4]
S16 was a member of the 13th Half-flotilla of the 7th Torpedo boat flotilla of the German High Seas Fleet on the outbreak of war. [5] The 7th Torpedo Boat Flotilla supported the Raid on Yarmouth on 3 November 1914 and the Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on 16 December 1914. [6] On 20 December, S16 reported being unsuccessfully attacked by a submarine off the mouth of the Jade river. [7]
S16, as part of the 7th flotilla, was part of the High Seas Fleet when it sailed to cover the Lowestoft Raid on 24–25 April 1916. [8] At the Battle of Jutland on 31 May–1 June 1916, S16 was still part of the 13th Half-flotilla of the 7th Torpedo boat flotilla, operating in support of the main German battle fleet. [9] S16 picked up some of the survivors from the British destroyers Nomad and Nestor, which had previously been disabled and then sunk by fire from German battleships at about 18:30–18:35 CET (17:30–17:35 GMT) and two survivors from the British battlecruiser Indefatigable, which had blown up and sunk. [10] During the night action, the 7th flotilla was ordered to search for and attack the British fleet. [11] At about 23:00 hr CET (i.e. 22:00 hr GMT) on the night of 31 May/1 June, there was a brief confrontation between the 7th Torpedo Boat flotilla and the British 4th Destroyer Flotilla. Four German torpedo boats, including S16, each fired one torpedo at the British destroyers, although S16's torpedo misfired and did not correctly launch, while the British ships replied with gunfire, but no ships were damaged and contact was soon lost, although the two formations met again at about 23:42 CET (22:42 GMT) when S24 fired another torpedo, which also missed. [12]
By late April 1917, the torpedo boats of the 7th Torpedo Boat Flotilla had been fitted for minesweeping and their crews trained in that task, and became increasingly dedicated to minesweeping. [13] On 20 January 1918, S16 was sunk by a mine in the North Sea ( 54°41′N6°32′E / 54.683°N 6.533°E ). 80 men, the whole of her crew, were killed. [4] [14] [lower-alpha 5] The small A-class torpedo boats A73 and A77 were also sunk by mines in the vicinity on 20 January. [17] These losses, together with the auxiliary minesweeper Doggerbank a few hours earlier, in what was a supposedly a mine-free channel resulted in the route being abandoned and a fresh route swept further to the south. [18]
SMS S36 was a 1913 Type Large Torpedo Boat of the Imperial German Navy during World War I, and the 12th ship of her class. She was equipped with of three single mounted 8.8 cm SK L/45 naval guns and with six 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes, two forward and four aft; twenty-four mines could also be carried. She was launched on 17 October 1914 and commissioned on 4 January 1915. S36 took part in the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in 1915 and the Battle of Jutland in 1916. In late 1916 she served in the English Channel and took part in a number of engagements, including the Battle of Dover Strait during which a British merchant ship and a destroyer were sunk by her Half-Flotilla. She was scuttled at Scapa Flow in 1919.
SMS S50 was a V25-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. Launched in 1915, she served through the rest of the war, taking part in the Battle of Jutland and operations in the Baltic. She was scuttled at Scapa Flow in 1919, but was later raised and scrapped.
SMS S33 was a V25-class large torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy that served during the First World War. She was built by the Schichau-Werke shipyard in Elbing, East Prussia, being launched on 4 April 1914 and was completed in October that year.
SMS S34 was a V25-class large torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy that served during the First World War. She was built by the Schichau-Werke shipyard in Elbing, East Prussia in 1913–1914 and was completed in being launched on 4 April 1914 and was completed in November 1914.
SMS S32 was a V25-class large torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy that served during the First World War. She was built by the Schichau-Werke shipyard in Elbing, East Prussia, being launched on 28 February 1914 and was completed in September that year.
SMS V29 was a V25-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy that served during the First World War. The ship was built by AG Vulcan at Stettin in Prussia, and was completed in September 1914. The ship took part in the Battle of Dogger Bank and the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in 1915, and was sunk at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916.
SMS V26 was a V25-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy that served during the First World War. The ship was built by AG Vulcan at Stettin in Prussia, and was completed in June 1914.
SMS V28 was a V25-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy that served during the First World War. The ship was built by AG Vulcan at Stettin in Prussia, and was completed in September 1914. The ship took part in the Battle of Dogger Bank, the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in 1915, and the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916.
SMS G11 was a V1-class large torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. She was built by the Germaniawerft shipyard at Kiel between 1911 and 1912, completing on 8 August 1912.
SMS S14 was a V1-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. She served with the German High Seas Fleet at the start of the First World War, and was sunk by an internal explosion on 19 February 1915.
SMS S15 was a V1-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. The ship was built by Schichau-Werke, at their Elbing shipyard, completing in 1912.
SMS S17 was a V1-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. The ship was built by Schichau-Werke, at their Elbing shipyard, completing in 1912. S17 served with the German High Seas Fleet during the First World War, taking part in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. She was sunk by a mine on 16 May 1917.
SMS S18 was a V1-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. The ship was built by Schichau-Werke, at their Elbing shipyard, completing in 1912. S18 served with the German High Seas Fleet during the First World War, taking part in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. S18 survived the war, serving in the Weimar Republic's Reichsmarine. She was scrapped in 1935.
SMS S19 was a V1-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. The ship was built by Schichau-Werke, at their Elbing shipyard, completing in 1913. S19 served with the German High Seas Fleet during the First World War, taking part in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. The ship survived the war, serving in the Weimar Republic's Reichsmarine. She was scrapped in 1935.
SMS S20 was a V1-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. The ship was built by Schichau-Werke, at their Elbing shipyard, completing in 1913. S20 served with the German High Seas Fleet during the First World War, taking part in the Battle of Jutland in 1916 and moved to Flanders later in 1916. The ship was sunk by cruisers and destroyers of the British Harwich Force on 5 June 1917.
SMS S21 was a V1-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. The ship was built by Schichau-Werke, at their Elbing shipyard, completing in 1913. S21 served with the German High Seas Fleet during the First World War, and sank following a collision with the cruiser Hamburg on 21 April 1915.
SMS S22 was a V1-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. The ship was built by Schichau-Werke at their Elbing shipyard, completing in 1913. S22 served with the German High Seas Fleet during the First World War and was sunk by a mine on 26 March 1916.
SMS S23 was a V1-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. The ship was built by Schichau-Werke, at their Elbing shipyard, completing in 1913.
SMS S24 was a V1-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. The ship was built by Schichau-Werke, at their Elbing shipyard, completing in 1913.
SMS S51 was a V25-class torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy. Ordered immediately after the outbreak of the First World War, S51 was built by Schichau-Werke, at their Elbing shipyard. She was launched on 29 April 1915 and completed in September that year.