![]() A 1902 lithograph of Siegfried | |
History | |
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Name | Siegfried |
Namesake | Siegfried |
Laid down | 1888 |
Launched | 10 August 1889 |
Completed | 19 April 1890 |
Commissioned | 29 April 1890 |
Decommissioned | 31 August 1915 |
Stricken | 17 June 1919 |
Fate | Sold for scrap, 1920 |
General characteristics as built | |
Class and type | Siegfried-class coast defense ship |
Displacement | |
Length | 79 m (259.2 ft) |
Beam | 14.90 m (48.9 ft) |
Draft | 5.74 m (18.8 ft) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion | |
Speed | 14.9 knots (27.6 km/h; 17.1 mph) |
Range | 1,490 nmi (2,760 km; 1,710 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
Complement |
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Armament |
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Armor |
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SMS Siegfried was the lead ship of the six-member Siegfried class of coastal defense ships (Küstenpanzerschiffe) built for the German Imperial Navy. Her sister ships were Beowulf, Frithjof, Heimdall, Hildebrand, and Hagen. Siegfried was built by the Germaniawerft shipyard between 1888 and 1890, and was armed with a main battery of three 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns. She served in the German fleet throughout the 1890s and was rebuilt in 1903 - 1904. She served in the VI Battle Squadron after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, but saw no action. Siegfried was demobilized in 1915 and used as a barracks ship thereafter. She was ultimately broken up for scrap in 1920.
In the late 1880s, the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) grappled with the problem of what type of capital ship to build in the face of limited naval budgets (owing to parliamentary objections to naval spending and the cost of dredging the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal). General Leo von Caprivi, the new Chef der Admiralität (Chief of the Admiralty), requested a series of design proposals, which ranged in size from small 2,500 t (2,461-long-ton) coastal defense ships to heavily armed 10,000 t (9,800-long-ton) ocean-going battleships. Caprivi ordered ten coastal defense ships to guard the entrances to the canal, since even opponents of the navy in the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) agreed that such vessels were necessary. The first six of these, the Siegfried class, were based on the smallest proposal. [1]
Siegfried was 79 meters (259 ft) long overall and had a beam of 14.90 m (48.9 ft) and a maximum draft of 5.74 m (18.8 ft). She displaced 3,500 t (3,400 long tons ) normally and up to 3,741 t (3,682 long tons) at full load. Her hull had a long forecastle deck that extended most of the vessel's length. She was also fitted with a pronounced ram bow. Siegfried had a crew of 20 officers and 256 enlisted men. [2]
Her propulsion system consisted of two vertical 3-cylinder triple-expansion engines, each driving a screw propeller, making her the first major German warship to be powered by triple-expansion machinery. Steam for the engines was provided by four coal-fired fire-tube boilers that were vented through a single funnel. The ship's propulsion system provided a top speed of 14.9 knots (27.6 km/h; 17.1 mph) from 4,800 metric horsepower (3,500 kW ) and a range of approximately 1,490 nautical miles (2,760 km; 1,710 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). [2] [3]
The ship was armed with a main battery of three 24 cm (9.4 in) K L/35 guns mounted in three single gun turrets. Two were placed side by side forward, and the third was located aft of the main superstructure. They were supplied with a total of 204 rounds of ammunition. For defense against torpedo boats, the ship was also equipped with a secondary battery of six 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 guns in single mounts. Siegfried also carried four 35 cm (13.8 in) torpedo tubes, all in swivel mounts on the deck. One was at the bow, another at the stern, and two amidships. The ship was protected by an armored belt that was 240 mm (9.4 in) in the central citadel, and an armored deck that was 30 mm (1.2 in) thick. The conning tower had 80 mm (3.1 in) thick sides. [4]
In 1897, the ship had her anti-torpedo nets removed. Siegfried was extensively rebuilt between 1903 and 1904 in an attempt to improve her usefulness. The ship was lengthened to 86.13 m (282.6 ft), which increased displacement to 4,237 t (4,170 long tons; 4,670 short tons) at full load. The lengthened hull space was used to install additional boilers; her old fire-tube boilers were replaced with more efficient water-tube boilers, and a second funnel was added. The performance of her propulsion machinery increased to 15.3 knots (28.3 km/h; 17.6 mph) from 4,724 metric horsepower (3,474 kW), with a maximum range of 3,400 nmi (6,300 km; 3,900 mi) at 10 knots. Her secondary battery was increased to ten 8.8 cm guns, and the 35 cm torpedo tubes were replaced with three 45 cm (17.7 in) tubes. Her crew increased to 20 officers and 287 enlisted men. Work was completed by 1900. [2]
Siegfried, named for the eponymous hero of Germanic legend, was laid down in 1888 at the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel. She was launched on 10 August 1889, and completed on 19 April 1890. She was commissioned into the fleet on 29 April, under the command of Kapitän zur See (KzS–Captain at Sea) Paul Hoffmann, and began sea trials, which concluded on 3 October; at that point, Hoffmann left the ship and the vessel was decommissioned. [5] [6] On 16 April 1891, she was recommissioned under the command of KzS Alfred Herz, and she joined I Division of the Maneuver Squadron, replacing the older ironclad Württemberg. At that time, the unit also included the ironclads Baden, Bayern, and Oldenburg, under the command of Vizeadmiral (Vice Admiral) Karl Deinhard. I Division participated in several fleet maneuvers in 1891, where they typically served as the German side in the war games. In October, Korvettenkapitän (KK—Corvette Captain) Louis Riedel relieved Herz as the ship's captain. [5] [7]
The unit remained in service through the end of the year and into 1892; this was the first time the German fleet remained in commission through the winter. During this period, between operations with the squadron, Siegfried served as a guard ship based in Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea coast. On 18 March 1892, the main steam pipe in her aft boiler room burst, scalding several men with heated steam; five men were killed in the accident, and the ship was forced to return to port for repairs. That month, KK August Gruner replaced Riedel. Siegfried was ready to return to service by mid-June, and on the 29th, she escorted Kaiser Wilhelm II aboard his yacht Hohenzollern on a voyage from Kiel to Norway and then back to Wilhelmshaven. For the next few months, she resumed guard ship duties in Wilhelmshaven, until the annual fleet maneuvers that began in late August. She was assigned to the fleet reconnaissance force for the exercises, which were conducted in the Baltic Sea and concluded in late September. Siegfried then underwent an overhaul before returning to the Maneuver Squadron, now part of II Division, where she replaced the elderly ironclad Kronprinz. [5] [8]
Over the winter of 1892–1893, Siegfried and Beowulf joined the elderly ironclads König Wilhelm and Deutschland for a winter training cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. After returning to Germany, Siegfried was decommissioned in Wilhelmshaven for repairs on 23 February. As a result, she was unavailable for the maneuvers that year, her place in the division having been taken by her sister Frithjof. The ship remained out of service for the next two years, and in early 1895, she was assigned to the Reserve Division of the North Sea. Beginning on 9 July, she filled the role of the deputy commander flagship, briefly under the command of KK Karl Ascher, though later in July, he was relieved by KK Louis Fischer. The unit was allocated to the training fleet for the annual maneuvers on 1 August, and following their conclusion in September, the ships returned to Wilhelmshaven on 24 September. There, she was laid up with a reduced crew. [5] [9]
The year 1896 followed much the same pattern as previous years, with the normal peacetime routine of training cruises and maneuvers. She returned to active service that year in April, under the command of KK Eugen Kalau vom Hofe, though he was relieved by KK Carl Derzewski in May, who was in turn replaced by KK August von Dassel in June. Over the summer, the Germans instituted a policy that required senior officers in other posts to undergo command training aboard the ships of the reserve divisions. Kalau vom Hofe returned to the ship in August for the annual maneuvers, after which the ship was again temporarily laid up with a reduced crew. Derzewski recommissioned the ship in October. Siegfried's activities in 1897 followed a similar pattern, and that year, the ships in the reserve divisions were allowed to stop in foreign ports during their training cruises, a measure taken primarily to improve morale. [10] During the fleet maneuvers that year, she was assigned to III Division of the fleet, along with all five of her sisters. [11] Following the conclusion of the maneuvers, the ship was decommissioned on 29 September. At the end of the year, Siegfried had her anti-torpedo nets removed. [12]
She spent much of the next five years out of commission, being reactivated only to participate in the annual fleet maneuvers in 1899, 1900, and 1901 as part of II Battle Squadron each time. Fregattenkapitän (Frigate Captain) August von Heeringen commanded the ship during her 1899 activation. From late 1900, she was assigned to the Reserve Division of the Baltic Sea, which was based in Danzig. In mid-1902, Siegfried was taken into drydock at the Kaiserliche Werft (Imperial Shipyard) in Danzig for an extensive reconstruction. Work was completed by early 1903, when she was returned to the Reserve Division of the Baltic Sea. She remained there, out of commission, for the next ten years, being reactivated only once in 1909 for the annual maneuvers under the command of KzS Maximilian Rogge. [2] [13]
After the start of World War I in July 1914, Siegfried was mobilized along with her sisters and the two Odin-class coastal defense ships to serve in VI Battle Squadron. Siegfried was recommissioned on 12 August under the command of KzS Hans Bene, and after the ships completed preparations, deployed to guard Germany's North Sea coast in September. Siegfried and the other ships were dispersed between Jade Bay, where Wilhelmshaven lay, and the mouth of the Weser river; over the following months, the ships alternated between both locations. On 31 August 1915, VI Squadron was disbanded, but Siegfried remained on station in the Jade and Weser, now assigned to the local harbor defense flotillas. This service concluded on 30 December, when Siegfried was withdrawn from patrol duties. She was detached from the harbor flotillas on 5 January 1916 and was thereafter sent to Wilhelmshaven, where she was decommissioned on 14 January. [14] [15]
Siegfried was initially allocated to the material reserve in the event that the navy might need to reactivate her, but on 1 January 1917, she was reduced to a barracks ship in Wilhelmshaven, used to support II Seaman Division. On 12 November, she was transferred to Emden, where she supported IV U-boat Flotilla as a tender. From 11 February 1918, the ship was used to support the patrol flotilla stationed in the mouth of the Ems; she filled this role until Germany's defeat in November. [16] On 17 June 1919, she was stricken from the naval register. The navy planned to convert her into a salvage ship, but the plan was abandoned and she was instead sold for 425,000 marks to H. Peters in Wewelsfleth. Siegfried was broken up for scrap the following year in Kiel-Nordmole. [4]
SMS Friedrich der Grosse was an ironclad turret ship built for the German Kaiserliche Marine. She was the second of three Preussen-class ironclads, in addition to her two sister-ships Preussen and Grosser Kurfürst. Named for Frederick the Great, she was laid down at the Imperial Dockyard in Kiel in 1871 and completed in 1877. Her main battery of four 26 cm (10 in) guns was mounted in a pair of twin gun turrets amidships.
SMS Preussen was an ironclad turret ship built for the German Kaiserliche Marine. The ship was built by the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin in 1871–1876; she was commissioned into the fleet in July 1876. She was the first large warship of the German navy built by a private shipyard; all previous vessels had been ordered abroad or built by Royal or Imperial dockyards. Her main battery of four 26 cm (10.2 in) guns was mounted in a pair of twin gun turrets amidships.
SMS Ägir was the second and final member of the Odin class of coastal defense ships built for the Imperial German Navy. She had one sister ship, Odin. Ägir was named for the norse god, and was built by the Kaiserliche Werft in Danzig between 1893 and 1896. She was armed with a main battery of three 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns. She served in the German fleet throughout the 1890s and was rebuilt in 1901–1903. She served in the VI Battle Squadron after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, but saw no action. Ägir was demobilized in 1915 and used as a tender thereafter. After the war, she was rebuilt as a merchant ship and served in this capacity until December 1929, when she was wrecked on the island of Gotland.
SMS Wörth was one of four German pre-dreadnought battleships of the Brandenburg class, built in the early 1890s. The class also included Brandenburg, Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm, and Weissenburg. The ships were the first ocean-going battleships built for the Kaiserliche Marine. Wörth was laid down at the Germaniawerft dockyard in Kiel in May 1890. The ship was launched on 6 August 1892 and commissioned into the fleet on 31 October 1893. Wörth and her three sisters carried six heavy guns rather than four, as was standard for most other navies' battleships. She was named for the Battle of Wörth fought during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871.
SMS Sachsen was the lead ship of her class of four ironclads of the German Kaiserliche Marine. Her sisterships were Bayern, Württemberg, and Baden. Sachsen was built in the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin. She was laid down in April 1875, launched on 21 July 1877, and commissioned on 21 October 1878. The ship was armed with a main battery of six 26 cm (10.2 in) guns in individual open mounts.
SMS Württemberg was one of four Sachsen-class armored frigates of the German Kaiserliche Marine. Her sister ships were Sachsen, Bayern, and Baden. Württemberg was built in the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin from 1876 to 1881. The ship was commissioned into the Imperial Navy in August 1881. She was armed with a main battery of six 26 cm (10.2 in) guns in two open barbettes.
SMS Bayern was one of four Sachsen-class armored frigates of the German Kaiserliche Marine. Her sister ships were Sachsen, Baden, and Württemberg. Named for Bavaria, Bayern was built by the Kaiserliche Werft in Kiel from 1874 to 1881. The ship was commissioned into the Imperial Navy in August 1881. She was armed with a main battery of six 26 cm (10.2 in) guns in two open barbettes.
SMS Heimdall was the fourth vessel of the six-member Siegfried class of coastal defense ships built for the German Imperial Navy. Her sister ships were Siegfried, Beowulf, Frithjof, Hildebrand, and Hagen. Heimdall was built by the Kaiserliche Werft in Wilhelmshaven between 1891 and 1894, and was armed with a main battery of three 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns. She served in the German fleet throughout the 1890s and was rebuilt in 1900–1902. She served in the VI Battle Squadron after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, but saw no action. Heimdall was demobilized in 1915 and used as a barracks ship thereafter. She was ultimately broken up for scrap in 1921.
SMS Beowulf was the second vessel of the six-member Siegfried class of coastal defense ships built for the German Imperial Navy. Her sister ships were Siegfried, Frithjof, Heimdall, Hildebrand, and Hagen. Beowulf was built by the AG Weser shipyard between 1890 and 1892, and was armed with a main battery of three 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns. She served in the German fleet throughout the 1890s and was rebuilt in 1900 – 1902. She served in the VI Battle Squadron after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, but saw no action. Beowulf was demobilized in 1915 and used as a target ship for U-boats thereafter. She was ultimately broken up for scrap in 1921.
SMS Frithjof was the third vessel of the six-member Siegfried class of coastal defense ships built for the German Imperial Navy. Her sister ships were Siegfried, Beowulf, Heimdall, Hildebrand, and Hagen. Frithjof was built by the AG Weser shipyard between 1890 and 1893, and was armed with a main battery of three 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns. She served in the German fleet throughout the 1890s and was rebuilt in 1900 - 1902. She served in the VI Battle Squadron after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, but saw no action. Frithjof was demobilized in 1915 and used as a barracks ship thereafter. She was rebuilt as a merchant ship in 1923 and served in this capacity until she was broken up for scrap in 1930.
SMS Hildebrand was the fifth vessel of the six-member Siegfried class of coastal defense ships built for the German Imperial Navy. Her sister ships were Siegfried, Beowulf, Frithjof, Heimdall, and Hagen. Hildebrand was built by the Kaiserliche Werft at Kiel between 1890 and 1893, and was armed with a main battery of three 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns. She served in the German fleet throughout the 1890s and was rebuilt in 1900–1902. She served in the VI Battle Squadron after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, but saw no action. Hildebrand was demobilized in 1915 and used as a barracks ship thereafter. She ran aground while en route to the Netherlands for scrapping in 1919, and was eventually broken up in situ in 1933.
SMS Hagen was the final vessel of the six-member Siegfried class of coastal defense ships built for the German Imperial Navy. Her sister ships were Siegfried, Beowulf, Frithjof, Heimdall, and Hildebrand. Hagen was built by the Kaiserliche Werft in Kiel between 1891 and 1893, and was armed with a main battery of three 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns. She served in the German fleet throughout the 1890s and was rebuilt in 1900 - 1902. She served in the VI Battle Squadron after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, but saw no action. Hagen was demobilized in 1915 and used as a barracks ship thereafter. She was ultimately sold for scrap in 1919 and subsequently dismantled.
SMS Odin was the lead ship of her class of coastal defense ships built for the Imperial German Navy. She had one sister ship, Ägir. Odin, named for the eponymous Norse god, was built by the Kaiserliche Werft in Danzig between 1893 and 1896, and was armed with a main battery of three 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns. She served in the German fleet throughout the 1890s and was rebuilt in 1901–1903. She served in the VI Battle Squadron after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, but saw no action. Odin was demobilized in 1915 and used as a tender thereafter. After the war, she was rebuilt as a merchant ship and served in this capacity until 1935, when she was broken up for scrap.
SMS Baden was one of four Sachsen-class armored frigates of the German Kaiserliche Marine. Her sister ships were Sachsen, Bayern, and Württemberg. Baden was built in the Kaiserliche Marine in Kiel from 1876 to 1883. The ship was commissioned into the Imperial Navy in September 1883. She was armed with a main battery of six 26 cm (10.2 in) guns in two open barbettes.
SMS Prinzess Wilhelm was a protected cruiser of the German Imperial Navy. She was the second Irene-class cruiser; her only sister ship was SMS Irene. Prinzess Wilhelm was laid down in 1886 at the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel, launched in September 1887, and commissioned into the fleet in November 1889. The cruiser was named after Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, first wife of Kaiser Wilhem II. As built, the ship was armed with a main battery of fourteen 15 cm (5.9 in) guns and had a top speed of 18 knots.
SMS Zieten was the first torpedo-armed aviso built for the Imperial German Navy. She was built in Britain in 1875–1876, and was the last major warship built for Germany by a foreign shipyard. Ordered as a testbed for the new Whitehead torpedo, Zieten was armed with a pair of 38 cm (15 in) torpedo tubes, and was capable of a top speed of 16 knots, making her the fastest ship in the German fleet at the time. Zieten was the first torpedo-armed vessel in a series of avisos that ultimately developed into the first light cruisers. In addition to her impact in German warship design, Zieten also influenced numerous other navies, who built dozens of similar avisos and torpedo vessels of their own.
SMS Blitz was an aviso of the German Kaiserliche Marine built in the early 1880s. She was the lead ship of her class, which included one other vessel, SMS Pfeil. Her primary offensive armament consisted of a bow-mounted torpedo tube, and she was armed with a battery of light guns to defend herself against torpedo boats, a sign of the growing importance of torpedoes as effective weapons in the period. The Blitz class featured a number of innovations in German warship design: they were the first steel hulled warships and the first cruiser-type ships to discard traditional sailing rigs.
SMS Pfeil was an aviso of the Imperial German Navy, the second and final member of the Blitz class. Her primary offensive armament consisted of a bow-mounted torpedo tube, and she was armed with a battery of light guns to defend herself against torpedo boats, a sign of the growing importance of torpedoes as effective weapons in the period. The Blitz class featured a number of innovations in German warship design: they were the first steel hulled warships and the first cruiser-type ships to discard traditional sailing rigs.
SMS Wacht was an aviso of the Imperial German Navy, the lead ship of her class. She had one sister ship, Jagd. Wacht was built by the AG Weser shipyard; she was laid down in 1886, launched in August 1887, and commissioned in August 1888. She served in the active fleet through the 1890s and participated in numerous training exercises. Her career was cut short on 4 September 1901, when she collided with the old ironclad SMS Sachsen. The latter's ram bow holed Wacht under the waterline and caused her to rapidly sink. Her crew was safely rescued, however, and there were no casualties.
SMS Jagd was an aviso of the Imperial German Navy, the second and final member of the Wacht class. She had one sister ship, Wacht. Jagd was laid down in 1887 at the AG Weser shipyard, launched in July 1888, and commissioned in June 1889. She served in the German fleet for the next fifteen years, until she was withdrawn from active duty in 1904. Thereafter, she was used as a harbor ship. In 1910, she was stricken from the naval register and hulked. She was later used as a torpedo training platform until 1920, when she was sold for scrapping.