SMS Panther

Not to be confused with SMS Panther (1885) a ship of the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

SMS Panther
History
German Empire
Name	SMS Panther
Builder	Kaiserliche Werft, Danzig
Laid down	1900
Launched	1 April 1901
Commissioned	15 March 1902
Decommissioned	31 March 1931
Fate	Sold and scrapped 1931
General characteristics
Class and type	Iltis-class gunboat
Displacement	1,193  t (1,174 long tons)
Length	66.9 m (219 ft 6 in) o/a 64.1 m (210 ft 4 in) w/l
Beam	9.7 m (31 ft 10 in)
Draft	3.3 m (10 ft 10 in)
Installed power	4 × Thornycroft boilers 1,344  PS (1,326  ihp)
Propulsion	2 × triple-expansion steam engines 2 × screw propellers
Speed	13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph)
Range	3,400 nmi (6,300 km; 3,900 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph)
Complement	130
Armament	2 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/40 guns (range 12,200 m, 482 rounds) 6 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) cannons

SMS Panther was one of six Iltis-class gunboats of the Kaiserliche Marine that, like its sister ships, served in Germany's overseas colonies. The ship was launched on 1 April 1901 in the Kaiserliche Werft, Danzig. It had a crew of 9 officers and 121 men.

Design

Panther was 66.9 meters (219 ft) long overall and had a beam of 9.7 m (32 ft) and a draft of 3.54 m (11.6 ft) forward. She displaced 1,193 metric tons (1,174 long tons; 1,315 short tons) at full load. Her propulsion system consisted of a pair of vertical triple-expansion steam engines each driving a single screw propeller, with steam supplied by four coal-fired Thornycroft boilers. Panther could steam at a top speed of 13.7 knots (25.4 km/h; 15.8 mph) at 1,344 metric horsepower (1,326 ihp). The ship had a cruising radius of about 3,400 nautical miles (6,300 km; 3,900 mi) at a speed of 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph). She had a crew of 9 officers and 121 enlisted men. Panther was armed with a main battery of two 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/40 guns, with 482 rounds of ammunition. She also carried six machine guns. ^{[1] [2]}

Service history

Panther was laid down at the Kaiserliche Werft (Imperial Shipyard) in Danzig in 1900. She was launched on 1 April 1901 and was commissioned into the German fleet on 15 March 1902. ^[3]

In September 1902, after the Haitian rebel ship Crête-à-Pierrot hijacked the German steamer Markomannia and seized weapons destined for the Haitian government, Germany sent Panther to Haiti. ^[4] Panther found the rebel ship. The rebel Admiral Killick evacuated his crew and blew up Crête-à-Pierrot, which was by then under fire from Panther. ^[4] There were concerns about how the United States would view the action in the context of the Monroe Doctrine. But despite legal advice describing the sinking as "illegal and excessive", the US State Department endorsed the action. The New York Times declared that "Germany was quite within its rights in doing a little housecleaning on her own account". ^[4]

Some months later, in December 1902, the Panther was in the German naval contingent during the naval blockade of Venezuela, during which she bombarded the settlement of Fort San Carlos, near Maracaibo. ^[5] The shallow waters that connected lake Maracaibo with the sea were passable for major ships only in the strait that separated San Carlos from the island of Zapara, yet even there it needed the help of a local pilot to avoid the sand banks and shallow waters of the passage. The battle started when the fort's gunners opened fire as Panther was crossing the bar. Panther returned fire, but the shallow waters limited its effectiveness. Inside the fort, two gunners (Manuel Quevedo and Carlos José Cárdenas) managed to score several hits on Panther with their 80-millimeter Krupp gun, causing considerable damage. After half an hour of exchanging fire, the Germans retreated.

In 1905, Panther was sent to the Brazilian Port of Itajahy, where its crew conducted an unauthorized search in their pursuit of a German deserter by the name of Hassman. They ended up kidnapping, inexplicably, the German Fritz Steinhoff. This incident became known as the "Panther Affair" ("Caso Panther"). ^{[6] [7] [8] [9] [10]}

In October, 1906, Panther visited the Royal Naval Dockyard, in the British Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda, anchoring at Grassy Bay, the main anchorage of the squadron of the Royal Navy's North America and West Indies Station to the east of Ireland Island and in the mouth of the Great Sound. Members of the crew were hosted on Sunday, the 14 October 1906, by the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps at the new St. George Hotel on Rose Hill at St. George's Town, to where they were carried from Grassy Bay by the steamer Gladisfen of the firm William E. Meyer and Company, Ltd (named for the Danzig-born progenitor of Bermuda's prominent Meyer family). ^{[11] [12] [13] [14] [15]}

Agadir Crisis

Panther in 1931 shortly before her disposal

Main article: Agadir Crisis

Panther became notorious in 1911 when it was deployed to the Moroccan port of Agadir during the "Agadir Crisis" (also called the "Second Moroccan Crisis"). Panther was dispatched on the pretext of protecting (non-existent) German citizens in the port (a German sales representative, Hermann Wilberg, had been sent to Agadir on behalf of the Foreign office, but only arrived three days after Panther ^[16] ). The ship's actual mission was to apply pressure on the French, as the latter attempted to colonize Morocco, to extract territorial compensation in French Equatorial Africa. This was an example of "gunboat diplomacy". The incident contributed to the international tensions that would lead to the First World War.

The ship was scrapped in 1931.

Notes

1. Gröner, pp. 142–143.
2. Lyon, p. 260.
3. Gröner, pp. 142–153
4. Mitchell, Nancy (1999), The Danger of Dreams: German and American Imperialism in Latin America, University of North Carolina Press. pp77–78
5. Mitchell (1999:101)
6. Joffily, Jose (October 1988). O Caso Panther (in Portuguese). Editora Paz e Terra.
7. Seyferth, Giralda (November 1994). O Incidente do Panther (Itajai, SC, 1905) (in Portuguese). Vol. 4. Rio de Janeiro: Comunicacoes do PPGAS.
8. Guedes, Max Justo (2002). O Barao do Rio Branco e a Modernizacao da Defesa. Rio Branco – a America do Sul e a Modernizacao do Brasil (in Portuguese). Fundacao Alexandre de Gusmao. pp. 314–315. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 10, 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
9. Fauchille, Paul (1906) [1894]. Revue Generale de Droit International Public (PDF). Droit de Gens – Histoire Diplomatique – Droit Penal – Droit Fiscal – Droit Administratif (in French). Vol. 13. Paris: A. PEDONE, Libraire-Editeur. pp. 200–206. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
10. Millarch, Aramis (October 1988). "A noite em que a Alemanha invadiu o porto de Itajai" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 24 March 2008.^{[ dead link ]}
11. McDowall, Dr. Duncan (2016-09-14). "William E. Meyer". The Bermudian. Bermuda: The Bermudian Publishing Company. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
12. "OVERVIEW". Meyer Group of Companies. Retrieved 2022-08-13. Wm. E. Meyer & Co., Ltd. Incorporated in 1876 by German Captain William E. Meyer as a steamship and coal-bunkering agency, the Meyer Group's operations now include ship, freight and shore excursion agencies, property development, information technology support and forensic accounting services. Wm. E. Meyer & Co., Ltd. is the holding corporation for the Meyer Group.
13. "History". Meyer Group of Companies. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
14. Stranack, Royal Navy, Lieutenant-Commander B. Ian D (1977). The Andrew and The Onions: The Story of The Royal Navy in Bermuda, 1795–1975. Bermuda: Island Press Ltd. ISBN   9780921560036.
15. "Saxon and Teuton". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda. 1906-10-16. p. 2. For the Royal Gazette. On Sunday last, what promised to be a great day and turned out a success in spite of the stormy weather, came off on Rose Hill, at "The St. George," kindly loaned to A Comp., B.V.R.C., for the entertainment of the battalion and for other guests. The steamer "Triton " arrived from Hamilton with the B.V.R.C Band and Company, who were not deterred by the steady pouring rain, which had continued for 24 hours without a ray of sunlight to encourage finer prospects. At 11.30 a.m. the Hamilton Volunteers were received on arrival at St George's by A Comp. of St. George's. Soon after came the steamer "Gladisfen" from H. G. M. Ship "Panther" at Grassy Bay, bringing as guests, part of the " Panther's" crew. Giving the honours to the Germans, with Band leading with martial music ; the sons of German best blood, and the sons of Bermuda's best parentage, marched in soldierly order, each one of them serving for the love of country and without reward, and now together in good comradry, ready to uphold the honour of their respective flags, and together, if necessary, for the common Anglo Saxon good—and so it should be, and so it ought to be. The rain continued desperately, which caused the abandonment of the intended parade at St. George, and the morning worship at "St. Peter's" Church. Up struck the band again, and forward marched the blues and the khakies to Rose Hill, where Rev. Canon Lightbourn with Rev. Arthur Tucker and other gentlemen and ladies gave the new comers a hearty welcome. Once under the roof of the new modern hostelry, all soon became "one heart and one soul " ; some 250 covers had been spread in anticipation of the greatest love-feast in Bermuda, for there were caldrons of turtle soup and caldrons of fish, and caldrons of plum-pudding with its mysterious side touches all steaming hot in the great kitchen of "The St. George." The battle of the turtles soon commenced which resulted in the utter destruction of the turtles and acting somewhat more leniently upon "the loaves and fishes" in consequence. It was admitted on all sides that fish and plum-pudding were very fine general eating, that there were however some rare exceptions, and one of the exceptions was a good old fashioned Bermudian turtle soup without any restrictions. "Yes " spoke up one connoisseur, "Yes! you gentlemen from Germany, and you from England and America, you may talk. You may talk about your Grand Hotel Turtle dinners, mock or otherwise, yes, you may have even dined at " Sin Island " or you may have read of " Sinbad " and his turtle dinners ; no doubt they were " par excellence " but the Turtle dinner, of genuine green turtle,— none of your "hawk-bills or other fake turtles," — but brewed by Company A of St. George's, is just superb." The recipe for this soup belongs to St. David's Island, and the possession of its secret and the concoction of it afterwards cannot be imitated, no more than you can imitate the celebrated Worcestershire sauce, or the real Bermudian Milkpunch. Three American tourists partook of this kingly turtle feast, who will vouch for my statement and dream of it all the way to Now York next week, and tell their friends about it in Great America for they had had no better turtle dinner since they were born. I am not a paid cot respondent so I will not write up all the toasts and the hearty responses to the toasts, they were all proper and the King and Kaiser were first honored, and then came all the rest in usual routine and no one was forgotten, mind you, and all of this, in nothing stronger than good home-made lemonade, enough to make the heart of any member of the W. C. T. U. jump for joy. Tea, it be true, the Volunteers have come down to this simple beverage. The Germans sang some fine German songs in good style and with well trained voices. The B.V.R.C. Band played "The Watch on the Rhine," with as much ease and gusto as you would play "God save the King," whilst outside and everywhere the rain beat against windows and doors and kept the party inside merrily together. Soon flew the afternoon hours by, and at 4 p.m. the sabred officer gave orders to fall in. Again the German guests of honor with the Band and Volunteers, marched from the spacious Drawing room of " The St. George " through the town of St George to the Wharf of the " Triton," where all regretfully parted from their entertainers and from A. Company B. V. R. Corps of St. George's. Had not the weather been so persistently interfering, the well planned affair would have been carried out to the letter, viz: The reunion of the whole battalion at St George's from every part of Bermuda. Parting thanks to Sergt. Lines and to the Band of the B.V.R.C. ST. GEORGE.
16. Massie, Robert K. (1991). Dreadnought : Britain, Germany, and the coming of the Great War. New York: Ballantine. p. 727. ISBN   0-345-37556-4.

References

• Gröner, Erich (1990). German Warships: 1815–1945. Vol. I: Major Surface Vessels. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN   978-0-87021-790-6.
• Lyon, Hugh (1979). "Germany". In Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger; Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905 . Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN   978-0-85177-133-5.
• Hildebrand, Hans H.; Röhr, Albert & Steinmetz, Hans-Otto (1993). Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe: Biographien: ein Spiegel der Marinegeschichte von 1815 bis zur Gegenwart (Band 7)[The German Warships: Biographies: A Reflection of Naval History from 1815 to the Present (Vol. 7)] (in German). Ratingen: Mundus Verlag. ISBN   9783782202671.
• Simpson, Lloyd P. (1966). "The German-Haitian Naval Clash of 1902". Warship International. III (23): 216. ISSN   0043-0374.
• Mitchell, Nancy (1999). The danger of dreams: German and American imperialism in Latin America . University of North Carolina Press. ISBN   0-8078-4775-5.

Further reading

• Nottlemann, Dirk (2022). "The Development of the Small Cruiser in the Imperial German Navy, Part III: The Gunboats". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2022. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. pp. 63–79. ISBN   978-1-4728-4781-2.