 SMSKaiser | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | |
| Operators |  Imperial German Navy |
| Preceded by | Helgoland class |
| Succeeded by | König class |
| Built | 1909–1913 |
| In commission | 1912–1919 |
| Completed | 5 |
| Scrapped | 5 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Dreadnought battleship |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 172.4 m (565 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 29 m (95 ft 2 in) |
| Draft | 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) |
| Range | 7,900 nmi (14,600 km; 9,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
| Armor |
|
TheKaiser class was aclass of fivedreadnought battleships that were built in Germany prior toWorld War I and served in theKaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) during the war. They were the third class of Germandreadnoughts, and the first to feature turbine engines and superfiring turrets. The five ships wereKaiser,Friedrich der Grosse,Kaiserin,Prinzregent Luitpold, andKönig Albert. As was usual for German battleships of the period, theKaiser class mounted main guns that were smaller than those of their British rivals: 30.5 cm (12 in), compared to the 34.3 cm (13.5 in) guns of the BritishOrion class.[1]
All five ships saw action in theNorth Sea during the war; they served together as VI Division ofIII Battle Squadron. Four were present during theBattle of Jutland;König Albert was in dock at the time.[2] Of the four ships that took part in the battle, onlyKaiser was damaged, being struck by two heavy-caliber shells.[3] The ships also took part inOperation Albion in the Baltic Sea; during the operation they were reorganized asIV Battle Squadron, under the command of Vice AdmiralWilhelm Souchon.[4]
At the end of the war, all five ships were interned at the British naval base inScapa Flow. On 21 June 1919, they werescuttled to prevent their seizure by theRoyal Navy. The ships were subsequently raised and broken up for scrap between 1929 and 1937.[5]
TheKaiser-class ships were ordered under the sameSecond Naval Law as the precedingHelgoland-class battleships. The law provided that the life expectancy of capital ships was to be reduced from 25 to 20 years, a measure designed to necessitate construction of newer battleships. This meant the sixSiegfried-class coastal defense ships, the twoOdin-class coastal defense ships, as well as the fourBrandenburg-class battleships would have to be replaced.[6] The fiveKaisers were to replace the remaining threeSiegfried-class ships:Hildebrand,Heimdall, andHagen, as well as the twoOdin-class ships:Odin andÄgir.[5]
The ships of theKaiser class were 171.8 m (563 ft 8 in) longat the waterline, and 172.4 m (565 ft 7 in) longoverall. The ships had a beam of 29 m (95 ft 2 in), a draft of 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in) forward and 8.8 m (28 ft 10 in) aft. Theydisplaced 24,724 metric tons (24,334 long tons; 27,254 short tons) as designed and up to 27,000 t (26,570 long tons; 29,760 short tons) at full load. The ships had adouble bottom for 88 percent of the length of the hull and 17watertight compartments. The ships had a crew of 41 officers and 1,043 seamen. While serving as squadronflagship, the ships had an additional 14 officers and 80 men, and as the second command flagship, the ships' usual complement was augmented by another 2 officers and 23 men.[5]
TheKaiser-class ships were excellent sea boats, but were very stiff, suffering a slight loss of speed in heavy swells. They were responsive to commands from the helm; they turned quickly initially, but suffered from severetorque at a hard rudder. With the rudder hard over, the ships would lose up to 66 percent of their speed and heel over as much as 8 degrees. TheKaiser-class ships had a transversemetacentric height of 2.59 m (8.5 ft).[5]
TheKaiser-class ships were the first German battleships to be powered by turbines.[7] They used turbines from several different manufacturers as theReichsmarineamt (RMA) and German shipyards attempted to find an alternative to aParsons turbine monopoly.[8][a] Nevertheless,Kaiser andKaiserin were both equipped with three sets of Parsons turbines.Friedrich der Grosse had three sets of AEG-Curtis turbines, whileKönig Albert was powered by Schichau turbines. The turbines drove three-bladed screws that were 3.75 m (12.3 ft) in diameter, providing a design speed of 21knots (39 km/h; 24 mph). The ships had two rudders.[5]
Prinzregent Luitpold was equipped with two sets of Parsons turbines on the outer shafts. It was intended that a single 12,000 bhp Germania 6-cylinder 2-stroke diesel engine would drive the center shaft. However, the diesel power plant was not ready in time to be installed inPrinzregent Luitpold, so the ship sailed with only two shafts.[7] On trials,Prinzregent Luitpold was approximately one half knot slower than her sisters.[10]
Steam was provided by 16 Schulz-Thornycroftwater-tube boilers, except inPrinzregent Luitpold, which had only 14 boilers. Hollow grates were fitted to the boilers between 1916 and 1917. The three-shaft ships carried 3,600 metric tons of coal, which enabled a maximum range of 7,900nautical miles (14,600 km; 9,100 mi) at a cruising speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).Prinzregent Luitpold carried a reduced bunkerage—3,200 metric tons—but was designed to carry 400 tons of oil for the diesel engine. On diesel power alone,Prinzregent Luitpold would have had a range of 2,000 nautical miles at 12 knots.[7][11]
Electrical power was provided by four double turbo-generators and two diesel generators. They produced a total output of 1,800 kilowatts at 225 volts.[5]
TheKaiser-class ships each carried ten30.5 cm (12 in) SK L/50 guns[b] mounted in five twinturrets. One turret was mounted fore, two were mounted en echelon amidships, and the fourth and fifth turrets were mounted in asuperfiring pair aft. The guns were supplied with a total of 860 shells, for 86 rounds per gun.[5] The shells were 894 lb (406 kg), and were fired at amuzzle velocity of 854 meters per second (2,805 feet per second).[13] The guns were placed in C/1909 mountings, which were very similar to the older C/1908 gun mounts used in the precedingHelgoland-class ships.[10] The mountings were initially capable of depression to −8 degrees and elevation to 13.5 degrees. At maximum elevation, the guns had a range of up to 18,700 m (20,500 yd). After theBattle of Dogger Bank in January 1915, where British ships had been able to open fire first, outside the range of the German guns, the mountings were modified to depress to −5.5 degrees and elevate to 16 degrees. This extended the maximum range of 20,500 m (22,400 yd).[5][14]
The ships had asecondary battery of fourteen15 cm (5.9 in) SK L/45 quick-firing guns, each mounted incasemates. The guns each had a supply of one hundred and sixty 99.9 lb (45.3 kg) shells, for a total of 2240.[5] Firing at a muzzle velocity of 835 m/s (2,740 ft/s),[13] the guns could hit targets at a distance 13,500 m (14,800 yd), and after modifications in 1915, the range was extended to 16,800 m (18,400 yd).[5] The ships were also equipped with eight8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/45 guns. They were eventually rearmed with four 8.8 cm L/45 Flak guns, two of which were later removed.[10] As was customary for capital ships of the period, theKaiser-class ships were armed with five 50 cm (19.7 in) submergedtorpedo tubes. One was mounted in the bow, while the other four were placed on thebroadside, two on each flank of the ship.[5]
As with all major contemporary German warships, theKaiser-class ships were protected byKruppcemented steel armor. The deck armor ranged in thickness, from 10 cm (3.9 in) in more critical areas of the ship, down to 6 cm (2.4 in) in less important areas. Thearmored belt was 35 cm (13.8 in) thick in the centralcitadel, and tapered down to 18 cm (7.1 in) forward and 12 cm (4.7 in) aft. Behind the armored belt, the ships had atorpedo bulkhead 4 cm (1.6 in) thick.[5]
The forwardconning tower had a roof that was 15 cm (5.9 in) thick; the sides were 35 cm thick. Atop the conning tower was the smaller gunnery control tower, which had a curved face that was 40 cm (15.7 in) thick. The aft conning tower was significantly less well-armored; the sides were 20 cm (7.9 in) thick, and the roof was only 5 cm (2 in) thick. The main battery turrets were protected by 30 cm of armor on the sides and 22 cm (8.7 in) of armor on the roofs. The 15 cm guns had 17 cm (6.7 in) of armor plating on their mounts, and 8 cm (3.1 in) on theirgun shields.[5][15]
Kaiser, thename ship of the class, was laid down at theKaiserliche Werft Kiel in December 1909 under construction number 35. The ship was launched on 22 March 1911, and commissioned into theHigh Seas Fleet on 1 August 1912.Friedrich der Grosse followed on 26 January 1910, at theAG Vulcan shipyard in Hamburg. She was launched on 10 June 1911 and commissioned as the flagship of the High Seas Fleet on 15 October 1912.Kaiserin, the third ship of the class, was laid down in theHowaldtswerke in Kiel in November 1910. She was launched on 11 November 1911, and commissioned on 14 May 1913.[5][10]
König Albert was laid down atSchichau inDanzig on 17 July 1910, and launched on 27 April 1912. She was commissioned into the fleet on 31 July 1913.Prinzregent Luitpold, the last ship of the class, was laid down in January 1911 at theGermaniawerft shipyard in Kiel. The ship was launched on 17 February 1912 and commissioned on 19 August 1913.[5][10]
| Ship | Contract name[16] | Builder | Namesake | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser | ErsatzHildebrand | Kaiserliche Werft,Kiel | KaiserWilhelm II | October 1909 | 22 March 1911 | 1 August 1912 | Scuttled, 21 June 1919 |
| Friedrich der Grosse | ErsatzHeimdall | AG Vulcan,Hamburg | KönigFriedrich II von Preußen | January 1910 | 10 June 1911 | 15 October 1912 | |
| Kaiserin | ErsatzHagen | Howaldtswerke,Kiel | KaiserinAuguste Viktoria von Schleswig-Holstein | November 1910 | 11 November 1911 | 14 May 1913 | |
| Prinzregent Luitpold | ErsatzÄgir | Germaniawerft,Kiel | PrinzregentLuitpold von Bayern | October 1910 | 17 February 1912 | 19 August 1913 | |
| König Albert | ErsatzOdin | Schichau-Werke,Danzig | KönigAlbert von Sachsen | July 1910 | 27 April 1912 | 31 July 1913 |
In 1913–1914 twoKaiser-class ships,Kaiser andKönig Albert took part in a major overseas tour to South America and South Africa. The cruise was designed to demonstrate German power projection, as well as to test the reliability of the new turbine engines on long-range operations. Both ships had returned to the German bases in the North Sea by the outbreak of World War I.[5]
The first major operation of the war in which theKaiser-class ships participated was the raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on 15–16 December 1914. The raid was primarily conducted by the battlecruisers of theI Scouting Group. TheKaiser-class ships, along with theNassau,Helgoland, andKönig classes steamed in distant support ofFranz von Hipper's battlecruisers.Friedrich von Ingenohl, the commander of the High Seas Fleet, decided to take up station approximately in the center of the North Sea, about 130 miles east ofScarborough.[17]
TheRoyal Navy, which had recently received the German code books captured from the beached cruiserMagdeburg, was aware that an operation was taking place, but uncertain as to where the Germans would strike. Therefore, theAdmiralty orderedDavid Beatty's 1st Battlecruiser Squadron, the six battleships of the 2nd Battle Squadron, and a number of cruisers and destroyers to attempt to intercept the German battlecruisers.[17] However, Beatty's task force nearly ran headlong into the entire High Seas Fleet. At 6:20, Beatty's destroyer screen came into contact with the German torpedo boatV155. This began a confused 2-hour battle between the British destroyers and the German cruiser and destroyer screen, frequently at very close range. At the time of the first encounter, theKaiser-class battleships were less than 10 miles away from the 6 British dreadnoughts; this was well within firing range, but in the darkness, neither British nor German admiral were aware of the composition of their opponents' fleets. Admiral Ingenohl, loath to disobey theKaiser's order to not risk the battlefleet without his express approval, concluded that his forces were engaging the screen of the entireGrand Fleet, and so 10 minutes after the first contact, he ordered a turn to port on a south-east course. Continued attacks delayed the turn, but by 6:42, it had been carried out.[18] For about 40 minutes, the two fleets were steaming on a parallel course. At 7:20, Ingenohl ordered a further turn to port, which put his ships on a course for German waters.[19]
TheKaiser-class ships took part in another raid on the English coast, again as support for the German battlecruiser force in I Scouting Group. The battlecruisers left theJade Estuary at 10:55 on 24 April 1916, and the rest of the High Seas Fleet followed at 13:40. The battlecruiserSeydlitz struck a mine while en route to the target, and had to withdraw.[20] The other battlecruisers bombarded the town of Lowestoft largely without incident, but during the approach to Yarmouth, they encountered the British cruisers of theHarwich 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, AdmiralReinhard Scheer, who had been warned of the sortie of the Grand Fleet from its base in Scapa Flow, also withdrew to safer German waters.[21]
Four of the ships participated in the fleet sortie that resulted in the battle ofJutland on 31 May–1 June 1916. The operation was a repeat of earlier plans that intended to draw out a portion of the Grand Fleet and destroy it.Kaiser,Kaiserin,Prinzregent Luitpold, andFriedrich der Grosse, Scheer's flagship, made up VI Division ofIII Battle Squadron. III Battle Squadron was the first of three battleship units; however, theKönig-class battleships of V Division, III Battle Squadron were thevanguard of the fleet. Directly astern of theKaiser-class ships were theHelgoland andNassau-class battleships of I Battle Squadron; in therear guard were the elderlyDeutschland-classpre-dreadnoughts of II Battle Squadron.[22]
Shortly before 16:00 CET,[c] 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 ofIndefatigable, shortly after 17:00,[23] andQueen Mary, less than a half an hour later.[24] By this time, the German battlecruisers were steaming south in order to draw the British ships towards the main body of the High Seas Fleet. At 17:30,König, the leading German battleship, spotted both I Scouting Group and the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron approaching. The German battlecruisers were steaming down 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.[25] Shortly thereafter the order was given to commence firing; theKaiser-class ships, with the exception ofPrinzregent Luitpold, were not yet within range to engage the British battlecruisers.Prinzregent Luitpold managed to fire eight salvos at 22,300–21,300 yards (20,400–19,500 m) before the range again widened sufficiently to prevent further firing. In the meantime,Kaiser andFriedrich der Grosse, along with the battleships of II Battle Squadron, were within range of the British 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron. However, the massed fire from the ten battleships interfered with accurate spotting, and after only a few salvos fire was largely ceased.[26]
At around 19:00, the cruiserWiesbaden, which had earlier been disabled, was coming under attack from British light forces, and so Scheer ordered his ships to turn in order to cover an attempt to bring the ship under tow. At 19:05, the British armored cruisersDefence andWarrior began firing on the crippledWiesbaden. However, by 19:15, Hipper's battlecruisers and the battleships of III Battle Squadron appeared on the scene, and began to hammer the British ships at a range of less than 8,000 yards.Kaiser and threeKönig-class battleships concentrated their fire on the two cruisers until one ofDefence's magazines was detonated, which caused a massive explosion that destroyed the ship.Warrior, badly damaged and afire, managed to limp northward towards theQueen Elizabeth-class battleships of the 5th Battle Squadron.[27]
WhileWarrior was retreating northward under the cover of her own smoke, the battleshipWarspite came too close to her sisterValiant, and had to turn to starboard in order to avoid collision. At that moment, a shell fromKaiser struckWarspite's steering gear and jammed them, temporarily leaving the ship only able to steam in a large circle.[28]Friedrich der Grosse,König, twoNassau and threeHelgoland-class battleships fired onWarspite for a period of about 20 minutes;Warspite was hit 11 times before the Germans lost sight of her.[29] Because her steering gear could not be adequately repaired,Warspite was forced to withdraw from the battle;[30] her absence prompted the Germans to believe they had sunk her.[31]
Upon returning to the Jade estuary, theNassau-class battleshipsNassau,Westfalen, andPosen and theHelgoland-class battleshipsHelgoland andThüringen took up guard duties in the outerroadstead.Kaiser,Kaiserin, andPrinzregent Luitpold, largely undamaged during the battle, took up defensive positions outside the Wilhelmshaven locks. The other capital ships—those that were still in fighting condition—had their fuel and ammunition stocks replenished.[32]
During the battle,Kaiser had fired 224 heavy battery and 41 secondary battery shells;Kaiserin fired 160 and 135 respectively,Prinzregent Luitpold fired 169 and 106 respectively, andFriedrich der Grosse fired 72 and 151 shells, respectively.[33]Kaiser was hit twice by heavy-caliber shells during the battle, the only ship of the class to have been hit; however the ship suffered only a single wounded casualty.[34]
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In early September 1917, following the German conquest of the Russian port ofRiga, the German navy decided to expunge the Russian naval forces that still held theGulf of Riga. To this end, theAdmiralstab (the Navy High Command) planned an operation in theMoonsund archipelago, particularly targeting the Russian gun batteries on theSworbe peninsula ofÖsel.[35] On 18 September, the order was issued for a joint Army-Navy operation to capture Ösel andMoon islands; the primary naval component was to comprise the flagship,Moltke, along with III Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet. V Division included the fourKönigs, and was by this time augmented with the new battleshipBayern. VI Division consisted of the fiveKaiser-class battleships. Along with nine light cruisers, three torpedo boat flotillas, and dozens ofmine warfare ships, the entire force numbered some 300 ships, and was supported by over 100 aircraft and sixzeppelins. The invasion force amounted to approximately 24,600 officers and enlisted men.[36] Opposing the Germans were the old Russian pre-dreadnoughtsSlava andTsesarevich, thearmored cruisersBayan andAdmiral Makarov, theprotected cruiserDiana, 26 destroyers, several torpedo boats and gunboats, and a garrison on Ösel of some 14,000 men with shore batteries.[37]
The operation began on 12 October, when theKaiser-class battleships engaged the batteries on the Sworbe peninsula. Simultaneously,Moltke,Bayern, and theKönigs began firing on the Russian shore batteries at Tagga Bay. Stiff Russian resistance in the Kassar Wick, the entrance to Moon Sound, slowed the German advance. On 14 October,Kaiser was detached from the bombardment force to deal with the Russian destroyers holding up the German minesweepers. Under the cover ofKaiser's 30.5 cm guns, the German torpedo boats dashed into the Sound. During the ensuing clash, the Russian destroyerGrom was disabled and eventually sunk.[38]
The Russian 30.5 cm shore batteries at Zerel remained a significant problem, and so whileKaiser was disrupting the Russian destroyers,Kaiserin,König Albert, andFriedrich der Grosse bombarded Zerel at ranges of between 7.5 and 12.5 miles. Russian counter-fire proved accurate, and so the German dreadnoughts were forced to continually alter course to avoid being hit. The attack lasted only about an hour, due to fears of mines and submarines.[39] The following morning, twoKönig-class battleships were sent into Moon Sound to destroy the Russian ships stationed there.König sank the pre-dreadnoughtSlava, whileKronprinz forced the withdrawal of the remaining warships.[40] By 20 October, the naval operations were effectively over; the Russian ships had been destroyed or forced to withdraw, and the German army attained its objectives.[41]
Following the capitulation of Germany in November 1918, the High Seas Fleet, under the command of Rear AdmiralLudwig von Reuter, was interned in the British naval base inScapa Flow. The fleet remained in captivity during the negotiations that ultimately produced theVersailles Treaty. It became apparent to Reuter 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 his ships be sunk. On the morning of 21 June, the British fleet left Scapa Flow to conduct training maneuvers; at 10:00 Reuter transmitted the order to his ships.
Friedrich der Grosse was the first ship of the fleet to be scuttled, sinking at 12:16. She was raised on 29 April 1937 and towed to Rosyth for scrapping. The ship's bell was returned to Germany in 1965, and is currently in the Fleet Headquarters inGlücksburg.König Albert followed at 12:54, the second ship of the fleet to sink. The ship was later raised on 31 July 1935 and broken up inRosyth over the following year.Kaiser sank at 13:25, and was raised for scrapping on 20 March 1929; breaking work was conducted in Rosyth by 1930.Prinzregent Luitpold sank five minutes later, at 13:30. She too was raised, on 9 July 1931, and broken up in Rosyth.Kaiserin, the last ship of the class to be sunk, slipped beneath the surface at 14:00. She was raised on 14 May 1936, and broken up that year in Rosyth.[5]
