 SMSFriedrich der Grosse underway | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | Friedrich der Grosse |
| Namesake | KingFrederick II of Prussia |
| Builder | AG Vulcan,Hamburg |
| Laid down | 26 January 1910 |
| Launched | 10 June 1911 |
| Commissioned | 15 October 1912 |
| Fate | Scuttled atGutter Sound,Scapa Flow 21 June 1919 |
| Notes | Raised and broken up for scrapping 1936–1937 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Kaiser-classbattleship |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 172.40 m (565 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 29 m (95 ft 2 in) |
| Draft | 9.10 m (29 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 22.4knots (41.5 km/h; 25.8 mph) |
| Range | 7,900 nmi (14,600 km; 9,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Crew |
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| Armament |
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| Armor |
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SMSFriedrich der Grosse[a] was the second vessel of theKaiser class ofdreadnought battleships of the GermanImperial Navy.Friedrich der Grosse's[b] keel was laid on 26 January 1910 at theAG Vulcan dockyard inHamburg, her hull was launched on 10 June 1911, and she was commissioned into the fleet on 15 October 1912. The ship was equipped with ten 30.5-centimeter (12 in) guns in five twin turrets, and had a top speed of 23.4 knots (43.3 km/h; 26.9 mph).Friedrich der Grosse was assigned toIII Battle Squadron of theHigh Seas Fleet for the majority ofWorld War I, and served as fleetflagship from her commissioning until 1917.
Along with her four sister ships,Kaiser,Kaiserin,König Albert, andPrinzregent Luitpold,Friedrich der Grosse participated in all the major fleet operations of World War I, including theBattle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916. Toward the center of the German line,Friedrich der Grosse was not as heavily engaged as the leading German ships, such as the battleshipsKönig andGrosser Kurfürst and the battlecruisers ofI Scouting Group—Friedrich der Grosse emerged from the battle completely unscathed. In 1917, the new battleshipBaden replacedFriedrich der Grosse as the fleet flagship.
After Germany's defeat in the war and the signing of theArmistice in November 1918,Friedrich der Grosse and most of thecapital ships of the High Seas Fleet were interned by the BritishRoyal Navy inScapa Flow. The ships were disarmed and reduced to skeleton crews while theAllied powers negotiated the final version of theTreaty of Versailles. On 21 June 1919, days before the treaty was signed, the commander of the interned fleet, Rear AdmiralLudwig von Reuter,ordered the fleet to be scuttled to ensure that the British would not be able to seize the ships.Friedrich der Grosse was raised in 1936 and broken up for scrap metal. Her bell was returned to Germany in 1965 and is now located at the Fleet Headquarters inGlücksburg.
The German 1909 construction program included the last two members of theHelgoland-class battleships, along with two additionaldreadnoughts to be built to a new design. The primary change was intended to be the adoption ofsteam turbines in favor oftriple-expansion steam engines used in the earlier vessels. The space savings of turbines permitted a more efficientsuperfiring arrangement of themain battery, along the same model as theMoltke-class battlecruisers. The new ships' armor layout was significant improved over earlier designs; theKaiser class was also far superior in defensive characteristics to their British counterparts of theKing George V andIron Duke classes, even if markedly inferior in terms of firepower.[1]
Friedrich der Grosse was 172.4 m (565 ft 7 in) longoverall anddisplaced a maximum of 27,000metric tons (26,570long tons) atfull load. The ship had abeam of 29 m (95 ft 2 in) and adraft of 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in) forward and 8.80 m (28 ft 10 in) aft. The ship had aninverted bow and a longforecastle deck that extended for two-thirds the length of thehull. Hersuperstructure was fairly minimal, consisting primarily of a short, armoredconning tower forward and a smaller, secondary conning tower aft.Friedrich der Grosse was fitted with a pair of polemasts for observation and signaling purposes. She had a crew of 41 officers and 1,043 enlisted men.[2]
She was powered by three sets of AEG Curtis turbines, which drove threescrew propellers. The turbines were supplied with steam by sixteen coal-firedwater-tube boilers that were vented through a pair of widely spacedfunnels. On trials, the powerplant produced a top speed of 22.4knots (41.5 km/h; 25.8 mph). She carried 3,600 metric tons (3,500 long 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).[2]
The ship was armed with a main battery of ten30.5 cm SK L/50 guns in five twin turrets.[2][c] She disposed with the inefficient hexagonal turret arrangement of previous German battleships; instead, three of the five turrets were mounted on thecenterline, with two of them arranged in asuperfiring pair aft. The other two turrets were placeden echelon amidships, such that both could fire on thebroadside.[4] The ship was also armed with asecondary battery of fourteen15 cm (5.9 in) SK L/45 guns incasemates amidships. For close-range defense againsttorpedo boats, she carried eight8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/45 guns in casemates. The ship was also armed with four 8.8 cm L/45 anti-aircraft guns. Her armament was rounded out by five 50 cm (19.7 in)torpedo tubes, all mounted in the ship's hull; one was in the bow, and the other four were on the broadside.[2]
Her mainarmored belt was 350 mm (13.8 in) thick in the centralcitadel, and was composed ofKrupp cemented armor (KCA). Her main battery gun turrets were protected by 300 mm (11.8 in) of KCA on the sides and faces.Friedrich der Grosse's conning tower was heavily armored, with 400 mm (15.7 in) sides. As with the other four ships in her class,Friedrich der Grosse carriedanti-torpedo nets until after theBattle of Jutland in 1916.[2]
Ordered under the contract nameErsatz Heimdall as a replacement for the obsoletecoastal defense shipHeimdall,[5][d]Friedrich der Grosse waslaid down at theAG Vulcan dockyard inHamburg on 26 January 1910.[7] She waslaunched on 10 June 1911, after which AG Vulcan conducted builder's trials.[8] At her launching ceremony,Princess Alexandra Victoria performed the christening and Field MarshalColmar Freiherr von der Goltz gave a speech.[9] She was then transferred toWilhelmshaven and commissioned into the fleet on 15 October 1912. Exercises in theBaltic Sea followed;Friedrich der Grosse then went toKiel for finalfitting-out work. On 22 January 1913, the ship was finally ready for active service.[8]
After hercommissioning in January 1913,Friedrich der Grosse conductedsea trials before becoming the fleetflagship on 2 March,[8] replacingDeutschland.[10] The ship participated in her first round of fleet maneuvers in February 1913, which were conducted in theKattegat and the North Sea. The next month saw another round of exercises, from 12 to 14 March. The ship went into dock for periodic maintenance in April, and was ready for artillery training by the end of the month. Extensive fleet maneuvers were conducted in the North Sea from 5 to 27 May.Friedrich der Grosse, as the Navy's newest battleship, was sent to Kiel forKiel Week in June.[8] While there, she was visited by the Italian kingVictor Emmanuel III and his wifeElena.[9] In mid-July, the fleet conducted its annual summer cruise to Norway, which lasted until mid-August. During the cruise,Friedrich der Grosse visitedBalholmen, Norway. The autumn maneuvers followed after the fleet returned; they lasted from 31 August to 9 September. Unit drills and individual ship training were conducted in October and November.[8]
In early 1914,Friedrich der Grosse participated in additional ship and unit training. The annual spring maneuvers were conducted in the North Sea at the end of March. Further fleet exercises followed in April and May in the Baltic and North Seas. The ship again went to Kiel Week that year. Despite the rising international tensions following theassassination ofArchduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June, theHigh Seas Fleet began its summer cruise to Norway on 13 July. During the last peacetime cruise of the Imperial Navy, the fleet conducted drills offSkagen before proceeding to the Norwegian fjords on 25 July. The following day the fleet began to steam back to Germany, as a result ofAustria-Hungary'sultimatum to Serbia. On the 27th, the entire fleet assembled offCape Skudenes before returning to port, where they remained at a heightened state of readiness.[8] War between Austria-Hungary and Serbia broke out the following day, and in the span of a week all of the major European powers had joined the conflict.[11]
The High Seas Fleet, includingFriedrich der Grosse, conducted a number of sweeps and advances into the North Sea. The first occurred on 2–3 November 1914, though no British forces were encountered. AdmiralFriedrich von Ingenohl, the commander of the High Seas Fleet, adopted a strategy in which the battlecruisers ofKonteradmiral (KAdm—Rear Admiral)Franz von Hipper'sI Scouting Group raided British coastal towns to lure out portions of theGrand Fleet where they could be destroyed by the High Seas Fleet.[12] Theraid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on 15–16 December 1914 was the first such operation.[13] On the evening of 15 December, the German battle fleet of some twelve dreadnoughts—includingFriedrich der Grosse and her foursisters—and eight pre-dreadnoughts came to within 10 nmi (19 km; 12 mi) of an isolatedsquadron of six British battleships. Skirmishes between the rivaldestroyer screens in the darkness convinced Ingenohl that he was faced with the entire Grand Fleet. Under orders fromKaiser Wilhelm II to avoid risking the fleet unnecessarily, Ingenohl broke off the engagement and turned the battle fleet back toward Germany.[14]
Following the loss ofSMS Blücher at theBattle of Dogger Bank in January 1915, the Kaiser removed Ingenohl from his post on 2 February. AdmiralHugo von Pohl replaced him as commander of the fleet.[15] Pohl conducted a series of fleet advances in 1915 in whichFriedrich der Grosse took part; in the first one on 29–30 March, the fleet steamed out to the north ofTerschelling and return without incident. Another followed on 17–18 April, whereFriedrich der Grosse and the rest of the fleet covered a mining operation byII Scouting Group. Three days later, on 21–22 April, the High Seas Fleet advanced towardDogger Bank, though again failed to meet any British forces.[16]
II Scouting Group performed another minelaying operation on 17–18 May, andFriedrich der Grosse and the rest of the fleet steamed out in support. Less than two weeks later on 29–30 May, the fleet attempted to conduct a sweep in the North Sea, but inclement weather forced Pohl to cancel the operation some 50 nmi (93 km; 58 mi) offSchiermonnikoog. The fleet remained in port until 10 August, when it sortied toHelgoland to cover the return of theauxiliary cruiserMöwe. A month later, on 11–12 September, the fleet covered another mine-laying operation off theSwarte Bank. The last operation of the year, conducted on 23–24 October, was an advance without result in the direction ofHorns Reef.[16]
On 11 January 1916,Vizeadmiral (VAdm—Vice Admiral)Reinhard Scheer replaced Pohl, who was suffering from liver cancer.[17] A week later on the 18th, Scheer hoisted his flag aboardFriedrich der Grosse.[16] Scheer proposed a more aggressive policy designed to force a confrontation with the British Grand Fleet; he received approval from the Kaiser in February.[18] The first of Scheer's operations was conducted the following month, on 5–7 March, with an uneventful sweep of theHoofden.[19] On 25–26 March, Scheer attempted to attack British forces that had raidedTondern, but failed to locate them. Another advance to Horns Reef followed on 21–22 April.[16]
On 24 April, thebattlecruisers of Hipper's I Scouting Group conducted araid on the English coast.Friedrich der Grosse and the rest of the fleet sailed in distant support. The battlecruiserSeydlitz struck a mine while en route to the target, and had to withdraw.[20] The other battlecruisers bombarded the town of Lowestoft unopposed 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, 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]
Soon after the Lowestoft raid, Scheer began planning another foray into the North Sea. He had initially intended to launch the operation in mid-May, by which time the mine damage toSeydlitz was scheduled to be repaired—Scheer was unwilling to embark on a major raid without his battlecruiser forces at full strength. On 9 May, several battleships developed problems with their engines, which delayed the operation further, to 23 May.[22] By 22 May,Seydlitz was still not fully repaired and the operation was again postponed, to 29 May.[23] At noon on 29 May, the repairs toSeydlitz were finally completed, and the ship returned to I Scouting Group.[24] The plan called for Hipper's battlecruisers to steam north to theSkagerrak, with the intention of luring out a portion of the British fleet so it could be destroyed by Scheer's waiting battleships.[25]
Friedrich der Grosse was the eighth ship in the German line; the fourKönig-class ships of the V Division, III Battle Squadron, led the line, followed by fourKaiser-class ships in the VI Division, III Battle Squadron.Friedrich der Grosse was the last ship in her division, directly astern ofPrinzregent Luitpold and ahead ofOstfriesland, the flagship of VAdmEhrhard Schmidt's I Division, I Battle Squadron. The eightHelgoland- andNassau-class battleships constituted I Squadron, which was followed by the six elderlypre-dreadnoughts of KAdmFranz Mauve's II Squadron.[26] Hipper's five battlecruisers, the scouting force for the fleet, left theJade estuary at 02:00 on 31 May; Scheer and the High Seas Fleet followed an hour and a half later.[24]
Shortly before 16:00 the battlecruisers of I Scouting Group encountered the British 1st Battlecruiser Squadron under the command of Vice AdmiralSir David Beatty. The opposing ships began an artillery duel that saw the destruction ofIndefatigable, shortly after 17:00,[27] andQueen Mary, less than half an hour later.[28] By this time, the German battlecruisers were steaming south to draw the British ships toward the main body of the High Seas Fleet. At 17:30,König's crew spotted both I Scouting Group and the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron approaching. The German battlecruisers were steaming to starboard, while the British ships steamed to port. At 17:45, Scheer ordered atwo-point turn to port to bring his ships closer to the British battlecruisers and the accompanying fast battleships of the 5th Battle Squadron; a minute later, he gave the order to open fire.[29][e]
Friedrich der Grosse was still out of range of both the British battlecruisers and the 5th Battle Squadron, and so held her fire initially. Between 17:48 and 17:52,Friedrich der Grosse and ten other battleships engaged the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron, though onlyNassau managed to score a hit during this period.[30] Shortly after, the German battle line came across the disabled destroyersNestor andNomad.Friedrich der Grosse and her three sisters targetedNomad and quickly sank her.Nestor was similarly dispatched by the I Squadron ships.[31] Shortly after 19:00, a melee between the German line and British cruisers took place. The center of the action was the damaged German cruiserWiesbaden, which had been disabled by a shell from the British battlecruiserInvincible. KAdmPaul Behncke inKönig attempted to maneuver III Squadron to cover the stricken cruiser.[32] Simultaneously, the British 3rd and 4th Light Cruiser Squadrons began a torpedo attack on the German line; while advancing to torpedo range, they smotheredWiesbaden with fire from their main guns. The eight III Squadron battleships fired on the British cruisers, but even the sustained fire from the battleships' main guns failed to drive off the British cruisers.[33] The armored cruisersDefence,Warrior, andBlack Prince joined in the attack on the crippledWiesbaden.[34] While most of the III Squadron battleships rained heavy fire upon the attacking armored cruisers,Friedrich der Grosse and the I Squadron ships engaged the battleshipWarspite at ranges from 9,600 to 12,500 yd (8,800 to 11,400 m), untilWarspite disappeared in the haze. In this period,Warspite was hit by 13 heavy shells, though the ships that fired them are unknown.[35]
After successfully withdrawing from the British, Scheer ordered the fleet to assume night cruising formation, though communication errors between Scheer aboardFriedrich der Grosse andWestfalen, the lead ship, caused delays. The series of reversals in course and confused maneuvers disorganized the fleet and inverted the sequence of ships, but by 23:30 the fleet had reached its cruising formation.Friedrich der Grosse was now the ninth ship in a line of twenty-four, headed by the eight I Squadron ships.[36] Shortly after 01:00, the British cruiserBlack Prince stumbled into the German line. Searchlights aboardThüringen illuminated the target;Friedrich der Grosse,Thüringen,Nassau, andOstfriesland hammered the cruiser at point-blank range with main and secondary guns. In the span of a few minutesBlack Prince exploded and sank, taking her entire crew of 857 with her.[37]
After a series of night engagements between the I Squadron battleships and British destroyers, the High Seas Fleet punched through the British light forces and reached Horns Reef by 04:00 on 1 June.[38] The German fleet reached Wilhelmshaven a few hours later; five of the I Squadron battleships took up defensive positions in the outerroadstead, andKaiser,Kaiserin,Prinzregent Luitpold, andKronprinz stood ready just outside the entrance to Wilhelmshaven.[39] The rest of the fleet entered Wilhelmshaven, whereFriedrich der Grosse and the other ships still in fighting condition replenished their stocks of coal and ammunition.[40] In the course of the battle,Friedrich der Grosse had fired 72 main battery shells and 151 rounds from her secondary guns.[41] She emerged from the battle completely undamaged.[16]
On 18 August 1916,Friedrich der Grosse took part in an operation to bombardSunderland.[16] Scheer attempted a repeat of the original 31 May plan: the two serviceable German battlecruisers,Moltke andVon der Tann, augmented by three faster dreadnoughts, were to bombard the coastal town of Sunderland in an attempt to draw out and destroy Beatty's battlecruisers. Scheer, inFriedrich der Grosse, would trail behind with the rest of the fleet and provide support.[42] During theaction of 19 August 1916, Scheer turned north after receiving a false report from azeppelin about a British unit in the area.[16] As a result, the bombardment was not carried out, and by 14:35, Scheer had been warned of the Grand Fleet's approach and so turned his forces around and retreated to German ports.[43]
The fleet advanced as far as the Dogger Bank on 19–20 October. The operation led to a brief action on 19 October, during which a British submarine torpedoed the cruiserMünchen. The failure of the operation (coupled with the action of 19 August) convinced the German naval command to abandon its aggressive fleet strategy in favor of a resumption of theunrestricted submarine warfare campaign.[44]
The fleet was reorganized on 1 December;[16] the fourKönig-class battleships remained in III Squadron, along with the newly commissionedBayern, while the fiveKaiser-class ships, includingFriedrich der Grosse, were transferred to IV Squadron.[45] In March 1917 the new battleshipBaden, built to serve as fleet flagship, entered service;[46] on the 17th, Scheer hauled down his flag fromFriedrich der Grosse and transferred it toBaden.[16] On 4–5 July, crewmen aboardFriedrich der Grosse staged a hunger strike in protest over the poor quality and insufficient quantity of the food they were given. The ship's officers relented, fed the crew a meal ofgroat soup and agreed to form aMenagekommission, a council that gave the enlisted men a voice in their ration selection and preparation.[47] Further insubordination on several vessels followed on 11 July, and the ringleaders were arrested and put on trial.Max Reichpietsch, a stoker fromFriedrich der Grosse was sentenced to death and executed by firing squad on 5 September inCologne.[48][49]
In early September 1917, following the German conquest of the Russian port ofRiga, the German navy decided to eliminate the Russian naval forces that still held theGulf of Riga. TheAdmiralstab (Navy High Command) planned an operation to seize the Baltic island ofÖsel, and specifically the Russian gun batteries on theSworbe Peninsula.[50] TheAdmiralstab issued orders on 18 September for a joint operation with the army to capture Ösel andMoon Islands; the primary naval component was to comprise the flagship,Moltke, and III and IV Battle Squadrons of the High Seas Fleet. Along with nine light cruisers, three torpedo boat flotillas, and dozens ofmine warfare ships, the entire force numbered some 300 ships, supported by over 100 aircraft and six zeppelins. The invasion force amounted to approximately 24,600 officers and enlisted men.[51] Opposing the Germans were the old Russianpre-dreadnoughtsSlava andTsesarevich, thearmored cruisersBayan,Admiral Makarov, andDiana, 26 destroyers, and several torpedo boats and gunboats. The garrison on Ösel numbered some 14,000 men.[52]
The operation began on the morning of 12 October, whenMoltke and the III Squadron ships engaged Russian positions in Tagga Bay whileFriedrich der Grosse and the rest of IV Squadron shelled Russian gun batteries on theSworbe Peninsula on Ösel.[52] The coastal artillery in both locations were quickly silenced by the battleships' heavy guns.[53] On the morning of the 14th,Friedrich der Grosse,Kaiserin, andKönig Albert were detached to support German troops advancing towardAnseküll.[54] The three ships fired on the battery atZerel for an hour, which prompted most of the Russian gun crews to flee their posts.[55]
By 20 October, the fighting on the islands was winding down; Moon, Ösel, and Dagö were in German possession. The previous day, theAdmiralstab had ordered the cessation of naval actions and the return of the dreadnoughts to the High Seas Fleet as soon as possible.[56] On 27 October,Friedrich der Grosse was detached from the Baltic and returned to the North Sea. Upon her return, she resumed guard duties.[48]
In late 1917, light forces of the High Seas Fleet beganinterdicting British convoys to Norway, which prompted the British to detach battleships from the battle fleet to protect the convoys. The Germans were now presented with an opportunity for which they had been waiting the entire war: a portion of the Grand Fleet could be isolated and destroyed. Hipper planned the operation: the battlecruisers of I Scouting Group, along with light cruisers and destroyers, would attack one of the large convoys, while the rest of the High Seas Fleet would stand by, ready to attack the British battleship squadron. At 05:00 on 23 April 1918,Friedrich der Grosse and the rest of the fleet departed from the Schillig roadstead. Hipper ordered wireless transmissions be kept to a minimum, to prevent radio intercepts by British intelligence. At 06:10 the German battlecruisers had reached a position approximately 60 kilometers (37 mi) southwest ofBergen whenMoltke lost her inner starboard propeller, which severely damaged the ship's engines. Despite this setback, Hipper continued northward. By 14:00, Hipper's force had crossed the convoy route several times but had found nothing. At 14:10, Hipper turned his ships southward. By 18:37, the German fleet had made it back to the defensive minefields surrounding their bases. It was later discovered that the convoy had left port a day later than expected by the German planning staff.[57] Afterward, she went into drydock for extensive maintenance, which lasted from 26 July to 28 September.[48]
Friedrich der Grosse and her four sisters were to have taken part in afinal fleet action at the end of October 1918, days before theArmistice was to take effect. The bulk of the High Seas Fleet was to have sortied from their base in Wilhelmshaven to engage the British Grand Fleet; Scheer—by now theGrossadmiral (Grand Admiral) of the fleet—intended to inflict as much damage as possible on the British navy, to ensure a better bargaining position for Germany, despite the expected casualties. However, many of the war-weary sailors felt the operation would disrupt the peace process and prolong the war.[58] On the morning of 29 October 1918, the order was given to sail from Wilhelmshaven the following day. Starting on the night of 29 October, sailors onThüringen and then on several other battleshipsmutinied.[59] On the 30th, crewmen aboardFriedrich der Grosse engaged in forms of passive resistance, including a "go-slow" while replenishing the ship's coal stock.[48][f] The unrest ultimately forced Hipper and Scheer to cancel the operation.[60] Informed of the situation, the Kaiser stated "I no longer have a navy."[61]
In early November 1918, Germany agreed to surrender according to terms laid out in theArmistice of 11 November 1918; one of the clauses of the agreement stipulated that the bulk of the High Seas Fleet must be interned while negotiations for the eventual peace treaty were held. After proposals to send the fleet to Norway or Spain failed, the Allies settled on the British naval base atScapa Flow.Friedrich der Grosse was among the list of ships to be interned.[62] The fleet was commanded by KAdmLudwig von Reuter.[60] Prior to the departure of the German fleet, AdmiralAdolf von Trotha made clear to Reuter that he could not allow the Allies to seize the ships under any conditions.[63]
On 21 November, the fleet rendezvoused with the British light cruiserCardiff, which led the ships to the Allied fleet that was to escort the Germans to Scapa Flow. The Allied fleet consisted of some 370 British, American, and French warships. The Germans initially sailed to theFirth of Forth, and from there, proceeded in smaller groups to Scapa Flow. Once the ships were interned, their guns were disabled through the removal of their breech blocks, and their crews were reduced to 200 officers and enlisted men. The fleet remained in captivity during the negotiations that ultimately produced theVersailles Treaty.[64][65]
The fleet remained in captivity during the negotiations that ultimately produced theTreaty of Versailles. Reuter believed that the British intended to seize the German ships on 21 June 1919, which was the deadline for Germany to sign the peace treaty. Unaware that the deadline had been extended to the 23rd, Reuterordered the ships to be sunk at the next opportunity. On the morning of 21 June, the British fleet left Scapa Flow to conduct training maneuvers, and at 11:20 Reuter transmitted the order to his ships.[63]Friedrich der Grosse capsized and sank at 12:16.[2]
Friedrich der Grosse remained on the bottom of Scapa Flow for some fifteen years before being sold toMetal Industries, Limited on 27 June 1934. They raised the wreck on 29 April 1937 and towed her toRosyth, Britain, on 5 August that year.Ship breaking began on 25 August and was completed on 18 May 1938.[66] On 30 August 1965,[2] Britain returned the ship's bell to Germany via the frigateScheer;[67] it now resides at the Fleet Headquarters of theGerman Navy inGlücksburg.[2]
Media related toSMS Friedrich der Große (ship, 1911) at Wikimedia Commons
