 SMSKönig Albert; the diagonal lines along the side of the hull areanti-torpedo net booms. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | König Albert |
| Namesake | KingAlbert of Saxony |
| Builder | Schichau-Werke,Danzig |
| Laid down | 17 July 1910 |
| Launched | 27 April 1912 |
| Commissioned | 31 July 1913 |
| Fate | Scuttled atGutter Sound,Scapa Flow 21 June 1919 |
| Notes | Raised in 1935 and broken up for scrapping 1936 |
| 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 |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 22.1knots (40.9 km/h; 25.4 mph) |
| Range | 7,900 nmi (14,600 km; 9,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Crew |
|
| Armament |
|
| Armor |
|
SMSKönig Albert[a] was the fourth vessel of theKaiser class ofdreadnought battleships of theImperial German Navy.[b]König Albert's keel was laid on 17 July 1910 at theSchichau-Werke dockyard inDanzig. She was launched on 27 April 1912 and was commissioned into the fleet on 31 July 1913. The ship was equipped with ten 30.5-centimeter (12 in) guns in five twin turrets, and had a top speed of 22.1 knots (40.9 km/h; 25.4 mph).König Albert was assigned toIII Battle Squadron and laterIV Battle Squadron of theHigh Seas Fleet for the majority of her career, includingWorld War I.
Along with her foursister ships,Kaiser,Friedrich der Grosse,Kaiserin, andPrinzregent Luitpold,König Albert participated in most of the major fleet operations of World War I, though she was in drydock for maintenance during theBattle of Jutland between 31 May and 1 June 1916. As a result, she was the only battleship actively serving with the fleet that missed the largest naval battle of the war. The ship was also involved inOperation Albion, an amphibious assault on the Russian-held islands in theGulf of Riga, in late 1917.
After Germany's defeat in the war and the signing of theArmistice in November 1918,König Albert and most of thecapital ships of the High Seas Fleet were interned by theRoyal 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.König Albert was raised in July 1935 and subsequentlybroken up for scrap in 1936.
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]
The ship was 172.4 m (565 ft 7 in) longoverall anddisplaced a maximum of 27,000metric tons (26,570long tons) atfull load. She 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.König Albert 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]
König Albert was powered by three sets of Schichauturbines, which drove threescrew propellers. The turbines were supplied with steam by sixteen coal-firedboilers that were vented through a pair of widely spacedfunnels. The powerplant produced a top speed of 22.1knots (40.9 km/h; 25.4 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]
König Albert was armed with a main battery of ten30.5 cm SK L/50 guns in five twinturrets.[2][c] The ship disposed of 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. The ship's armament was rounded out by five 50 cm (19.7 in)torpedo tubes, all mounted in the 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.König Albert's conning tower was heavily armored, with 400 mm (15.7 in) sides.[2]
Ordered under the contract nameErsatz Ägir as a replacement for the obsoletecoastal defense shipSMS Ägir,[d]König Albert waslaid down at theSchichau-Werke dockyard inDanzig on 17 July 1910. She waslaunched on 27 April 1912;Princess Mathilde of Saxony christened the ship, and her brother, the last king of Saxony,Friedrich August III gave the speech. The ship was named forAlbert, King of Saxony, the immediate predecessor to Friedrich August. Following the completion offitting-out work, the ship wascommissioned into the fleet on 31 July 1913.[6][7]
AlthoughKönig Albert was the last ship in her class to be launched, she was the third to be commissioned, owing to turbine damage onKaiserin and delays onPrinzregent Luitpold's diesel engine. The ship was selected to form part of the special Detached Division, alongside her sisterKaiser and thelight cruiserStrassburg. The division was placed under the command ofKonteradmiral (KAdm—Rear Admiral)Hubert von Rebeur-Paschwitz and sent on a tour of South America,[8] with the goals of testing the new turbine propulsion system and representing the growing power of the Imperial Navy.[2] The three ships leftWilhelmshaven on 9 December 1913 and steamed forGerman West Africa, the first time German battleships had visited the colonies. There they made several stops, includingLomé, Togo, andVictoria andDuala,Kamerun. The Division then proceeded toGerman South-West Africa, making stops inSwakopmund andLüderitzbucht, and South Africa, stopping inSaint Helena en route. On 15 February 1914, the Division reachedRio de Janeiro, which ceremonially greeted the visiting German warships.[9][10]
From Rio de Janeiro,Strassburg went toBuenos Aires, Argentina, whileKönig Albert andKaiser steamed toMontevideo, Uruguay.Strassburg then rejoined the battleships in Montevideo, and all three then roundedCape Horn and steamed toValparaíso, Chile. Between 2 and 11 April they remained in Valparaiso, which marked the furthest point of their journey. On the return voyage, the three ships made additional stops, including inBahía Blanca, Argentina, before returning to Rio de Janeiro. The Division then began the trip back to Germany, stopping inCape Verde,Madeira, andVigo. The ships reachedKiel on 17 June 1914, after having traveled some 20,000 nautical miles (37,000 km; 23,000 mi) without incident. On 24 June, the Detached Division was dissolved, andKönig Albert andKaiser joined their classmates inIII Battle Squadron of theHigh Seas Fleet.[11]
König Albert joined the High Seas Fleet for its annual summer cruise to Norway in July 1914, about two weeks after theassassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand inSarajevo. As a result of rising international tensions, the cruise was cut short and the German fleet was back in Wilhelmshaven by 29 July.[11] Following the outbreak of war on 28 July and the subsequent German invasion of Belgium and France, the United Kingdom declared war on Germany at midnight on 4 August.[12]
Throughout the first two years of the war, the High Seas Fleet, includingKönig Albert, conducted a number of sweeps and advances into the North Sea. AdmiralFriedrich von Ingenohl, the commander of the High Seas Fleet, adopted a strategy in which the battlecruisers of KAdmFranz 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.[13] The first, theraid on Yarmouth, occurred on 2–3 November, though no British forces were encountered. Theraid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on 15–16 December 1914 was the next such operation. On the evening of 15 December, the German battle fleet of some twelve dreadnoughts—includingKönig Albert and her foursisters—and eight pre-dreadnoughts came to within 10 nmi (19 km; 12 mi) of an isolated squadron of six British battleships. However, skirmishes between the rivaldestroyer screens in the darkness convinced Ingenohl that he was faced with the entire British Grand Fleet. Under orders fromKaiser Wilhelm II to avoid risking the fleet unnecessarily, Ingenohl broke off the engagement and turned back toward Germany.[14]
Following the loss of the armored cruiserSMS 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 whichKönig Albert took part; in the first one on 29–30 March, the fleet steamed out to the north ofTerschelling and returned without incident. Another followed on 17–18 April, whereKönig Albert 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 toward theDogger Bank, though again failed to meet any British forces. On 15 May, abushing came loose in the ship's starboard turbine, which forced the crew to turn the engine off anddecouple it. The center and port side shafts were still capable of propelling the ship at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph), however. 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 in the direction ofHorns Reef which concluded without result.[16]
On 11 January 1916,Vizeadmiral (Vice Admiral)Reinhard Scheer replaced the ailing Pohl, who was suffering from liver cancer. Scheer proposed a more aggressive policy designed to force a confrontation with the Grand Fleet; he received approval from the Kaiser in February.[17] The first of Scheer's operations was conducted the following month, on 5–7 March, with an uneventful sweep of theHoofden. 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.[18] On 24 April, thebattlecruisers of I Scouting Group conducted araid on the English coast.König Albert 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. 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.[19]
After the raid on Yarmouth, several of the III Squadron battleships developed problems with their condensers.[20] This includedKönig Albert; tubing needed to be replaced in all three main condensers, which necessitated extensive dockyard work. The ship went into drydock in theImperial Dockyard in Wilhelmshaven on 29 May, two days before the rest of the fleet departed for theBattle of Jutland. Work on the ship was not completed until 15 June,[21] and as a result,König Albert was the only German dreadnought in active service to miss the battle.[22][e] On 18 August 1916,König Albert 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 Vice AdmiralDavid Beatty's battlecruisers. Scheer would trail behind with the rest of the fleet and provide support.[23] During theaction of 19 August 1916, Scheer turned north after receiving a false report from azeppelin about a British unit in the area.[24] 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.[25]
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.[26] Unit training in the Baltic was then conducted, and on the return voyage III Squadron was diverted to assist in the recovery of a pair ofU-boats stranded on the Danish coast. The fleet was reorganized on 1 December;[21] the fourKönig-class battleships remained in III Squadron, along with the newly commissionedBayern, while the fiveKaiser-class ships, includingKönig Albert, were transferred to IV Squadron.[27]König Albert saw no major operations in the first half of 1917, and on 18 August she went into drydock at theImperial Dockyard in Kiel for periodic maintenance, which lasted until 23 September.[21]
In early September 1917, following the German conquest of the Russian port ofRiga, the German naval command decided to eliminate the Russian naval forces that still held theGulf of Riga. On 18 September, theAdmiralstab (the Navy High Command) issued the order for a joint operation with the army to captureÖsel andMoon Islands. The naval component, organized as a Special Unit (Sonderverband), was to comprise the flagship,Moltke, along with 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. Opposing the Germans were the old Russianpre-dreadnoughtsSlava andTsesarevich, thearmored cruisersBayan andAdmiral Makarov, theprotected cruiserDiana, 26 destroyers, and several torpedo boats and gunboats. The garrison on Ösel numbered some 14,000 men.[28]
The operation began on the morning of 12 October, whenMoltke and the III Squadron ships engaged Russian positions in Tagga Bay whileKönig Albert and the rest of IV Squadron shelled Russian gun batteries on theSworbe Peninsula on Ösel.[29] The coastal artillery in both locations were quickly silenced by the battleships' heavy guns. On the morning of the 14th,König Albert,Friedrich der Grosse, andKaiserin were detached to support German troops advancing towardAnseküll.[30]König Albert andKaiserin were assigned to suppress a Russian battery atZerel, though heavy fog delayed them from engaging the target. The Russians opened fire first, which was quickly returned by the two ships.Friedrich der Grosse came to the two ships' assistance and the three battleships fired a total of 120 large-caliber shells at the battery at Zerel over the span of an hour. The battleships' gunfire prompted most of the Russian gun crews to flee their posts.[31]
On the night of 15 October,König Albert andKaiserin were sent to replenish their coal stocks inPutzig. On the 19th, they were briefly joined in Putzig byFriedrich der Grosse, which continued on toArensburg withMoltke. The next morning, VAdmEhrhard Schmidt ordered the special naval unit to be dissolved; in a communique to the naval headquarters, Schmidt noted that "Kaiserin andKönig Albert can immediately be detached from Putzig to the North Sea."[32] The two ships then proceeded to Kiel via Danzig, where they transited the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal back to the North Sea. After returning to the North Sea on 23 October,König Albert served as theflagship of KAdmFriedrich Boedicker, leading a force of heavy ships, includingKaiserin,Nassau,Rheinland, and the battlecruiserDerfflinger, supporting a mine-sweeping operation in theGerman Bight. Afterward she resumed guard duty in the Bight.[33][34]
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,König Albert and the rest of the fleet departed from the Schilligroadstead. 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.[35]
König Albert 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 theGrand Admiral (Großadmiral) of the fleet—intended to inflict as much damage as possible on the British navy, in order to retain 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. 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.[36] The ship remained on picket duty in the Bight until 10 November. This kept her away from the mutinous vessels, until she returned to port and her crew joined the mutiny.[21] The unrest ultimately forced Hipper and Scheer to cancel the operation.[37] Informed of the situation, the Kaiser stated "I no longer have a navy."[38]
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.König Albert was among the list of ships to be interned.[39] The fleet was commanded by KAdmLudwig von Reuter.[37] 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.[40]
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.[41][42]
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 have signed 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.[40]König Albert capsized and sank at 12:54.[2]
The British government sold the wreck toMetal Industries, Limited on 1 November 1934 for £750; they raised the ship on 31 July 1935. Metal Industries eventually towed her toRosyth, Britain, arriving on 4 May 1936. She wasbroken up for scrap by 1937.[43]
