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SMS Kaiser (1874)
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SMS Kaiser (1874)
SMS Kaiser was the lead ship of the Kaiser-class ironclads; SMS Deutschland was her sister ship. Named for the title "Kaiser" (German: Emperor), held by the leader of the then newly created German Empire, the ship was laid down in the Samuda Brothers shipyard in London in 1871. The ship was launched in March 1874 and commissioned into the German fleet in February 1875. Kaiser mounted a main battery of eight 26 cm (10.2 in) guns in a central battery amidships.
Kaiser served with the fleet from her commissioning until 1896, though she was frequently placed in reserve throughout her career. The ship was a regular participant in the annual fleet training maneuvers conducted with the exception of the mid-1880s, when she was temporarily replaced by newer vessels. She participated in several cruises in the Baltic and Mediterranean, often escorting Kaiser Wilhelm II on official state visits. Kaiser was rebuilt in the early 1890s as an armored cruiser, though she was too slow to perform satisfactorily in this role. Nevertheless, she spent several years as the flagship of the East Asia Squadron before returning to Germany in 1899. She was used in secondary roles after 1904, until after the end of World War I in 1919, when she was broken up for scrap.
The two Kaiser-class ironclads were authorized under the naval program of 1867, which had been approved by the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) to strengthen the North German Federal Navy in the wake of the Second Schleswig War, when the weak, then-Prussian Navy had been unable to break the blockade imposed by the Danish Navy. Designed by Edward James Reed in 1869, the ships were among the most powerful casemate ships built by any navy, though by the time they were completed they were rendered obsolescent by the advent of the turret ship.
The ship was 89.34 meters (293.1 ft) long overall and had a beam of 19.1 m (63 ft) and a draft of 7.39 m (24.2 ft) forward. She displaced 7,645 t (7,524 long tons) normally and up to 8,940 t (8,800 long tons) at full load. Kaiser was powered by one 2-cylinder single-expansion steam engine, which was supplied with steam by eight coal-fired trunk boilers. The boilers were vented into two widely spaced funnels. The propulsion system was rated at 14.6 knots (27.0 km/h; 16.8 mph) from 5,779 metric horsepower (5,700 ihp). She was also equipped with a full ship rig to supplement the steam engines. Her standard complement consisted of 32 officers and 568 enlisted men.
She was armed with a main battery of eight 26 cm RK L/20 (10.2 in) guns mounted in a central casemate amidships. As built, the ship was also equipped with a single 21 cm (8.3 in) L/22 chase gun. After her final rebuilt in 1891–1895, in addition to the eight heavy guns, her armament was increased by six 10.5 cm (4.1 in) L/35 guns, nine 8.8 cm (3.5 in) L/30, one 15 cm (5.9 in) L/30 chase gun and twelve 3.7 cm (1.5 in) auto-cannons for defense against torpedo boats. She also had received five 35 cm (13.8 in) torpedo tubes in an earlier refit, all mounted in the ship's hull.
Kaiser's armor consisted of wrought iron; her armor belt was 127 to 254 mm (5 to 10 in) thick, above which a strake of armor that was 203 mm (8 in) thick protected the main battery guns. Her main armor deck was 38 to 51 mm (1.5 to 2.0 in) thick.
Kaiser was ordered by the Imperial Navy from the Samuda Brothers shipyard in London; her keel was laid in 1871. Kaiser and her sister Deutschland were ordered shortly after the end of the Franco-Prussian War, under the assumption that the French would quickly attempt a war of revenge. The ship was launched on 19 March 1874 and commissioned into the German fleet on 13 February 1875.
After commissioning in February 1875, Kaiser spent the spring working up her engines to be ready for the annual summer training cruise. She joined the older ironclads Kronprinz and König Wilhelm and the new Hansa, under the command of Vice Admiral Ludwig von Henk. The four-ship squadron remained in German waters for the entirety of the cruise, which finished with a review of the flotilla in Rostock by Kaiser Wilhelm I in September. The squadron was reactivated the next spring; Rear Admiral Carl Ferdinand Batsch replaced Henk as the squadron commander. Kaiser served as the flagship of Batsch's squadron, which also included Kaiser's sister Deutschland, Kronprinz, and Friedrich Carl.
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SMS Kaiser (1874)
SMS Kaiser was the lead ship of the Kaiser-class ironclads; SMS Deutschland was her sister ship. Named for the title "Kaiser" (German: Emperor), held by the leader of the then newly created German Empire, the ship was laid down in the Samuda Brothers shipyard in London in 1871. The ship was launched in March 1874 and commissioned into the German fleet in February 1875. Kaiser mounted a main battery of eight 26 cm (10.2 in) guns in a central battery amidships.
Kaiser served with the fleet from her commissioning until 1896, though she was frequently placed in reserve throughout her career. The ship was a regular participant in the annual fleet training maneuvers conducted with the exception of the mid-1880s, when she was temporarily replaced by newer vessels. She participated in several cruises in the Baltic and Mediterranean, often escorting Kaiser Wilhelm II on official state visits. Kaiser was rebuilt in the early 1890s as an armored cruiser, though she was too slow to perform satisfactorily in this role. Nevertheless, she spent several years as the flagship of the East Asia Squadron before returning to Germany in 1899. She was used in secondary roles after 1904, until after the end of World War I in 1919, when she was broken up for scrap.
The two Kaiser-class ironclads were authorized under the naval program of 1867, which had been approved by the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) to strengthen the North German Federal Navy in the wake of the Second Schleswig War, when the weak, then-Prussian Navy had been unable to break the blockade imposed by the Danish Navy. Designed by Edward James Reed in 1869, the ships were among the most powerful casemate ships built by any navy, though by the time they were completed they were rendered obsolescent by the advent of the turret ship.
The ship was 89.34 meters (293.1 ft) long overall and had a beam of 19.1 m (63 ft) and a draft of 7.39 m (24.2 ft) forward. She displaced 7,645 t (7,524 long tons) normally and up to 8,940 t (8,800 long tons) at full load. Kaiser was powered by one 2-cylinder single-expansion steam engine, which was supplied with steam by eight coal-fired trunk boilers. The boilers were vented into two widely spaced funnels. The propulsion system was rated at 14.6 knots (27.0 km/h; 16.8 mph) from 5,779 metric horsepower (5,700 ihp). She was also equipped with a full ship rig to supplement the steam engines. Her standard complement consisted of 32 officers and 568 enlisted men.
She was armed with a main battery of eight 26 cm RK L/20 (10.2 in) guns mounted in a central casemate amidships. As built, the ship was also equipped with a single 21 cm (8.3 in) L/22 chase gun. After her final rebuilt in 1891–1895, in addition to the eight heavy guns, her armament was increased by six 10.5 cm (4.1 in) L/35 guns, nine 8.8 cm (3.5 in) L/30, one 15 cm (5.9 in) L/30 chase gun and twelve 3.7 cm (1.5 in) auto-cannons for defense against torpedo boats. She also had received five 35 cm (13.8 in) torpedo tubes in an earlier refit, all mounted in the ship's hull.
Kaiser's armor consisted of wrought iron; her armor belt was 127 to 254 mm (5 to 10 in) thick, above which a strake of armor that was 203 mm (8 in) thick protected the main battery guns. Her main armor deck was 38 to 51 mm (1.5 to 2.0 in) thick.
Kaiser was ordered by the Imperial Navy from the Samuda Brothers shipyard in London; her keel was laid in 1871. Kaiser and her sister Deutschland were ordered shortly after the end of the Franco-Prussian War, under the assumption that the French would quickly attempt a war of revenge. The ship was launched on 19 March 1874 and commissioned into the German fleet on 13 February 1875.
After commissioning in February 1875, Kaiser spent the spring working up her engines to be ready for the annual summer training cruise. She joined the older ironclads Kronprinz and König Wilhelm and the new Hansa, under the command of Vice Admiral Ludwig von Henk. The four-ship squadron remained in German waters for the entirety of the cruise, which finished with a review of the flotilla in Rostock by Kaiser Wilhelm I in September. The squadron was reactivated the next spring; Rear Admiral Carl Ferdinand Batsch replaced Henk as the squadron commander. Kaiser served as the flagship of Batsch's squadron, which also included Kaiser's sister Deutschland, Kronprinz, and Friedrich Carl.
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