The K1 class was a type of gunboat

Gunboat

A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...

 designed by the Kriegsmarine

Kriegsmarine

The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...

 before World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The class was to have comprised four ships, which had been ordered under the provisional names K1, K2, K3, and K4. The four ships were ordered in November 1938, and were scheduled to have been completed by early 1942. However, the contracts for the four ships were canceled on 19 September 1939, two weeks after the start of World War II.

General characteristics and machinery

The K1 class gunboats were 79 m (259.2 ft) long at the waterline, and 82.5 m (270.7 ft) long overall. The ships had a beam of 11.4 m (37.4 ft), a draft of 3.38 m (11.1 ft), and a displacement of 1,600 metric tons designed, 1,390 tons standard, and 1,890 tons at maximum displacement. The ships were of steel construction, and had 11 watertight compartments. The ships were to have used a pair of 4-cylinder triple expansion diesel engines that provided 4600 ihp, which would have driven two propellers. The ships were to have had a top speed of 18.5 knots, and a range of 3000 nautical miles at 12 knots. The ships were designed to carry 176 tons of fuel oil.

Armament

The K1 class ships primary armament consisted of four 10.5 cm (4.1 in) L/65 quick-firing guns in two twin-turrets, one fore and one aft of the superstructure. The 10.5 cm guns fired two types of projectiles: a 58.4 kg (128.7 lb) high explosive shell and a 51.8 kg (114.2 lb) incendiary round. Both types of ammunition used a single propellant charge: the 11.46 kg (25.3 lb) RPC/32 charge. The guns could elevate to 80 degrees, and could hit targets flying at 12500 m (13,670.2 yd). When the guns were used to engage surface targets, they could hit targets 17700 m (19,357 yd) away, at an elevation of 45 degrees.

The ships were also armed with two 3.7 cm (1.5 in) L/83 Flak guns, and four heavy machine guns. The 3.7 cm guns fired 0.742 kg (1.6 lb) high-explosive shells at a rate of fire

Rate of fire

Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. It is usually measured in rounds per minute , or per second .-Overview:...

 of about 30 rounds per minute, and a muzzle velocity

Muzzle velocity

Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from approximately to in black powder muskets , to more than in modern rifles with high-performance cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger, all the way to for tank guns...

 of 1,000 m/s (3,281 ft/s). The guns could elevate to 85 degrees and hit targets flying at 6800 m (7,436.6 yd), although the tracer

Tracer ammunition

Tracer ammunition are bullets that are built with a small pyrotechnic charge in their base. Ignited by the burning powder, the phosphorus tail burns very brightly, making the projectile visible to the naked eye...

s were limited to 4800 m (5,249.3 yd).

Construction and cancellation

The four ships were ordered on 11 November 1938, at the cost of 6 million Reichsmarks

German reichsmark

The Reichsmark was the currency in Germany from 1924 until June 20, 1948. The Reichsmark was subdivided into 100 Reichspfennig.-History:...

 apiece. K1 was planned to have been completed on 20 May 1941, K2 was to have followed on 15 September, K3 was to be completed by 15 January 1942, and K4, the final ship of the class, was to be completed a month later on 14 February. However, the outbreak of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

in early September 1939 meant that construction priorities was shifted away from less critical projects. As a result, the K1 class was canceled on 19 September 1939.