Prinz Adalbert class armored cruiser
Encyclopedia
The Prinz Adalbert class was a type of armored cruiser
built for the Imperial German Navy
in the early 1900s. Two ships of the class were built, , and . Friedrich Carl was commissioned first, on 12 December 1903 and Prinz Adalbert followed on 12 January 1904. They were an improvement upon the design of the previous unique armored cruiser, . Their armor belts were the same thickness but were more extensive than that of their predecessor. The two ships were also armed with four main guns in twin gun turrets, as opposed to the two single gun turrets of Prinz Heinrich.
Both ships saw extensive service with the German Navy; Prinz Adalbert was used as a gunnery training ship for the entirety of her peacetime career, while Friedrich Carl served with the fleet until 1909, when she was withdrawn to act as a torpedo training vessel. At the outbreak of World War I
in August 1914, both vessels were mobilized and assigned to the cruiser squadron in the Baltic. Friedrich Carl was sunk by Russian naval mines off Memel in November 1914, though most of her crew was safely evacuated. Prinz Adalbert was torpedoed twice by British submarines operating in the Baltic; the first, on 1 July 1915, caused serious damage that was ultimately repaired. The second, on 23 October 1915, caused a catastrophic explosion in the ship's ammunition magazines that destroyed the ship. Six-hundred and seventy-two men were killed, the greatest single loss of life for the German Navy in the Baltic during the war.
s intended for overseas service in the German colonies. However, the German Navy required cruisers for operations with the fleet as well, and attempted to design ships that could fulfill both roles, primarily due to budget constraints. The first product of the 1900 Naval Law, , was an alteration of an earlier vessel, , equipped with fewer guns and thinner armor in a trade-off for higher speed and lower cost. The subsequent design—that of the Prinz Adalbert class—prepared in 1899–1900, was an improvement on Prinz Heinrich. Four quick-firing 21 cm (8.3 in) guns were substituted for the pair of slower 24 cm (9.4 in) guns mounted on the older vessel. Armor thickness remained similar in strength to that of Prinz Heinrich, though it was made more comprehensive.
ed. The vessels contained fourteen watertight compartments and a double bottom
that extended for 60 percent of the length of the hull.
The German navy regarded the vessels as good sea boats, with gentle motion when the ships' lower fuel bunkers were full. The ships were responsive to commands from the helm. They lost up to 60 percent speed with the rudder hard over, but suffered only minimal speed loss in heavy seas. The ships' casemate guns were placed too low, which rendered them exceedingly wet even in a slight swell. They had a transverse metacentric height
of 0.734 m (2.4 ft). The ships had a standard crew of 35 officers and 551 enlisted men, though when serving as a squadron flagship this could be augmented by another nine officers and 44 enlisted men. The ships were equipped with several boats, including a pair of picket boats, a launch, a pinnace, two cutters, two yawls, and two dinghies.
Prinz Adalbert and Friedrich Carl were powered by three vertical 3-cylinder triple expansion engines; the center shaft drove a three-bladed screw 4.5 m (14.8 ft) in diameter, while the two outboard shafts powered four-bladed screws 4.8 m (15.7 ft) in diameter. The engines were supplied with steam by fourteen Dürr boilers produced by Düsseldorf-Ratinger Röhrenkesselfabrik. The propulsion system was rated at 16200 ihp for Prinz Adalbert and 17000 ihp for Friedrich Carl and top speeds of 20 knots (10.9 m/s) and 20.5 kn (11.2 m/s), respectively. Both ships reached higher horsepower figures on trials
, though their speeds were not significantly improved. The ships were designed to carry 750 MT (738.2 LT) of coal, though storage could be increased to 1630 MT (1,604.3 LT). This enabled a maximum range of up to 5080 nautical miles (9,408.2 km) at a cruising speed of 12 kn (6.5 m/s). Electrical power was supplied by four generators with a total output of 246 kW at 110 volts.
. The four guns were supplied with a total of 340 rounds of ammunition, or 85 shells per gun. The turrets could depress to −5° and elevate to 30°, which provided a maximum range of 16300 m (53,477.7 ft). The 21 cm gun fired a 238 pounds (108 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity
of 780 m (2,559.1 ft) per second. The ships' secondary armament consisted of ten 15 cm (5.9 in) SK L/40 guns
, all placed in the sides of the hulls. Three guns were mounted in casemates amidships on either side, with a pair of gun turrets above them. These guns were provided with a total of 1,400 shells, or 140 per gun. These guns fired an 88.2 pounds (40 kg) projectile at a muzzle velocity of 800 m (2,624.7 ft) per second. The guns could elevate to 30°, allowing a maximum range of 13700 m (44,947.5 ft).
The ships also carried twelve 8.8 cm SK L/35 guns
for close in defense; these were arranged in groups of four in shielded pivot mounts. Four guns were mounted around the forward conning tower
, four were emplaced around the rear two funnels amidships, with the last four guns placed on top of the rear superstructure. These guns fired a 15.4 lb (7 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 770 m (2,526.2 ft) per second. They could elevate to 25° and could engage targets out to 9090 m (29,822.8 ft). The vessels' armament system was rounded out by four 45 cm (17.7 in) submerged torpedo tubes. They were mounted in the bow, stern, and on each broadside, and supplied with eleven torpedoes.
firm. The main belt armor
consisted of a layer of teak
that was 50 mm (2 in) thick, covered by 100 mm (3.9 in) thick steel plating in the central section, which covered the ships' machinery spaces and ammunition magazines. The belt was reduced to 80 mm (3.1 in) on either ends of the central portion; the bow and stern were unprotected. The armored deck ranged in thickness from 40 mm (1.6 in) to 80 mm. Sloped armor, which ranged in thickness from 50 to 80 mm, connected the deck to the armored belt. The ships' casemate guns, which were placed above the main belt, were protected by 100 mm thick armor plating, as were the 15 cm turret guns. The two 21 cm guns had 150 mm thick sides and 30 mm roofs. The forward conning tower
was protected by 150 mm (5.9 in) sides and had a 30 mm (1.2 in) thick roof. The rear conning tower was much less thoroughly protected, with only 20 mm (0.78740157480315 in) worth of armor protection.
in Kiel
in 1900, under construction number 27. She was ordered under the contract name "B". The completed hull was launched on 22 June 1901, after which fitting-out
work was effected. The ship was finally completed by 12 January 1904, the day she was commissioned into the German Navy. Friedrich Carl was ordered as Ersatz König Wilhelm and assigned to the Blohm & Voss shipyard; her keel was laid in 1901. She was launched on 21 June 1902, almost exactly a year after her sister ship. After fitting out work was completed, Friedrich Carl was commissioned into the Navy on 12 December 1903, a month before her sister ship.
Prinz Adalbert went into service as a gunnery training vessel for the fleet after her commissioning, while Friedrich Carl served with the cruiser division of the battle fleet. In 1909, Friedrich Carl joined her sister ship as a training vessel, being used as a torpedo training ship. The two ships were re-mobilized after the outbreak of World War I
in August 1914. Both ships were assigned to Admiral Behring's cruiser squadron in the Baltic Sea
, with Friedrich Carl serving as his flagship
. The squadron was based in Neufahrwasser in Danzig. Behring was ordered to undertake actions against the Russian port of Libau
, which was believed to be acting as a staging area for British submarines. On the first assault on the port, on 17 November 1914, Friedrich Carl struck a pair of Russian naval mine
s off Memel. The ship's crew managed to keep the cruiser afloat long enough to allow nearby vessels to take off the entire crew; only seven men were killed in the attack. The operation proceeded as planned, however, and several blockships were sunk in the harbor entrance.
After the sinking of Friedrich Carl, Behring shifted his flag to Prinz Adalbert. The ship conducted several operations against Russian forces, including bombardments of Libau. In May 1915, she supported the German Army attack that captured the city. On 1 July 1915, the ship sortied to reinforce a German minelaying operation that had come under attack by a Russian cruiser flotilla. While en route with the armored cruiser , Prinz Adalbert was torpedoed by the British submarine . The damage was severe, though the cruiser was able to return to Kiel for repairs.
Repairs were finally completed by October 1915. Prinz Adalbert was steaming some 20 miles west of Libau in company with a pair of destroyers on 23 October when she was intercepted by the submarine . E8 fired a spread of torpedoes at a range of approximately 1,200 m (1,300 yd), which detonated the ship's ammunition magazine. The massive explosion destroyed the ship, which sank immediately with the loss of 672 crew. There were only three survivors. The sinking was the greatest single loss of life for the German Baltic forces for the duration of the war.
Armored cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like other types of cruiser, the armored cruiser was a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship, and fast enough to outrun any battleships it encountered.The first...
built for the Imperial German Navy
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
in the early 1900s. Two ships of the class were built, , and . Friedrich Carl was commissioned first, on 12 December 1903 and Prinz Adalbert followed on 12 January 1904. They were an improvement upon the design of the previous unique armored cruiser, . Their armor belts were the same thickness but were more extensive than that of their predecessor. The two ships were also armed with four main guns in twin gun turrets, as opposed to the two single gun turrets of Prinz Heinrich.
Both ships saw extensive service with the German Navy; Prinz Adalbert was used as a gunnery training ship for the entirety of her peacetime career, while Friedrich Carl served with the fleet until 1909, when she was withdrawn to act as a torpedo training vessel. At the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in August 1914, both vessels were mobilized and assigned to the cruiser squadron in the Baltic. Friedrich Carl was sunk by Russian naval mines off Memel in November 1914, though most of her crew was safely evacuated. Prinz Adalbert was torpedoed twice by British submarines operating in the Baltic; the first, on 1 July 1915, caused serious damage that was ultimately repaired. The second, on 23 October 1915, caused a catastrophic explosion in the ship's ammunition magazines that destroyed the ship. Six-hundred and seventy-two men were killed, the greatest single loss of life for the German Navy in the Baltic during the war.
Design
The Second Naval Law in Germany, passed in 1900, envisioned a force of fourteen armored cruiserArmored cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like other types of cruiser, the armored cruiser was a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship, and fast enough to outrun any battleships it encountered.The first...
s intended for overseas service in the German colonies. However, the German Navy required cruisers for operations with the fleet as well, and attempted to design ships that could fulfill both roles, primarily due to budget constraints. The first product of the 1900 Naval Law, , was an alteration of an earlier vessel, , equipped with fewer guns and thinner armor in a trade-off for higher speed and lower cost. The subsequent design—that of the Prinz Adalbert class—prepared in 1899–1900, was an improvement on Prinz Heinrich. Four quick-firing 21 cm (8.3 in) guns were substituted for the pair of slower 24 cm (9.4 in) guns mounted on the older vessel. Armor thickness remained similar in strength to that of Prinz Heinrich, though it was made more comprehensive.
General characteristics
The ships of the Prinz Adalbert class were 124.9 metres (409.8 ft) long at the waterline and 126.5 m (415 ft) overall, and had a beam of 19.6 m (64.3 ft). The ships were designed to displace 9087 metric tons (8,943.5 LT), but at full combat load displaced up to 9875 MT (9,719 LT); they had a draft of 7.43 m (24.4 ft) forward and 7.9 m (25.9 ft) aft. The ships' hulls were constructed from transverse and longitudinal steel frames, over which the steel hull plates were rivetRivet
A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the buck-tail. On installation the rivet is placed in a punched or pre-drilled hole, and the tail is upset, or bucked A rivet...
ed. The vessels contained fourteen watertight compartments and a double bottom
Double bottom
A double bottom is a ship hull design and construction method where the bottom of the ship has two complete layers of watertight hull surface: one outer layer forming the normal hull of the ship, and a second inner hull which is somewhat higher in the ship, perhaps a few feet, which forms a...
that extended for 60 percent of the length of the hull.
The German navy regarded the vessels as good sea boats, with gentle motion when the ships' lower fuel bunkers were full. The ships were responsive to commands from the helm. They lost up to 60 percent speed with the rudder hard over, but suffered only minimal speed loss in heavy seas. The ships' casemate guns were placed too low, which rendered them exceedingly wet even in a slight swell. They had a transverse metacentric height
Metacentric height
The metacentric height is a measurement of the static stability of a floating body. It is calculated as the distance between the centre of gravity of a ship and its metacentre . A larger metacentric height implies greater stability against overturning...
of 0.734 m (2.4 ft). The ships had a standard crew of 35 officers and 551 enlisted men, though when serving as a squadron flagship this could be augmented by another nine officers and 44 enlisted men. The ships were equipped with several boats, including a pair of picket boats, a launch, a pinnace, two cutters, two yawls, and two dinghies.
Prinz Adalbert and Friedrich Carl were powered by three vertical 3-cylinder triple expansion engines; the center shaft drove a three-bladed screw 4.5 m (14.8 ft) in diameter, while the two outboard shafts powered four-bladed screws 4.8 m (15.7 ft) in diameter. The engines were supplied with steam by fourteen Dürr boilers produced by Düsseldorf-Ratinger Röhrenkesselfabrik. The propulsion system was rated at 16200 ihp for Prinz Adalbert and 17000 ihp for Friedrich Carl and top speeds of 20 knots (10.9 m/s) and 20.5 kn (11.2 m/s), respectively. Both ships reached higher horsepower figures on trials
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
, though their speeds were not significantly improved. The ships were designed to carry 750 MT (738.2 LT) of coal, though storage could be increased to 1630 MT (1,604.3 LT). This enabled a maximum range of up to 5080 nautical miles (9,408.2 km) at a cruising speed of 12 kn (6.5 m/s). Electrical power was supplied by four generators with a total output of 246 kW at 110 volts.
Armament
Prinz Adalbert and Friedrich Carl were armed with a main battery of four 21 cm (8.3 in) SK L/40 guns in two twin turrets, one on either end of the main superstructureSuperstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships...
. The four guns were supplied with a total of 340 rounds of ammunition, or 85 shells per gun. The turrets could depress to −5° and elevate to 30°, which provided a maximum range of 16300 m (53,477.7 ft). The 21 cm gun fired a 238 pounds (108 kg) shell at 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 780 m (2,559.1 ft) per second. The ships' secondary armament consisted of ten 15 cm (5.9 in) SK L/40 guns
15 cm SK L/40 naval gun
The 15 cm SK L/40 The 15 cm SK L/40 The 15 cm SK L/40 (SK - Schnelladekanone (quick-loading cannon) L - Länge (with a 40-caliber barrel) was a German naval gun that was used in World War I and World War II.-Description:...
, all placed in the sides of the hulls. Three guns were mounted in casemates amidships on either side, with a pair of gun turrets above them. These guns were provided with a total of 1,400 shells, or 140 per gun. These guns fired an 88.2 pounds (40 kg) projectile at a muzzle velocity of 800 m (2,624.7 ft) per second. The guns could elevate to 30°, allowing a maximum range of 13700 m (44,947.5 ft).
The ships also carried twelve 8.8 cm SK L/35 guns
8.8 cm SK L/35 naval gun
The 8.8 cm SK L/35 The 8.8 cm SK L/35 The 8.8 cm SK L/35 (SK - Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon) L - Länge (with a 35-caliber barrel) was a German naval gun that was used in World War I on a variety of mounts.-Description:...
for close in defense; these were arranged in groups of four in shielded pivot mounts. Four guns were mounted around the forward conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
, four were emplaced around the rear two funnels amidships, with the last four guns placed on top of the rear superstructure. These guns fired a 15.4 lb (7 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 770 m (2,526.2 ft) per second. They could elevate to 25° and could engage targets out to 9090 m (29,822.8 ft). The vessels' armament system was rounded out by four 45 cm (17.7 in) submerged torpedo tubes. They were mounted in the bow, stern, and on each broadside, and supplied with eleven torpedoes.
Armor
The steel armor used on the two ships was produced by the KruppKrupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
firm. The main belt armor
Belt armor
Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated on to or within outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and on aircraft carriers converted from those types of ships....
consisted of a layer of teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
that was 50 mm (2 in) thick, covered by 100 mm (3.9 in) thick steel plating in the central section, which covered the ships' machinery spaces and ammunition magazines. The belt was reduced to 80 mm (3.1 in) on either ends of the central portion; the bow and stern were unprotected. The armored deck ranged in thickness from 40 mm (1.6 in) to 80 mm. Sloped armor, which ranged in thickness from 50 to 80 mm, connected the deck to the armored belt. The ships' casemate guns, which were placed above the main belt, were protected by 100 mm thick armor plating, as were the 15 cm turret guns. The two 21 cm guns had 150 mm thick sides and 30 mm roofs. The forward conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
was protected by 150 mm (5.9 in) sides and had a 30 mm (1.2 in) thick roof. The rear conning tower was much less thoroughly protected, with only 20 mm (0.78740157480315 in) worth of armor protection.
Service history
Prinz Adalbert was laid down at the Imperial DockyardKaiserliche Werft Kiel
Kaiserliche Werft Kiel was a German shipbuilding company founded in 1867, first as Königliche Werft Kiel but renamed in 1871 with the proclamation of the German Empire...
in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
in 1900, under construction number 27. She was ordered under the contract name "B". The completed hull was launched on 22 June 1901, after which fitting-out
Fitting-out
Fitting-out, or "outfitting”, is the process in modern shipbuilding that follows the float-out of a vessel and precedes sea trials. It is the period when all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and readied for delivery to her owners...
work was effected. The ship was finally completed by 12 January 1904, the day she was commissioned into the German Navy. Friedrich Carl was ordered as Ersatz König Wilhelm and assigned to the Blohm & Voss shipyard; her keel was laid in 1901. She was launched on 21 June 1902, almost exactly a year after her sister ship. After fitting out work was completed, Friedrich Carl was commissioned into the Navy on 12 December 1903, a month before her sister ship.
Prinz Adalbert went into service as a gunnery training vessel for the fleet after her commissioning, while Friedrich Carl served with the cruiser division of the battle fleet. In 1909, Friedrich Carl joined her sister ship as a training vessel, being used as a torpedo training ship. The two ships were re-mobilized after the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in August 1914. Both ships were assigned to Admiral Behring's cruiser squadron in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, with Friedrich Carl serving as his flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
. The squadron was based in Neufahrwasser in Danzig. Behring was ordered to undertake actions against the Russian port of Libau
Liepaja
Liepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
, which was believed to be acting as a staging area for British submarines. On the first assault on the port, on 17 November 1914, Friedrich Carl struck a pair of Russian naval mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
s off Memel. The ship's crew managed to keep the cruiser afloat long enough to allow nearby vessels to take off the entire crew; only seven men were killed in the attack. The operation proceeded as planned, however, and several blockships were sunk in the harbor entrance.
After the sinking of Friedrich Carl, Behring shifted his flag to Prinz Adalbert. The ship conducted several operations against Russian forces, including bombardments of Libau. In May 1915, she supported the German Army attack that captured the city. On 1 July 1915, the ship sortied to reinforce a German minelaying operation that had come under attack by a Russian cruiser flotilla. While en route with the armored cruiser , Prinz Adalbert was torpedoed by the British submarine . The damage was severe, though the cruiser was able to return to Kiel for repairs.
Repairs were finally completed by October 1915. Prinz Adalbert was steaming some 20 miles west of Libau in company with a pair of destroyers on 23 October when she was intercepted by the submarine . E8 fired a spread of torpedoes at a range of approximately 1,200 m (1,300 yd), which detonated the ship's ammunition magazine. The massive explosion destroyed the ship, which sank immediately with the loss of 672 crew. There were only three survivors. The sinking was the greatest single loss of life for the German Baltic forces for the duration of the war.