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SMS Hansa (1898)
Encyclopedia
Seiner Majestät Schiff Hansa was a German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
Victoria Louise class
Victoria Louise class protected cruiser
The Victoria Louise class of protected cruisers was Germany's last class of ships of that type. They were designed for overseas cruiser duties. The class design introduced the clipper bow and blocky sides that typified later German armored cruisers....
protected cruiser
Protected cruiser
The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...
launched from Stettiner Maschinenbau AG Vulcan shipyard in 1898 for service in the Kaiserliche Marine
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...
. Ships in this class including SMS Hansa were primarily built for overseas cruiser duties and introduced the clipper bow and blocky-looking sides that typified later German large cruisers.
Dimensions and machinery
Hansa was 358 in 3 in (109.19 m) long at the waterline, and had an overall length of 363 in 2 in (110.69 m) She had a beam of 57 in 2 in (17.42 m) and a draught of 22 in 9 in (6.93 m) Hansa displaced 5,660 tons on a standard load, and 6,491 tons fully loaded. The ship was powered by three shaft triple expansion engines, that produced 10000 ihp and delivered a top speed of 19.5 knots (38.2 km/h).Between 1905 and 1911, the ships of the Victoria Louise class were modernized. The ships had their boilers replaced, and had their original three funnels reduced to two stacks.
Armor and armament
Boxer Rebellion
She was part of the German East Asia SquadronGerman East Asia Squadron
The German East Asia Squadron was a German Navy cruiser squadron which operated mainly in the Pacific Ocean between the 1870s and 1914...
(Ostasiengeschwader) commanded by admiral Felix von Bendemann
Felix von Bendemann
Felix von Bendemann was an Admiral of the German Imperial Navy .Bendemann was born in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony. He was the son of the painter Eduard Julius Friedrich Bendemann and Lida Schadow, who was the daughter of the sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow...
during the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
and made a noteworthy contribution in the Battle of Taku Forts (1900). Starting on 08 June 1900, along with the SMS Hertha
SMS Hertha
Seiner Majestät Schiff Hertha was a protected cruiser of the Victoria Louise class, built for the Kaiserliche Marine before the turn of the 20th Century. Hertha was the first ship of the class laid down, in October 1895, and also the first completed, in July 1898...
and the small cruisers SMS Gefion
SMS Gefion
SMS Gefion was a light cruiser of the Kaiserliche Marine launched in 1893. The cruiser was named after Gefjon of Norse mythology. Under the 1891 naval regulations she was classified as a corvette-cruiser, but in 1899 was reclassified to light cruiser...
and SMS Irene
SMS Irene
SMS Irene was a protected cruiser or Kreuzerkorvette of the Kaiserliche Marine launched on 23 July 1887 from the Vulcan Shipyard in Stettin, Germany . The cruiser was named after Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine, sister-in-law of Kaiser Wilhem II...
, she came before the Taku Fort (together with warships of other nations) to land detachments of Seebatallione
Seebatallione
The Seebatallione [sea battalions] were naval infantry troops or marines serving in the Prussian navy, the navy of the North German Confederation, the Imperial German Navy, the Wehrmacht, and briefly in the modern Federal German Navy, the Bundesmarine....
(marines) for the protection of their citizens in Tientsin
SMS Hansa was scrapped in 1920.