The SMS Heimdall (known during its construction as fourth class ironclad

Ironclad warship

An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire,...

 U or Panzerschiff IV. Klasse U) was a coastal defence ship

Coastal defence ship

Coastal defence ships were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrificed speed and range for armour and armament...

 of 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...

. It was the fourth ship of the Siegfried class

Siegfried class coastal defense ship

The Siegfried class was a group of six coastal defense ships built by the German Kaiserliche Marine in the late 19th century. The ships were intended to protect the German coastline from naval attacks. The class comprised the lead ship , along with her sisters , , , , and...

, all of which were originally classified as fourth class ironclads but redesignated coastal defence ships in 1899. It was named after Heimdall

Heimdall

In Norse mythology, Heimdallr is a god who possesses the resounding horn Gjallarhorn, owns the golden-maned horse Gulltoppr, has gold teeth, and is the son of Nine Mothers...

, a god in Norse mythology

Norse mythology

Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...

.

Construction

Its construction began at the Kaiserliche Werft

Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven

Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven was a German shipbuilding company in Wilhelmshaven, Prussian Hanover. It was founded in 1853, first as Königliche Werft Wilhelmshaven but renamed in 1871 with the proclamation of the German Empire...

 in Wilhelmshaven

Wilhelmshaven

Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...

 on 2 November 1891 and nearly nine months later, on 27 July 1892, it was ready for its launch, which was carried out personally by Wilhelm II of Germany himself. The topping-out and completion of the ship was only accomplished in the new year of 1894.

Peacetime

In 1912 the SMS Friedrich der Grosse

SMS Friedrich der Grosse (1911)

SMS Friedrich der Grosse "SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff" was the second vessel of the of battleships of the German Imperial Navy. Friedrich der GrossesOr Große in German, with a "sharp S"; see ß...

 was launched to replace the SMS Heimdall.

The ship was disarmed in 1916 and from then until the end of the war was used as the base ship for 4th U-Boat Flotilla (as well as, from December 1917, the base ship for the Ems Vorpostenboot

Vorpostenboot

Vorpostenboots were German patrol boats which served during both World Wars...

 Flotilla). On 17 June 1919 it was struck from the list of warships. It was planned to turn it into a lifting vessel, but this was not implemented, and instead it was scrapped in 1921 at Rönnebeck.