SMS Kaiser Wilhelm II
Encyclopedia
SMS Kaiser Wilhelm II ("His Majesty's Ship Emperor Wilhelm II") was the second ship of the of pre-dreadnought battleships. She was built at the Imperial Dockyard
in Wilhelmshaven
and launched 14 September 1897. The ship was completed 7 October 1898 and commissioned into the fleet as flagship
on 4 February 1902. The ship was armed with a main battery of four 24 centimetres (9.4 in) guns in two twin turrets. She was powered by triple expansion engines that delivered a top speed of 17.5 knots (9.5 m/s).
Kaiser Wilhelm II served as the flagship of the High Seas Fleet
until 1906, when she was replaced by the new battleship . After the new dreadnought battleships began entering service in 1910, Kaiser Wilhelm II was decommissioned and put into reserve.
With the outbreak of World War I
in August 1914, she and her sisters were brought back into active duty as coastal defense ships in the V Battle Squadron. Due to her age, however, she was withdrawn from this role in early 1915, after which she served as a command ship for the commander of the High Seas Fleet
. Following the end of the war in November 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II was stricken from the navy list and sold for scrap in the early 1920s. Her bow ornament is preserved at the Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr in Dresden.
in Wilhelmshaven
, under construction number 24. She was ordered under the contract name Ersatz Friedrich der Große, to replace the elderly armored frigate . Kaiser Wilhelm II was launched on 14 September 1897 and commissioned on 13 February 1900.
The ship was 125.3 m (411.1 ft) long overall and had a beam
of 20.4 m (66.9 ft) and a draft
of 7.89 m (25.9 ft) forward and 8.25 m (27.1 ft) aft. The ship was powered by three 3-cylinder vertical triple expansion engines that drove three screws. Steam was provided by four Marine-type and eight cylindrical boilers. Kaiser Wilhelm IIs powerplant was rated at 13000 ihp, which generated a top speed of 17.5 knots (34.3 km/h).
Kaiser Wilhelm IIs armament consisted of a main battery of four 24 cm (9.4 in) SK L/40 guns in twin gun turret
s,In Imperial German Navy gun nomenclature, "SK" (Schnellfeuerkanone) denotes that the gun quick firing, while the L/40 denotes the length of the gun. In this case, the L/40 gun is 40 calibers, meaning that the gun is 40 as times long as it is in diameter. one fore and one aft of the central superstructure
. Her secondary armament consisted of eighteen 15 cm (5.9 inch) SK L/40 guns and twelve 8.8 cm (3.45 in) SK L/30 quick-firing guns. The armament suite was rounded out with six 45 cm torpedo tubes, all in above-water swivel mounts.
; she held this position until 1906. Kaiser Wilhelm II was assigned to the I Squadron of the Heimatflotte (Home Fleet), where she was joined by her sister-ships. At 01:30 on 2 January 1901, Kaiser Wilhelm IIs sistership struck an underwater obstacle while the two ships were steaming from Danzig to Kiel
. The shock from the collision damaged the ship's boilers and started a fire in the coal bunkers. Kaiser Wilhelm II took her sister in tow, although after a period of time, the engines on Kaiser Friedrich III were restarted. The ships reached Kiel, where temporary repairs were conducted.
In September 1902, extensive fleet maneuvers were conducted in the Baltic and North Sea. Kaiser Wilhelm II didn't actively take part in the exercises; she instead served as an observation ship for the commander of the fleet, as well as her namesake, Kaiser Wilhelm II. In 1905, Kaiser Wilhelm II was assigned to the II Division of the I Squadron, alongside her sister-ship and the newer battleship ; the Heimatflotte at that time consisted of another division of three battleships in the I Squadron and two more three-ship divisions in the II Squadron. This was supported by a cruiser division composed of two armored cruiser
s and six protected cruiser
s.
In 1906, Kaiser Wilhelm II was replaced as fleet flagship by the new battleship . The ship served with the active fleet for ten years, by which time the new dreadnought
s were beginning to come into service. Kaiser Wilhelm II was then decommissioned and placed into reserve. While the ship was in reserve, she was assigned to the V Squadron of the Reserve Fleet, along with her four sister ships and the battleship .
in Wilhelmshaven. The ship had its wireless equipment modernized for use by the commander when the fleet was in port.
According to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
at the end of the war, the German navy was significantly reduced in strength. As a result, Kaiser Wilhelm II was stricken from the navy list on 17 March 1921 and sold to shipbreakers. By 1922, Kaiser Wilhelm II and her sisters had been broken up for scrap metal. The ship's bow ornament is preserved at the Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr in Dresden.
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:...
and launched 14 September 1897. The ship was completed 7 October 1898 and commissioned into the fleet as 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...
on 4 February 1902. The ship was armed with a main battery of four 24 centimetres (9.4 in) guns in two twin turrets. She was powered by triple expansion engines that delivered a top speed of 17.5 knots (9.5 m/s).
Kaiser Wilhelm II served as the flagship of the High Seas Fleet
High Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet was the battle fleet of the German Empire and saw action during World War I. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet was renamed as the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was the architect of the fleet; he envisioned a force powerful enough to...
until 1906, when she was replaced by the new battleship . After the new dreadnought battleships began entering service in 1910, Kaiser Wilhelm II was decommissioned and put into reserve.
With 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, she and her sisters were brought back into active duty as coastal defense ships in the V Battle Squadron. Due to her age, however, she was withdrawn from this role in early 1915, after which she served as a command ship for the commander of the High Seas Fleet
High Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet was the battle fleet of the German Empire and saw action during World War I. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet was renamed as the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was the architect of the fleet; he envisioned a force powerful enough to...
. Following the end of the war in November 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II was stricken from the navy list and sold for scrap in the early 1920s. Her bow ornament is preserved at the Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr in Dresden.
Construction
Kaiser Wilhelm IIs keel was laid in 1896, at the Kaiserliche WerftKaiserliche 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:...
, under construction number 24. She was ordered under the contract name Ersatz Friedrich der Große, to replace the elderly armored frigate . Kaiser Wilhelm II was launched on 14 September 1897 and commissioned on 13 February 1900.
The ship was 125.3 m (411.1 ft) long overall and had a beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of 20.4 m (66.9 ft) and a draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
of 7.89 m (25.9 ft) forward and 8.25 m (27.1 ft) aft. The ship was powered by three 3-cylinder vertical triple expansion engines that drove three screws. Steam was provided by four Marine-type and eight cylindrical boilers. Kaiser Wilhelm IIs powerplant was rated at 13000 ihp, which generated a top speed of 17.5 knots (34.3 km/h).
Kaiser Wilhelm IIs armament consisted of a main battery of four 24 cm (9.4 in) SK L/40 guns in twin gun turret
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
s,In Imperial German Navy gun nomenclature, "SK" (Schnellfeuerkanone) denotes that the gun quick firing, while the L/40 denotes the length of the gun. In this case, the L/40 gun is 40 calibers, meaning that the gun is 40 as times long as it is in diameter. one fore and one aft of the central superstructure
Superstructure
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...
. Her secondary armament consisted of eighteen 15 cm (5.9 inch) SK L/40 guns and twelve 8.8 cm (3.45 in) SK L/30 quick-firing guns. The armament suite was rounded out with six 45 cm torpedo tubes, all in above-water swivel mounts.
Service history
When Kaiser Wilhelm II was commissioned into the fleet in 1900, she assumed the position of fleet flagshipFlagship
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...
; she held this position until 1906. Kaiser Wilhelm II was assigned to the I Squadron of the Heimatflotte (Home Fleet), where she was joined by her sister-ships. At 01:30 on 2 January 1901, Kaiser Wilhelm IIs sistership struck an underwater obstacle while the two ships were steaming from Danzig to 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...
. The shock from the collision damaged the ship's boilers and started a fire in the coal bunkers. Kaiser Wilhelm II took her sister in tow, although after a period of time, the engines on Kaiser Friedrich III were restarted. The ships reached Kiel, where temporary repairs were conducted.
In September 1902, extensive fleet maneuvers were conducted in the Baltic and North Sea. Kaiser Wilhelm II didn't actively take part in the exercises; she instead served as an observation ship for the commander of the fleet, as well as her namesake, Kaiser Wilhelm II. In 1905, Kaiser Wilhelm II was assigned to the II Division of the I Squadron, alongside her sister-ship and the newer battleship ; the Heimatflotte at that time consisted of another division of three battleships in the I Squadron and two more three-ship divisions in the II Squadron. This was supported by a cruiser division composed of two armored cruiser
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...
s and six 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...
s.
In 1906, Kaiser Wilhelm II was replaced as fleet flagship by the new battleship . The ship served with the active fleet for ten years, by which time the new dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
s were beginning to come into service. Kaiser Wilhelm II was then decommissioned and placed into reserve. While the ship was in reserve, she was assigned to the V Squadron of the Reserve Fleet, along with her four sister ships and the battleship .
World War I
At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, Kaiser Wilhelm II and her sisters were brought out of reserve and mobilized as the V Battle Squadron. They were tasked with coastal defense, though they served in this capacity for a very short time. In February 1915, they were again withdrawn from service. Thereafter, Kaiser Wilhelm II was converted into a floating headquarters for the commander of the High Seas FleetHigh Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet was the battle fleet of the German Empire and saw action during World War I. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet was renamed as the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was the architect of the fleet; he envisioned a force powerful enough to...
in Wilhelmshaven. The ship had its wireless equipment modernized for use by the commander when the fleet was in port.
According to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
at the end of the war, the German navy was significantly reduced in strength. As a result, Kaiser Wilhelm II was stricken from the navy list on 17 March 1921 and sold to shipbreakers. By 1922, Kaiser Wilhelm II and her sisters had been broken up for scrap metal. The ship's bow ornament is preserved at the Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr in Dresden.