SMS Kaiserin Augusta
Encyclopedia
SMS Kaiserin Augusta was a unique 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...

, built for the German 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...

 (Imperial Navy) in the early 1890s. She was laid down in 1890, launched in January 1892, and completed in November of that year. Owing to budgetary restrictions, Kaiserin Augusta was designed to fill both fleet scout and colonial cruiser roles. The ship was initially armed with a main battery of four 15 cm (5.9 in) and eight 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns, which by 1896 was replaced with twelve new model 15 cm guns. She was the first ship in the German Navy to feature a three-shaft propeller arrangement.

Kaiserin Augusta served abroad between 1897 and 1902, primarily in the East Asia Squadron
German 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...

 under the command of Admiral Otto von Diederichs
Otto von Diederichs
Ernst Otto von Diederichs was an Admiral of the German Imperial Navy, serving in the predecessor Prussian Navy and the Navy of the North German Confederation.-Education, war and peace:Diederichs entered the Prussian...

. During this time, the ship's crew assisted in the suppression of 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...

 in 1900. In 1902, she returned to Germany for an extensive overhaul that lasted until 1907, after which she went into reserve. Following 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 1914, Kaiserin Augusta was mobilized to serve as a gunnery training ship. She served in this role throughout the war; the ship was ultimately sold for scrapping in October 1919 and broken up the following year.

Design

Design work on Kaiserin Augusta began in 1887; budgetary restrictions forced the German Navy to design a ship that could serve in both colonial and fleet scout roles. During the design process, it was determined a three-shaft arrangement of the machinery would be necessary to attain the high speed requirement. This resulted in the first warship of the German Navy to use three screws. This was a relatively novel development; at the time of Kaiserin Augustas construction, only a handful of French and American ships had experimented with the arrangement, and had not yet been to sea for a thorough evaluation of the design. Kaiserin Augusta was laid down at the Germaniawerft shipyard 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 1890. She was launched on 15 January 1892 and commissioned into the fleet less than a year later on 17 November 1892.

General characteristics and machinery

Kaiserin Augusta was 122.2 metre long at the waterline and 123.2 metre overall. She 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 15.6 metre 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 6.48 metre forward and 7.4 metre aft. She was designed to displace
Displacement (ship)
A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...

 6056 metric tons (5,960.3 LT), and at full combat load the displacement increased to 6318 MT (6,218.2 LT). Her hull
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...

 was constructed with transverse and longitudinal steel frames; the outer wall consisted of a single layer of timber planks covered with Muntz metal
Muntz metal
Muntz metal is a form of alpha-beta brass with about 60% copper, 40% zinc and a trace of iron. It is named after George Fredrick Muntz, a metal-roller of Birmingham, England who commercialised the alloy following his patent of 1832....

 sheathing to protect the hull from fouling. The hull contained 10 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...

. 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...

 ran for 55 percent of the length of the hull. The ship's armor consisted of Krupp steel; the deck was 50 millimetres (2 in) thick with 70 mm (2.8 in) thick sloping sides. The 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....

 had 50 mm thick sides and a 20 mm (0.78740157480315 in) thick roof.

Kaiserin Augustas crew consisted of 13 officers and 417 enlisted men. She carried several smaller boats, including two picket boats, one launch
Launch (boat)
A launch in contemporary usage refers to a large motorboat. The name originally referred to the largest boat carried by a warship. The etymology of the word is given as Portuguese lancha "barge", from Malay lancha, lancharan, "boat," from lanchar "velocity without effort," "action of gliding...

, one pinnace
Pinnace (ship's boat)
As a ship's boat the pinnace is a light boat, propelled by sails or oars, formerly used as a "tender" for guiding merchant and war vessels. In modern parlance, pinnace has come to mean a boat associated with some kind of larger vessel, that doesn't fit under the launch or lifeboat definitions...

, two cutters, two yawl
Yawl
A yawl is a two-masted sailing craft similar to a sloop or cutter but with an additional mast located well aft of the main mast, often right on the transom, specifically aft of the rudder post. A yawl (from Dutch Jol) is a two-masted sailing craft similar to a sloop or cutter but with an...

s, and two dinghies
Dinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel. It is a loanword from either Bengali or Urdu. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor,...

. The ship suffered from severe pitch and roll, though these effects were reduced in heavy winds and a beam sea. The forecastle
Forecastle
Forecastle refers to the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters...

 shipped excessive amounts of water in a head sea. The ship maneuvered poorly, though this was improved at high speed. The 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...

 was 0.78 m (2.6 ft).

The ship was powered by three 3-cylinder triple expansion engines built by AG Germania; each drove a screw that was 4.5 metre in diameter. Each engine had its own separate engine room. The engines were supplied with steam by eight cylindrical double boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...

s split into three boiler rooms. The engines were rated at 12000 ihp and a top speed of 21 kn (11.4 m/s), though on trials they reached a half knot better at 14015 ihp. This rendered her one of the fastest cruisers in the world at the time. Kaiserin Augusta was equipped with four electrical generators providing 48 kilowatts at 67 volt
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...

s. Steering was controlled by a single rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...

.

Armament

As built, Kaiserin Augusta was armed with four 15 centimetres (5.9 in) K L/30 guns with a total of 292 rounds of ammunition, eight 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/35 guns with 777 rounds of ammunition, eight 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 guns with 1,361 rounds of ammunition, and four machine guns. The ship was also equipped with five 35 cm (13.8 in) torpedo tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...

s with thirteen torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...

es; four were placed in swivel mounts on the broadside
Broadside
A broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare.-Age of Sail:...

 and one was placed in the bow, below the waterline
Waterline
The term "waterline" generally refers to the line where the hull of a ship meets the water surface. It is also the name of a special marking, also known as the national Load Line or Plimsoll Line, to be positioned amidships, that indicates the draft of the ship and the legal limit to which a ship...

. In 1896, her armament was updated; the old 15 cm and 10.5 cm guns were replaced with twelve 15 cm SK L/35 guns that had a maximum range of 12600 m (41,338.6 ft). The guns were supplied with a total of 1,064 shells. After 1907, the swivel-mounted torpedo tubes were removed, leaving only the tube in the bow with three torpedoes.

Service history

In early 1893, Kaiserin Augusta and conducted a good-will visit to the United States, a belated celebration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus's
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...

 first voyage across the Atlantic. On 21 June 1895, the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal, connecting the North and Baltic Seas, was opened; Kaiserin Augusta was present during the opening ceremonies. She led a group of twenty-one unarmored ships, in company with the four s, the four s, and four of the s. Later that year, the ship took part in an expedition to Morroco along with the coastal defense ship and the frigates and to secure an indemnity demanded in the aftermath of the murder of two Germans. The operation was heavily criticized, especially in Britain, where anti-German sentiment was beginning to rise.

In February 1897, an international naval demonstration took place off Crete, to protest Greece's annexation of the island. Kaiserin Augusta was the sole German contribution to the force, until she was ordered to the Far East, at which point she was replaced by the old ironclad . Immediately following the seizure of the Kiautschou Bay concession in China, Admiral Otto von Diederichs
Otto von Diederichs
Ernst Otto von Diederichs was an Admiral of the German Imperial Navy, serving in the predecessor Prussian Navy and the Navy of the North German Confederation.-Education, war and peace:Diederichs entered the Prussian...

, the commander of the East Asia Squadron
German 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...

, requested reinforcements to secure the new colonial territory. In mid-November, he specifically requested Kaiserin Augusta and additional ground troops to garrison the port. The ship was joined by the cruisers and , which carried the III 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....

, and . As Kaiserin Augusta had been stationed in the Mediterranean, she arrived first, on 30 December.
Following the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in 1898, Diederichs was ordered to proceed to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, where Commodore George Dewey
George Dewey
George Dewey was an admiral of the United States Navy. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War...

 had defeated a Spanish squadron commanded by Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo
Patricio Montojo
Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón was a career Spanish naval officer most known for his defeat at the Battle of Manila Bay by Admiral George Dewey, a decisive battle of the Spanish-American War....

. Diederichs was instructed to protect local German interests, and if possible, seize another colonial concession in the Philippines. His ships dispersed on various colonial missions or under repair, Diederichs initially concentrated his forces slowly; he recalled Kaiserin Augusta to serve 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...

 while the rest of the force assembled. After the end of the Battle of Manila
Battle of Manila (1898)
The Battle of Manila was a short land engagement between the United States and Spain at the end of the Spanish-American War, which occurred a couple of months after the pivotal American victory during the naval Battle of Manila Bay...

, Kaiserin Augusta steamed to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 where the ship notified Berlin of the defeat of the Spanish garrison. She also carried the former Governor General of the Philippines, Basilio Augustín
Basilio Augustín
Basilio Augustín y Dávila was briefly a Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines, from April 11 to July 24, 1898, in the middle of the Philippine Revolution. He attempted to create a consultative assembly of Filipino Ilustrados loyal to Spain and a militia force of Filipinos, as a pretext for...

, out of Manila. The ship left Filipino waters on 13 August and arrived two days later.

Kaiserin Augusta remained stationed in Asia and participated in the international effort to suppress 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...

 in 1900. She contributed landing parties to Admiral Edward Seymour's
Edward Hobart Seymour
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Edward Hobart Seymour, GCB, OM, GCVO , was a Royal Navy officer who became Commander-in-Chief, China Station.- Early life :...

 relief force, based in Tientsin. In 1902, the ship returned to Germany for an extensive overhaul, which began in 1903, and lasted until 1907. During the refit, the ship's generators were replaced with more powerful units that more than doubled electrical output, at 124 kW at 110 V. Her bridge was significantly expanded, with a second deck and extended aft of the foremast. The three funnels were lengthened by 2 m (6.6 ft) and one searchlight was installed on each of the mast tops. The four swivel-mounted torpedo tubes were also removed during this period. After emerging from the modernization, the ship was placed in reserve.

Following 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 1914, Kaiserin Augusta was reactivated for use as a gunnery training ship, to replace more modern ships that joined 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...

. To facilitate the training of gunners, the ship's armament was diversified. She carried one 15 cm SK L/45 gun, four 10.5 cm SK L/45 guns
10.5 cm SK L/45 naval gun
The 10.5 cm SK L/45 The 10.5 cm SK L/45 The 10.5 cm SK L/45 (SK - Schnelladekanone (quick-loading cannon) L - Länge (with a 45-caliber barrel) was a German naval gun that was used in World War I and World War II.-Description:...

, four 8.8 cm SK L/45 guns
8.8 cm SK L/45 naval gun
The 8.8 cm SK L/45 The 8.8 cm SK L/45 The 8.8 cm SK L/45 (SK - Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon) L - Länge (with a 45-caliber barrel) was a German naval gun that was used in World War I on a variety of mounts.-Description:...

, four 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:...

, five 8.8 cm SK L/30 guns
8.8 cm SK L/30 naval gun
The 8.8 cm SK L/30 The 8.8 cm SK L/30 The 8.8 cm SK L/30 (SK - Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon) L - Länge (with a 30-caliber barrel) was a German naval gun that was used in World War I on a variety of mounts.-Description:...

, and one 8.8 cm SK L/30 gun in a U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...

 mounting. She served in this capacity for the duration of the war, until she was decommissioned 14 December 1918. The ship was formally stricken from the naval register on 1 October 1919 and sold to Norddeutsche Tiefbauges in Berlin, and broken up the next year in Kiel-Nordmole.
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