SMS Wittelsbach
Encyclopedia
SMS Wittelsbach ("His Majesty's Ship Wittelsbach") was the lead ship of the Wittelsbach-class
of pre-dreadnought
battleship
s of the Kaiserliche Marine
. Wittelsbach was built at Wilhelmshaven
Navy Dockyard
. She was laid down in 1899 and completed in October 1902, at the cost of 22,740,000 marks
. Wittelsbach was the first capital ship built under the Navy Law of 1898, brought about by Admiral
Alfred von Tirpitz
.
The ship served in the I Squadron of the German fleet for the majority of her career. Wittelsbach was rapidly superseded by new "all-big-gun"
warships, and as a result served for less than eight years before being decommissioned on 20 September 1910. After the start of World War I in August 1914, Wittelsbach was brought back to active duty in the IV Battle Squadron. The ship saw limited duty in the Baltic Sea against Russian forces, though the threat from British submarines forced the ship to withdraw by 1916. The ship then saw service in a number of auxiliary roles, ultimately as a tender for minesweepers after 1919. In July 1921, however, the ship was sold and broken up for scrap metal.
in Wilhelmshaven
, under construction number 25. She was ordered under the contract name "C", as a new unit for the fleet. The vessel was the first battleship built under the direction of State Secretary Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz
, according to the terms of the Navy Law of 1898. Wittelsbach was launched on 3 July 1900 and commissioned on 15 October 1902.
The ship was 126.8 m (416 ft) long overall and had a beam
of 22.8 m (74.8 ft) and a draft
of 7.95 m (26.1 ft) forward. The ship was powered by three 3-cylinder vertical triple expansion engines that drove three screws. Steam was provided by six naval and six cylindrical boilers. Wittelsbachs powerplant was rated at 14000 ihp, which generated a top speed of 18 knots (35.3 km/h).
Wittelsbachs 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 (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, all in above-water swivel mounts.
s and six protected cruiser
s. That year, Kapitän zur See Maximilian von Spee
, who would go on to command the East Asia Squadron
at the outbreak of World War I, took command of the ship.
In 1907, the newest s were beginning to enter service. This provided the Navy with enough ships to form two full battle squadrons of eight ships each. The fleet was then renamed the Hochseeflotte (High Seas Fleet). Wittelsbach served in the I Division until 20 September 1910. The ship was then decommissioned and placed in reserve; her crew was then sent to man the newly commissioned dreadnought .
At the start of World War I, Wittelsbach was mobilized as part of the IV Battle Squadron, under the command of Vice Admiral Ehrhard Schmidt. Starting on 3 September, the IV Squadron, assisted by the armored cruiser
, conducted a sweep into the Baltic. The operation lasted until 9 September and failed to bring Russian naval units to battle. In May 1915, Wittelsbach and the rest of IV Squadron was transferred to support the German Army in the Baltic Sea area. Wittelsbach and her sisters were then based in Kiel
. On 6 May, the IV Squadron ships were tasked with providing support to the assault on Libau
. Wittelsbach and the other ships were stationed off Gotland
to intercept any Russian cruisers that might attempt to intervene in the landings; the Russians, however, did not do so. On 10 May, after the invasion force had entered Libau, the British submarines and spotted the IV Squadron, but were too far away to attack them.
By 1916, the threat from submarines in the Baltic convinced the German navy to withdraw the elderly Wittelsbach class ships from active service. Wittelsbach was initially used as a training ship based in Kiel. The ship was then transferred to Wilhelmshaven for use as a fleet tender. Wittelsbach was converted into a depot ship in 1919 for minesweepers in the newly constituted Reichsmarine
. She carried 12 of these shallow draft vessels. The ship served in this capacity for little more than a year; on 8 March 1921, Wittelsbach was stricken from the Navy List and sold four months later, on 7 July, for 3,561,000 Marks
. The ship was then broken up for scrap in Wilhelmshaven.
Wittelsbach class battleship
The Wittelsbach-class battleships were a group of five pre-dreadnought battleships of the German Kaiserliche Marine . They were the first battleships produced under the Navy Law of 1898. The class was composed of the lead ship, , , , and . All five ships were laid down between 1899 and 1900, and...
of pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought battleship is the general term for all of the types of sea-going battleships built between the mid-1890s and 1905. Pre-dreadnoughts replaced the ironclad warships of the 1870s and 1880s...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s 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...
. Wittelsbach was built at 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:...
Navy Dockyard
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...
. She was laid down in 1899 and completed in October 1902, at the cost of 22,740,000 marks
German gold mark
The Goldmark was the currency used in the German Empire from 1873 to 1914.-History:Before unification, the different German states issued a variety of different currencies, though most were linked to the Vereinsthaler, a silver coin containing 16⅔ grams of pure silver...
. Wittelsbach was the first capital ship built under the Navy Law of 1898, brought about by Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Alfred von Tirpitz
Alfred von Tirpitz
Alfred von Tirpitz was a German Admiral, Secretary of State of the German Imperial Naval Office, the powerful administrative branch of the German Imperial Navy from 1897 until 1916. Prussia never had a major navy, nor did the other German states before the German Empire was formed in 1871...
.
The ship served in the I Squadron of the German fleet for the majority of her career. Wittelsbach was rapidly superseded by new "all-big-gun"
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...
warships, and as a result served for less than eight years before being decommissioned on 20 September 1910. After the start of World War I in August 1914, Wittelsbach was brought back to active duty in the IV Battle Squadron. The ship saw limited duty in the Baltic Sea against Russian forces, though the threat from British submarines forced the ship to withdraw by 1916. The ship then saw service in a number of auxiliary roles, ultimately as a tender for minesweepers after 1919. In July 1921, however, the ship was sold and broken up for scrap metal.
Construction
Wittelsbachs keel was laid in 1899, 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 25. She was ordered under the contract name "C", as a new unit for the fleet. The vessel was the first battleship built under the direction of State Secretary Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz
Alfred von Tirpitz
Alfred von Tirpitz was a German Admiral, Secretary of State of the German Imperial Naval Office, the powerful administrative branch of the German Imperial Navy from 1897 until 1916. Prussia never had a major navy, nor did the other German states before the German Empire was formed in 1871...
, according to the terms of the Navy Law of 1898. Wittelsbach was launched on 3 July 1900 and commissioned on 15 October 1902.
The ship was 126.8 m (416 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 22.8 m (74.8 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 7.95 m (26.1 ft) forward. The ship was powered by three 3-cylinder vertical triple expansion engines that drove three screws. Steam was provided by six naval and six cylindrical boilers. Wittelsbachs powerplant was rated at 14000 ihp, which generated a top speed of 18 knots (35.3 km/h).
Wittelsbachs 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 (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, all in above-water swivel mounts.
Service history
Upon commissioning in 1902, Wittelsbach was assigned to the I Squadron of the Active Battle Fleet. In 1905 the German fleet was reorganized into two squadrons of battleships. Wittelsbach was assigned to the I Division of I Squadron. The ship was joined by her sisters and . The German fleet consisted of another three-ship division in the I Squadron and 2 three-ship divisions in the II Squadron. This was supported by a cruiser division, composed of two 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 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. That year, Kapitän zur See Maximilian von Spee
Maximilian von Spee
Vice Admiral Maximilian Reichsgraf von Spee was a German admiral. Although he was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, the counts von Spee belonged to the prominent families of the Rhenish nobility. He joined the Kaiserliche Marine in 1878. In 1887–88 he commanded the Kamerun ports, in German West...
, who would go on to command 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...
at the outbreak of World War I, took command of the ship.
In 1907, the newest s were beginning to enter service. This provided the Navy with enough ships to form two full battle squadrons of eight ships each. The fleet was then renamed the Hochseeflotte (High Seas Fleet). Wittelsbach served in the I Division until 20 September 1910. The ship was then decommissioned and placed in reserve; her crew was then sent to man the newly commissioned dreadnought .
At the start of World War I, Wittelsbach was mobilized as part of the IV Battle Squadron, under the command of Vice Admiral Ehrhard Schmidt. Starting on 3 September, the IV Squadron, assisted by the 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...
, conducted a sweep into the Baltic. The operation lasted until 9 September and failed to bring Russian naval units to battle. In May 1915, Wittelsbach and the rest of IV Squadron was transferred to support the German Army in the Baltic Sea area. Wittelsbach and her sisters were then based 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...
. On 6 May, the IV Squadron ships were tasked with providing support to the assault on 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...
. Wittelsbach and the other ships were stationed off Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
to intercept any Russian cruisers that might attempt to intervene in the landings; the Russians, however, did not do so. On 10 May, after the invasion force had entered Libau, the British submarines and spotted the IV Squadron, but were too far away to attack them.
By 1916, the threat from submarines in the Baltic convinced the German navy to withdraw the elderly Wittelsbach class ships from active service. Wittelsbach was initially used as a training ship based in Kiel. The ship was then transferred to Wilhelmshaven for use as a fleet tender. Wittelsbach was converted into a depot ship in 1919 for minesweepers in the newly constituted Reichsmarine
Reichsmarine
The Reichsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Weimar Republic and first two years of Nazi Germany. It was the naval branch of the Reichswehr, existing from 1918 to 1935...
. She carried 12 of these shallow draft vessels. The ship served in this capacity for little more than a year; on 8 March 1921, Wittelsbach was stricken from the Navy List and sold four months later, on 7 July, for 3,561,000 Marks
German papiermark
The name Papiermark is applied to the German currency from the 4th August 1914 when the link between the Mark and gold was abandoned, due to the outbreak of World War I...
. The ship was then broken up for scrap in Wilhelmshaven.