Von der Tann (gunboat)
Encyclopedia
Von der Tann was a steam-powered 120 ton gunboat built in 1849 at Conradi shipyards in Kiel
for the small navy of Schleswig-Holstein
, the first propeller-driven gunboat in the world. During the First War of Schleswig
, 1848-1850 between Denmark and the two duchies, the Schleswig-Holstein navy comprised three paddlewheelers with sail rigging, a schooner and 12 gunboats; their task was to protect the coast against Danish raids. Initially called Gunboat No. 1, Von der Tann was the most modern of these ships. Her steam engine, built by August Howaldt
at Schweffel und Howaldt's
works in Kiel, gave her 36 hp and a top speed (under steam) of six knots. She carried the rigging of a three-mast schooner, with a very tall funnel behind the main mast. Her armament comprised two 64-pounder guns mounted on swivels fore and aft plus four three-pounder howitzers.
During the night of 20/21 July 1850, Von der Tann had captured a Danish freighter in the bay of Lübeck
, but was not permitted to enter the neutral port of Travemünde
which belonged to the Free Hanseatic City of Lübeck
. When Von der Tann attempted to enter the port of Neustadt in Holstein
, she was engaged by Danish
naval forces, the two ships Heckla and Valkyren. During the ensuing gunbattle, Von der Tann accidentally ran aground just outside Neustadt harbor. The ship was abandoned and set on fire by her crew, but was later repaired and put back into service. In 1853, after the end of the First War of Schleswig, Von der Tann was taken over by the Danish navy and renamed Støren. She was decommissioned and scrapped in 1862.
A model and some pieces of wreckage are on display at the Ostholstein-Museum in Neustadt.
A later ship of the same name was the Imperial German battlecruiser
SMS Von der Tann
. Both were named after the Bavaria
n general Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen
who, as a young officer, had organized and commanded the militia of Schleswig-Holstein.
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...
for the small navy of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, the first propeller-driven gunboat in the world. During the First War of Schleswig
First War of Schleswig
The First Schleswig War or Three Years' War was the first round of military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig-Holstein Question, contesting the issue of who should control the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. The war, which lasted from 1848–1851,...
, 1848-1850 between Denmark and the two duchies, the Schleswig-Holstein navy comprised three paddlewheelers with sail rigging, a schooner and 12 gunboats; their task was to protect the coast against Danish raids. Initially called Gunboat No. 1, Von der Tann was the most modern of these ships. Her steam engine, built by August Howaldt
August Howaldt
August Ferdinand Howaldt was a German engineer and ship builder.-Biography:Born in Braunschweig, the son of the silversmith David Ferdinand Howaldt, with whom he got his first practice working in metal, Howaldt made an apprenticeship in Hamburg and became a practical mechanicus.In 1838 he moved to...
at Schweffel und Howaldt's
Howaldtswerke
Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft is a German shipbuilding company, headquartered in Kiel. In 2009 it was the largest shipyard in Germany and has more than 2,400 employees. It has been part of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems owned by ThyssenKrupp, since 2005...
works in Kiel, gave her 36 hp and a top speed (under steam) of six knots. She carried the rigging of a three-mast schooner, with a very tall funnel behind the main mast. Her armament comprised two 64-pounder guns mounted on swivels fore and aft plus four three-pounder howitzers.
During the night of 20/21 July 1850, Von der Tann had captured a Danish freighter in the bay of Lübeck
Bay of Lübeck
The Bay of Lübeck is a basin in the southwestern Baltic Sea, off the shores of German lands of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein. It forms the southwestern part of the Bay of Mecklenburg....
, but was not permitted to enter the neutral port of Travemünde
Travemünde
Travemünde is a borough of Lübeck, Germany, located at the mouth of the river Trave in Lübeck Bay. It began life as a fortress built by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, in the 12th century to guard the mouth of the Trave, and the Danes subsequently strengthened it. It became a town in 1317 and in...
which belonged to the Free Hanseatic City of Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
. When Von der Tann attempted to enter the port of Neustadt in Holstein
Neustadt in Holstein
Neustadt in Holstein is a town in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the Bay of Lübeck , approx...
, she was engaged by Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
naval forces, the two ships Heckla and Valkyren. During the ensuing gunbattle, Von der Tann accidentally ran aground just outside Neustadt harbor. The ship was abandoned and set on fire by her crew, but was later repaired and put back into service. In 1853, after the end of the First War of Schleswig, Von der Tann was taken over by the Danish navy and renamed Støren. She was decommissioned and scrapped in 1862.
A model and some pieces of wreckage are on display at the Ostholstein-Museum in Neustadt.
A later ship of the same name was the Imperial German battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
SMS Von der Tann
SMS Von der Tann
SMS Von der Tann"SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" in German. was the first battlecruiser built for the German Kaiserliche Marine, as well as Germany's first major turbine-powered warship. At the time of her construction, Von der Tann was the fastest dreadnought-type...
. Both were named after the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n general Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen
Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen
Ludwig Samson Arthur Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen was a Bavarian general.-Early life:Born at Darmstadt, on the day of Waterloo, Ludwig von der Tann was descended from the old family of von der Tann, which had branches in Bavaria, the Alsace and the Rhine provinces, and attached his...
who, as a young officer, had organized and commanded the militia of Schleswig-Holstein.