SMS Fürst Bismarck (1896)
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 SMS Fürst Bismarck |
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| Career (German Empire) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Fürst Bismarck |
| Namesake: | Otto von Bismarck |
| Builder: | Kaiserliche Werft, Kiel |
| Laid down: | April 1896 |
| Commissioned: | April 1900 |
| Fate: | Scrapped in 1919 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Fürst Bismarck class unique armored cruiser |
| Displacement: | 10,690t normal; 11,461t full load |
| Length: | 417 ft (127 m) |
| Beam: | 67 ft (20 m) |
| Draught: | 27.5 ft (8.4 m) |
| Propulsion: | 13,500 hp (10,100 kW), three shafts |
| Speed: | 18.7 knots (35 km/h) |
| Complement: | 621 |
| Armament: | Four 9.4 in (24 cm) (2 × 2) twelve5.9 in (15 cm) (12 × 1) ten3.45 in (8.8 cm) (10 × 1) six17.7 in (45 cm) torpedo tubes |
| Armor: | 8 in (20 cm) in belt 8 in (20 cm) in turret faces 2 in (5.1 cm) in deck |
Seiner Majestät Schiff Fürst Bismarck was Germany's first armored cruiser, built for the Kaiserliche Marine before the turn of the 20th century. She was named for the German statesman Otto von Bismarck. The design for the Fürst Bismarck was an improvement over the previous Victoria Louise-class protected cruiser.
Contents |
[edit] Design
[edit] Dimensions
Fürst Bismarck was laid down in April 1896 at the Imperial Dockyard in Kiel, and completed in April 1900, at a cost of 18,945,000 Marks. She was 412 feet 9 inches (125.8 m) at the waterline, with an overall length of 417 feet (127 m). Fürst Bismarck had a beam of 67 feet (20 m), and a draught of 27 feet 9 inches (8.5 m) She displaced 10,690 tons at normal load, and 11,461 tons at full load.
[edit] Machinery
Fürst Bismarck was powered by three four-cylinder, triple-expansion reciprocating engines. They produced 13,500 ihp (10,100 kW) and a top speed of 18.7 knots (34.6 km/h). On trials, the engines were pushed to 13,622 ihp (10,158 kW), but still only provided a top speed of 18.7 knots (34.6 km/h).
[edit] Armor
Fürst Bismarck had much thicker armor protection than even subsequent designs. The armor belt, though quite narrow, was 8 inches (200 mm) thick, while the turret faces were also 8 inches (200 mm) thick. She had a 2-inch (51 mm) armored deck. By contrast, the following armored cruiser design, Prinz Heinrich, had only had a 4-inch (100 mm) armor belt and 6 inches (150 mm) of turret armor. Even Blücher, Germany's last armored cruiser, only had a 7-inch (180 mm) belt and 7-inch (180 mm) turret faces, though her overall scale of protection was much more comprehensive than Fürst Bismarck's.
[edit] Armament
Fürst Bismarck's main armament consisted of four 9.4-inch (239 mm) guns in twin turrets fore and aft. The secondary armament consisted of twelve 5.9-inch (150 mm) guns in a combination of single turrets and casemates, and ten 3.4-inch (86 mm) guns in a combination of casemates and shielded mounts. Six 17.7-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes were also fitted.
[edit] Service history
Upon commissioning, Fürst Bismarck was assigned to the German East Asia Squadron. She arrived at Tsingtao in August 1900. In 1903, she became the squadron flagship.
SMS Scharnhorst arrived at Tsingtao in April 1909, replacing Fürst Bismarck as flagship.[1] Because Fürst Bismarck was in poor condition, she was ordered back to Kiel. Upon arriving in June 1909, she was decommissioned and laid up in the reserve fleet.
At the outbreak of World War I, the ship was reactivated for coast defense duties, but was found unsuitable due to her deteriorated condition. Attempts to use the ship for torpedo target duties failed for the same reason. Fürst Bismarck therefore spent the remainder of the war as a stationary accommodation and engineering training ship, though she sailed for a short time in 1917 as a training ship for U-boat and airship officers. Fürst Bismarck was sold for scrap in 1919 and broken up the following year.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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