S138-class torpedo boat
SMS V150 underway c. 1908
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Class overview | |
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Builders | AG Vulcan (V), Germaniawerft (G) |
Operators | |
Preceded by | S90 class |
Built | 1906–1911 |
In commission | 1907–1945 |
Completed | 65 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Torpedo boat |
Displacement |
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Length | 70.7 to 74.2 m (231 ft 11 in to 243 ft 5 in) o/a |
Beam | 7.8 to 7.9 m (26 to 26 ft) |
Draft | 2.75 to 3.06 m (9 ft 0 in to 10 ft 0 in) (forward) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | 30 to 32 kn (56 to 59 km/h; 35 to 37 mph) |
Complement |
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Armament |
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The S138 class was a group of sixty-five
Design
General characteristics and machinery
The boats of the S138 class varied in dimensions, and they gradually increased in size as more vessels were built. The boats were 70.2 to 74 meters (230 ft 4 in to 242 ft 9 in)
The S138-class boats had a variety of different propulsion systems. The first group of boats, from
The reciprocating engine-powered boats were rated at 30
Armament
The armament for the members of the S138 class changed as more vessels were built. The first eleven vessels, from S138 to S149 were equipped with one 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/35 gun and three 5.2 cm (2 in) SK L/55 guns in single gun mounts. They carried one hundred 8.8 cm shells and four hundred and fifty 5.2 cm rounds. The boats from V150 to V155 only carried two 8.8 cm SK L/35 guns with two hundred rounds. The remainder of the class carried two 8.8 cm SK L/30 guns, also with two hundred shells. Both versions of the 8.8 cm gun fired a shell weighing 7 kg (15.4 lb); the shorter-barreled L/30 gun had a muzzle velocity of 670 meters per second (2,198 ft/s), while the L/35 version had a velocity of 770 m/s (2,526 ft/s). The L/30 gun could be elevated to 20 degrees, for a maximum range of 7,300 m (8,000 yd), while the L/35 gun could be elevated to 25 degrees, for a maximum range of 9,090 m (9,940 yd). The 5.2 cm guns fired a 2 kg (3.86 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 850 m/s (2,789 ft/s). The guns could elevate up to 20 degrees, at a maximum range of 7,100 m (7,770 yd).[1][4]
Throughout their careers, the boats had their armament modified. All of the first eleven vessels had their two of their 5.2 cm guns replaced with a second 8.8 cm SK L/35 gun, with the exception of S142 and S144 had all three of their 5.2 cm guns removed. S146, S153, S155, S165, S168, G170, G172 through G175, S178, S179, V180 through V186, V189, V190, and G192 through G197 had their 8.8 cm guns replaced with newer 8.8 cm SK L/45 guns; these guns fired a 10.0 kg (22 lb) shells at a muzzle velocity of 650 m/s (2,133 ft/s). At an elevation of 25 degrees, they could engage targets out to 9,600 m (10,500 yd). After World War I, many of the surviving vessels that still carried their older 8.8 cm guns had them replaced with the SK L/45 versions, and T185, T190, and T196 received two 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/45 guns.[1][4]
All members of the class carried three torpedo tubes as their primary offensive armament; the first half of the class's tubes were 45 cm (18 in) in diameter, and they carried four torpedoes. From G174 onward, they were equipped with 50 cm (20 in) tubes with five torpedoes. All of these tubes were in single, deck-mounted launchers. In their postwar refit, T185, T190, and T196 had their original tubes replaced with four 50 cm tubes in double, deck-mounted launchers.[1]
Ships
Boat | Program[5] | Launched[6] | Commissioned[6] | Fate[6] |
---|---|---|---|---|
S138 | 1906 | 22 September 1906 | 7 May 1907 | Mined and sunk, 7 July 1918 |
S139 | 1906 | 12 November 1906 | 6 July 1907 | Unknown |
S140 | 1906 | 22 December 1906 | 3 August 1907 | |
S141 | 1906 | 7 February 1907 | 9 September 1907 | Scrapped, 1933 |
S142 | 1906 | 6 March 1907 | 20 September 1907 | |
S143 | 1906 | 6 April 1907 | 12 October 1907 | Scrapped, 1930 |
S144 | 1906 | 27 April 1907 | 3 December 1907 | Scrapped, 1929 |
S145 | 1906 | 8 June 1907 | 17 December 1907 | |
S146 | 1906 | 27 June 1907 | 20 November 1907 | Scrapped, 1929 |
S147 | 1906 | 3 August 1907 | 10 April 1908 | Scrapped, 1921 |
S148 | 1906 | 11 September 1907 | 8 March 1908 | Scrapped, 1935 |
S149 | 1906 | 19 October 1907 | 27 July 1908 | Scrapped, 1927 |
V150 | 1907 | 1 August 1907 | 20 November 1907 | Sunk, 18 May 1915 |
V151 | 1907 | 14 September 1907 | 29 February 1908 | Scrapped, 1948 |
V152 | 1907 | 11 October 1907 | 10 April 1908 | Scrapped, 1935 |
V153 | 1907 | 13 November 1907 | 9 May 1908 | Scrapped, 1949 |
V154 | 1907 | 19 December 1907 | 5 June 1908 | Scrapped, 1935 |
V155 | 1907 | 28 January 1908 | 25 June 1908 | Scuttled, 22 April 1945 |
V156 | 1907 | 29 February 1908 | 21 July 1908 | Scuttled, 3 May 1945 |
V157 | 1907 | 29 May 1908 | 27 August 1908 | Mined and sunk, 22 October 1943 |
V158 | 1907 | 23 June 1908 | 8 October 1908 | Scrapped, 1950 |
V159 | 1907 | 18 July 1908 | 2 November 1908 | Scrapped, 1922 |
V160 | 1907 | 12 September 1908 | 15 December 1908 | Scrapped, 1922 |
V161 | 1907 | 21 April 1908 | 17 September 1908 | Scrapped, 1922 |
V162 | 1908 | 9 May 1909 | 28 May 1909 | Mined and sunk, 15 August 1916 |
V163 | 1908 | 2 May 1909 | 22 July 1909 | Scrapped, 1921 |
V164 | 1908 | 27 May 1909 | 20 August 1909 | Scrapped, 1922 |
SMS S165(i) | 1908 | 20 March 1909 | Sold to Ottoman Empire during construction, commissioned as Muavenet-i Milliye | Scrapped, 1921 |
SMS S166(i) | 1908 | 24 April 1909 | Sold to Ottoman Empire during construction, commissioned as Yadigar-i Millet | Sunk, 10 July 1917 |
SMS S167(i) | 1908 | 3 July 1909 | Sold to Ottoman Empire during construction, commissioned as Nümune-i Hamiyet | Scrapped, 1921 |
SMS S168(i) | 1908 | 30 September 1909 | Sold to Ottoman Empire during construction, commissioned as Gayret-i Vataniye | Wrecked, 30 October 1916 |
S165 (ii) | 1908 replacement ship | 26 November 1910 | 27 April 1911 | Scrapped, 1922 |
S166 (ii) | 1908 replacement ship | 27 December 1910 | 7 July 1911 | Scrapped, 1922 |
S167 (ii) | 1908 replacement ship | 15 February 1911 | 26 August 1911 | Scrapped, 1921 |
S168 (ii) | 1908 replacement ship | 16 March 1911 | 1 September 1911 | Scrapped, 1927 |
G169 | 1908 | 29 December 1908 | 29 April 1909 | Scrapped, 1922 |
G170 | 1908 | 3 March 1909 | 14 September 1909 | Scrapped, 1921 |
G171 | 1908 | 28 May 1909 | 4 January 1910 | Sunk, 14 September 1912 |
G172 | 1908 | 10 July 1909 | 4 January 1910 | Mined and sunk, 7 July 1918 |
G173 | 1908 | 28 July 1909 | 24 January 1910 | Scrapped, 1922 |
G174 | 1909 | 8 January 1910 | 6 July 1910 | Scrapped, 1922 |
G175 | 1909 | 24 February 1910 | 4 December 1910 | Scrapped, 1926 |
S176 | 1909 | 12 April 1910 | 23 September 1910 | Scrapped, 1922 |
S177 | 1909 | 21 May 1910 | 16 February 1911 | Mined and sunk, 23 December 1915 |
S178 | 1909 | 14 July 1910 | 9 December 1910 | Scrapped, 1922 |
S179 | 1909 | 27 August 1910 | 8 March 1911 | Scrapped, 1921 |
V180 | 1909 | 15 October 1909 | 4 January 1910 | Scrapped, 1921 |
V181 | 1909 | 6 November 1909 | 11 March 1910 | Scrapped, 1922 |
V182 | 1909 | 1 December 1909 | 4 May 1910 | Scrapped, 1922 |
V183 | 1909 | 23 December 1909 | 12 May 1910 | Scrapped, 1922 |
V184 | 1909 | 26 February 1910 | 29 June 1910 | Scrapped, 1922 |
V185 | 1909 | 9 April 1910 | 20 September 1910 | Soviet prize, 1945, fate unknown |
V186 | 1910 | 28 November 1910 | 21 April 1911 | Scrapped, 1922 |
V187 | 1910 | 11 January 1911 | 4 May 1911 | Sunk, 26 August 1914 |
V188 | 1910 | 8 February 1911 | 20 May 1911 | Sunk, 26 July 1915 |
V189 | 1910 | 14 March 1911 | 20 June 1911 | Wrecked, December 1920 |
V190 | 1910 | 12 April 1911 | 5 August 1911 | Scuttled, 1946 |
V191 | 1910 | 2 June 1911 | 28 September 1911 | Mined and sunk, 17 December 1915 |
G192 | 1910 | 5 November 1910 | 8 May 1911 | Scrapped, 1922 |
G193 | 1910 | 10 December 1910 | 25 June 1911 | Scrapped, 1922 |
G194 | 1910 | 12 January 1911 | 2 August 1911 | Sunk, 26 March 1916 |
G195 | 1910 | 8 April 1911 | 8 September 1911 | Scrapped, 1922 |
G196 | 1910 | 24 May 1911 | 2 October 1911 | Soviet prize, 1945, scrapped thereafter |
G197 | 1910 | 23 June 1911 | 10 November 1911 | Scrapped, 1921 |
Service history
Several members of the S138 class were lost during World War I in the North and Baltic Seas. V187 was sunk during the Battle of Heligoland Bight on 26 August 1914, one of the first major naval actions of the war.[7] V150 accidentally collided with her sister ship V157 while the pair were cruising in the Jade Bight shortly after midnight on 18 May 1915. V150 sank and 60 of her crew were killed in the accident.[8] On 26 July 1915, V188 was torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine E16 in the North Sea.[7] On 17 December 1915, V191 and the light cruiser Bremen ran into a Russian minefield off Windau; both vessels struck mines and sank, with heavy loss of life. Nearly a third of V191's crew were killed, 25 men, along 250 out of Bremen's crew of around 300.[9][10] A week later, a British mine claimed S176 on 23 December, though only seven men were killed in the sinking.[11] While on patrol in the North Sea on 26 March 1916, G194 encountered British naval forces, and the British light cruiser Cleopatra rammed and sank G194, killing 93 of her crew.[7] V162 sank after striking a Russian mine in the Baltic on 15 August 1916; 15 of her crew were killed.[8] Two boats struck mines and sank in the North Sea on 7 July 1918. T138 was lost shortly after 01:00 and 32 of her crew were killed, and G172 was mined and sunk a little over three hours later, killing 16 of her crew.[12] The Muavenet-i Milliye in Ottoman service successfully torpedoed and sank the British pre-dreadnought battleship HMS Goliath on 13 May 1915 during the Dardanelles campaign, killing 570 of her crew.[13]
In 1917 and 1918, the members of the class were all renamed to replace the builder prefix with a standardized "T" prefix. Following Germany's defeat, many of the members of the S138 class were scrapped, either after having been seized as
The boats that continued on in service with the German fleet were T139, T141, T144, T146, T148, T149, T151, T152, T153, T154, T155, T156, T157, T158, T168, T175, T185, and T196. These boats served in a variety of roles in the 1920s and 1930s. Several of them were renamed and converted for training duties: T139 became Pfeil, T141 became the radio control ship Blitz, T153 became the range-finding training ship Eduard Jungmann. V151 was converted into a fast tugboat and she received the name Comet. T144, T149, T168, and T175 remained in active service and were scrapped in 1926–1927. Blitz, T143, T148, T152, T154 joined them at the breaker's yards between 1930 and 1935. Others, including T156 and T158, continued to serve with the fleet through the 1930s, while T196 became the flagship for the Minesweeper Command in 1938. In 1932, T185 was renamed Blitz and converted into a radio control ship to replace her sistership in that role. T190 was renamed Claus von Bevern in 1938 and was used in experiments.[6]
By the outbreak of
Footnotes
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f Gröner, p. 173.
- ^ a b Gröner, p. 172.
- ^ Gröner, pp. 172–173.
- ^ a b Gardiner & Gray, p. 140.
- ^ Gardiner & Gray, pp. 165–167.
- ^ a b c d e f g Gröner, pp. 174–176.
- ^ a b c Gröner, p. 176.
- ^ a b Gröner, p. 174.
- ^ Halpern, p. 205.
- ^ Gröner, pp. 103, 176.
- ^ Gröner, p. 175.
- ^ Gröner, pp. 174–175.
- ProQuest 1471943810
- ^ Treaty of Versailles Section II: Naval Clauses, Article 181.
References
- ISBN 978-1-4728-3595-6.
- Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-907-3.
- Gröner, Erich (1990). German Warships: 1815–1945. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-790-9.
- Halpern, Paul G. (1995). A Naval History of World War I. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1557503527.