SMS Irene

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SMS Irene at anchor, date unknown
History
German Empire
NameSMS Irene
NamesakePrincess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine
Builder
Stettin
Laid downMay 1886
Launched23 July 1887
Commissioned25 May 1888
ReclassifiedU-boat depot ship in 1914
Stricken17 February 1914
FateBroken up in 1922
General characteristics
Class and type
Irene-class protected cruiser
Displacement
Length103.7 m (340 ft) oa
Beam14.2 m (47 ft)
Draft6.74 m (22.1 ft)
Installed power
Propulsion
  • 2 ×
    double-expansion steam engines
  • 2 × screw propellers
Speed18 knots (33.3 km/h)
Range2,490 nmi (4,610 km; 2,870 mi) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph)
Complement
  • 28 officers
  • 337 enlisted men
Armament
Armor

SMS Irene was a

Kaiser Wilhem II. As built, the ship was armed with a main battery of fourteen 15 cm (5.9 in) guns and had a top speed of 18 knots
(33 km/h; 21 mph).

Irene saw extensive service with the German fleet in the first years of her career, frequently escorting Kaiser

Jiaozhou Bay, and so she was not present during the operation. She was present in the Philippines in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Manila Bay between American and Spanish squadrons during the Spanish–American War in 1898. Irene eventually returned to Germany in 1901. She remained in service until early 1914, when she was retired from front-line service and converted into a submarine tender
. She served in this capacity until 1921, when she was sold for scrap and broken up the following year.

Design

Main article: Irene-class cruiser
Drawing of Irene

In 1883, General

screw corvettes that had been built in the 1860s and 1870s. Cruisers could be optimized for service with the main fleet or for deployments abroad, and while the largest navies could afford to build dedicated ships of each type, Germany could not. To solve the problem, the Germans would build 2nd-class cruisers that attempted to fulfill both roles. The first cruiser design built under this program was the Irene class.[1]

Irene was 103.7 meters (340 ft)

screw propellers. Steam was provided by four coal-fired fire-tube boilers, which were ducted into a pair of funnels. These provided a top speed of 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) and a range of approximately 2,490 nautical miles (4,610 km; 2,870 mi) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph). She had a crew of 28 officers and 337 enlisted men.[2]

The ship was armed with a main battery of four 15 cm RK L/30 guns in single pedestal mounts, supplied with 400 rounds of ammunition in total. They had a range of 8,500 m (27,900 ft). Irene also carried ten shorter-barreled 15 cm RK L/22 guns in single mounts. These guns had a much shorter range, at 5,400 m (17,700 ft).[3] The gun armament was rounded out by six 3.7 cm revolver cannon, which provided close-range defense against torpedo boats.[4] She was also equipped with three 35 cm (13.8 in) torpedo tubes with eight torpedoes, two launchers were mounted on the deck and the third was in the bow, below the waterline.[3]

The ship's main armor protection consisted of a curved deck that was 50 mm (2 in) on the flat portion, increasing in thickness toward the sides to 75 mm (3 in), where it sloped downward to the side of the

hull. The conning tower had sides that were 50 mm thick.[3]

Modifications

The ship was modernized in Wilhelmshaven in 1893.

bulwarks and altering the anchor chains.[6]

Service history

Irene in 1892

Construction and early career

Irene was the first

sea trials on 25 May 1888,[8] which were interrupted that summer when Irene joined the fleet that steamed to Great Britain to celebrate the coronation of Kaiser Wilhelm II. She was assigned to the I Division, along with the ironclad corvettes Sachsen and Baden and the casemate ironclad Oldenburg. Heinrich commanded the division, his flag flying in Irene. The fleet then held training maneuvers in the North Sea under command of Konteradmiral (KAdm—Rear Admiral) Friedrich von Hollmann.[9] Irene completed her trials on 28 November, after which she was decommissioned for improvements to be made, which lasted into 1889.[8]

The ship was recommissioned again on 1 April 1889 for her first period of regular service. At the end of May, she was assigned to the Maneuver Squadron. In August, the squadron made another visit to Britain. On 10 September, she went on another overseas cruise, this time to the Mediterranean Sea, where she met the Training Squadron, which was escorting the Kaiser's yacht Hohenzollern. The ships then visited Greece, to represent Germany at the ceremonies surrounding the marriage of Wilhelm's sister Sophie to Prince Constantine on 28 October. From there, the ships sailed to Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire, where Heinrich and Wilhelm visited Sultan Abdul Hamid II. After that, Irene sailed to Venice, Italy, after which she left the rest of the division and cruised alone starting on 14 November. The ship next stopped at the island of Corfu in Greece, before proceeding south to visit Ottoman Egypt, followed by Ottoman Syria. Irene thereafter rejoined the Training Squadron, which returned to Germany in April 1890.[1][9][10] After returning, Irene was repainted white (instead of the normal black paint German warships received at the time), as she was to spend much of the rest of the year escorting Wilhelm's yacht.[11]

Irene spent much of 1890 in the Training Squadron, though by this time the unit had been renamed as II Division of the Maneuver Fleet. She did not take part in training exercises over the summer, however, and instead continued to escort the Kaiser aboard Hohenzollern. In late June, the two ships sailed to

St. Petersburg, Russia, for a state visit with Tsar Alexander III from 14 to 27 August. After returning to Germany, Irene joined II Division for the annual fleet maneuvers. She then sailed to Wilhelmshaven on 18 September, where she was decommissioned for the winter. The ship remained out of service until 1894, in part to be refitted with quick-firing guns of the same caliber of her original armament, but also because the German fleet suffered from chronic crew shortages and men could not be assembled to recommission the ship.[12][13]

East Asia Squadron

SMS Irene at full steam

1894–1897

The outbreak of the

Chefoo on 14 February 1895, she became the flagship of KAdm Paul Hoffmann. At that time, the squadron also included the screw corvettes Arcona, Marie, and Alexandrine and the gunboats Wolf and Iltis.[16][17]

Irene sailed to

Formosa on 20 April on the way. While at Formosa, the ship sent a landing party ashore in response to a minor battle between Iltis and a Chinese coastal fort there. In late June, Marie and Wolf left the division and their replacement, Prinzess Wilhelm arrived soon after. By that time, Japanese forces had completed their conquest of Formosa, permitting Irene to steam to the city of Taipei to withdraw her landing party. In July, the rebuilt old ironclad Kaiser arrived in East Asia, and on 10 July she replaced Irene as the division flagship.[18] Later that year, they were joined by the light cruiser Cormoran; Arcona and Iltis remained in the unit as well.[19] In August, Irene cruised to northern Japan, visiting the port of Hakodate. The rest of the year passed uneventfully for the ship.[20]

Irene at anchor

Irene spent the period from late May to mid-August at Chefoo, and during this period, KAdm

Spanish Philippines. By that time, the Philippine Revolution had broken out against the Spanish colonial government, and the major powers had taken a keen interest on developments in the islands. Tirpitz determined that the fighting did not threaten German interests in the colony, and so he departed with Irene in January 1897, returning to Hong Kong. There, she joined the rest of the division, which cruised together through March. While the division was visiting Japan, Tirpitz received orders to return home to become the new State Secretary of the Reichsmarineamt (Imperial Naval Office).[20]

Seizure of Jiaozhou and the Spanish-American War

In June 1897,

Jiaozhou Bay Leased Territory; the Cruiser Division was sent reinforcements and promoted to the East Asia Squadron. Irene was assigned to I Division of the squadron.[24] Irene joined the rest of the unit there on 2 December.[20] In mid-April 1898, Irene was sent to receive periodic maintenance (though the location is disputed; according to the historians Hans Hildebrand, Albert Röhr, and Hans-Otto Steinmetz, Irene was sent to Nagasaki, Japan, for the work, while Terrell Gottschall states that the ship went to Shanghai.[25] In any event, the ship was soon recalled, following the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, which implicated the Spanish colony in the Philippines.[20]

Irene and Prinzess Wilhelm (astern)

Irene steamed to

Isla Grande, Irene encountered the rebel ship Companie de Filipinas, which was threatening the Spanish garrison at Isla Grande. The rebel commander came aboard Irene to inform her captain of his activities; Obenheimer informed him that any act of war committed under the rebel flag was an act of piracy under international law. The rebels therefore agreed to return to port. Obenheimer inspected both the Spanish garrison on the island and the nearby rebel base in Olongapo. After unsuccessfully searching for German nationals in the area, Irene evacuated the noncombatants on Isla Grande on 7 July; while steaming out of Subic Bay, Irene encountered the American warships Raleigh and Concord without issue.[27]

The American press exaggerated the encounter between Irene and the American ships, which prompted Diederichs to decide to send Irene away from the area to deflate tensions between the two countries. After returning to Manila and debarking the non-combatants, Irene was ordered to depart the Philippines. Irene relieved Arcona in

Mariveles before departing for Qingdao on 9 July. While in Qingdao, Irene conducted crew training.[28] In October, Irene departed for Nagasaki for the overhaul that had been deferred earlier in the year.[20] After completing her maintenance, she returned to Manila in November, but remained there only briefly, before she was replaced by Kaiserin Augusta.[29] In mid-February 1899, Irene departed the Philippines and returned to the Chinese coast. In June, the ship went on a cruise to Korean and Russian waters without incident, before returning to Qingdao. On 24 October, she departed to visit Nagasaki, where she was drydocked for maintenance. In November, Fregattenkapitän (Frigate Captain) Johannes Stein became the ship's commander.[30]

Boxer Rebellion and return to Germany

Work on the ship lasted until 1 January 1900. By that time, the squadron had received several new ships, and it now also included the protected cruisers

Taku at the mouth of the Hai River. Irene was the oldest vessel in the German squadron, so she was ordered to guard the port. She did, however, contribute a landing party to the Seymour Expedition that was to relieve the Siege of the International Legations in Beijing. The expedition was attacked and defeated on the way to Beijing and was forced to withdraw to Tianjin; twelve men from Irene were killed during the operation.[31]

In late June, Irene carried two

ship breakers on 26 November 1921 and dismantled in Wilhelmshaven.[32][3]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz, pp. 209–210.
  2. ^ Gröner, pp. 94–95.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Gröner, p. 95.
  4. ^ a b Lyon, p. 253.
  5. ^ a b Nottelmann, p. 129.
  6. ^ Nottelmann, pp. 129, 131.
  7. ^ Gröner, p. 94.
  8. ^ a b Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz, p. 210.
  9. ^ a b Sondhaus, p. 179.
  10. ^ Röhl, p. 320.
  11. ^ Nottelmann, p. 130.
  12. ^ Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz, pp. 210–211.
  13. ^ Sondhaus, p. 192.
  14. ^ Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz, pp. 209, 211.
  15. ^ Sondhaus, p. 198.
  16. ^ Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz, p. 211.
  17. ^ Gottschall, p. 135.
  18. ^ Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz, pp. 211–212.
  19. ^ Sondhaus, p. 206.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz, p. 212.
  21. ^ Gottschall, pp. 149–150.
  22. ^ Gottschall, p. 157.
  23. ^ Gottschall, p. 172.
  24. ^ Gottschall, pp. 164–165.
  25. ^ Gottschall, p. 179.
  26. ^ Cooling, pp. 95–96.
  27. ^ Gottschall, pp. 200–203.
  28. ^ Gottschall, pp. 204–205.
  29. ^ Gottschall, p. 210.
  30. ^ Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz, pp. 209, 213.
  31. ^ Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz, pp. 140–141, 213.
  32. ^ a b Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz, p. 213.
  33. ^ Nottelmann, p. 132.

References

Further reading
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