SS Prinz Eitel Friedrich (1904)
 SS Prinz Eitel Friedrich on 28 March 1917, interned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | Prinz Eitel Friedrich |
| Builder | Stettin |
| Launched | 1904 |
| Commissioned | 5 August 1914[1]: 46 |
| Fate | Interned 1915, seized 1917 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 8,797 GRT |
| Displacement | 16,000 tons[1]: 48 |
| Length | 153.3 m (503 ft) |
| Beam | 16.9 m (55 ft) |
| Draught | 7.1 m (23 ft) |
| Propulsion | 2 × 4 cylinder expansion |
| Speed | 15 kn (28 km/h) |
| Range | 10,000 nm |
| Complement | 402[1]: 24 |
| Armament |
|
SS Prinz Eitel Friedrich was a
Early career
Prinz Eitel Friedrich was built for the
Service history
At Qingdao Prinz Eitel Friedrich was equipped for her role as a
She was commissioned on 5 August 1914 and sailed from Qingdao the same day to join company with
On 13 August she was detached for independent operations with a remit to attack and destroy allied commerce. She sailed south to start this mission along the coast of Australia.[2]: 72
In the following seven months she operated in the
In March 1915, with her bunkers nearly empty and her engines worn out, Prinz Eitel Friedrich headed for the neutral United States, and on 11 March 1915 sailed into Newport News harbour.[2]: 82
Armament
Four 10.5 cm SK L/40 cannons. Two each mounted fore and aft. The port aft gun pictured at right.
An original 10.5 cm SK L/40 naval gun from Prinz Eitel Friedrich can be seen at Memorial Park in Cambridge, New York.[3][4]
Table
| Date | Ship | Type | Nationality | Tonnage GRT | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.12.1914 | Charcas | Freighter | British | 5,067 | Sunk |
| 11.12.1914 | Jean | Sailing ship | French | 2,207 | Retained as collier Scuttled 31.12.14 |
| 12.12.1914 | Kidalton | Sailing ship | British | 1,784 | Sunk |
| 26.1.1915 | Isabel Browne | Sailing ship | Russian | 1,315 | Sunk |
| 27.1.1915 | Pierre Lott | Sailing ship | French | 2,196 | Sunk |
| 27.1.1915 | William P Frye* | Sailing ship | American | 3,374 | Sunk |
| 28.1.1915 | Jacobsen | Sailing ship | French | 2,195 | Sunk |
| 12.2.1915 | Invercoe | Sailing ship | British | 1,421 | Sunk |
| 18.2.1915 | Mary Ada Short | Sailing ship | British | 3,605 | Sunk |
| 19.2.1915 | Floride | Freighter | French | 6,629 | Sunk |
| 20.2.1915 | Willerby | Freighter | British | 3,630 | Sunk |
- William P Frye was the first U.S. ship sunk during World War I. Its sinking contributed to the neutral U.S. entering the war.[citation needed]
Internment and United States flag
Prinz Eitel Friedrich failed to leave the neutral port in the time prescribed by international law and was interned on 9 April 1915. The ship, still under the German flag, was moved to the
Reconditioned and refitted as a troop transport and given the identification number (Id.No.) 3010, she was renamed and commissioned USS DeKalb (ID-3010) at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 12 May 1917. DeKalb served for the remainder of the war as a troopship on the trans Atlantic route.[5]
Immigrant ship
The ship was acquired by
Mount Clay made the last westbound voyage from Hamburg to New York on 15 October 1925 and was laid up until scrapped in 1934.[5]
References
- ^ ISBN 0-85059-351-4.
- ^ ISBN 1-85728-295-7.
- ^ Costello, Michael. "10.5 cm/40 SK L/40". NavWeaps, Naval Weapons, Naval Technology and Naval Reunions. Tony DiGiulian. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ DiGiulian, Tony. "Germany 10.5 cm/40 (4.1") SK L/40 - NavWeaps". www.navweaps.com.
- ^ a b c d Havern, Christopher B., Sr. (2 May 2018). "DeKalb (Id. No. 3010)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History And Heritage Command. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "W. A. Harriman as a Ship Operator". The Marine Review. Vol. 51, no. April. 1921. p. 178. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ "An Immigrant Ship, De Luxe". The Marine Review. Vol. 51, no. February. 1921. p. 56. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
External links
Media related to Prinz Eitel Friedrich (ship, 1904) at Wikimedia Commons- Macina, Mark A. (1995). "6". The United States Versus Great Britain and Germany: American Diplomatic Correspondence and Efforts to Remain Neutral, 1914-1915. Fort Worth, Texas: Mark A. Macina. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
