Victoria Louise-class cruiser
SMS Victoria Louise in 1909
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Class overview | |
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Name | Victoria Louise |
Operators | Imperial German Navy |
Preceded by | Kaiserin Augusta |
Succeeded by | Fürst Bismarck |
Built | 1895–1899 |
In service | 1898–1921 |
Completed | 5 |
Retired | 5 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Protected cruiser |
Displacement |
|
Length | 110.50–110.60 m (362 ft 6 in – 362 ft 10 in) |
Beam | 17.40–17.60 m (57 ft 1 in – 57 ft 9 in) |
Draft | 6.58–7.08 m (21 ft 7 in – 23 ft 3 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | 18.5 to 19.5 knots (34 to 36 km/h; 21 to 22 mph) |
Range | 3,412 nmi (6,319 km; 3,926 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
Complement |
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Armament |
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Armor |
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The Victoria Louise class of protected cruisers was the last class of ships of that type built for the German Imperial Navy. The class design introduced the combined clipper and ram bow and the blocky sides that typified later German armored cruisers. The class comprised five vessels, Victoria Louise, the lead ship, Hertha, Freya, Vineta, and Hansa. The ships were laid down in 1895–1896, and were launched in 1897–1898 and commissioned into the fleet over the following year.
The first three ships were 110.60 meters (362 ft 10 in) long and displaced 6,491 metric tons (6,388 long tons) at combat load; Vineta and Hansa were a slightly modified design. They were 110.50 m (362 ft 6 in) long and displaced 6,705 t (6,599 long tons) at full load. All five ships were armed with a main battery of two 21-centimeter (8.3 in) guns and eight 15 cm (5.9 in) guns. The first three ships had a top speed of 19.5
The ships of the class served in various units in the German fleet, including on the America Station, in the
Background
In the mid-1880s, the German
Hollmann submitted a memorandum to the
Attempts to secure the return of funds for "K" continued over the next three years, and included efforts in 1892 by the
Design
As the RMA began work on another proposal for "K" in early 1894,
Hollmann drew up a list of requirements for "K" in November, including fully enclosed and armored
After failing to secure budgetary approval for the new ships from the Reichstag in 1892, 1893, and 1894, the Reichstag finally authorized construction of three ships for the 1895–1896 budget year. The RMA's proposal was chosen and three 6,000-ton cruisers were begun in 1895. Two more vessels were authorized for 1896–1897.[6]
Compared to Kaiserin Augusta, Victoria Louise had a
General characteristics
The first three ships of the Victoria Louise class—Victoria Louise, Hertha, and Freya—were 109.10 meters (357 ft 11 in)
The ships' hulls were constructed with longitudinal and transverse steel frames; a single layer of wood planks were used for the hull. A layer of
The ships' standard crew was 31 officers and 446 enlisted men, with an additional 9 officers and 41 enlisted while serving as a second command flagship. After their reconstruction into training ships, the crew was substantially enlarged to incorporate the trainees, with 26 officers and 658 sailors, 75 of whom were naval cadets and 300 others were cabin boys. The ships carried a number of smaller boats, including three picket boats, one launch, one pinnace, two cutters, two yawls, and three dinghies. After their modernization, the boats were significantly revised; the number of picket boats was reduced to one, a barge and a launch were added, the dinghies were removed, and five more cutters were added.[10]
The ships were good sea boats; they had an easy motion and were dry as a result of their high
Machinery
The propulsion system of all five ships consisted of three vertical 4-cylinder
The ships' engines were rated at 10,000
Armament and armor
The ships' primary armament consisted of two 21 cm SK L/40 C/97 built-up guns in single gun turrets, one forward and one aft. The turrets were C/97 type mounts, which were hydraulically operated and hand-loaded. The turrets had a range of elevation from -5 to 30 degrees, and at maximum elevation, they had a range of 16,300 m (53,500 ft). Muzzle velocity was 780 m/s (2,600 ft/s). The guns were supplied with 58 rounds of ammunition each; these were 238 kg (525 lb) shells.[9][12]
Eight
For defense against
The ships were also equipped with three 45 cm (18 in)
In 1916, all of the ships of the class were disarmed, with the exception of Freya, which was re-equipped with a single 15 cm gun, four 10.5 cm SK L/45 guns, and fourteen 8.8 cm guns of both the L/30 and L/35 versions, for use as a gunnery training ship.[9]
Armor protection for the ships was composed of
Construction
Ship | Builder[11] | Laid down[11] | Launched[11] | Commissioned[11] |
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Victoria Louise | AG Weser, Bremen | 1895 | 29 March 1897 | 20 February 1899 |
Hertha | Stettin
|
1895 | 14 April 1897 | 23 July 1898 |
Freya | Danzig
|
1895 | 27 April 1897 | 20 October 1898 |
Vineta | Kaiserliche Werft, Danzig | 1896 | 9 December 1897 | 13 September 1899 |
Hansa | AG Vulcan, Stettin | 1896 | 12 March 1898 | 20 April 1899 |
Service history
Victoria Louise
Victoria Louise served with the fleet for the first seven years of her career.[10] During this time, she represented Germany during the funeral of Queen Victoria in 1901.[17] In 1906, she was modernized and after 1908, used as a training ship for naval cadets.[11] In 1909, she visited the United States,[18] and at the outbreak of World War I, was mobilized into V Scouting Group.[19] She was attacked unsuccessfully by the British submarine HMS E1 in October 1914,[20] and at the end of the year she was withdrawn from service. She was used as a minelayer and barracks ship based in Danzig for the rest of the war. Victoria Louise was sold in 1919 and converted into a freighter the following year, though she served in this capacity until 1923, when she was broken up for scrap.[10]
Hertha
Hertha served abroad in the
Freya
Freya served in the German fleet for the initial years of her career, unlike her sister ships, all of which served abroad on foreign stations. As a result, she led a fairly uneventful career in the fleet. After a modernization in 1905–1907, Freya was used as a
Vineta
Vineta served abroad in the American Station for the first several years of her career.
Hansa
Hansa served abroad in the East Asia Squadron for the first six years of her career. Along with Hertha, she contributed a landing party to the force that captured the Taku Forts during the Boxer Uprising.[22] In August 1904, she participated in the internment of the Russian battleship Tsesarevich after the Battle of the Yellow Sea during the Russo-Japanese War.[26] After returning to Germany in 1906, she was modernized and used as a training ship in 1909, following the completion of the refit. At the outbreak of World War I, Hansa was mobilized into V Scouting Group, but served in front-line duty only briefly. She was used as a barracks ship after 1915, and ultimately sold for scrapping in 1920.[11]
Notes
- ^ Nottelmann 2023a, pp. 120, 129, 135, 145–146.
- ^ Nottelmann 2023a, pp. 146–147.
- ^ Nottelmann 2023b, pp. 184–186.
- ^ Nottelmann 2023b, pp. 186–188.
- ^ Nottelmann 2023b, pp. 190–191.
- ^ Dodson, p. 44.
- ^ Dodson, pp. 44–45.
- ^ a b Lyon, p. 254.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Gröner, p. 47.
- ^ a b c d e f Gröner, p. 48.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gröner, pp. 47–48.
- ^ Friedman, pp. 141–142.
- ^ a b Campbell & Sieche, p. 140.
- ^ Friedman, p. 143.
- ^ Friedman, p. 146.
- ^ Friedman, p. 336.
- ^ Levine & Panetta, p. 51.
- ^ Campbell & Sieche, p. 142.
- ^ Compton-Hall, pp. 137–138.
- ^ a b Perry, p. 29.
- ^ Hadley & Sarty, p. 49.
- ^ Mitchell, p. 86.
- ^ Willmott, p. 181.
- ^ "Togo Bound for the South?" (PDF). New York Times. 14 August 1904. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
References
- Campbell, N. J. M. & Sieche, Erwin (1986). "Germany". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 134–189. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
- Compton-Hall, Richard (2004). Submarines at War 1914–1918. Penzance: Periscope Publishing. ISBN 978-1-904381-21-1.
- ISBN 978-1-84832-229-5.
- Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations; An Illustrated Directory. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
- ISBN 978-0-87021-790-6.
- Hadley, Michael L. & Sarty, Roger Flynn (1991). Tin-pots and Pirate Ships: Canadian Naval Forces and German Sea Raiders, 1880–1918. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 0773507787.
- Herwig, Holger (1980). "Luxury" Fleet: The Imperial German Navy 1888–1918. Amherst: Humanity Books. ISBN 978-1-57392-286-9.
- Levine, Edward F. & Panetta, Roger (2009). Hudson–Fulton Celebration Of 1909. Charleston: Arcadia Pub. ISBN 978-0-7385-6281-0.
- Lyon, Hugh (1979). "Germany". In Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger; Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-133-5.
- Mitchell, Nancy (1999). The Danger of Dreams: German and American Imperialism in Latin America. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0807847755.
- "Naval Notes". R.U.S.I. Journal. XLV. London: Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies: 190–207. 1901.
- "Naval Notes". R.U.S.I. Journal. XLIV (268). London: Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies: 684–699. 1900. .
- Nottelmann, Dirk (2023). Wright, Christopher C. (ed.). "From "Wooden Walls" to "New-Testament Ships": The Development of the German Armored Cruiser 1854–1918, Part III: "Armor—Light Version"". Warship International. LX (2): 118–156. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Nottelmann, Dirk (2023). Wright, Christopher C. (ed.). "From "Wooden Walls" to "New-Testament Ships": The Development of the German Armored Cruiser 1854–1918, Part IIIb: "Armor—Light Version"". Warship International. LX (3): 184–228. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Perry, Michael (2001). Peking 1900: the Boxer Rebellion. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-181-7.
- Willmott, H. P. (2009). The Last Century of Sea Power (Volume 1, From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894–1922). Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-35214-9.