The
Wittelsbach class battleships' were a class of
pre-World War I, pre-dreadnought battleships of the German
Kaiserliche Marine.
They were the first battleships produced under the
Navy Law of 1898, with the patronage of
Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz.
There were five ships of the
Wittelsbach class; the
lead ship,
Wettin,
Zähringen,
Schwaben, and
Mecklenburg. The class was laid
down between 1899 and 1900, and finished by 1904.
The ships of the
Wittelsbach class were similar in
appearance to their predecessors of the
Kaiser Friedrich
III class, however, they had a flush main deck, as opposed
to the lower quarter deck of the
Kaiser Friedrich class,
and had a more extensive armor belt.
Design
Dimensions and machinery
The ships of the
Wittlesbach class were 410 ft 9
in (125 m) at the waterline and 416 ft (127 m) overall.
The ships had a beam of 74 ft 9 in (22.8 m) and a draught of 26 ft
(8 m), and displaced 12,798 tons fully loaded. The ships were
powered by 3 shaft triple expansion engines that produced 15,000
ihp and a top
speed of .
Armament
The ships' armament differed slightly from the preceding
Kaiser Friedrich
III class, in the elimination of the twelve 1 pounder guns
in favor of three more 5.9 inch (150mm) guns, as well as the
removal of one torpedo tube.
The main battery consisted of four guns in twin turrets, one fore
and one aft of the superstructure. The secondary battery consisted
of 18 5.9 inch (150mm) guns and 12 3.4 inch (88mm) guns, all singly
mounted in turrets or casemates along the length of the ship. The
ships also carried five 17.7 inch (450mm) torpedo tubes.
Service history
Cross section of a
Wittelsbach class battleship, circa 1914.
An unidentified member of the
Wittlesbach class, taken prior to World War I.
During
World War I, the ships served in the IV
Battle Squadron, assigned to the Baltic Sea
. By 1917, all of the ships were relegated to
auxiliary duties. The
Wittelsbach was decommissioned after
having run aground in 1915,
Wettin became a barracks ship
in Kiel,
Zahringen was used for torpedo training,
Schwaben became a depot ship for minesweepers, and
Mecklenburg became a prison ship.
Wittelsbach became lead ship of the German mine sweeping groups
after the armistice of 1918.
All ships of the
Wittelsbach class, with the exception of
Zahringen, were sold for scrap between 1920 and 1921.
Zahringen continued in German Navy
service as a target ship until 1944, when she was sunk in Gotenhafen
by an air raid. She was refloated and
scuttled in the harbor entrance as a block ship, ultimately being
raised and scrapped in 1950.
See also
External links
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