List of German Imperial Navy ships

The list of German Imperial Navy ships includes all ships commissioned into service with the Imperial Navy ("Kaiserliche Marine") of Germany, covering the period from 1871, the creation of the German Empire, through the end of World War I (1919).

See also:

* List of naval ships of Germany for naval ships throughout Germany's history.

Armored frigates

"Panzerfregatten"; later reclassified as "Armored Ships" "Panzerschiffe"
**"Arminius" Class
***SMS "Arminius", 1864
**"Prinz Adalbert" Class (1560 tons, 5 x 36pdr guns)
***SMS "Prinz Adalbert", 1865
**"Kronprinz"
***SMS "Kronprinz", 1867
**"Friedrich Carl" Class
***SMS "Friedrich Carl", 1867
**"König Wilhelm" Class, (9750 tons, 33 x 72pdr guns)
***SMS "König Wilhelm", 1868
***SMS "Hansa", 1872
** "Preußen" Class (6,800 tons)
*** SMS "Preußen", 1873
*** SMS "Friedrich der Große", 1874
*** SMS "Großer Kurfürst", 1875
**"Kaiser" Class (7319 tons, 8 x 26cm guns)
*** SMS "Kaiser", 1875
*** SMS "Deutschland", 1875

Armored ships

*"Panzerschiffe"
** "Sachsen" Class (7,800 tons, 6 x 26 cm guns)
*** SMS "Sachsen", 1877
*** SMS "Bayern", 1878
*** SMS "Württemberg, 1878
*** SMS "Baden", 1880

* Armored Coastal Protection Ships / "Küstenpanzerschiffe"
** "Oldenburg" Class (5,250 tons, 8 x 24 cm guns)
*** SMS "Oldenburg", 1884
** "Siegfried" Class (3,700 tons, 3 x 24 cm guns)
*** SMS "Siegfried", 1889
*** SMS "Beowulf", 1890
*** SMS "Frithjof", 1892
*** SMS "Heimdall", 1892
*** SMS "Hildebrand", 1892
*** SMS "Hagen", 1893
** "Odin" Class (4,250 tons, 3 x 24 cm guns)
*** SMS "Odin", 1894
*** SMS "Ägir", 1895

Battleships

Battleships
*Pre-Dreadnoughts (in German "Linienschiffe" "Ships of the Line")
**"Brandenburg" class (10,500 tons, 6 x 28 cm guns)
***SMS "Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm", 1891
***SMS "Brandenburg", 1891
***SMS "Weißenburg", 1891
***SMS "Wörth", 1892
**"Kaiser Friedrich III" class (11,600 tons, 4 x 24 cm guns)
***SMS "Kaiser Friedrich III.", 1896
***SMS "Kaiser Wilhelm II.", 1897
***SMS "Kaiser Wilhelm der Große", 1899
***SMS "Kaiser Karl der Große", 1899
***SMS "Kaiser Barbarossa", 1900
**"Wittelsbach" class (12,000 tons, 4 x 24 cm guns)
*** SMS "Wittelsbach", 1900
*** SMS "Wettin", 1900
*** SMS "Zähringen", 1901
*** SMS "Schwaben", 1901
*** SMS "Mecklenburg", 1901
** "Braunschweig" class (13,000 tons, 4 x 28 cm guns)
*** SMS "Braunschweig", 1901
*** SMS "Elsaß", 1903
*** SMS "Hessen", 1903
*** SMS "Preußen", 1903
*** SMS "Lothringen", 1904
** "Deutschland" class (13,000 tons, 4 x 28 cm guns)
*** SMS "Deutschland", 1904
*** SMS "Hannover", 1905
*** SMS "Pommern", 1905
*** SMS "Schlesien", 1906
*** SMS "Schleswig-Holstein", 1906

*Dreadnoughts (in German "Schlachtschiffe" "battleship")
** "Nassau" class (19,000 tons, 12 x 28 cm guns)
*** SMS "Nassau", 1908
*** SMS "Posen", 1908
*** SMS "Rheinland", 1908
*** SMS "Westfalen", 1908
** "Helgoland" class (23,000 tons, 12 x 30.5 cm guns)
*** SMS "Helgoland", 1909
*** SMS "Ostfriesland", 1909
*** SMS "Thüringen", 1909
*** SMS "Oldenburg", 1910
** "Kaiser" class battleship (25,000 tons, 10 x 30.5 cm guns)
*** SMS "Kaiser", 1911
*** SMS "Kaiserin", 1911
*** SMS "Prinzregent Luitpold", 1911
*** SMS "Friedrich der Große", 1911
*** SMS "König Albert", 1912
** "König" class battleship (26,000 tons, 10 x 30.5 cm guns)
*** SMS "König", 1913
*** SMS "Großer Kurfürst", 1913
*** SMS "Markgraf", 1913
*** SMS "Kronprinz"/SMS "Kronprinz Wilhelm", 1914
** "Bayern" class battleship (29,000-32,000 tons, 8 x 38 cm guns)
*** SMS "Bayern", 1915
*** SMS "Baden", 1915
*** SMS "Württemberg", not completed
*** SMS "Sachsen", not completed

Battlecruisers

German "Große Kreuzer" "Large cruiser" ("Schlachtkreuzer" "Battlecruiser" didn't come into use until later)
* "von der Tann" Class (19,400 tons, 8 x 28 cm guns)
** SMS "von der Tann", 1909
* "Moltke" Class (23,000 tons, 10 x 28 cm guns)
** SMS "Moltke", 1910
** SMS "Goeben", 1911
* "Seydlitz" Class (25,000 tons, 10 x 28 cm guns)
** SMS "Seydlitz", 1912
* "Derfflinger" Class (27,000 tons, 8 x 30.5 cm guns)
** SMS "Derfflinger", 1913
** SMS "Lützow", 1913
** SMS "Hindenburg", 1915
* "Mackensen" Class (35,000 tons, 8 x 35 cm guns)
**SMS "Mackensen" not completed
**SMS "Graf Spee" not completed
**SMS "Prinz Eitel Friedrich" not completed
**SMS "Fürst Bismarck", not completed
*"Ersatz Yorck" Class (38,000 tons 8 x 38 cm guns)
**SMS "Ersatz Yorck" not completed
**SMS "Ersatz Gneisenau" ordered but construction not started
**SMS "Ersatz Scharnhorst" ordered but construction not started

Protected cruisers

* "Kaiserin Augusta" Class (6,000 tons, 4 x 15 cm guns)
** SMS "Kaiserin Augusta", 1892
* "Victoria Louise" Class (5,700 tons, 2 x 21 cm guns, 8 x 15 cm guns)
** SMS "Victoria Louise", 1897
** SMS "Hertha", 1897
** SMS "Freya", 1897
** SMS "Vineta", 1897
** SMS "Hansa", 1898

Armoured cruisers

German "Grosse Kreuzer"
* "Fürst Bismarck" Class (10,700 tons, 4 x 24 cm guns, 12 x 15 cm guns)
** SMS "Fürst Bismarck", 1897
* "Prinz Heinrich" Class (9,000 tons, 2 x 24 cm guns)
** SMS "Prinz Heinrich", 1900
* "Prinz Adalbert" Class (9,000 tons, 4 x 21 cm guns)
** SMS "Prinz Adalbert", 1901
** SMS "Friedrich Carl", 1901
* "Roon" Class (10,000 tons, 4 x 21 cm guns)
** SMS "Roon", 1903
** SMS "Yorck", 1904
* "Scharnhorst" Class (11,600 tons, 8 x 21 cm guns)
** SMS "Scharnhorst", 1906
** SMS "Gneisenau", 1906
* "Blücher" Class (15,800 tons, 12 x 21 cm guns)
** SMS "Blücher", 1908

Light Cruisers

"Kleine Kreuzer"
***"SMS Cormoran
** "Bussard" Class (1,650 tons, 10 x 10.5 cm guns)
*** SMS "Bussard", 1890
*** SMS "Seeadler", 1892
** "Gefion" Class (3.700 tons, 10 x 10.5 cm guns)
*** SMS "Gefion", 1893
** "Hela" Class (2,000 tons, 4 x 8.8 cm guns)
*** SMS "Hela", 1895
** "Gazelle" Class (2,700 tons, 10 x 10.5 cm guns)
*** SMS "Gazelle", 1898
*** SMS "Niobe"
*** SMS "Nymphe"
*** SMS "Thetis"
*** SMS "Ariadne"
*** SMS "Amazone"
*** SMS "Medusa"
*** SMS "Frauenlob"
*** SMS "Arcona"
*** SMS "Undine", 1902
** "Bremen" Class (3,300 tons 10 x 10.5 cm guns)
*** SMS "Bremen", 1903
*** SMS "Hamburg", 1903
*** SMS "Lübeck", 1904
*** SMS "München", 1904
*** SMS "Leipzig", 1905
*** SMS "Danzig", 1906
*** SMS "Berlin"
** "Königsberg" Class (1905)
*** SMS "Königsberg", 1905
*** SMS "Stettin", 1907
*** SMS "Stuttgart", 1906
*** SMS "Nürnberg", 1906
** "Dresden" Class (3,700 tons)
*** SMS "Dresden", 1907
*** SMS "Emden", 1908
** "Kolberg" Class (4,400 tons)
*** SMS "Kolberg", 1908
*** SMS "Mainz", 1909
*** SMS "Köln", 1909
*** SMS "Augsburg", 1909
** "Magdeburg" Class
*** SMS "Magdeburg", 1911
*** SMS "Breslau", 1911
*** SMS "Straßburg", 1911
*** SMS "Stralsund", 1911
** "Karlsruhe" Class
*** SMS "Karlsruhe", 1912
*** SMS "Rostock", 1912
** "Graudenz" Class
*** SMS "Graudenz", 1913
*** SMS "Regensburg", 1914
** "Pillau" Class
*** SMS "Pillau", 1914
*** SMS "Elbing", 1914
** "Wiesbaden" Class
*** SMS "Wiesbaden", 1915
*** SMS "Frankfurt", 1915
** "Königsberg" Class (1915)
*** SMS "Königsberg", 1915
*** SMS "Karlsruhe", 1915
*** SMS "Emden", 1915
*** SMS "Nürnberg", 1916
** "Köln" Class (5,600 tons)
*** SMS "Köln", 1916
*** SMS "Dresden", 1917

Minelaying Cruisers

"Minenlegekreuzer"
** "Nautilus" Class (2,000 tons, 8 x 8.8 cm guns)
*** SMS "Nautilus", 1907
*** SMS "Albatross", 1907
** "Brummer" Class (4,400 tons) )
*** SMS "Brummer", 1915
*** SMS "Bremse", 1915

Cruiser Frigates

"Kreuzerfregatte"
**"Bismarck" Class (3,386 tonnes, 16 x 15 cm L/22 guns)
***SMS "Bismarck"
***SMS "Blücher"
***SMS "Stosch"
***SMS "Moltke"
***SMS "Gneisenau"
***SMS "Stein"

Torpedo-boats

"Torpedoboot"
** "Großes Torpedoboot 1913" Class
*** SMS G38
*** SMS G39
*** SMS G40
*** SMS G41
*** SMS G42
*** SMS V45
*** SMS V48

** "Großes Torpedoboot 1914" Class
*** SMS V105
*** SMS V106
*** SMS V107
*** SMS V108

** "Großes Torpedoboot 1916" Class
*** SMS S113
*** SMS V116

References