SMS Preußen (1903)

SMS "Preußen" (Preussen: German for "Prussia") was the fourth of five pre-dreadnought battleships of the "Braunschweig" class in the "Kaiserliche Marine" (the German Imperial Navy) laid down in 1903 and commissioned 1904. Her sister ships were "Braunschweig", "Elsaß", "Hessen", and "Lothringen".

Design

Dimensions and machinery

The "Braunschweig" class ships were 413ft 3in at the waterline, and convert|419|ft|m|abbr=on overall. The ships had a beam of convert|73|ft|m|abbr=on, and a draft of convert|26|ft|7|in|m|abbr=on The ships displaced 14,167 tons.

The ships of the "Braunschweig" class were propelled by three shaft triple expansion engines that were rate at convert|17000|ihp|abbr=on. The ships' top speed was rated at convert|18|kn|km/h. During trials, however, the engines produced between convert|16400|ihp|abbr=on and convert|16800|ihp|abbr=on, and a top speed between 18.2 and convert|18.7|kn|km/h.

Armor

The ships had an armored belt that was nine inches (229 mm) thick at its strongest point, and tapered to convert|4|in|mm at the thinnest. The turrets had ten inches (254 mm) of armor plate. The decks were covered with three inches (76 mm) of armor.

Armament

The ships' main armament was increased from previous designs, but still weaker than contemporary foreign battleships. The main armament comprised four convert|28|cm|in|abbr=on guns, increased from four convert|24|cm|in|abbr=on guns from previous designs, compared with the convert|12|in|cm|abbr=on guns used on many foreign ships. The secondary battery consisted of fourteen convert|17|cm|in|abbr=on guns, four of which were mounted in single turrets amidships, with the remaining ten in casemates around the superstructure. The ships also had fourteen convert|8.8|cm|in|abbr=on guns in casemates along the length of the ship. They were also armed with six convert|45|cm|in|abbr=on torpedo tubes.

ervice history

"Preußen" was launched on 30 October 1903 and commissioned into the German Navy on 12 July 1905. She served with the fleet until 1915 when she was used for coastal defence. In 1917, she was used as a tender at Wilhelmshaven. In 1919 "Preußen" and "Lothringen" were converted to depot ships for minesweeper motor boats.

"Preußen" was stricken on the 5 April 1929 and finally sold on 25 February 1931 for 216,800 marks and scrapped at Wilhelmshaven. A small part of "Preußen" was kept; a 63 meter section of the midship was used for explosive trials target for torpedoes and nicknamed "SMS "Vierkant" (even keel or rectangle). It was bombed and sunk on April 1945, and raised in 1954 and scrapped

References

* [http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/gallery/SMS_Preussen (2004). "A photo album of Preußen's service in WW-I."]