SMS Oldenburg (1910)

SMS "Oldenburg" was a "Helgoland" class Dreadnought battleship of the Kaiserliche Marine. Her keel was laid down on 1 March 1909 at the Schichau-Werft shipyards in Danzig. "Oldenburg" launched on 30 June 1910 and was commissioned on 1 May 1912.

Design

Dimensions and machinery

"Oldenburg" was convert|167.2|m|ft|abbr=on long, had a beam of convert|28.5|m|ft|abbr=on, and a draught of convert|8.94|m|ft|abbr=on. The ship displaced 22,808 tonnes with a normal load, and 24,700 tonnes fully laden. The ship was propelled by 3 shaft, 3 cylinder vertical triple-expansion steam engines, which produced 22,000 shp and a top speed of 20.8 knots. "Oldenburg" had a range of 5,500 nautical miles at 10 knots. "Oldenburg" and her sisters were distinguished from the preceding "Nassau" class battleships by having three funnels, compared to two on the earlier ships, and the lack of the large crane amidships.

Armament

"Oldenburg" was armed with twelve convert|12|in|cm|abbr=on guns, mounted in double turrets in the same hexagonal configuration as the preceding "Nassau" class, with one turret fore, one aft, and four amidships, two on either side of the ship. The secondary battery comprised fourteen convert|5.9|in|cm|abbr=on guns and fourteen convert|3.4|in|cm|abbr=on guns singly mounted along the length of the ship. "Helgoland" was also armed with six convert|19.7|in|cm|abbr=on torpedo tubes.

Armor

"Oldenburg" had an armored belt that was convert|12|in|cm|abbr=on thick in the strongest area, and tapered to convert|3|in|cm|abbr=on inches in less critical areas such as the bow and stern. The barbettes were protected by armor that was 12 inches thick at the strongest point, and only two inches in less exposed areas. The turrets themselves were also protected by 12 inches of armor plating. This was an improvement in protection compared to the previous "Nassau" class battleships, which had convert|11|in|cm|abbr=on of armor on both the barbettes and turrets. The deck was covered by armor convert|2.5|in|cm|abbr=on thick.

ervice history

During World War I, "Oldenburg" took part in various fleet actions in both the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, as part of the I Battle Squadron. "Oldenburg", along with the other three ships of her class, participated in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. During the battle, "Oldenburg" fired fifty-three 12 inch shells, and received one hit from a secondary battle. The ship's crew suffered 22 casualties during the battle, with 8 killed and 14 wounded.

After the end of World War I, all four "Helgoland" class battleships were surrendered as prizes of war to the Allies, with "Oldenburg" going to the Empire of Japan. She was scrapped at Dordrecht in 1921.

External links

* [http://german-navy.tripod.com/sms_bb_helgoland-old-photos.htm SMS Oldenburg]
* [http://www.german-navy.de/hochseeflotte/ships/battleships/oldenburg/index.html Oldenburg]