SMS Westfalen

SMS "Westfalen", a "Nassau"-class battleship, was one of the first dreadnoughts built for the Imperial German Navy. "Westfalen" was laid down at AG Weser in Bremen, on 12 August 1907, launched nearly a year later on 1 July 1908, and commissioned into the High Seas Fleet on 16 November 1909.

Design

Dimensions and machinery

"Posen" was convert|146.1|m|ft|abbr=on long, convert|26.9|m|ft|abbr=on wide, and had a draught of convert|8.9|m|ft|abbr=on. She displaced 18,570 tons with a standard load, and 21,000 tons fully laden. The ship was powered by a 3 shaft triple expansion engine, which was rated at 22,000 ihp, and delivered a top speed of 19 knots.

As designed, "Posen" and her sisterships were not particularly good sea-boats. Bilge keels were later added, which helped to improve the problem.

Armament

"Posen" carried twelve convert|28|cm|in|abbr=on guns in an unusual 'hexagonal' configuration - with one turret fore and aft, and two on each flank of the ship. Seconday armament consisted of twelve convert|15|cm|in|abbr=on guns, along with sixteen convert|8.8|cm|in|abbr=on guns for close defence and six convert|45|cm|in|abbr=on torpedo tubes.

Armor

"Posen" had an armored belt that was convert|30.48|cm|in|abbr=on thick at its strongest, where it protected the ship's vitals, and as thin as convert|7.62|cm|in|abbr=on in less critical areas, such as the bow and stern. The barbettes for the main battery had convert|28|cm|in|abbr=on of armor protection on the exposed portions, and as little as convert|5|cm|in|abbr=on in less exposed areas. The turrets themselves had armor convert|28|cm|in|abbr=on thick on their faces. The deck was covered by armor plating convert|6.35|cm|in|abbr=on thick.

ervice history

As a member of the I Battle Squadron, "Westfalen", along with her sisterships, took part in the Battle of Jutland on 31 May–1 June 1916. During the battle, "Westfalen" fired 51 11 inch shells and was hit by two 4 inch shells, which killed 2 and wounded 8.

"Westfalen" played a crucial role in the Battle of Jutland when she led the High Seas Fleet though the British light forces during the confused night action at the close of the battle. Admiral Jellicoe had disposed his lighter vessels at the rear of his line of battle overnight, and the "Westfalen" and SMS "Thüringen" punched though this force of destroyers and light cruisers, inflicting grievous damage on many British ships and clearing the way for the rest of the fleet to escape home to German waters.

"Westfalen" was in for repairs in July after the battle of Jutland. On 19 August, she was torpedoed by the British submarine "E23" off the island of Terschelling. "Westfalen" was again in for repairs until October 1916. From February 1918 onwards, "Westfalen" operated in the Baltic sea, assisting the Finnish independence movement. In September 1918, she was transferred to an auxiliary role as a gunnery training ship.

Following the end of World War I, the ships were surrendered to the victorious powers as war booty. "Westfalen" was surrendered in 1920 to Great Britain and scrapped in 1924. The other three ships were surrendered to Japan, which sold them to a British wrecking firm which then scrapped them in Dordrecht, (Netherlands).

External links

[http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/battleship/sms-nassau.html World War 1 Naval Combat]