SMS Helgoland

SMS "Helgoland", the lead ship of her class, was a dreadnought battleship of the Kaiserliche Marine. Her keel was laid down on 11 November 1908 at the Howaldtswerke shipyards in Kiel. "Helgoland" was launched on 25 September 1909 and was commissioned on 23 August 1911.

Design

Dimensions and machinery

"Helgoland" 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. "Helgoland" had a range of 5,500 nautical miles at 10 knots. "Helgoland" and her sisters were distinguished from the preceding "Nassau" class battleships by having three funnels, compared to one on the earlier ships, and the lack of the large crane amidships.

Armament

"Helgoland" 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

"Helgoland" 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

At the start of World War I, "Helgoland" was assigned to the I Battle Squadron. Under the command of Captain von Kameke, "Helgoland" fought at the Battle of Jutland, alongside her sisterships. During the battle, "Helgoland" fired 63 twelve inch rounds, while sustaining only one 15 inch hit.

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

External links

* [http://german-navy.tripod.com/sms_bb_helgoland-helg-photos.htm SMS Helgoland]
* [http://www.german-navy.de/hochseeflotte/ships/battleships/helgoland/index.html Helgoland]
* [http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/battleship/sms-helgoland.html Class information]