class class pair built imperial_german_navy class comprised ships laid completed respectively ships based previous sms proved unsuccessful design lack torpedo armament result class ships equipped torpedo tubes improve combat power german carry armor protection ships served main german fleet entirety active duty careers primarily employed peacetime routine unit fleet training maneuvers september accidentally rammed ironclad sms annual fleet maneuvers collision caused damage quickly sank continued service years withdrawn service roles following sixteen years sold scrapping design began building small 1880s serve main fleet german waters vessels intended support battle line unlike contemporary german unprotected cruisers designs emphasized offensive capability high speed long cruising radius class followed previous sms ship proved disappointment service carried torpedo armament result design returned torpedo primary armament like earlier vessels blitz class general characteristics class ships meters long waterline long overall beam maximum draft forward aft displaced metric tons long tons short tons designed long tons short tons combat load hulls constructed transverse steel frames crew officers enlisted men ships carried smaller boats including picket boat cutter poor sea boats rolled pitched badly wet particularly vessels machinery propulsion system consisted angled cylinder triple expansion engines drove wide bladed screw steam engines provided coal fired locomotive boilers single funnel amidships new boilers manufactured imperial shipyard wilhelmshaven installed ships equipped pair electric generators combined output kilowatts volts ships propulsion system provided speed knots mph rated indicated horsepower ship reached horsepower service carried long tons short tons coal enabled steam approximately nautical miles knots mph steering controlled single rudder armament armor built ships armed guns placed single pivot mounts guns supplied total rounds ammunition range carried torpedo tubes mounted submerged bow deck mounted launchers broadside quick firing guns single mounts replaced guns ships german carry armor thick deck thick sloped sides protected magazines engine rooms conning tower protected armor plating sides roof funnel thick armor consisted compound wrought iron protection underwater attack hull divided watertight compartments armored deck compartments service history built shipyard bremen laid followed launched august commissioned german fleet august fitting work completed launched july completed june commissioned fleet served german fleet home waters training squadron rest went major cruise mediterranean_sea joined ships served alternating divisions rest decade activities consisted periodic divisional squadron training maneuvers culminated annual autumn fleet maneuvers late august early september september accidentally collided ironclad training exercises equipped ram bow tore hole hull waterline battleship attempted tow shallow water grounded flooding proved impossible control quickly sank remained service withdrawn harbor ship stricken subsequently later moved outside kiel firing platform torpedo training world war sold scrap
Wacht-class aviso