sms sms class pre dreadnought battleships built kaiserliche_marine named prussian province built vulcan yard stettin laid march launched december commissioned navy august ships class outdated time entered service inferior size armor firepower speed revolutionary new battleship commissioning assigned high_seas_fleet served peacetime career years world war period participated fruitless sorties north_sea attempts lure destroy portion ship present battle jutland june sisters briefly engaged british battlecruisers commanded hit shell battlecruiser confused night actions early hours june hit possibly torpedoes british destroyer detonated centimeter gun magazines resulting explosion broke ship half killed entire crew battleship sunk battle construction ordered contract laid march vulcan dockyard stettin originally scheduled launched november water level harbor low result ship launched december gave launching speech july transferred kiel main battery guns installed commissioned trials august speed run knots mph fastest pre dreadnought battleship world ship long beam draft load displacement metric tons long tons equipped triple expansion engines rated indicated horsepower speed knots mph steam provided boilers addition fastest ship class fuel efficient cruising speed knots mph steam nautical miles ship peacetime crew officers enlisted men military operations size crew expanded primary armament consisted guns twin turrets equipped fourteen guns mounted casemates guns pivot mounts ship armed torpedo tubes submerged hull bow stern broadside armored belt thick amidships thick armored deck main battery turrets thick sides service history assigned high_seas_fleet alongside sisters took annual training cruises maneuvers rest high_seas_fleet included fleet training baltic cruise atlantic following year took fleet training denmark norway followed cruise norway summer end fleet conducted cruise baltic years followed similar pattern summer cruise interrupted crisis result cruise baltic later year took maneuvers island north_sea july weeks assassination high_seas_fleet annual summer cruise norway result rising international tensions cruise cut short german fleet wilhelmshaven july midnight august united_kingdom declared war germany remained high_seas_fleet years naval war outbreak war ship sisters battle squadron deployed mouth guard area possible british incursions rest battle squadron rejoined high_seas_fleet battleship support battlecruisers bombarded december operation german battle fleet dreadnoughts pre dreadnoughts came nmi isolated squadron british battleships skirmishes rival destroyer screens convinced admiral confronted entire grand fleet broke engagement turned home fruitless fleet advances followed april took place fourth occurred october april sisters joined dreadnoughts high_seas_fleet support battlecruisers tasked conducting raid english coast route target battlecruiser damaged detached return home rest ships continued mission poor visibility battlecruisers conducted brief bombardment ports operation quickly called prevented british fleet able intervene battle jutland vice admiral new commander high_seas_fleet immediately planned foray north_sea damage delayed operation end remained assigned command rear admiral squadron positioned rear german line run north ordered fleet pursue british battle squadron speed slower class ships faster dreadnoughts quickly fell later evening day battle hard pressed battlecruisers pursued british opponents called minute ships came aid steaming opposing battlecruiser squadrons target darkness sisters despite shooting ineffective british battlecruisers scored hits german ships including shell fired forcing haul line admiral ordered point turn south british follow morning june torpedoed british destroyer onslaught torpedo possibly second struck ship ammunition magazines tremendous explosion broke ship half stern capsized remained afloat minutes propellers air ship directly astern forced haul line avoid wreck entire crew officers enlisted men killed ship sank battleship pre dreadnought dreadnought fleet sunk jutland loss coupled surviving pre dreadnoughts prompted leave sortie august
SMS Pommern