sms der sms der majesty ship charles great german pre dreadnought battleship class built turn 20th century marine der built hamburg shipyard laid september launched october shipyard strike accidental grounding delayed completion february member class enter service ship armed centimeter guns twin gun turrets speed knots mph der served active fleet time participated normal peacetime routine training cruises fleet maneuvers new big gun dreadnought battleships entering service ship completely obsolete withdrawn active service placed outbreak world war august ship placed active duty coastal defense ship february placed reserve der briefly training ship ended career prison ship prisoners war wilhelmshaven following german defeat november ship sold ship breakers scrapped design der long overall beam draft forward aft displaced long tons load ship powered cylinder vertical triple expansion steam engines driving screw propeller steam provided marine type cylindrical boilers burned coal der powerplant rated metric horsepower ihp generated speed knots mph normal crew officers enlisted men ship armament consisted main battery guns twin gun turrets fore aft central superstructure secondary armament consisted eighteen inch guns quick firing guns mounted casemates armament suite rounded torpedo tubes water swivel mounts ship belt armor thick deck thick conning tower main battery turrets protected armor plating secondary casemates received armor protection service history construction kaiser emperor germany believed strong navy necessary country expand influence outside continental europe result initiated program naval expansion late 1880s battleships built program class ships immediately followed kaiser friedrich iii class battleships der member ordered contract new ship fleet ship keel laid september hamburg yard number capital ship built yard second warship type new battleship launched october named der german gave launching speech mayor hamburg christened ship major strike shipyard workers late significantly delayed completion ship october shipyard crew took ship naval base wilhelmshaven route ran aground lower hull damaged incident necessary repairs delayed entry service commissioned february der assigned february member class enter active service assignment der squadron fully composed modern battleships squadron went training cruise britain april followed tour kiel week sailing late june ships took training cruise norway july autumn maneuvers began baltic august exercises der assigned hostile force sister ships hostile force tasked preventing german squadron passing great belt baltic der battleships tasked forcing entry mouth hamburg seized hostile flotilla accomplished tasks days maneuvers concluded north_sea fleet review jade december squadron went normal winter cruise norway fleet composed squadron battleships reorganized active battle fleet der remained squadron sister ships newest class battleships older class ships placed reserve order rebuilt quarter followed usual pattern training exercises squadron went training cruise baltic followed voyage spain lasted june july joined squadron annual cruise norway autumn maneuvers consisted blockade exercise north_sea cruise entire fleet norwegian waters kiel early september finally mock attack kiel exercises concluded september winter training cruise began november eastern baltic continued early december der participated exercise january squadron exercises followed march major fleet exercise took place north_sea july squadron visited britain including stop plymouth july german fleet departed july bound netherlands squadron anchored following day ships visited squadron remained july departed cruise northern north_sea rest fleet squadron stopped norway july units went ports fleet august steamed kiel conducted mock attack harbor august immediately returning kiel fleet began preparations autumn maneuvers began august baltic fleet moved north_sea september took major landing operation ships took ground troops participated exercises parade ships conducted parade kaiser island september days later fleet returned baltic kaiser canal participated landing operations september maneuvers came end squadron went winter training cruise time eastern baltic november december january february der served briefly flagship squadron period took pair training cruises squadron january february march individual squadron training followed emphasis gunnery drills july fleet began major training exercise north_sea cruise july der detached visit antwerp represent germany celebrations 75th anniversary belgian revolution rest fleet cruised stopped copenhagen stockholm der rejoined august summer cruise ended august autumn maneuvers normally begun shortly delayed visit month british fleet stopped danzig greeted units german_navy der main german fleet anchored occasion visit strained growing anglo german naval arms race result british visit autumn maneuvers september shortened considerably consisting exercises north_sea exercise presumed naval blockade german bight second envisioned hostile fleet attempting force defenses november squadron cruised baltic early december squadrons went regular winter cruise time danzig arrived december return trip kiel fleet conducted tactical exercises fleet undertook heavier training schedule previous years ships occupied individual division squadron exercises april starting major fleet exercises took place north_sea lasted june cruise baltic fleet began usual summer cruise norway mid july der squadron anchored joined july aboard steamer fleet present birthday norwegian king vii august german ships departed following day join exercises conducted fleet kiel august preparations autumn maneuvers began august fleet took landing exercises outside kiel maneuvers august september fleet hosted vessels denmark sweden russian squadron september kiel maneuvers resumed september lasted days ship participated uneventful winter cruise december quarter followed previous pattern february active designated high_seas_fleet end early june fleet went summer cruise north_sea returning baltic followed regular cruise norway july august autumn maneuvers lasted august september fleet conducted landing exercises northern winter training cruise went november fleet went major cruise atlantic instead normal voyage north_sea fleet returned kiel august prepare autumn maneuvers lasted august september division exercises baltic immediately followed september following conclusion maneuvers september der decommissioned kiel assigned baltic period sister ships rebuilt der receive treatment june july ship underwent major overhaul ship assigned squadron reserve fleet alongside sister ships battleship world war result outbreak world war der sisters brought reserve mobilized august ships prepared war slowly ready service north_sea end august initially tasked coastal defense served capacity short time mid september squadron transferred baltic command prince initially planned launch major amphibious assault shortage transports forced revision plan instead squadron carry landing force cancelled received false reports british warships having entered baltic september der sisters returned kiel following day disembarked landing force proceeded north_sea resumed guard ship duties end year squadron transferred baltic prince ordered foray december battleships baltic cruiser division departed sortie days later fleet arrived german flag kiel december der briefly replaced sister kaiser squadron flagship january february squadron returned north_sea guard duties withdrawn line service february shortages trained crews high_seas_fleet coupled risk operating older ships wartime necessitated kaiser der sisters starting october served briefly training ship engine room personnel november decommissioned kiel disarmed employed prison ship prisoners war wilhelmshaven november germany signed armistice ended hostilities peace treaty negotiated according article treaty versailles signed june germany permitted retain battleships types december ship struck naval list sold ship breakers following year der broken scrap metal
SMS Kaiser Karl der Grosse