sms sms majesty ship ship class pre dreadnought battleships german_imperial_navy laid shipyard kiel launched june commissioned october sisters capital ships built navy law brought admiral saw active duty squadron german fleet majority career ship rapidly superseded new big gun warships result served years decommissioned september start world war august brought active duty ship saw limited duty baltic_sea russian forces threat british submarines forced ship withdraw converted target ship remainder war heavily reconstructed equipped use radio controlled target ship served capacity sunk british bombers world war retreating germans raised ship moved harbor mouth scuttled block port broken description long overall beam draft forward ship powered cylinder vertical triple expansion engines drove screws steam provided naval cylindrical coal fired boilers powerplant rated metric horsepower ihp generated speed knots mph crew officers enlisted men armament consisted main battery guns twin gun turrets fore aft central superstructure secondary armament consisted eighteen inch guns quick firing guns armament suite rounded torpedo tubes submerged hull bow stern broadside armored belt millimeters thick central portion protected magazines machinery spaces deck thick main battery turrets armor plating service history keel laid november dockyard kiel ordered contract new unit fleet class battleship class built terms navy law chief proponent admiral launched june launching speech given frederick grand duke head wife grand christened ship commissioned october began sea trials lasted february replaced battleship squadron german fleet reorganized squadrons battleships assigned alongside sisters german fleet time consisted ship division squadron ship divisions supported reconnaissance division composed armored cruisers protected cruisers class battleships powerful battleships built germany beginning enter service provided navy ships form battle squadrons ships fleet renamed high seas fleet september decommissioned crew transferred new dreadnought recently completed sisters recommissioned high_seas_fleet augment forces available annual summer fleet maneuvers north_sea exercises began september conducted area wilhelmshaven maneuvers southwest september accidentally rammed torpedo boat torpedo boat cut half quickly sank men drowned seventh died pulled sea world war sisters removed active service placed reserve squadron outbreak world war august rest class mobilized serve battle squadron command vice admiral starting september squadron assisted armored cruiser conducted sweep baltic operation lasted september failed bring russian naval units battle including transferred support german_army baltic_sea area sisters based kiel squadron ships tasked providing support assault ships stood order intercept russian cruisers try intervene landings russians attempt invasion force entered british submarines hms spotted squadron far away attack sisters included german fleet assaulted august escorts increasingly active british submarines forced germans employ destroyers protect capital ships increasing threat british submarines baltic convinced german navy withdraw elderly class ships active service initially training ship kiel ship train target ship kriegsmarine april lay harbor danzig ship decommissioned retained armament according article treaty versailles sisters permit newly reorganized retain vessels auxiliary purposes stricken navy list march disarmed hulk wilhelmshaven rebuilt ship radio controlled target vessel ship engine system overhauled shaft arrangement replaced pair cylinder vertical triple expansion engines supplied steam naval oil fired water tube boilers system designed operated remotely wireless telegraph new propulsion system provided speed knots mph superstructure cut hull filled conversion completed displaced metric tons long tons use target ship manned crew served target vessel kriegsmarine old battleship december old ship hit bombs air raid sank shallow water temporarily refloated towed harbor entrance scuttled block port march wreck broken starting work lasted
SMS Zähringen