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SMSArminius

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Illustration of SMSArminiusengaging French warships during theFranco-Prussian War
Class overview
Operators
Preceded byNone
Succeeded byPrinz Adalbert
History
German Empire
NameSMSArminius
NamesakeArminius
BuilderSamuda Brothers,Cubitt Town,London
Laid down1863
Launched20 August 1864
Commissioned22 April 1865
Decommissioned1875
Stricken2 March 1901
FateScrapped,1902
General characteristics
TypeTurret ship
DisplacementFull load:1,829t(1,800long tons)
Length63.21 m (207 ft 5 in)
Beam10.9 m (35 ft 9 in)
Draft7.6 m (24 ft 11 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Sail planSchooner-rigged
Speed10knots(19 km/h; 12 mph)
Range2,000nmi(3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 8 kn (15 km/h; 9.2 mph)
Crew
  • 10 officers
  • 122 enlisted men
Armament4 ×21 cm (8.3 in)Kruppguns
Armor

SMSArminius [a]was anironclad warshipof thePrussian Navy,later theImperial German Navy.The vessel was aturret shipthat was designed by the BritishRoyal NavyCaptainCowper Colesand built by theSamuda Brothersshipyard inCubitt Town,London as a speculative effort; Prussia purchased the ship during theSecond Schleswig Waragainst Denmark, though the vessel was not delivered until after the war. The ship was armed with four 21 cm (8.3 in) guns in a pair of revolvinggun turretsamidships. She was named forArminius,the victor of theBattle of the Teutoburg Forest.

Arminiusserved as a coastal defense ship for the first six years of her service with the Prussian Navy. She saw extensive service in theAustro-PrussianandFranco-Prussianwars during the process ofGerman unification.The vessel was the primary challenge to the French blockade of German ports during the latter conflict. After the wars,Arminiuswas withdrawn from front-line service and used in a variety of secondary roles, including as a training ship for engine-room crews and as a tender for the school shipBlücher.The ship was eventually sold in 1901 and broken up for scrap the following year.

Design

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The warship that came to be SMSArminiuswas designed by CaptainCowper Coles,[1]a BritishRoyal Navyofficer and advocate ofturret-armed ironclad warships.[2]Arminiuswas nearly identical to the Danish ironcladRolf Krake,also designed by Coles.[3]

General characteristics and machinery

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Arminiuswas 61.6 meters (202 ft 1 in)long at the waterlineand 63.21 m (207 ft 5 in)long overall.The ship had abeamof 10.9 m (35 ft 9 in) and adraftof 4.32 m (14 ft 2 in) forward and 4.55 m (14 ft 11 in) aft. She was designed todisplace1,653metric tons(1,627long tons) but atfull load,Arminiusdisplaced up to 1,829 t (1,800 long tons). The vessel was constructed with transverse frames and constructed with an ironhull,which contained eightwatertight compartments.As was common for warships of the period, she was fitted with aram bow.[1]

The ship's crew consisted of ten officers and 122 enlisted men. She carried a number of smaller boats, including twopinnaces,twocutters,and onedinghy.[3]Arminiuswas not a particularly successful design; she suffered from severe, fast rolling, especially in heavier seas. She also shipped a great deal of water over the bow and was unbalanced in steering. The ship turned rapidly tostarboardbut was sluggish in turning to port. The ship was required to have therudderat 15 degrees to port in order to remain on a straight course. It was also impossible to control the ship with only sail power.[3]

The ship was powered by a single two-cylindersingle-expansion steam enginebuilt byJ. Penn & Sons,Greenwich. The engine drove a single two-bladedscrew propellerthat was 3.96 m (13 ft) in diameter. Four coal fired, transverse trunkboilers,each of which had four fireboxes apiece, supplied steam to the engine. The boilers were also built by J Penn & Sons, Greenwich, and were arranged in a singleboiler room.Limited electrical power was provided by a single generator, which supplied 1.9 kilowatts at 55volts.The ship was equipped with aschoonerrig with a surface area of 540 square meters.[3]The propulsion system was rated at 1,200metric horsepower(1,200ihp) and a top speed of 10knots(19 km/h; 12 mph), though on trials,Arminiusreached 1,440 PS (1,420 ihp) and 11.2 kn (20.7 km/h; 12.9 mph). The ship carried 171 t (168 long tons; 188 short tons) of coal, which enabled a range of 2,000nautical miles(3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at a cruising speed of 8 kn (15 km/h; 9.2 mph).[1]

Armament and armor

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As built,Arminiuswas equipped with amain batteryof four rifled, bronze 72-pounder cannon, but after delivery to the Prussian Navy they were replaced with fourKrupp21 cm RK L/19of 20.95 cm (8.25 in) caliber. These guns were supplied with a total of 332 rounds, and could elevate to 12 degrees. At maximum elevation, the guns could engage targets out to 2,800 m (3,100 yd). After 1881, four machine guns were installed, along with a single 35 cm (13.8 in)torpedo tubemounted in the bow above the waterline.[3][4]

Arminius's armor consisted ofwrought ironbacked withteakplating. Theconning towerwas protected by 114 mm (4.5 in) of wrought iron on 229 mm (9 in) of teak. Thearmored beltranged in thickness from 76 mm (3 in) of iron on the bow and stern to 114 mm amidships, the entire length of which was backed by 229 mm of teak. The two turrets were armored with 114 mm of iron on 406 mm (16 in) of timber.[1]

Service history

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Illustration of one ofArminius'four guns

Construction

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She was built by theSamuda Brothersshipyard inLondonas a speculative project, possibly to sell to theConfederate Navy.[5]The ship waslaid downin 1863 and waslaunchedon 20 August 1864.[6]Prussiainstead purchased the ship on 20 August 1864 for some 1,887,000gold marks,paid in part through public donations. The Prussians had hoped to secure the vessel by September,[4][5]but delivery was delayed by the British government over theSecond Schleswig Warbetween Prussia and Denmark. As the British were sympathetic to Denmark,[7]they prevented the ship from being delivered until after the war was concluded.[6]

At her launching, she was christenedArminiusforthe victorof theBattle of the Teutoburg Forestagainst the Romans in 9CE;the name was chosen to evoke the common feeling of German unity at the time.Commissioningof the ship was delayed after the Prussian naval command decided to use the men who had been allocated toArminiusto commission the newscrew corvetteVictoriainstead. This decision was in part made due to heavy ice in theKieler Förde,which preventedArminiusfrom entering the port until 4 April 1865.Victoriaarrived in London on 20 April with a second crew forArminius,allowing her to be commissioned two days later.[8]

After entering service, the ship conducted initialsea trials,though her armament had not yet been fitted. On 3 May, she andVictoriadeparted Britain. The two ships steamed across theNorth Sea,and after encountering severe storms, stopped atSkagen,Denmark, for shelter. They later stopped inHelsingør,Denmark, before arriving in Kiel on 15 May. She got underway on 1 June and steamed toDanzig,where she was decommissioned to have her guns installed.[9]Along with the ironclad ramPrinz Adalbert,Arminiuswas the first armored warship acquired by the Prussian Navy.[10]

Austro-Prussian War

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Arminius(left) withPrinz Adalbert(right)

She was reactivated in May 1866 under the command ofKorvettenkapitän(KK—Corvette Captain)Reinhold von Werner,initially to have work done on her gun turrets, but this was delayed as tensions between Austria and Prussia increased.Arminiusreceived hermobilizationorder on 12 May, instructing her to depart forKiel,which was at that time under Austrian control. The Prussians hoped that her presence would intimidate the Austrian commander,Lieutenant Field MarshalLudwig von Gablenz.She arrived there on 1 June and anchored off the city's coastal fortifications five days later. The next day,Arminiuswas assigned to asquadroncommanded byKonteradmiral(Rear Admiral)Eduard von Jachmann,which also included hisflagship,thescrew frigateArcona.Arminiusjoined aflotillaof ships that was also being transferred from theBaltic Seato join Jachmann's squadron in the North Sea; these included theavisoLoreleyand thegunboatsTiger,Cyclop,andWolf.Werner was placed in command of the unit and given the title ofKommodore(Commodore). The ships got underway on 12 June and passed through theDanish straits,theSkagerrak,and into the North Sea.[11]

The ships arrived inHamburg,having covered a distance of some 940 nautical miles (1,740 km; 1,080 mi) in 100 hours, an impressive feat for an early ironclad warship.[12]As the war had not yet started, the ships were first ordered to observe the movements of the Austrian Kalik Brigade inHolstein;the Prussians had learned from the Austrian military attache in Berlin that the unit had orders to retreat toHannoverianterritory, namelyWilhelmsburgandHarburg,in the event of war. Unrest broke out inAltona,prompting Werner to send alanding partyof one officer and forty men ashore to secure the rail facility in the town. TheAustro-Prussian Warbegan on 14 June, and hostilities with Hannover began the following day.[9]Without a naval threat from Austria, the Prussian navy therefore concentrated its effort against theKingdom of Hanover.For the remainder of the conflict,Arminiusoperated out ofGeestemünde,under Werner's command, and the mere appearance ofArminiuscaused several Hanoverian coastal batteries to surrender.[13]On 15 June,Arminius,Tiger,andCyclop,covered the crossing of theElbe riverby GeneralEdwin von Manteuffeland some 13,500 soldiers to attack the city ofHanover.[13][14]The crossing took place in the span of ten hours, and Werner's flotilla later covered the crossing of additional forces to support Manteuffel, including cavalry and artillery units.[9]

Arminius,Cyclop,andTigersent men ashore atBrunshausen,where theyspiked the gunsof an abandonedcoastal artillerybattery. Werner then detachedTigerandWolfto bombard the batteries at the mouth of the Elbe, whileCyclopwas sent to attack the battery atGrauerort.Arminiusentered the Elbe on 17 June, but heavy storms prevented her from intercepting aNorddeutscher Lloydsteamshipthat was carrying the Hannoverian gold reserves to Britain. The Prussian army, supported by Werner's flotilla, had succeeded in capturing all of the major fortifications guarding the Elbe,Weser,andEmsby 22 June, and other naval forces from the Baltic andMediterranean Seahad arrived to further strengthen the Prussian fleet.Arminiusand the other vessels thereafter patrolled the coast ofOstfrieslandtoshow the flag.[9]By the end of the month, the Prussian army had decisively defeated the Austrians atKöniggrätzand ended the war.[13]Following the signing of the peace treaty that formally ended the conflict, Werner's flotilla was disbanded on 23 August andArminiusreturned to Kiel.[15]

On 3 October, theUSSMiantonomoh,amonitorof theUS Navyarrived in Kiel while on a promotional tour of European ports; she andArminiusraced the next day, and the latter was two knots faster than the American vessel.[7][15]Arminiuswas decommissioned on 20 October, and was only reactivated in 1867 for use as a gunnery training ship to supportThetis,since the latter lacked turret guns. In June, modernization work on the ship began in Kiel, but in September, she had to be sent toKarlskrona,Sweden, to be dry-docked and have her bottom cleaned. She returned to Germany in late November, where she was again decommissioned to allow work to resume.[15]The overhaul included replacing her original rig with a lighter rigging with pole masts. Aweather deck,which extended from just astern of the forward turret to her stern, was also fitted and ventilators for the hull were extended up through the new deck.[16]In 1870, the ship had her sailing rig removed altogether,[17]as it had been determined that she could not be steered while under sail, and the masts blocked the firing arcs of the gun turrets.[4]Work on the ship was delayed by accidents during sea trials, and the ship was not ready for active service again until shortly before the conflict with France.[15]

Franco-Prussian War

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French ironclads on theblockadeof Prussia'sNorth Seacoast;Arminiussortied repeatedly to engage them, but rarely encountered the French ships

At the outbreak of theFranco-Prussian Waron 19 July 1870, the Prussian Navy concentratedArminiusand thearmored frigatesKronprinz,Friedrich Carl,andKönig Wilhelmin the North Sea naval base atWilhelmshaven.[18]Arminiusreceived her mobilization order on the first day of the war, and at that point she was stationed in Kiel. She sortied on 27 July under the command ofKKOtto Livoniusto break through the French blockade by hugging the Swedish coast, which her shallow draft permitted. Her passage through Swedish territorial waters also protected the ship from French attack. The ship reachedCuxhavenon 30 July and proceeded to Wilhelmshaven on 1 August.[19][20]Despite the great French naval superiority, the French had conducted insufficient pre-war planning for an assault on the Prussian naval installations, and concluded that it would only be possible with Danish assistance, which was not forthcoming.[18]Arminiusand the three armored frigates, under the command of nowVizeadmiral(Vice Admiral) Jachmann, made an offensive sortie in early August 1870 out to theDogger Bank,though they encountered no French warships. The three frigates thereafter suffered from chronic engine trouble, which leftArminiusalone to conduct operations.[21]

In the course of the war, she sortied from the port over forty times; these also failed to result in major combat, though she occasionally traded shots with the blockading French warships. She briefly engaged a Frenchfrigateon 24 August, but the latter quickly withdrew.[15][22]For the majority of the war,Arminiuswas stationed in the mouth of the Elbe along with the ironclad ramPrinz Adalbertand three small gunboats. The three armored frigates remained off the island ofWangerooge,where their crews attempted to repair their troublesome engines.[23]On 11 September, the three frigates were again ready for action; they joinedArminiusfor another major operation, though it too did not encounter French opposition. The French Navy had by this time returned to France.[21]On 18 October,Arminiuscollided with the avisoFalke,though she was not seriously damaged in the accident, thoughFalkewas badly holed below the waterline. On 23 December,Arminiusand the rest of the ships stationed in Wilhelmshaven entered the inner harbor of the port, the dredging of which had recently been completed; the outerJade Bayhad iced over, preventing further operations for the winter.[15]

Later career

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Arminiuslater in her career, byWilly Stöwer

Following the war, the now-GermanKaiserliche Marine(Imperial Navy) began to demobilize in early 1871. On 29 March 1871,Arminius,the screw frigateElisabeth,and the avisoGrilledeparted Wilhelmshaven for the Baltic. Severe storms delayed their progress, and they reached Kiel on 4 April.Arminiuswas decommissioned there on 27 April. Beginning on 1 May 1872, the ship was used as a training vessel for naval engineers and boiler room personnel, under the command ofKKPhilipp von Kall.She also took part in shooting practice with the gunnery school, before being decommissioned again on 1 October. She resumed school ship duties from 16 April to 31 May 1873, from 17 March to mid-May 1874, and from 15 March to 31 May 1875, which was to be her final commissioning.[3][19]The ship was thereafter decommissioned and placed in reserve.[24]

Her ram bow allowed her to be used as anicebreakerin the Baltic in the 1880s. She was activated for that purpose in May 1881 to assist in clearing paths for vessels in Kiel. In 1882, she was extensively overhauled and then used as a tender for the cadet training vesselBlücherfrom August to November. In 1886 and again from January to July 1887,Arminiusresumed her old training ship duties.Arminiuswas sent to theFlensburger Fördefor icebreaking work from March to April 1888. The ship was rebuilt again later that year; during the refit the propulsion system was overhauled and replaced with German-built equipment and two searchlights were installed. Four machine guns were installed, along with a 35 cm (13.8 in) torpedo tube. She was reclassified as a special purpose vessel on 10 October. She did not return to service, however, and was ultimately stricken from thenaval registeron 2 March 1901. Later that year, she was used in a weapons test with a new torpedo warhead, which caused considerable damage to the ship. She was thereafter sold toship breakersfor 72,000 gold marks in 1902, and was towed to Hamburg to be broken up that year.[3][15][25]

Footnotes

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Notes

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  1. ^"SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff",or" His Majesty's Ship ".

Citations

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  1. ^abcdGröner,p. 1.
  2. ^Sondhaus 2001,p. 80.
  3. ^abcdefgGröner,p. 2.
  4. ^abcDodson,p. 15.
  5. ^abSullivan,p. 17.
  6. ^abGröner,pp. 1–2.
  7. ^abGreene & Massignani,p. 199.
  8. ^Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz,pp. 260–261.
  9. ^abcdHildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz,p. 262.
  10. ^Sondhaus 2001,p. 93.
  11. ^Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz,pp. 260, 262.
  12. ^Sondhaus 1997,pp. 83–84.
  13. ^abcSondhaus 1997,p. 84.
  14. ^Greene & Massignani,p. 219.
  15. ^abcdefgHildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz,p. 263.
  16. ^Dodson,p. 18.
  17. ^Lyon,p. 242.
  18. ^abSondhaus 2001,p. 101.
  19. ^abHildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz,pp. 260, 263.
  20. ^Wilson,p. 277.
  21. ^abSondhaus 2001,p. 102.
  22. ^Sondhaus 1997,p. 95.
  23. ^Wilson,p. 278.
  24. ^Sullivan,p. 18.
  25. ^Dodson,p. 32.

References

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  • Dodson, Aidan(2016).The Kaiser's Battlefleet: German Capital Ships 1871–1918.Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing.ISBN978-1-84832-229-5.
  • Greene, Jack & Massignani, Alessandro (1998).Ironclads at War: The Origin and Development of the Armored Warship, 1854–1891.Pennsylvania: Combined Publishing.ISBN978-0-938289-58-6.
  • Gröner, Erich(1990).German Warships: 1815–1945.Vol. I: Major Surface Vessels. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-0-87021-790-6.
  • Hildebrand, Hans H.; Röhr, Albert & Steinmetz, Hans-Otto (1993).Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe: Biographien – ein Spiegel der Marinegeschichte von 1815 bis zur Gegenwart[The German Warships: Biographies − A Reflection of Naval History from 1815 to the Present] (in German). Vol. 1. Ratingen: Mundus Verlag.ISBN978-3-7822-0237-4.
  • Lyon, Hugh (1979). "Germany". In Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger; Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905.Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN978-0-85177-133-5.
  • Sondhaus, Lawrence (2001).Naval Warfare, 1815–1914.London: Routledge.ISBN978-0-415-21478-0.
  • Sondhaus, Lawrence (1997).Preparing for Weltpolitik: German Sea Power Before the Tirpitz Era.Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-1-55750-745-7.
  • Sullivan, David M. (1987). "Phantom Fleet: The Confederacy's Unclaimed European Warships".Warship International.XXIV(1). Toledo: International Naval Research Organization: 13–32.ISSN0043-0374.
  • Wilson, Herbert Wrigley(1896).Ironclads in Action: A Sketch of Naval Warfare from 1855 to 1895.London: S. Low, Marston and company.OCLC1111061.

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