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SMS Friedrich der Grosse (1911)

January 01, 1970

This article is about the dreadnought battleship. For other ships, see SMS Friedrich der Grosse.

SMS Friedrich der Grosse[a] was the second vessel of the Kaiser class of dreadnought battleships of the German Imperial Navy. Friedrich der Grosse's[b] keel was laid on 26 January 1910 at the AG Vulcan dockyard in Hamburg, her hull was launched on 10 June 1911, and she was commissioned into the fleet on 15 October 1912. The ship was equipped with ten 30.5-centimeter (12 in) guns in five twin turrets, and had a top speed of 23.4 knots (43.3 km/h; 26.9 mph). Friedrich der Grosse was assigned to III Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet for the majority of World War I, and served as fleet flagship from her commissioning until 1917.

SMS Friedrich der Grosse
SMS Friedrich der Grosse underway
History
German Empire
NameFriedrich der Grosse
NamesakeKing Frederick II of Prussia
BuilderAG Vulcan, Hamburg
Laid down26 January 1910
Launched10 June 1911
Commissioned15 October 1912
FateScuttled at Gutter Sound, Scapa Flow 21 June 1919
NotesRaised and broken up for scrapping 1936–1937
General characteristics
Class and typeKaiser-class battleship
Displacement
Length172.40 m (565 ft 7 in)
Beam29 m (95 ft 2 in)
Draft9.10 m (29 ft 10 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed22.4 knots (41.5 km/h; 25.8 mph)
Range7,900 nmi (14,600 km; 9,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Crew
  • 41 officers
  • 1,043 enlisted
Armament
Armor

Along with her four sister ships, Kaiser, Kaiserin, König Albert, and Prinzregent Luitpold, Friedrich der Grosse participated in all the major fleet operations of World War I, including the Battle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916. Toward the center of the German line, Friedrich der Grosse was not as heavily engaged as the leading German ships, such as the battleships König and Grosser Kurfürst and the battlecruisers of I Scouting Group—Friedrich der Grosse emerged from the battle completely unscathed. In 1917, the new battleship Baden replaced Friedrich der Grosse as the fleet flagship.

After Germany's defeat in the war and the signing of the Armistice in November 1918, Friedrich der Grosse and most of the capital ships of the High Seas Fleet were interned by the British Royal Navy in Scapa Flow. The ships were disarmed and reduced to skeleton crews while the Allied powers negotiated the final version of the Treaty of Versailles. On 21 June 1919, days before the treaty was signed, the commander of the interned fleet, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, ordered the fleet to be scuttled to ensure that the British would not be able to seize the ships. Friedrich der Grosse was raised in 1936 and broken up for scrap metal. Her bell was returned to Germany in 1965 and is now located at the Fleet Headquarters in Glücksburg.

Design edit

Main article: Kaiser-class battleship
 
Plan and profile drawing of the Kaiser class; the shaded areas represent the portions of the ship protected by armor

Friedrich der Grosse was 172.40 m (565 ft 7 in) long overall and displaced a maximum of 27,000 metric tons (26,570 long tons) at full load. The ship had a beam of 29 m (95 ft 2 in) and a draft of 9.10 m (29 ft 10 in) forward and 8.80 m (28 ft 10 in) aft. She was powered by three sets of AEG Curtis turbines, supplied with steam by sixteen coal-fired water-tube boilers. On trials, the powerplant produced a top speed of 22.4 knots (41.5 km/h; 25.8 mph). She carried 3,600 metric tons (3,500 long tons) of coal, which enabled a maximum range of 7,900 nautical miles (14,600 km; 9,100 mi) at a cruising speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).[1]

The ship was armed with a main battery of ten 30.5 cm SK L/50 guns in five twin turrets.[1][c] She disposed with the inefficient hexagonal turret arrangement of previous German battleships; instead, three of the five turrets were mounted on the centerline, with two of them arranged in a superfiring pair aft. The other two turrets were placed en echelon amidships, such that both could fire on the broadside.[3] The ship was also armed with a secondary battery of fourteen 15 cm (5.9 in) SK L/45 guns in casemates amidships. For close-range defense against torpedo boats, she carried eight 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/45 guns in casemates. The ship was also armed with four 8.8 cm L/45 anti-aircraft guns. Her armament was rounded out by five 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes, all mounted in the ship's hull; one was in the bow, and the other four were on the broadside.[1]

Her main armored belt was 350 mm (13.8 in) thick in the central citadel, and was composed of Krupp cemented armor (KCA). Her main battery gun turrets were protected by 300 mm (11.8 in) of KCA on the sides and faces. Friedrich der Grosse's conning tower was heavily armored, with 400 mm (15.7 in) sides. As with the other four ships in her class, Friedrich der Grosse carried anti-torpedo nets until after the Battle of Jutland in 1916.[1]

Service history edit

Ordered under the contract name Ersatz Heimdall as a replacement for the obsolete coastal defense ship Heimdall,[4][d] Friedrich der Grosse was laid down at the AG Vulcan dockyard in Hamburg on 26 January 1910.[5] She was launched on 10 June 1911, after which AG Vulcan conducted builder's trials.[6] At her launching ceremony, Princess Alexandra Victoria performed the christening and Field Marshal Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz gave a speech.[7] She was then transferred to Wilhelmshaven and commissioned into the fleet on 15 October 1912. Exercises in the Baltic Sea followed; Friedrich der Grosse then went to Kiel for final fitting-out work. On 22 January 1913, the ship was finally ready for active service.[6]

After her commissioning in January 1913, Friedrich der Grosse conducted sea trials before becoming the fleet flagship on 2 March,[6] replacing Deutschland.[8] The ship participated in her first round of fleet maneuvers in February 1913, which were conducted in the Kattegat and the North Sea. The next month saw another round of exercises, from 12 to 14 March. The ship went into dock for periodic maintenance in April, and was ready for artillery training by the end of the month. Extensive fleet maneuvers were conducted in the North Sea from 5 to 27 May. Friedrich der Grosse, as the Navy's newest battleship, was sent to Kiel for Kiel Week in June.[6] While there, she was visited by the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III and his wife Elena.[7] In mid-July, the fleet conducted its annual summer cruise to Norway, which lasted until mid-August. During the cruise, Friedrich der Grosse visited Balholmen, Norway. The autumn maneuvers followed after the fleet returned; they lasted from 31 August to 9 September. Unit drills and individual ship training were conducted in October and November.[6]

In early 1914, Friedrich der Grosse participated in additional ship and unit training. The annual spring maneuvers were conducted in the North Sea at the end of March. Further fleet exercises followed in April and May in the Baltic and North Seas. The ship again went to Kiel Week that year. Despite the rising international tensions following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June, the High Seas Fleet began its summer cruise to Norway on 13 July. During the last peacetime cruise of the Imperial Navy, the fleet conducted drills off Skagen before proceeding to the Norwegian fjords on 25 July. The following day the fleet began to steam back to Germany, as a result of Austria-Hungary's ultimatum to Serbia. On the 27th, the entire fleet assembled off Cape Skudenes before returning to port, where they remained at a heightened state of readiness.[6] War between Austria-Hungary and Serbia broke out the following day, and in the span of a week all of the major European powers had joined the conflict.[9]

World War I edit

The High Seas Fleet, including Friedrich der Grosse, conducted a number of sweeps and advances into the North Sea. The first occurred on 2–3 November 1914, though no British forces were encountered. Admiral Friedrich von Ingenohl, the commander of the High Seas Fleet, adopted a strategy in which the battlecruisers of Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper's I Scouting Group raided British coastal towns to lure out portions of the Grand Fleet where they could be destroyed by the High Seas Fleet.[10] The raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on 15–16 December 1914 was the first such operation.[11] On the evening of 15 December, the German battle fleet of some twelve dreadnoughts—including Friedrich der Grosse and her four sisters—and eight pre-dreadnoughts came to within 10 nmi (19 km; 12 mi) of an isolated squadron of six British battleships. Skirmishes between the rival destroyer screens in the darkness convinced Ingenohl that he was faced with the entire Grand Fleet. Under orders from Kaiser Wilhelm II to avoid risking the fleet unnecessarily, Ingenohl broke off the engagement and turned the battle fleet back toward Germany.[12]

 
Friedrich der Grosse sometime before 1917

Following the loss of SMS Blücher at the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915, the Kaiser removed Ingenohl from his post on 2 February. Admiral Hugo von Pohl replaced him as commander of the fleet.[13] Pohl conducted a series of fleet advances in 1915 in which Friedrich der Grosse took part; in the first one on 29–30 March, the fleet steamed out to the north of Terschelling and return without incident. Another followed on 17–18 April, where Friedrich der Grosse and the rest of the fleet covered a mining operation by II Scouting Group. Three days later, on 21–22 April, the High Seas Fleet advanced toward Dogger Bank, though again failed to meet any British forces.[14]

II Scouting Group performed another minelaying operation on 17–18 May, and Friedrich der Grosse and the rest of the fleet steamed out in support. Less than two weeks later on 29–30 May, the fleet attempted to conduct a sweep in the North Sea, but inclement weather forced Pohl to cancel the operation some 50 nmi (93 km; 58 mi) off Schiermonnikoog. The fleet remained in port until 10 August, when it sortied to Helgoland to cover the return of the auxiliary cruiser Möwe. A month later, on 11–12 September, the fleet covered another mine-laying operation off the Swarte Bank. The last operation of the year, conducted on 23–24 October, was an advance without result in the direction of Horns Reef.[14]

On 11 January 1916, Admiral Reinhard Scheer replaced Pohl, who was suffering from liver cancer.[15] A week later on the 18th, Scheer hoisted his flag aboard Friedrich der Grosse.[14] Scheer proposed a more aggressive policy designed to force a confrontation with the British Grand Fleet; he received approval from the Kaiser in February.[16] The first of Scheer's operations was conducted the following month, on 5–7 March, with an uneventful sweep of the Hoofden.[17] On 25–26 March, Scheer attempted to attack British forces that had raided Tondern, but failed to locate them. Another advance to Horns Reef followed on 21–22 April.[14]

On 24 April, the battlecruisers of Hipper's I Scouting Group conducted a raid on the English coast. Friedrich der Grosse and the rest of the fleet sailed in distant support. The battlecruiser Seydlitz struck a mine while en route to the target, and had to withdraw.[18] The other battlecruisers bombarded the town of Lowestoft unopposed but, during the approach to Yarmouth, they encountered the British cruisers of the Harwich Force. A short artillery duel ensued before the Harwich Force withdrew. Reports of British submarines in the area prompted the retreat of I Scouting Group. At this point, Scheer, who had been warned of the sortie of the Grand Fleet from its base in Scapa Flow, also withdrew to safer German waters.[19]

Battle of Jutland edit

Main article: Battle of Jutland
 
Maps showing the maneuvers of the British (blue) and German (red) fleets on 31 May – 1 June 1916

Soon after the Lowestoft raid, Scheer began planning another foray into the North Sea. He had initially intended to launch the operation in mid-May, by which time the mine damage to Seydlitz was scheduled to be repaired—Scheer was unwilling to embark on a major raid without his battlecruiser forces at full strength. On 9 May, several battleships developed problems with their engines, which delayed the operation further, to 23 May.[20] By 22 May, Seydlitz was still not fully repaired and the operation was again postponed, to 29 May.[21] At noon on 29 May, the repairs to Seydlitz were finally completed, and the ship returned to I Scouting Group.[22] The plan called for Hipper's battlecruisers to steam north to the Skagerrak, with the intention of luring out a portion of the British fleet so it could be destroyed by Scheer's waiting battleships.[23]

Friedrich der Grosse was the eighth ship in the German line; the four König-class ships of the V Division, III Battle Squadron, led the line, followed by four Kaiser-class ships in the VI Division, III Battle Squadron. Friedrich der Grosse was the last ship in her division, directly astern of Prinzregent Luitpold and ahead of Ostfriesland, the flagship of Vice Admiral Schmidt's I Division, I Battle Squadron. The eight Helgoland- and Nassau-class battleships constituted I Squadron, which was followed by the six elderly pre-dreadnoughts of Rear Admiral Franz Mauve's II Squadron.[24] Hipper's five battlecruisers, the scouting force for the fleet, left the Jade estuary at 02:00 on 31 May; Scheer and the High Seas Fleet followed an hour and a half later.[22]

Shortly before 16:00 the battlecruisers of I Scouting Group encountered the British 1st Battlecruiser Squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Sir David Beatty. The opposing ships began an artillery duel that saw the destruction of Indefatigable, shortly after 17:00,[25] and Queen Mary, less than half an hour later.[26] By this time, the German battlecruisers were steaming south to draw the British ships toward the main body of the High Seas Fleet. At 17:30, König's crew spotted both I Scouting Group and the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron approaching. The German battlecruisers were steaming to starboard, while the British ships steamed to port. At 17:45, Scheer ordered a two-point turn to port to bring his ships closer to the British battlecruisers and the accompanying fast battleships of the 5th Battle Squadron; a minute later, he gave the order to open fire.[27][e]

Friedrich der Grosse was still out of range of both the British battlecruisers and the 5th Battle Squadron, and so held her fire initially. Between 17:48 and 17:52, Friedrich der Grosse and ten other battleships engaged the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron, though only Nassau managed to score a hit during this period.[28] Shortly after, the German battle line came across the disabled destroyers Nestor and Nomad. Friedrich der Grosse and her three sisters targeted Nomad and quickly sank her. Nestor was similarly dispatched by the I Squadron ships.[29] Shortly after 19:00, a melee between the German line and British cruisers took place. The center of the action was the damaged German cruiser Wiesbaden, which had been disabled by a shell from the British battlecruiser Invincible. Rear Admiral Behncke in König attempted to maneuver III Squadron to cover the stricken cruiser.[30] Simultaneously, the British 3rd and 4th Light Cruiser Squadrons began a torpedo attack on the German line; while advancing to torpedo range, they smothered Wiesbaden with fire from their main guns. The eight III Squadron battleships fired on the British cruisers, but even the sustained fire from the battleships' main guns failed to drive off the British cruisers.[31] The armored cruisers Defence, Warrior, and Black Prince joined in the attack on the crippled Wiesbaden.[32] While most of the III Squadron battleships rained heavy fire upon the attacking armored cruisers, Friedrich der Grosse and the I Squadron ships engaged the battleship Warspite at ranges from 9,600 to 12,500 yd (8,800 to 11,400 m), until Warspite disappeared in the haze. In this period, Warspite was hit by 13 heavy shells, though the ships that fired them are unknown.[33]

After successfully withdrawing from the British, Scheer ordered the fleet to assume night cruising formation, though communication errors between Scheer aboard Friedrich der Grosse and Westfalen, the lead ship, caused delays. The series of reversals in course and confused maneuvers disorganized the fleet and inverted the sequence of ships, but by 23:30 the fleet had reached its cruising formation. Friedrich der Grosse was now the ninth ship in a line of twenty-four, headed by the eight I Squadron ships.[34] Shortly after 01:00, the British cruiser Black Prince stumbled into the German line. Searchlights aboard Thüringen illuminated the target; Friedrich der Grosse, Thüringen, Nassau, and Ostfriesland hammered the cruiser at point-blank range with main and secondary guns. In the span of a few minutes Black Prince exploded and sank, taking her entire crew of 857 with her.[35]

After a series of night engagements between the I Squadron battleships and British destroyers, the High Seas Fleet punched through the British light forces and reached Horns Reef by 04:00 on 1 June.[36] The German fleet reached Wilhelmshaven a few hours later; five of the I Squadron battleships took up defensive positions in the outer roadstead, and Kaiser, Kaiserin, Prinzregent Luitpold, and Kronprinz stood ready just outside the entrance to Wilhelmshaven.[37] The rest of the fleet entered Wilhelmshaven, where Friedrich der Grosse and the other ships still in fighting condition replenished their stocks of coal and ammunition.[38] In the course of the battle, Friedrich der Grosse had fired 72 main battery shells and 151 rounds from her secondary guns.[39] She emerged from the battle completely undamaged.[14]

Subsequent North Sea operations edit

On 18 August 1916, Friedrich der Grosse took part in an operation to bombard Sunderland.[14] Admiral Scheer attempted a repeat of the original 31 May plan: the two serviceable German battlecruisers, Moltke and Von der Tann, augmented by three faster dreadnoughts, were to bombard the coastal town of Sunderland in an attempt to draw out and destroy Beatty's battlecruisers. Scheer, in Friedrich der Grosse, would trail behind with the rest of the fleet and provide support.[40] During the action of 19 August 1916, Scheer turned north after receiving a false report from a zeppelin about a British unit in the area.[14] As a result, the bombardment was not carried out, and by 14:35, Scheer had been warned of the Grand Fleet's approach and so turned his forces around and retreated to German ports.[41]

Another fleet operation took place on 18–19 October, though it ended without encountering any British units. The fleet was reorganized on 1 December;[14] the four König-class battleships remained in III Squadron, along with the newly commissioned Bayern, while the five Kaiser-class ships, including Friedrich der Grosse, were transferred to IV Squadron.[42] In March 1917 the new battleship Baden, built to serve as fleet flagship, entered service;[43] on the 17th, Scheer hauled down his flag from Friedrich der Grosse and transferred it to Baden.[14] On 4–5 July, crewmen aboard Friedrich der Grosse staged a hunger strike in protest over the poor quality and insufficient quantity of the food they were given. The ship's officers relented, fed the crew a meal of groat soup and agreed to form a Menagekommission, a council that gave the enlisted men a voice in their ration selection and preparation.[44] Further insubordination on several vessels followed on 11 July, and the ringleaders were arrested and put on trial. Max Reichpietsch, a stoker from Friedrich der Grosse was sentenced to death and executed by firing squad on 5 September in Cologne.[45][46]

Operation Albion edit

Main article: Operation Albion
 
German troops landing at Ösel

In early September 1917, following the German conquest of the Russian port of Riga, the German navy decided to eliminate the Russian naval forces that still held the Gulf of Riga. The Admiralstab (Navy High Command) planned an operation to seize the Baltic island of Ösel, and specifically the Russian gun batteries on the Sworbe Peninsula.[47] The Admiralstab issued orders on 18 September for a joint operation with the army to capture Ösel and Moon Islands; the primary naval component was to comprise the flagship, Moltke, and III and IV Battle Squadrons of the High Seas Fleet. Along with nine light cruisers, three torpedo boat flotillas, and dozens of mine warfare ships, the entire force numbered some 300 ships, supported by over 100 aircraft and six zeppelins. The invasion force amounted to approximately 24,600 officers and enlisted men.[48] Opposing the Germans were the old Russian pre-dreadnoughts Slava and Tsesarevich, the armored cruisers Bayan, Admiral Makarov, and Diana, 26 destroyers, and several torpedo boats and gunboats. The garrison on Ösel numbered some 14,000 men.[49]

The operation began on the morning of 12 October, when Moltke and the III Squadron ships engaged Russian positions in Tagga Bay while Friedrich der Grosse and the rest of IV Squadron shelled Russian gun batteries on the Sworbe Peninsula on Ösel.[49] The coastal artillery in both locations were quickly silenced by the battleships' heavy guns.[50] On the morning of the 14th, Friedrich der Grosse, Kaiserin, and König Albert were detached to support German troops advancing toward Anseküll.[51] The three ships fired on the battery at Zerel for an hour, which prompted most of the Russian gun crews to flee their posts.[52]

By 20 October, the fighting on the islands was winding down; Moon, Ösel, and Dagö were in German possession. The previous day, the Admiralstab had ordered the cessation of naval actions and the return of the dreadnoughts to the High Seas Fleet as soon as possible.[53] On 27 October, Friedrich der Grosse was detached from the Baltic and returned to the North Sea. Upon her return, she resumed guard duties. The ship participated in the fruitless advance to Norway on 23–25 April 1918. Afterward, she went into drydock for extensive maintenance, which lasted from 26 July to 28 September.[45]

Fate edit

 
Friedrich der Grosse steaming to Scapa Flow for internment
 
Map of the scuttled ships showing Friedrich der Grosse (#2); click for a larger view
Main article: Scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow

Friedrich der Grosse and her four sisters were to have taken part in a final fleet action at the end of October 1918, days before the Armistice was to take effect. The bulk of the High Seas Fleet was to have sortied from their base in Wilhelmshaven to engage the British Grand Fleet; Scheer—by now the Grossadmiral (Grand Admiral) of the fleet—intended to inflict as much damage as possible on the British navy, to ensure a better bargaining position for Germany, despite the expected casualties. However, many of the war-weary sailors felt the operation would disrupt the peace process and prolong the war.[54] On the morning of 29 October 1918, the order was given to sail from Wilhelmshaven the following day. Starting on the night of 29 October, sailors on Thüringen and then on several other battleships mutinied.[55] On the 30th, crewmen aboard Friedrich der Grosse engaged in forms of passive resistance, including a "go-slow" while replenishing the ship's coal stock.[45][f] The unrest ultimately forced Hipper and Scheer to cancel the operation.[56] Informed of the situation, the Kaiser stated "I no longer have a navy."[57]

Following the capitulation of Germany in November 1918, most of the High Seas Fleet, under the command of Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, were interned in the British naval base in Scapa Flow.[56] Prior to the departure of the German fleet, Admiral Adolf von Trotha made clear to Reuter that he could not allow the Allies to seize the ships, under any conditions.[58] The fleet rendezvoused with the British light cruiser Cardiff, which led the ships to the Allied fleet that was to escort the Germans to Scapa Flow. The massive flotilla consisted of some 370 British, American, and French warships.[59] Once the ships were interned, their guns were disabled through the removal of their breech blocks, and their crews were reduced to 200 officers and enlisted men.[60]

The fleet remained in captivity during the negotiations that ultimately produced the Treaty of Versailles. Reuter believed that the British intended to seize the German ships on 21 June 1919, which was the deadline for Germany to sign the peace treaty. Unaware that the deadline had been extended to the 23rd, Reuter ordered the ships to be sunk at the next opportunity. On the morning of 21 June, the British fleet left Scapa Flow to conduct training maneuvers, and at 11:20 Reuter transmitted the order to his ships.[58] Friedrich der Grosse capsized and sank at 12:16. In 1936, the ship was raised and broken up for scrap; the work was completed by 29 April 1937. On 30 August 1965,[1] Britain returned the ship's bell to Germany via the frigate Scheer;[61] it now resides at the Fleet Headquarters of the German Navy in Glücksburg.[1]

Footnotes edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ "SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff" (German: His Majesty's Ship).
  2. ^ Or Große in German, with a "sharp S"; see ß.
  3. ^ In Imperial German Navy gun nomenclature, "SK" (Schnelladekanone) denotes that the gun is quick loading, while the L/50 denotes the length of the gun. In this case, the L/50 gun is 50 calibers, meaning that the gun is 45 times as long as it is in bore diameter.[2]
  4. ^ German warships were ordered under provisional names. For new additions to the fleet, they were given a single letter; for those ships intended to replace older or lost vessels, they were ordered as "Ersatz (name of the ship to be replaced)".
  5. ^ The compass can be divided into 32 points, each corresponding to 11.25 degrees. A two-point turn to port would alter the ships' course by 22.5 degrees.
  6. ^ The crewmen intentionally worked slowly as a form of passive resistance.

Citations edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f Gröner, p. 26.
  2. ^ Grießmer, p. 177.
  3. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 4.
  4. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 6.
  5. ^ Campbell & Sieche, p. 147.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Staff, Battleships, p. 14.
  7. ^ a b Koop & Schmolke, p. 86.
  8. ^ Gröner, p. 22.
  9. ^ Heyman, p. xix.
  10. ^ Herwig, pp. 149–150.
  11. ^ Tarrant, p. 31.
  12. ^ Tarrant, pp. 31–33.
  13. ^ Tarrant, pp. 43–44.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i Staff, Battleships, p. 15.
  15. ^ Tarrant, p. 49.
  16. ^ Tarrant, p. 50.
  17. ^ Staff, Battleships, pp. 32, 35.
  18. ^ Tarrant, p. 53.
  19. ^ Tarrant, p. 54.
  20. ^ Tarrant, pp. 55–56.
  21. ^ Tarrant, p. 58.
  22. ^ a b Tarrant, p. 62.
  23. ^ Tarrant, p. 61.
  24. ^ Tarrant, p. 286.
  25. ^ Tarrant, pp. 94–95.
  26. ^ Tarrant, pp. 100–101.
  27. ^ Tarrant, p. 110.
  28. ^ Campbell, p. 54.
  29. ^ Campbell, p. 101.
  30. ^ Tarrant, p. 137.
  31. ^ Tarrant, p. 138.
  32. ^ Tarrant, p. 139.
  33. ^ Campbell, p. 154.
  34. ^ Campbell, p. 275.
  35. ^ Campbell, p. 290.
  36. ^ Tarrant, pp. 246–247.
  37. ^ Campbell, p. 320.
  38. ^ Tarrant, p. 263.
  39. ^ Tarrant, p. 292.
  40. ^ Massie, p. 682.
  41. ^ Massie, p. 683.
  42. ^ Halpern, p. 214.
  43. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 43.
  44. ^ Herwig, pp. 231–232.
  45. ^ a b c Staff, Battleships, p. 16.
  46. ^ Woodward, p. 77.
  47. ^ Halpern, p. 213.
  48. ^ Halpern, pp. 214–215.
  49. ^ a b Halpern, p. 215.
  50. ^ Barrett, p. 125.
  51. ^ Barrett, p. 146.
  52. ^ Staff, Battle for the Baltic Islands, pp. 71–72.
  53. ^ Halpern, p. 219.
  54. ^ Tarrant, pp. 280–282.
  55. ^ Tarrant, pp. 281–282.
  56. ^ a b Tarrant, p. 282.
  57. ^ Herwig, p. 252.
  58. ^ a b Herwig, p. 256.
  59. ^ Herwig, pp. 254–255.
  60. ^ Herwig, p. 255.
  61. ^ Koop & Schmolke, p. 89.

References edit

  • Barrett, Michael B. (2008). Operation Albion. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34969-9.
  • Campbell, John (1998). Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-1-55821-759-1.
  • Campbell, N. J. M. & Sieche, Erwin (1986). "Germany". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 134–189. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
  • Grießmer, Axel (1999). Die Linienschiffe der Kaiserlichen Marine: 1906–1918; Konstruktionen zwischen Rüstungskonkurrenz und Flottengesetz [The Battleships of the Imperial Navy: 1906–1918; Constructions between Arms Competition and Fleet Laws] (in German). Bonn: Bernard & Graefe Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7637-5985-9.
  • Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Martin, Maass (1990). German Warships: 1815–1945. Vol. I: Major Surface Vessels. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-790-6.
  • Halpern, Paul G. (1995). A Naval History of World War I. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-352-7.
  • Herwig, Holger (1998) [1980]. "Luxury" Fleet: The Imperial German Navy 1888–1918. Amherst: Humanity Books. ISBN 978-1-57392-286-9.
  • Heyman, Neil M. (1997). World War I. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-29880-6.
  • Koop, Gerhard & Schmolke, Klaus-Peter (1999). Von der Nassau – zur König-Klasse (in German). Bonn: Bernard & Graefe Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7637-5994-1.
  • Massie, Robert K. (2003). Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-40878-5. OCLC 57134223.
  • Staff, Gary (2010). German Battleships: 1914–1918. Vol. 2: Kaiser, König And Bayern Classes. Oxford: Osprey Books. ISBN 978-1-84603-468-8.
  • Staff, Gary (2008) [1995]. Battle for the Baltic Islands 1917: Triumph of the Imperial German Navy. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Maritime. ISBN 978-1-84415-787-7.
  • Tarrant, V. E. (2001) [1995]. Jutland: The German Perspective. London: Cassell Military Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0-304-35848-9.
  • Woodward, David (1973). The Collapse of Power: Mutiny in the High Seas Fleet. London: Arthur Barker Ltd. ISBN 978-0-213-16431-7.

Further reading edit

  • Dodson, Aidan; Cant, Serena (2020). Spoils of War: The Fate of Enemy Fleets after the Two World Wars. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-4198-1.

External links edit

  Media related to SMS Friedrich der Große (ship, 1911) at Wikimedia Commons

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January 01, 1970
friedrich, grosse, 1911, this, article, about, dreadnought, battleship, other, ships, friedrich, grosse, friedrich, grosse, second, vessel, kaiser, class, dreadnought, battleships, german, imperial, navy, friedrich, grosse, keel, laid, january, 1910, vulcan, d. This article is about the dreadnought battleship For other ships see SMS Friedrich der Grosse SMS Friedrich der Grosse a was the second vessel of the Kaiser class of dreadnought battleships of the German Imperial Navy Friedrich der Grosse s b keel was laid on 26 January 1910 at the AG Vulcan dockyard in Hamburg her hull was launched on 10 June 1911 and she was commissioned into the fleet on 15 October 1912 The ship was equipped with ten 30 5 centimeter 12 in guns in five twin turrets and had a top speed of 23 4 knots 43 3 km h 26 9 mph Friedrich der Grosse was assigned to III Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet for the majority of World War I and served as fleet flagship from her commissioning until 1917 SMS Friedrich der Grosse SMS Friedrich der Grosse underwayHistory German Empire NameFriedrich der Grosse NamesakeKing Frederick II of Prussia BuilderAG Vulcan Hamburg Laid down26 January 1910 Launched10 June 1911 Commissioned15 October 1912 FateScuttled at Gutter Sound Scapa Flow 21 June 1919 NotesRaised and broken up for scrapping 1936 1937 General characteristics Class and typeKaiser class battleship DisplacementNormal 24 724 t 24 334 long tons Full load 27 000 t 27 000 long tons Length172 40 m 565 ft 7 in Beam29 m 95 ft 2 in Draft9 10 m 29 ft 10 in Installed power16 water tube boilers 27 617 ihp 20 594 kW Propulsion3 steam turbines 3 screw propellers Speed22 4 knots 41 5 km h 25 8 mph Range7 900 nmi 14 600 km 9 100 mi at 12 knots 22 km h 14 mph Crew41 officers 1 043 enlisted Armament10 30 5 cm 12 in guns 14 15 cm 5 9 in guns 12 8 8 cm 3 5 in guns 5 50 cm 19 7 in torpedo tubes ArmorBelt 350 mm 13 8 in Conning tower 400 mm 15 7 in Turrets 300 mm 11 8 in Along with her four sister ships Kaiser Kaiserin Konig Albert and Prinzregent Luitpold Friedrich der Grosse participated in all the major fleet operations of World War I including the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1 June 1916 Toward the center of the German line Friedrich der Grosse was not as heavily engaged as the leading German ships such as the battleships Konig and Grosser Kurfurst and the battlecruisers of I Scouting Group Friedrich der Grosse emerged from the battle completely unscathed In 1917 the new battleship Baden replaced Friedrich der Grosse as the fleet flagship After Germany s defeat in the war and the signing of the Armistice in November 1918 Friedrich der Grosse and most of the capital ships of the High Seas Fleet were interned by the British Royal Navy in Scapa Flow The ships were disarmed and reduced to skeleton crews while the Allied powers negotiated the final version of the Treaty of Versailles On 21 June 1919 days before the treaty was signed the commander of the interned fleet Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter ordered the fleet to be scuttled to ensure that the British would not be able to seize the ships Friedrich der Grosse was raised in 1936 and broken up for scrap metal Her bell was returned to Germany in 1965 and is now located at the Fleet Headquarters in Glucksburg Contents 1 Design 2 Service history 2 1 World War I 2 1 1 Battle of Jutland 2 1 2 Subsequent North Sea operations 2 1 3 Operation Albion 2 2 Fate 3 Footnotes 3 1 Notes 3 2 Citations 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksDesign editMain article Kaiser class battleship nbsp Plan and profile drawing of the Kaiser class the shaded areas represent the portions of the ship protected by armor Friedrich der Grosse was 172 40 m 565 ft 7 in long overall and displaced a maximum of 27 000 metric tons 26 570 long tons at full load The ship had a beam of 29 m 95 ft 2 in and a draft of 9 10 m 29 ft 10 in forward and 8 80 m 28 ft 10 in aft She was powered by three sets of AEG Curtis turbines supplied with steam by sixteen coal fired water tube boilers On trials the powerplant produced a top speed of 22 4 knots 41 5 km h 25 8 mph She carried 3 600 metric tons 3 500 long tons of coal which enabled a maximum range of 7 900 nautical miles 14 600 km 9 100 mi at a cruising speed of 12 knots 22 km h 14 mph 1 The ship was armed with a main battery of ten 30 5 cm SK L 50 guns in five twin turrets 1 c She disposed with the inefficient hexagonal turret arrangement of previous German battleships instead three of the five turrets were mounted on the centerline with two of them arranged in a superfiring pair aft The other two turrets were placed en echelon amidships such that both could fire on the broadside 3 The ship was also armed with a secondary battery of fourteen 15 cm 5 9 in SK L 45 guns in casemates amidships For close range defense against torpedo boats she carried eight 8 8 cm 3 5 in SK L 45 guns in casemates The ship was also armed with four 8 8 cm L 45 anti aircraft guns Her armament was rounded out by five 50 cm 19 7 in torpedo tubes all mounted in the ship s hull one was in the bow and the other four were on the broadside 1 Her main armored belt was 350 mm 13 8 in thick in the central citadel and was composed of Krupp cemented armor KCA Her main battery gun turrets were protected by 300 mm 11 8 in of KCA on the sides and faces Friedrich der Grosse s conning tower was heavily armored with 400 mm 15 7 in sides As with the other four ships in her class Friedrich der Grosse carried anti torpedo nets until after the Battle of Jutland in 1916 1 Service history editOrdered under the contract name Ersatz Heimdall as a replacement for the obsolete coastal defense ship Heimdall 4 d Friedrich der Grosse was laid down at the AG Vulcan dockyard in Hamburg on 26 January 1910 5 She was launched on 10 June 1911 after which AG Vulcan conducted builder s trials 6 At her launching ceremony Princess Alexandra Victoria performed the christening and Field Marshal Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz gave a speech 7 She was then transferred to Wilhelmshaven and commissioned into the fleet on 15 October 1912 Exercises in the Baltic Sea followed Friedrich der Grosse then went to Kiel for final fitting out work On 22 January 1913 the ship was finally ready for active service 6 After her commissioning in January 1913 Friedrich der Grosse conducted sea trials before becoming the fleet flagship on 2 March 6 replacing Deutschland 8 The ship participated in her first round of fleet maneuvers in February 1913 which were conducted in the Kattegat and the North Sea The next month saw another round of exercises from 12 to 14 March The ship went into dock for periodic maintenance in April and was ready for artillery training by the end of the month Extensive fleet maneuvers were conducted in the North Sea from 5 to 27 May Friedrich der Grosse as the Navy s newest battleship was sent to Kiel for Kiel Week in June 6 While there she was visited by the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III and his wife Elena 7 In mid July the fleet conducted its annual summer cruise to Norway which lasted until mid August During the cruise Friedrich der Grosse visited Balholmen Norway The autumn maneuvers followed after the fleet returned they lasted from 31 August to 9 September Unit drills and individual ship training were conducted in October and November 6 In early 1914 Friedrich der Grosse participated in additional ship and unit training The annual spring maneuvers were conducted in the North Sea at the end of March Further fleet exercises followed in April and May in the Baltic and North Seas The ship again went to Kiel Week that year Despite the rising international tensions following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June the High Seas Fleet began its summer cruise to Norway on 13 July During the last peacetime cruise of the Imperial Navy the fleet conducted drills off Skagen before proceeding to the Norwegian fjords on 25 July The following day the fleet began to steam back to Germany as a result of Austria Hungary s ultimatum to Serbia On the 27th the entire fleet assembled off Cape Skudenes before returning to port where they remained at a heightened state of readiness 6 War between Austria Hungary and Serbia broke out the following day and in the span of a week all of the major European powers had joined the conflict 9 World War I edit The High Seas Fleet including Friedrich der Grosse conducted a number of sweeps and advances into the North Sea The first occurred on 2 3 November 1914 though no British forces were encountered Admiral Friedrich von Ingenohl the commander of the High Seas Fleet adopted a strategy in which the battlecruisers of Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper s I Scouting Group raided British coastal towns to lure out portions of the Grand Fleet where they could be destroyed by the High Seas Fleet 10 The raid on Scarborough Hartlepool and Whitby on 15 16 December 1914 was the first such operation 11 On the evening of 15 December the German battle fleet of some twelve dreadnoughts including Friedrich der Grosse and her four sisters and eight pre dreadnoughts came to within 10 nmi 19 km 12 mi of an isolated squadron of six British battleships Skirmishes between the rival destroyer screens in the darkness convinced Ingenohl that he was faced with the entire Grand Fleet Under orders from Kaiser Wilhelm II to avoid risking the fleet unnecessarily Ingenohl broke off the engagement and turned the battle fleet back toward Germany 12 nbsp Friedrich der Grosse sometime before 1917 Following the loss of SMS Blucher at the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915 the Kaiser removed Ingenohl from his post on 2 February Admiral Hugo von Pohl replaced him as commander of the fleet 13 Pohl conducted a series of fleet advances in 1915 in which Friedrich der Grosse took part in the first one on 29 30 March the fleet steamed out to the north of Terschelling and return without incident Another followed on 17 18 April where Friedrich der Grosse and the rest of the fleet covered a mining operation by II Scouting Group Three days later on 21 22 April the High Seas Fleet advanced toward Dogger Bank though again failed to meet any British forces 14 II Scouting Group performed another minelaying operation on 17 18 May and Friedrich der Grosse and the rest of the fleet steamed out in support Less than two weeks later on 29 30 May the fleet attempted to conduct a sweep in the North Sea but inclement weather forced Pohl to cancel the operation some 50 nmi 93 km 58 mi off Schiermonnikoog The fleet remained in port until 10 August when it sortied to Helgoland to cover the return of the auxiliary cruiser Mowe A month later on 11 12 September the fleet covered another mine laying operation off the Swarte Bank The last operation of the year conducted on 23 24 October was an advance without result in the direction of Horns Reef 14 On 11 January 1916 Admiral Reinhard Scheer replaced Pohl who was suffering from liver cancer 15 A week later on the 18th Scheer hoisted his flag aboard Friedrich der Grosse 14 Scheer proposed a more aggressive policy designed to force a confrontation with the British Grand Fleet he received approval from the Kaiser in February 16 The first of Scheer s operations was conducted the following month on 5 7 March with an uneventful sweep of the Hoofden 17 On 25 26 March Scheer attempted to attack British forces that had raided Tondern but failed to locate them Another advance to Horns Reef followed on 21 22 April 14 On 24 April the battlecruisers of Hipper s I Scouting Group conducted a raid on the English coast Friedrich der Grosse and the rest of the fleet sailed in distant support The battlecruiser Seydlitz struck a mine while en route to the target and had to withdraw 18 The other battlecruisers bombarded the town of Lowestoft unopposed but during the approach to Yarmouth they encountered the British cruisers of the Harwich Force A short artillery duel ensued before the Harwich Force withdrew Reports of British submarines in the area prompted the retreat of I Scouting Group At this point Scheer who had been warned of the sortie of the Grand Fleet from its base in Scapa Flow also withdrew to safer German waters 19 Battle of Jutland edit Main article Battle of Jutland nbsp Maps showing the maneuvers of the British blue and German red fleets on 31 May 1 June 1916 Soon after the Lowestoft raid Scheer began planning another foray into the North Sea He had initially intended to launch the operation in mid May by which time the mine damage to Seydlitz was scheduled to be repaired Scheer was unwilling to embark on a major raid without his battlecruiser forces at full strength On 9 May several battleships developed problems with their engines which delayed the operation further to 23 May 20 By 22 May Seydlitz was still not fully repaired and the operation was again postponed to 29 May 21 At noon on 29 May the repairs to Seydlitz were finally completed and the ship returned to I Scouting Group 22 The plan called for Hipper s battlecruisers to steam north to the Skagerrak with the intention of luring out a portion of the British fleet so it could be destroyed by Scheer s waiting battleships 23 Friedrich der Grosse was the eighth ship in the German line the four Konig class ships of the V Division III Battle Squadron led the line followed by four Kaiser class ships in the VI Division III Battle Squadron Friedrich der Grosse was the last ship in her division directly astern of Prinzregent Luitpold and ahead of Ostfriesland the flagship of Vice Admiral Schmidt s I Division I Battle Squadron The eight Helgoland and Nassau class battleships constituted I Squadron which was followed by the six elderly pre dreadnoughts of Rear Admiral Franz Mauve s II Squadron 24 Hipper s five battlecruisers the scouting force for the fleet left the Jade estuary at 02 00 on 31 May Scheer and the High Seas Fleet followed an hour and a half later 22 Shortly before 16 00 the battlecruisers of I Scouting Group encountered the British 1st Battlecruiser Squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Sir David Beatty The opposing ships began an artillery duel that saw the destruction of Indefatigable shortly after 17 00 25 and Queen Mary less than half an hour later 26 By this time the German battlecruisers were steaming south to draw the British ships toward the main body of the High Seas Fleet At 17 30 Konig s crew spotted both I Scouting Group and the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron approaching The German battlecruisers were steaming to starboard while the British ships steamed to port At 17 45 Scheer ordered a two point turn to port to bring his ships closer to the British battlecruisers and the accompanying fast battleships of the 5th Battle Squadron a minute later he gave the order to open fire 27 e Friedrich der Grosse was still out of range of both the British battlecruisers and the 5th Battle Squadron and so held her fire initially Between 17 48 and 17 52 Friedrich der Grosse and ten other battleships engaged the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron though only Nassau managed to score a hit during this period 28 Shortly after the German battle line came across the disabled destroyers Nestor and Nomad Friedrich der Grosse and her three sisters targeted Nomad and quickly sank her Nestor was similarly dispatched by the I Squadron ships 29 Shortly after 19 00 a melee between the German line and British cruisers took place The center of the action was the damaged German cruiser Wiesbaden which had been disabled by a shell from the British battlecruiser Invincible Rear Admiral Behncke in Konig attempted to maneuver III Squadron to cover the stricken cruiser 30 Simultaneously the British 3rd and 4th Light Cruiser Squadrons began a torpedo attack on the German line while advancing to torpedo range they smothered Wiesbaden with fire from their main guns The eight III Squadron battleships fired on the British cruisers but even the sustained fire from the battleships main guns failed to drive off the British cruisers 31 The armored cruisers Defence Warrior and Black Prince joined in the attack on the crippled Wiesbaden 32 While most of the III Squadron battleships rained heavy fire upon the attacking armored cruisers Friedrich der Grosse and the I Squadron ships engaged the battleship Warspite at ranges from 9 600 to 12 500 yd 8 800 to 11 400 m until Warspite disappeared in the haze In this period Warspite was hit by 13 heavy shells though the ships that fired them are unknown 33 After successfully withdrawing from the British Scheer ordered the fleet to assume night cruising formation though communication errors between Scheer aboard Friedrich der Grosse and Westfalen the lead ship caused delays The series of reversals in course and confused maneuvers disorganized the fleet and inverted the sequence of ships but by 23 30 the fleet had reached its cruising formation Friedrich der Grosse was now the ninth ship in a line of twenty four headed by the eight I Squadron ships 34 Shortly after 01 00 the British cruiser Black Prince stumbled into the German line Searchlights aboard Thuringen illuminated the target Friedrich der Grosse Thuringen Nassau and Ostfriesland hammered the cruiser at point blank range with main and secondary guns In the span of a few minutes Black Prince exploded and sank taking her entire crew of 857 with her 35 After a series of night engagements between the I Squadron battleships and British destroyers the High Seas Fleet punched through the British light forces and reached Horns Reef by 04 00 on 1 June 36 The German fleet reached Wilhelmshaven a few hours later five of the I Squadron battleships took up defensive positions in the outer roadstead and Kaiser Kaiserin Prinzregent Luitpold and Kronprinz stood ready just outside the entrance to Wilhelmshaven 37 The rest of the fleet entered Wilhelmshaven where Friedrich der Grosse and the other ships still in fighting condition replenished their stocks of coal and ammunition 38 In the course of the battle Friedrich der Grosse had fired 72 main battery shells and 151 rounds from her secondary guns 39 She emerged from the battle completely undamaged 14 Subsequent North Sea operations edit On 18 August 1916 Friedrich der Grosse took part in an operation to bombard Sunderland 14 Admiral Scheer attempted a repeat of the original 31 May plan the two serviceable German battlecruisers Moltke and Von der Tann augmented by three faster dreadnoughts were to bombard the coastal town of Sunderland in an attempt to draw out and destroy Beatty s battlecruisers Scheer in Friedrich der Grosse would trail behind with the rest of the fleet and provide support 40 During the action of 19 August 1916 Scheer turned north after receiving a false report from a zeppelin about a British unit in the area 14 As a result the bombardment was not carried out and by 14 35 Scheer had been warned of the Grand Fleet s approach and so turned his forces around and retreated to German ports 41 Another fleet operation took place on 18 19 October though it ended without encountering any British units The fleet was reorganized on 1 December 14 the four Konig class battleships remained in III Squadron along with the newly commissioned Bayern while the five Kaiser class ships including Friedrich der Grosse were transferred to IV Squadron 42 In March 1917 the new battleship Baden built to serve as fleet flagship entered service 43 on the 17th Scheer hauled down his flag from Friedrich der Grosse and transferred it to Baden 14 On 4 5 July crewmen aboard Friedrich der Grosse staged a hunger strike in protest over the poor quality and insufficient quantity of the food they were given The ship s officers relented fed the crew a meal of groat soup and agreed to form a Menagekommission a council that gave the enlisted men a voice in their ration selection and preparation 44 Further insubordination on several vessels followed on 11 July and the ringleaders were arrested and put on trial Max Reichpietsch a stoker from Friedrich der Grosse was sentenced to death and executed by firing squad on 5 September in Cologne 45 46 Operation Albion edit Main article Operation Albion nbsp German troops landing at Osel In early September 1917 following the German conquest of the Russian port of Riga the German navy decided to eliminate the Russian naval forces that still held the Gulf of Riga The Admiralstab Navy High Command planned an operation to seize the Baltic island of Osel and specifically the Russian gun batteries on the Sworbe Peninsula 47 The Admiralstab issued orders on 18 September for a joint operation with the army to capture Osel and Moon Islands the primary naval component was to comprise the flagship Moltke and III and IV Battle Squadrons of the High Seas Fleet Along with nine light cruisers three torpedo boat flotillas and dozens of mine warfare ships the entire force numbered some 300 ships supported by over 100 aircraft and six zeppelins The invasion force amounted to approximately 24 600 officers and enlisted men 48 Opposing the Germans were the old Russian pre dreadnoughts Slava and Tsesarevich the armored cruisers Bayan Admiral Makarov and Diana 26 destroyers and several torpedo boats and gunboats The garrison on Osel numbered some 14 000 men 49 The operation began on the morning of 12 October when Moltke and the III Squadron ships engaged Russian positions in Tagga Bay while Friedrich der Grosse and the rest of IV Squadron shelled Russian gun batteries on the Sworbe Peninsula on Osel 49 The coastal artillery in both locations were quickly silenced by the battleships heavy guns 50 On the morning of the 14th Friedrich der Grosse Kaiserin and Konig Albert were detached to support German troops advancing toward Ansekull 51 The three ships fired on the battery at Zerel for an hour which prompted most of the Russian gun crews to flee their posts 52 By 20 October the fighting on the islands was winding down Moon Osel and Dago were in German possession The previous day the Admiralstab had ordered the cessation of naval actions and the return of the dreadnoughts to the High Seas Fleet as soon as possible 53 On 27 October Friedrich der Grosse was detached from the Baltic and returned to the North Sea Upon her return she resumed guard duties The ship participated in the fruitless advance to Norway on 23 25 April 1918 Afterward she went into drydock for extensive maintenance which lasted from 26 July to 28 September 45 Fate edit nbsp Friedrich der Grosse steaming to Scapa Flow for internment nbsp Map of the scuttled ships showing Friedrich der Grosse 2 click for a larger view Main article Scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow Friedrich der Grosse and her four sisters were to have taken part in a final fleet action at the end of October 1918 days before the Armistice was to take effect The bulk of the High Seas Fleet was to have sortied from their base in Wilhelmshaven to engage the British Grand Fleet Scheer by now the Grossadmiral Grand Admiral of the fleet intended to inflict as much damage as possible on the British navy to ensure a better bargaining position for Germany despite the expected casualties However many of the war weary sailors felt the operation would disrupt the peace process and prolong the war 54 On the morning of 29 October 1918 the order was given to sail from Wilhelmshaven the following day Starting on the night of 29 October sailors on Thuringen and then on several other battleships mutinied 55 On the 30th crewmen aboard Friedrich der Grosse engaged in forms of passive resistance including a go slow while replenishing the ship s coal stock 45 f The unrest ultimately forced Hipper and Scheer to cancel the operation 56 Informed of the situation the Kaiser stated I no longer have a navy 57 Following the capitulation of Germany in November 1918 most of the High Seas Fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter were interned in the British naval base in Scapa Flow 56 Prior to the departure of the German fleet Admiral Adolf von Trotha made clear to Reuter that he could not allow the Allies to seize the ships under any conditions 58 The fleet rendezvoused with the British light cruiser Cardiff which led the ships to the Allied fleet that was to escort the Germans to Scapa Flow The massive flotilla consisted of some 370 British American and French warships 59 Once the ships were interned their guns were disabled through the removal of their breech blocks and their crews were reduced to 200 officers and enlisted men 60 The fleet remained in captivity during the negotiations that ultimately produced the Treaty of Versailles Reuter believed that the British intended to seize the German ships on 21 June 1919 which was the deadline for Germany to sign the peace treaty Unaware that the deadline had been extended to the 23rd Reuter ordered the ships to be sunk at the next opportunity On the morning of 21 June the British fleet left Scapa Flow to conduct training maneuvers and at 11 20 Reuter transmitted the order to his ships 58 Friedrich der Grosse capsized and sank at 12 16 In 1936 the ship was raised and broken up for scrap the work was completed by 29 April 1937 On 30 August 1965 1 Britain returned the ship s bell to Germany via the frigate Scheer 61 it now resides at the Fleet Headquarters of the German Navy in Glucksburg 1 Footnotes editNotes edit SMS stands for Seiner Majestat Schiff German His Majesty s Ship Or Grosse in German with a sharp S see ss In Imperial German Navy gun nomenclature SK Schnelladekanone denotes that the gun is quick loading while the L 50 denotes the length of the gun In this case the L 50 gun is 50 calibers meaning that the gun is 45 times as long as it is in bore diameter 2 German warships were ordered under provisional names For new additions to the fleet they were given a single letter for those ships intended to replace older or lost vessels they were ordered as Ersatz name of the ship to be replaced The compass can be divided into 32 points each corresponding to 11 25 degrees A two point turn to port would alter the ships course by 22 5 degrees The crewmen intentionally worked slowly as a form of passive resistance Citations edit a b c d e f Groner p 26 Griessmer p 177 Staff Battleships p 4 Staff Battleships p 6 Campbell amp Sieche p 147 a b c d e f Staff Battleships p 14 a b Koop amp Schmolke p 86 Groner p 22 Heyman p xix Herwig pp 149 150 Tarrant p 31 Tarrant pp 31 33 Tarrant pp 43 44 a b c d e f g h i Staff Battleships p 15 Tarrant p 49 Tarrant p 50 Staff Battleships pp 32 35 Tarrant p 53 Tarrant p 54 Tarrant pp 55 56 Tarrant p 58 a b Tarrant p 62 Tarrant p 61 Tarrant p 286 Tarrant pp 94 95 Tarrant pp 100 101 Tarrant p 110 Campbell p 54 Campbell p 101 Tarrant p 137 Tarrant p 138 Tarrant p 139 Campbell p 154 Campbell p 275 Campbell p 290 Tarrant pp 246 247 Campbell p 320 Tarrant p 263 Tarrant p 292 Massie p 682 Massie p 683 Halpern p 214 Staff Battleships p 43 Herwig pp 231 232 a b c Staff Battleships p 16 Woodward p 77 Halpern p 213 Halpern pp 214 215 a b Halpern p 215 Barrett p 125 Barrett p 146 Staff Battle for the Baltic Islands pp 71 72 Halpern p 219 Tarrant pp 280 282 Tarrant pp 281 282 a b Tarrant p 282 Herwig p 252 a b Herwig p 256 Herwig pp 254 255 Herwig p 255 Koop amp Schmolke p 89 References editBarrett Michael B 2008 Operation Albion Bloomington Indiana University Press ISBN 978 0 253 34969 9 Campbell John 1998 Jutland An Analysis of the Fighting London Conway Maritime Press ISBN 978 1 55821 759 1 Campbell N J M amp Sieche Erwin 1986 Germany In Gardiner Robert amp Gray Randal eds Conway s All the World s Fighting Ships 1906 1921 London Conway Maritime Press pp 134 189 ISBN 978 0 85177 245 5 Griessmer Axel 1999 Die Linienschiffe der Kaiserlichen Marine 1906 1918 Konstruktionen zwischen Rustungskonkurrenz und Flottengesetz The Battleships of the Imperial Navy 1906 1918 Constructions between Arms Competition and Fleet Laws in German Bonn Bernard amp Graefe Verlag ISBN 978 3 7637 5985 9 Groner Erich Jung Dieter Martin Maass 1990 German Warships 1815 1945 Vol I Major Surface Vessels Annapolis Naval Institute Press ISBN 978 0 87021 790 6 Halpern Paul G 1995 A Naval History of World War I Annapolis Naval Institute Press ISBN 978 1 55750 352 7 Herwig Holger 1998 1980 Luxury Fleet The Imperial German Navy 1888 1918 Amherst Humanity Books ISBN 978 1 57392 286 9 Heyman Neil M 1997 World War I Westport Greenwood Publishing Group ISBN 978 0 313 29880 6 Koop Gerhard amp Schmolke Klaus Peter 1999 Von der Nassau zur Konig Klasse in German Bonn Bernard amp Graefe Verlag ISBN 978 3 7637 5994 1 Massie Robert K 2003 Castles of Steel Britain Germany and the Winning of the Great War at Sea New York Ballantine Books ISBN 978 0 345 40878 5 OCLC 57134223 Staff Gary 2010 German Battleships 1914 1918 Vol 2 Kaiser Konig And Bayern Classes Oxford Osprey Books ISBN 978 1 84603 468 8 Staff Gary 2008 1995 Battle for the Baltic Islands 1917 Triumph of the Imperial German Navy Barnsley Pen amp Sword Maritime ISBN 978 1 84415 787 7 Tarrant V E 2001 1995 Jutland The German Perspective London Cassell Military Paperbacks ISBN 978 0 304 35848 9 Woodward David 1973 The Collapse of Power Mutiny in the High Seas Fleet London Arthur Barker Ltd ISBN 978 0 213 16431 7 Further reading editDodson Aidan Cant Serena 2020 Spoils of War The Fate of Enemy Fleets after the Two World Wars Barnsley Seaforth Publishing ISBN 978 1 5267 4198 1 External links edit nbsp Media related to SMS Friedrich der Grosse ship 1911 at Wikimedia Commons DreadnoughtProject org eight high resolution dockyard drawings Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title SMS Friedrich der Grosse 1911 amp oldid 1202303066, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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