Everything about Wittelsbach Class Battleship totally explained
The
Wittelsbach class battleships were a class of pre-
World War I German battleship of the
Kaiserliche Marine. They were the first battleships produced under the
Navy Law of 1898, with the patronage of Grand Admiral
Alfred von Tirpitz.
There were five ships of the
Wittelsbach class; the
lead ship,
Wettin,
Zähringen,
Schwaben, and
Mecklenburg. The class was laid down between 1899 and 1900, and finished by 1904.
The ships of the
Wittelsbach class were similar in appearance to their predecessors of the
Kaiser Friedrich III class, however, they'd a flush main deck, as opposed to the lower quarter deck of the
Kaiser Friedrich class, and had a more extensive armor belt.
Design
Dimensions and machinery
The ships of the
Wittlesbach class were 410 ft 9
in (125 m) at the waterline and 416 ft (127 m) overall. The ships had a beam of 74 ft 9 in (22.8 m) and a draught of 26 ft (8 m), and displaced 12,798 tons fully loaded. The ships were powered by 3 shaft triple expansion engines that produced 15,000
ihp and a top speed of .
Armament
The ships' armament differed slightly from the preceding
Kaiser Friedrich III class, in the elimination of the twelve 1 pounder guns in favor of three more 5.9 inch (150mm) guns, as well as the removal of one torpedo tube.
The main battery consisted of four guns in twin turrets, one fore and one aft of the superstructure. The secondary battery was comprised of 18 5.9 inch (150mm) guns and 12 3.4 inch (88mm) guns, all singly mounted in turrets or casemates along the length of the ship. The ships also carried five 17.7 inch (450mm) torpedo tubes.
Service history
During
World War I, the ships served in the IV Battle Squadron, assigned to the
Baltic Sea. By 1917, all of the ships were relegated to auxiliary duties. The
Wittelsbach was decommissioned after having run aground in 1915,
Wettin became a barracks ship in Kiel,
Zahringen was used for torpedo training,
Schwaben became a depot ship for minesweepers, and
Mecklenburg became a prison ship.
All ships of the
Wittelsbach class, with the exception of
Zahringen, were sold for scrap between 1920 and 1921.
Zahringen continued in German Navy service as a target ship until 1944, when she was sunk in
Gotenhafen by an air raid. She was refloated and scuttled in the harbor entrance as a block ship, ultimately being raised and scrapped in 1950.
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