SMS Comet (1892)
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 Comet in port, date unknown | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | SMS Comet |
| Builder | AG Vulcan |
| Laid down | November 1891 |
| Launched | 15 November 1892 |
| Commissioned | 29 April 1893 |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1921 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Meteor-class aviso |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 79.86 m (262 ft 0 in) o/a |
| Beam | 9.56 m (31 ft 4 in) |
| Draft | 3.68 m (12 ft 1 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph) |
| Range | 960 nmi (1,780 km; 1,100 mi) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph) |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
| Armor |
|
SMS Comet was an aviso of the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) built in the early 1890s, second and final member of the Meteor class that include one other vessel, Meteor. Intended to screen the main fleet against attacking torpedo boats, Comet was armed with a battery of four 8.8 cm (3.5 in) guns. Her design suffered from several defects, including excessive vibration and poor handling in heavy seas, both of which could not be corrected. These problems limited the ship's career to several periods of sea trials as the navy attempted to remedy the problems that plagued the ship. They had no success, and Comet was instead decommissioned in mid-1896 and was later converted into a storage hulk for naval mines. She was ultimately broken up in 1921.
With previous avisos built for the German fleet, the designers had attempted to build vessels that could serve as scouts for the main fleet as well as defend it against hostile torpedo boats that threatened the larger ironclad warships. The naval command decided in 1888 that the next class of avisos—the Meteor design—should focus solely on anti-torpedo boat duties. Smaller and faster than the preceding Wacht-class avisos, the Meteors were also badly unstable and poor sea boats, and they suffered from severe vibration at high speed. These defects could not be remedied, and as a result, they had short careers.[1][2][3]
Comet was 79.86 meters (262.0 ft) long overall and had a beam of 9.58 m (31.4 ft) and a maximum draft of 3.68 m (12.1 ft) forward. She displaced 992 metric tons (976 long tons) as designed and up to 1,117 t (1,099 long tons) at full combat load. Her propulsion system consisted of two vertical 3-cylinder triple expansion engines. Steam for the engines was provided by four coal-fired locomotive boilers. The ship's propulsion system was rated for 5,000 metric horsepower (4,900 ihp) and provided a top speed of 19.5 kn (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph) and a range of approximately 960 nautical miles (1,780 km; 1,100 mi) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph). Comet had a crew of 7 officers and 108 enlisted men.[2]
As built, the ship was armed with four 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 guns placed in single pivot mounts, two side-by-side forward, and two side-by-side aft. The guns were supplied with between 462 and 680 rounds of ammunition. Comet also carried three 35 cm (13.8 in) torpedo tubes, one mounted submerged in the bow and the other two in deck-mounted launchers on the broadside. She was protected with a 15 mm (0.59 in) thick deck, along with 30 mm (1.2 in) of steel armor plating for the conning tower.[2]