SMS Kaiserin Augusta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 SMS Kaiserin Augusta in 1893 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Preceded by | Irene class |
| Succeeded by | Victoria Louise class |
| History | |
 German Empire | |
| Name | Kaiserin Augusta |
| Namesake | Empress Augusta |
| Builder | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Laid down | 1890 |
| Launched | 15 January 1892 |
| Commissioned | 17 November 1892 |
| Stricken | 1 October 1919 |
| Fate | Scrapped 1920 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Protected cruiser |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 123.2 m (404 ft) oa |
| Beam | 15.6 m (51 ft) |
| Draft | 6.48 m (21.3 ft) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 21 knots (38.9 km/h) |
| Range | 3,240 nmi (6,000 km; 3,730 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
| Armor |
|
SMS Kaiserin Augusta was a unique protected cruiser, built for the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) in the early 1890s. Named for Empress Augusta, who died in January 1890, she was laid down in 1890, launched in January 1892, and completed in November of that year. Owing to budgetary restrictions, Kaiserin Augusta was designed to fill both fleet scout and colonial cruiser roles. The ship was initially armed with a main battery of four 15 cm (5.9 in) and eight 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns, which by 1896 was replaced with twelve new model 15 cm guns. She was the first ship in the German Navy to feature a three-shaft propeller arrangement.
Kaiserin Augusta served abroad between 1897 and 1902, primarily in the East Asia Squadron under the command of Admiral Otto von Diederichs. During this time, the ship's crew assisted in the suppression of the Boxer Uprising in 1900. In 1902, she returned to Germany for an extensive overhaul that lasted until 1907, after which she went into reserve. Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Kaiserin Augusta was mobilized to serve as a gunnery training ship. She served in this role throughout the war; the ship was ultimately sold for scrapping in October 1919 and broken up the following year.
Design work on Kaiserin Augusta began in 1887 and was completed in 1889. At the time, the Chief of the Kaiserliche Admiralität (Imperial Admiralty), General Leo von Caprivi, favored a fleet of cruisers to defend German maritime interests. Caprivi, who was supported by then-prince Wilhelm, believed that such vessels should, first and foremost, have powerful engines capable of propelling them at great speed. Guns of medium caliber and light armor protection were necessary to make the ships effective combat vessels, and an impressive appearance would enhance the ability of the vessels to "show the flag". New cruisers would be needed to scout for the main battle fleet and to patrol Germany's growing colonial empire. Unlike the British Royal Navy, which had the funding and resources to build specialized scouts and overseas cruisers, budgetary restrictions forced the German Navy to design ships that could fulfill both roles.[1][2]
Up to the mid-1880s, German cruising vessels were primarily intended for overseas service or training duties; the Bismarck and Carola classes of screw corvettes had little fighting value, and the corvettes Nixe and Charlotte were purely training vessels. In 1886, the two Irene-class protected cruisers were laid down; these were the first modern cruisers of the German fleet.[3] Senior naval officers debated the type of cruiser that should be built next. Vizeadmiral (VAdm—Vice Admiral) Alexander von Monts and VAdm Wilhelm von Wickede, the Chiefs of the Marinestation der Nordsee (North Sea Naval Station) and the Marinestation der Ostsee (Baltic Sea Naval Station), respectively, favored building a pure fleet scout for the next large cruiser. Caprivi, supported by the Admiralty Council, supported the idea of building a cruiser that placed more of an emphasis on overseas cruising, which would have been a repeat of the Irene class,[4] albeit with less armor protection. Caprivi was of the belief that German cruisers should only be used for commerce raiding, and had no need for armor protection.[5]
For the 1889 fiscal year, approved in early 1888, the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) approved the construction of a new cruiser, under the designation "H". Work on the design had already begun in May 1887. Kapitän zur See (KzS—Captain at Sea) Friedrich von Hollmann argued that the new cruiser (of which he believed should be the first of four such vessels) should be capable of not only commerce destruction, but also battle with enemy cruisers and engaging with coastal defenses on foreign stations. Caprivi's faction prevailed initially, but Caprivi resigned in July 1888 following the ascension of the now-Kaiser Wilhelm II. Caprivi and Wilhelm had starkly different views about how the fleet should be oriented, and Caprivi tendered his resignation; Monts replaced him as the admiralty chief. He immediately stopped design work on the vessel and instructed the design staff to prepare a new vessel that could be an effective reconnaissance ship for the main fleet.[4][6]
Design
Wilhelm II overruled Caprivi's decision on omitting armor protection, instructing that an armor deck must be incorporated into the new ship.[7] Chief Constructor Alfred Dietrich carried out work on the new design.[1] The top speed of the new cruiser, 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph), required an elongated hull compared to the Irenes, since the longer, finer hull had improved hydrodynamic efficiency. In this effort, Dietrich was limited by the size of existing dry docks and other port infrastructure. Higher speed came at the cost of reduced maneuverability, which would hamper the ship's ability to fight in a fleet action. Further changes were incorporated, including strengthening the armament, which further delayed the commencement of work on the ship.[8]
Dietrich continued to work on the revised design through late 1888, one of the chief difficulties being the necessary improvements to the propulsion system to retain the desired top speed. The larger, heavier ship would require around 50% more horsepower compared to Irene's propulsion system. The armor deck complicated arrangement of the engines, since mounting vertical engines of the required power needed to reach 20 knots on two shafts would have necessitated a heavy glacis to extend the armor deck over the engine rooms. As a result, Dietrich was forced to adopt a three-shaft arrangement, so that the necessary power output could be divided between three smaller engines; the result was the first major warship in the world to use three screws. At the same time, the French had also decided on the arrangement for the armored cruiser Dupuy de Lôme, but Kaiserin Augusta would be completed first.[9] While it solved the propulsion system arrangement problem, the three-shaft system also improved the handling characteristics of the ship.[1] The arrangement proved to be successful and was repeated with the Kaiser Friedrich III-class battleships.[3]
The armament was also an issue to be solved while the design was refined. The naval command initially rejected the 15 cm (5.9 in) RK L/30 gun, which was incapable of penetrating deck armor. Since quick-firing guns had been developed up to 10.5 cm (4.1 in) caliber, the design staff initially opted to standardize on a battery of twelve 10.5 cm SK L/35 guns, on the basis that the much-faster-firing guns could smother a target and destroy unarmored sections of the enemy ship. But as the new ship was enlarged, the designers reverted to the larger, but slower 15 cm guns, despite their disadvantages. By 1891, the new 15 cm SK L/35 gun had been developed, and Dietrich modified the design for Kaiserin Augusta—construction of which had already begun—to incorporate the much-improved weapon. These guns had not been produced in sufficient numbers to equip Kaiserin Augusta by the time she was completed, and so she was armed with a mixture of the old 15 cm and 10.5 cm guns.[10]
Kaiserin Augusta was in essence an enlarged version of the aviso Greif, with increased speed, a more powerful main battery, and heavier armor.[3]
General characteristics and machinery
Kaiserin Augusta was 122.2 meters (400 ft 11 in) long at the waterline and 123.2 m (404 ft 2 in) overall. She had a beam of 15.6 m (51 ft 2 in) and a draft of 6.48 m (21 ft 3 in) forward and 7.4 m (24 ft 3 in) aft. She was designed to displace 6,056 metric tons (5,960 long tons), and at full combat load the displacement increased to 6,318 t (6,218 long tons). Her hull was constructed with transverse and longitudinal steel frames; the outer wall consisted of a single layer of timber planks covered with Muntz metal sheathing to protect the wood from fouling. The hull contained ten watertight compartments and a double bottom that ran for 55 percent of the length of the vessel. The ship's superstructure was fairly minimal, consisting of a small conning tower with a bridge erected atop it. Kaiserin Augusta was nearly flush decked; the upper deck terminated shortly before the stern, where it stepped down to a quarterdeck. She was fitted with two pole masts equipped with fighting tops.[11][12]
Kaiserin Augusta's crew consisted of 13 officers and 417 enlisted men. She carried several smaller boats, including two picket boats, one launch, one pinnace, two cutters, two yawls, and two dinghies. The ship suffered from severe pitch and roll, though these effects were reduced in heavy winds and a beam sea. The forecastle shipped excessive amounts of water in a head sea. The ship maneuvered poorly, though this was improved at high speed. The transverse metacentric height was 0.78 m (2 ft 7 in).[11] The ship vibrated excessively at high speeds, earning her the nickname "cocktail shaker"; this was most likely the result of placing the propeller shafts too close to the hull.[9]
The ship was powered by three 3-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines built by AG Germania; each drove a screw that was 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) in diameter. Each engine had its own separate engine room; the central engine was arranged vertically, but the outboard engines were placed horizontally to keep the armor deck as low as possible. The engines were supplied with steam by eight cylindrical double fire-tube boilers split into three boiler rooms. The boilers were ducted into three funnels. Kaiserin Augusta was equipped with four electrical generators providing 48 kilowatts at 67 volts. Steering was controlled by a single rudder.[11][13]
The engines were rated at 12,000 metric horsepower (11,840 ihp) and a top speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph), though on trials they reached a half knot better at 14,015 PS (13,823 ihp) during a 6-hour test. Figures for her 1-hour forced draft test are missing from the navy's surviving records, but non-official contemporary sources credit Kaiserin Augusta with speeds of up to 22.5 knots (41.7 km/h; 25.9 mph).[11][13] The recorded speed of 21.5 knots rendered her one of the fastest cruisers in the world at the time,[14] and she was the fastest ship in the German fleet at the time of her completion.[4] Coal storage amounted to 700 t (690 long tons; 770 short tons), and at a cruising speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), the ship could steam for 3,240 nautical miles (6,000 km; 3,730 mi). Another 110 t (110 long tons; 120 short tons) could be carried elsewhere without negatively affecting stability, which would extend her cruising radius.[15]
Armament
As built, Kaiserin Augusta was initially armed with a main battery of four 15 cm K L/30 guns with a total of 292 rounds of ammunition. This was supported by a secondary battery of eight 10.5 cm SK L/35 guns with 777 rounds of ammunition. She also carried eight 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 guns with 1,361 rounds of ammunition and four machine guns. The medium-caliber 15 cm and 10.5 cm guns were mounted in sponsoned casemates in the main deck of the ship. The ship was also equipped with five 35 cm (13.8 in) torpedo tubes with thirteen torpedoes; four were placed in swivel mounts on the broadside and one was placed in the bow, below the waterline. In 1893–1895, during a refit to correct defects in her construction, her armament was updated; the old 15 cm and 10.5 cm guns were replaced with twelve 15 cm SK L/35 guns that had a maximum range of 12,600 m (41,300 ft). The guns were supplied with a total of 1,064 shells; like the previous battery, these guns were placed in casemates in the hull. After 1907, the swivel-mounted torpedo tubes were removed, leaving only the tube in the bow with three torpedoes.[11]
Armor
The ship's armor consisted primarily of a curved armor deck of Krupp steel, which sloped downward at the sides to meet the hull 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) below the waterline. The flat portion 50 mm (2 in) thick on the flat portion. The deck increased in thickness to 75 mm (3 in) on the sides where they covered the propulsion machinery spaces, but the sides were reduced to 50 mm further forward and aft. At the bow, the deck armor extended down to reinforce the bow so that it could be used for ramming attacks. The conning tower had 50 mm thick sides and a 20 mm (0.79 in) thick roof. Below the conning tower, a communication tube that received 100 mm (3.9 in) of steel armor protected the steering gear leads and the voice tubes that relayed commands from the bridge. The 8.8 cm guns were fitted with 12 mm (0.47 in) gun shields.[11][16]
