[4] After being rebuilt in 1888–1890, her armament was increased by six and later ten 8.8 cm (3.5 in) L/30 quick-firing guns, a pair of machine guns, and five 35 cm (14 in) torpedo tubes, all placed in the ship's hull below the waterline. In September and October 1917, the ship took part in the conquest of the Baltic islands Saaremaa, Hiiumaa and Muhu and remained until the end of the war in the Baltic Sea. Most of the designs had a proposed top speed in excess of 30 knots (56 km/h). [19] The turrets allowed 40 degrees of elevation and had a maximum range of 23,000 m (25,000 yd). Especially the often mentioned Großdeutschland (= "Greater Germany") is highly unlikely, as Hitler always feared the loss of a vessel with name of Germany (compare the renaming of Deutschland to Lützow). [2], After her commissioning in November 1877, Friedrich der Grosse served with the fleet. These guns fired 7.04 kg (15.5 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 590 mps (1,936 fps). [36] William Garzke and Robert Dulin state that all three designs featured hybrid diesel/steam turbine plants, each supplying 266,000 shp (198,000 kW) for top speeds of 31.9 kn (59.1 km/h; 36.7 mph), 30.9 kn (57.2 km/h; 35.6 mph), and 29.8 kn (55.2 km/h; 34.3 mph) for H-42, H-43, and H-44, respectively. [37] The Schiffsneubaukommission (New Ships Construction Commission),[36] intended to liaise with Speer and the OKM, was created and placed under the direction of Admiral Karl Topp. Deck: 60-100 mm [15] Friedrich der Grosse again saw service in II Division in the winter of 1891–1892 and the 1892 maneuvers, under the command of Konteradmiral Hans von Koester. If you have a related Youtube channel, enter the URL. For the first time, the new nickel steel was also used in parts of the armor. The initial redesign called for an increase of only 5,000 long tons (5,100 t), 40 percent of which was additional deck armor, the remainder being used for a larger-caliber main battery. [20] The side belt, which consisted of Krupp cemented steel armor (KCA), was 300 mm (11.8 in) thick in the central section that covered the ammunition magazines and machinery spaces. [8] However, German naval constructors were not satisfied with the torpedo side-protection system, and a series of design changes were approved by Admiral Raeder on 15 November 1941; these included increasing the side-protection system depth from 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in) to 6.65 m (21 ft 10 in), increasing beam to 40.5 m (132 ft 10 in), and greater hull depth and freeboard at full load. The other four vessels were fitted with short military masts for both masts. With the ship fully loaded, at 62,600 long tons (63,600 t), draft rose significantly, to 11.2 m (36 ft 9 in). Friedrich der Grosse ' s keel was laid on 26 January 1910 at the AG Vulcan dockyard in Hamburg, her hull was launched on 10 June 1911, and she … At standard displacement, which was 52,600 long tons (53,400 t), the draft was slightly under the design value, at 9.6 m (31 ft 6 in). The upper strake was 203 mm (8 in) thick; the lower strake ranged in thickness from 102 to 229 mm (4 to 9 in). [27], In early July 1940, Hitler ordered the navy to examine new battleship designs and how wartime experience might be incorporated. In addition, the navy was facing severe crew shortages and decided that older vessels of limited combat use like the Kaiser Friedrich III class could not be maintained in service. [8] The loss of Bismarck in May 1941 also influenced the design; two large skegs were added to the outboard shafts to protect them and increase support for the stern while in drydock. [6], In the aftermath of the loss of Grosser Kurfürst, the Navy canceled the summer 1878 maneuvers. The main armored deck was 65 mm (2.6 in) thick,[6] but the thickness was increased to 75 mm (3 in) aft of the rear main battery barbette, where the stern was not protected by the belt. [16], The conning tower was protected by armored sides that were 250 mm thick and a roof that was 30 mm (1.2 in) thick. The displacement for H-44 was 131,000 t (129,000 long tons; 144,000 short tons) as designed and up to 139,272 long tons (141,507 t) at full load. A 25 percent cut in range was required, which was deemed unacceptable by the OKM. [12][c], Twelve 15 cm (5.9 in) L/55 C28 guns mounted in six twin turrets comprised the ships' secondary battery. The squadron escorted Wilhelm II's imperial yacht to the Mediterranean; the voyage included state visits to Italy and the Ottoman Empire. At 12:16 pm, Friedrich der Große sank as one of the first ships. [18] The 3.7 cm guns were closely grouped amidships and had a single, common ammunition hoist. She was the second of three Preussen-class ironclads, in addition to her two sister-ships Preussen and Grosser Kurfürst. According to the historian Aidan Dodson, the arrangement was "perhaps the best of the period. [5], The Kaiser Friedrich III-class ships were 120.9 meters (396 ft 8 in) long at the waterline and 125.3 m (411 ft 1 in) overall. SMS Friedrich der Grosse [a] (or Große [b]) was an ironclad turret ship built for the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy). It was necessary to maintain the full-load draft of 11.5 m of the H-39 design for operations in the relatively shallow North Sea. De andere vier slagschepen uit de Kaiser-klasse werden eveneens geborgen en tussen 1929 en 1937 verschroot in Rosyth.