SMS Wacht

Wacht in 1899
History
German Empire
Name: SMS Wacht
Builder: AG Weser
Laid down: 1886
Launched: 27 August 1887
Commissioned: 9 August 1888
Fate: Sunk, 4 September 1901
General characteristics
Class and type: Wacht-class aviso
Displacement: 1,499 metric tons (1,475 long tons; 1,652 short tons)
Length: 85.8 m (281 ft 6 in) o/a
Beam: 9.66 m (31 ft 8 in)
Draft: 3.74 m (12 ft 3 in)
Propulsion: 2 × 3-cylinder double expansion engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Range: 2,440 nmi (4,520 km; 2,810 mi) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph)
Complement:
  • 7 officers
  • 134 enlisted men
Armament:
  • 3 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) K L/35 guns
  • 3 × 35 cm (14 in) torpedo tubes
Armor:

SMS Wacht was an aviso of the Imperial German Navy, the lead ship of her class. She had one sister ship, Jagd. Wacht was built by the AG Weser shipyard; she was laid down in 1886, launched in August 1887, and commissioned in August 1888. She served in the active fleet through the 1890s and participated in numerous training exercises. Her career was cut short on 4 September 1901, when she collided with the old ironclad SMS Sachsen. The latter's ram bow holed Wacht under the waterline and caused her to rapidly sink. Her crew was safely rescued, however, and there were no casualties.

Design

Main article: Wacht-class aviso

Wacht was 85.5 meters (281 ft) long overall and had a beam of 9.66 m (31.7 ft) and a maximum draft of 3.74 m (12.3 ft) forward. She displaced 1,499 metric tons (1,475 long tons; 1,652 short tons) at full combat load. Her propulsion system consisted of two angled 3-cylinder triple expansion engines. Steam for the engines was provided by four coal-fired locomotive boilers. The ship's propulsion system provided a top speed of 19 kn (35 km/h; 22 mph) and a range of approximately 2,860 nautical miles (5,300 km; 3,290 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph).[1] Wacht had a crew of 7 officers and 134 enlisted men.[2]

As built, the ship was armed with three 10.5 cm (4.1 in) K L/35 guns placed in single pivot mounts. The guns were supplied with a total of 180 rounds of ammunition. Wacht also carried three 35 cm (14 in) torpedo tubes, one mounted submerged in the bow and the other two in deck-mounted launchers on the broadside. In 1891, four 8.8 cm SK L/30 guns in single mounts were added. The ship was the first German aviso to carry armor: a 10 mm (0.39 in) thick deck, along with 25 mm (0.98 in) of armor plating for the conning tower.[3]

Service history

Wacht in 1888

Wacht was laid down in 1886 at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen. She was launched on 27 August 1887 and commissioned into the German fleet on 9 August 1888.[4] In 1889, Franz von Hipper served aboard the ship as her watch officer.[5] In early 1889, Wacht was assigned to the Maneuver Squadron, which at the time consisted of the old ironclads Baden, Bayern, and Oldenburg and the protected cruiser Irene. The Squadron was commanded by Prince Heinrich. In May, the Maneuver Squadron conducted mock combat exercises with the Training Squadron in the Baltic Sea.[6]

In late 1889, Wacht joined a squadron of four old ironclads—Kaiser, Deutschland, Friedrich der Grosse, and Preussen—that cruised the Mediterranean Sea along with Kaiser Wilhelm II's yacht Hohenzollern and the protected cruiser Irene, which carried Prince Heinrich. The squadron visited numerous ports in the Mediterranean, including state visits to Italy and the Ottoman Empire. Wilhelm II also stopped in Greece, where he attended the wedding of his sister Sophie to the Greek crown prince Constantine. The squadron remained in the Mediterranean until April 1890, when it returned to Germany.[7] Wacht, meanwhile, was forced to remain in Trieste for six months due to a serious problem with her boiler tubes, which required lengthy repairs.[8] The ship led the torpedo boat flotilla in the Maneuver Squadron in 1893.[9] In early 1894, Wacht was assigned to the II Division of the Maneuver Squadron as the divisional dispatch vessel. The division was commanded by Rear Admiral Otto von Diederichs.[10] During the 1896 annual maneuvers, Wacht was assigned to the I Division.[11]

On 4 September 1901, Wacht collided with the ironclad Sachsen while on extensive training maneuvers with the rest of the fleet. Wacht was sunk, but the crew was safely evacuated and neither ship suffered casualties. During the maneuvers, Wacht attempted to pass between Sachsen and Württemberg. However, Wacht's helmsman misjudged the distance and passed too closely in front of Sachsen. Sachsen immediately attempted to reverse course to avoid ramming the ship, but the two vessels collided. Sachsen's ram bow tore a large hole in Wacht, which began to slowly sink. The battleship Weissenburg attempted to tow Wacht to shallow water, but several of Wacht's internal bulkheads collapsed under the strain and the ship quickly sank. Nevertheless, her crew was taken off safely; neither ship suffered any casualties.[12]

Notes

  1. ↑ Gröner, p. 95
  2. ↑ Gröner, p. 96
  3. ↑ Gröner, pp. 95–96
  4. ↑ Gardiner, p. 257
  5. ↑ Philbin, p. 57
  6. ↑ Rodgers, p. 203
  7. ↑ Sondhaus, p. 179
  8. ↑ "Notes on Ships", p. 49
  9. ↑ Naval and Military Notes, p. 814
  10. ↑ Cleveland, p. 663
  11. ↑ Notes on Naval Progress, p. 128
  12. ↑ Naval Notes: Germany, pp. 1505–1506

References

Coordinates: 54°41′00″N 13°31′00″E / 54.6833°N 13.5167°E / 54.6833; 13.5167

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