| SMS Albatross (1907) | |
|---|---|
 Model at Deutsches Marinemuseum, Wilhelmshaven | |
| Career (German Empire) |  |
| Name: | Albatross |
| Builder: | AG Weser, Bremen |
| Cost: | 3,014,000 German gold mark |
| Laid down: | 1907 |
| Launched: | 23 October 1907 |
| Commissioned: | 19 May 1908 |
| Out of service: | 23 January 1919 |
| Struck: | 21 March 1921 |
| Fate: | Beached 2 July 1915, salvaged, interned at Oskarshamn, sold for scrap, broken up 1921 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Nautilus-class minelayer |
| Displacement: | 2,506 metric tons (2,466 long tons; 2,762 short tons) |
| Length: | 100.9 m (331 ft 0 in) o/a |
| Beam: | 11.5 m (37 ft 9 in) |
| Draught: | 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: |
2 shafts 2 × three cylinder triple expansion engines, 4 water-tube boilers, 6,600 indicated horsepower (4,900 kW) |
| Speed: | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Range: | 3,680 nautical miles (6,820 km; 4,230 mi) @ 9 kn |
| Complement: | 11 officers, 197 men |
| Armament: |
8 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/45 guns 288 mines |
SMS Albatross[Note 1] was a German minelaying cruiser built before World War I. Albatross took part in a battle with Russian cruisers off the island of Gotland on 2 July 1915, where the ship was severely damaged, and forced to beach herself in neutral Swedish waters. The ship was salvaged after the war, in 1921.[1]
Design[]
Albatross was equipped with eight 8.8 cm SK L/45 naval guns.[Note 2] The guns fired 22lb shells at a muzzle velocity of 2133 feet per second. The guns could elevate to 25 degrees, for a maximum range of 10,500 yards.[2] The ship also carried 288 mines.
Service history[]
On 2 July 1915, Albatross, the light cruiser SMS Augsburg, and three destroyers were en route to lay mines in Russian waters when the ships were attacked by a superior Russian force—the armored cruisers Bayan and Admiral Makarov and the light cruisers Bogatyr and Oleg. Augsburg escaped, while the three destroyers covered her retreat. Albatross was severely damaged and forced to beach on the Swedish island of Gotland. 28 crew members were killed in this action. In July 1915, the ship was refloated by the Swedes and interned at Oskarshamn, returned to Kiel after the war in January 1919, and scrapped in 1921.[1]
Notes[]
- ↑ "SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" in German.
- ↑ In Imperial German Navy gun nomenclature, "SK" (Schnelladekanone) denotes that the gun is quick loading, while the L/45 denotes the length of the gun. In this case, the L/45 gun is 45 calibers, meaning that the gun is 45 times long as it is in diameter.
Footnotes[]
References[]
- Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds (1984). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906-1922. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-907-3.
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The original article can be found at SMS Albatross (1907) and the edit history here.