Former German warship Zaehringen converted into target ship according to the Dutch newspaper Bataviaasch nieuwsblad dated 15 June 1928

Wittelsbach-class

As target

An item reported that the aged German warship Zaehringen which after the First World was to be broken up, was in the past six months converted at the navy yard at Wilhelmshaven, Germany into a target ship. She was to be used as a movable target during gun exercises at the North Sea. A destroyer which followed her on a distance of some miles was to prevent collisions with other ships. The intention was to follow at high speed a zigzag course allowing German gunners to train a real war scene. Electric engines placed on board made it possible to maintain a certain speed automatically during some hours. To prevent sinking was she fitted out with a large number of watertight bulkheads and was every space in the hull filled with cork. The newspaper Het Vaderland dated 15th May supplied some details, instead of electric engines were oil-fired engines placed. There was no crew on board, the ship was wireless controlled.(1)

Note
1. She was laid down at the Germaniawerft at Kiel, Germany in November 1899 as part of the pre-dreadnought battleships Wittelsbach-class, launched 12 June 1901, commissioned 25 October 1902, in 1917 fitted out as a target ship, April 1919 decommissioned, stricken on 11 March 1920 and disarmed, until 1926 serving as a hulk was she in 1927-1928 rebuilt as a wireless controlled target ship, on 18 December 1944 sunk by British planes in Gotenhafen, was she raised and deliberately scuttled as a block ship on 26 March 1945 and finally in the years 1949-1950 broken up. Her sister ships were the Wittelbach, Wettin, Schwaben and Mecklenburg. Building costs £ 1,071,250. Her original displacement was 12,798 tons or 12,597 long tons with as dimensions 126,8 x 22,8 x 7,95 metres or 416’0”x 74’10”x 26’1”. When she was converted into a target ship in 1927-1928 her structure was cut down and the hull filled with cork. Her displacement since then was 11,800 metric tons/11,600 long tons or 13,000 tons. Naval Annual 1913 gave her as displacement 11,643 tons and as dimensions 393¾ x 68¼ x 25¾’. Jane Fighting ships mentioned a displacement of 11,800 tons and as dimensions 393½ x 68 1/6  x 26’. Her triple expansion steam engines and 12 boilers supplied 14.000 ihp driven 3 screws allowed a speed of 18 knots. According to the Naval Annual of 1913 was her horsepower 15,000 hp and her speed 19 knots. With a speed of 10 knots was her range 5,000 nautical miles. Since 1928 was she fitted out with two vertical 3-cylinder triple expansion engines and 2 oil-fired boilers allowing a speed of 13,5 knots. According to Jane’s Fighting ships allowed the 5.000 hp as target ship a speed of 13 knots. The boilers were automatically and oil fired. Her crew numbered 680 men (Naval Annual 715 men). After the target conversion 67 (Gröner)-104 (Jane’s Fighting ships). Her original armament consisted of 2x2-24cm guns, 18-15cm guns, 12-8.8cm guns and 5-45cm  surfaced torpedo tubes.