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Tuesday 27 October 2015

German target ship Zaehringen set afire during gun exercises according to the Dutch newspaper Nieuwe Tilburgsche courant dated 26 May 1934

An item reported that during the training of the 3rd navy artillery section a 15cm grenade hitting the target ship Zaehringen set the cork filling afire. The burning ship was brought into the harbour of Swinemunde where the fire was extinguished. During gun exercises was she unmanned and 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.