Brandenburg-class
Kaiser Friedrich III-class
Wittelsbach-class
An item reported that at Wilhelmshaven, Germany the German battleship Kaiser Friedrich III was completed. She was one of the five new battleships named Kaiser Friedrich III, Kaiser Wilhelm II and the temporarily names Ersatz König Wilhelm, ‘A’ en ‘B’.(1) The first was completed, the second one to be delivered in spring 1899, the third in 1901 and the fourth and fifth on 1902. The ships were of a new design and differs in many ways of the Brandenburg-class. They had a high fore ship, aft a low board and a well though gun arrangement resulting in a high combat value despite the relatively small displacement. The displacement was 11.080 tons with as dimensions 115 x 20,4 x 7,85 metres. In contrary to the newest more as 15.000 ton Japanese and British battleships choose the German navy department for smaller displacement. This policy was caused by the limited size of the available docks and that maximum manoeuvrability and seagoing qualities delivered the maximum combat value. The total weight of the armour was 30% of the displacement. 24cm gun turrets protected by 25cm, the 15cm guns and casemates by 15cm thick armour. Principally were all guns of the quick firing type. The armament consisted of 4-24cm guns in rotating turrets, 4-15cm in rotating guns, 4-15cm guns in armoured casemates, 12-8,8cm guns protected by shields, 12-3,7cm machineguns, 12-8mm machineguns and 6-45cm torpedo tubes. Included the 8,8cm guns was possible to give broadside salve of 148 shots in one minute with a total projectiles weight of 4.244 kilo and 80.954 metric tons energy. The arrangement was positioned over 6 ‘floors’. First floor aft turret with 4metres free board and 4-14cm guns in corner casemates, 2nd floor with 6metres free board the other 15cm guns, 3rd floor fore gun turret with 8 metres freeboard, 4th floor 10-8,8cm guns on the superstructure, 4-3,c8m guns on the lower command bridge and on the brig above the aft commanding tower, 4th floor 2-8,8cm guns of the highest command bridge with 14 metres free board and 4-3,7cm guns in the masts with 24 metres free board. Three machines, 8 cylindrical and 4 water tube boilers (Thornycroft) driving 3 screws and developing 13.000 ihp allowing a speed of 18 miles. Coal bunker capacity 650-1.000 tons.
Note
1. The Kaiser Friedrich III achieved during the full speed trial with 115 rpm a speed of 18 miles with the contracted horsepower of 13.000 hp was with some hundreds hp improved. Of the Kaiser Friedrich III-class pre dreadnought battleships consisting of the Kaiser Friedrich III, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, Kaiser Karl der Grosse and Kaiser Barbarossa. Preceded by the Brandenburg-class and succeeded by the Wittelsbach-class. Laid down at the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven, Germany under the contract name Ersatz Preussen with yard number 22 on 5 March 1895, launched on 1 July 1896, commissioned on 7 October 1898, modernized in 1908, coastal defence ship in 1915, prison ship after January 1915, stricken on 6 December 1919 and sold to a ship breaking firm at Berlin, Germany and broken up at Kiel-Nordmole in 1920. .
