German dreadnought battleship SMS (ex-Ersatz Weissenburg) Markgraf 1911-1919

Kaiser-class

König-class

Bayern-class

Part of the König-class consisting of the König, Grosser Kurfürst, Markgraf and Kronprinz. Preceded by the Kaiser-class and succeeded by the Bayern-class. Building ordered as the Ersatz Weissenburg, laid down at AG Weser Shipyard, Bremen, Germany with yard number 186 in November 1911, launched on 4 June 1913, commissioned on 1 October 1914 and scuttled by her own crew at Gutter Sound, Scapa Flow, Orkney Isles, Scotland on 21 June 1919. Building costs 45 million Goldmarks.

Displacement 25.796 (normal)-28.600 (full load) tons and as dimensions 174,5 x 29,5 x 9,19 metres or 575.6 x 96.9 x 30.2 feet. The machinery consisted of 3 Bergmann steam turbines, 2 oil fuelled and 12 coal fuelled Schulz-Thonycroft boilers supplying via 3 shafts 40.830 shp allowing a speed of 21 knots and with a speed of 12 knots a range of 8.000 nautical miles. Her crew numbered 1.136 men. The Krupp cemented armour consisted of a 35cm/14” thick belt, a 3cm/1,2” thick deck, the gun turrets 11cm/4.3” (roofs)-30cm/12” (sides), 15cm guns mounted in casemates protected by 17cm/6.7”armour and 8cm/3.1” splinter gun shields, forward conning tower protected by 15cm/5.9” (roof)-30cm/12” (sides) and rear conning tower 5cm/2.0“(roof)-20cm/7.9“ (sides). The armament consisted of 5x2-30,5cm/12” L/45 quick firing guns, 14x1-15cm/5.9” L/45 quick firing guns, 6x1-8,8cm/3.5” L/45 quick firing guns and 5-50cm/19.7” submerged torpedo tubes(1xbow, 2 each side).