German armoured cruiser SMS (ex-Ersatz Kaiser) Roon 1902-1921

Prinz Adalbert-class

Roon-class

Scharnhorst-class

Building allowed under the Second Naval Law of 1902. Laid down under the provisional name Ersatz Kaiser at the Kaiserliche Werft, Kiel, Germany with yard number 28 in August 1902, launched on 27 June 1903, commissioned on 5 April 1905, decommissioned in 1911, recommissioned in 1914, disarmed training and barracks ship at Kiel since November 1916, intended conversion into seaplane tender for 4 aircraft and a hangar aft of the main superstructure was never realized, stricken from the naval list on 25 November 1920 and broken up at Kiel-Nordmole in 1921. Building costs 15,3 million German marks. Of the Roon-class consisting of the Roon and Yorck, preceded by the Prinz Adalbert-class and succeeded by the Scharnhorst-class.

General technical specifications. Displacement 9.533 (normal)-10,266 (full load) tons and as dimensions 127,3 (waterline)-127,8 (overall) x 20,2 x 7,76 metres or 418-419 x 66 x 25.5 feet. Their crew numbered 633 men (included 35 officers). The armament consisted of 2x2-21cm/8.3” l/40 quick firing guns, 10x1-10cm/5.9” L/40 quick firing guns, 14x1-8,8cm/3.5” guns and 4-45cm/17.7” torpedo tubes. Her armament as seaplane tender was to consist of 6-15cm guns and 6-8,8cm anti aircraft guns. The armour consisted of 1 8-10cm,/3.1-3.9” thick belt, a 4-6cm/1.6-2.4” thick deck with the gun turrets protected by 15cm/5.9” thick armour. Fitted out with 3-3 cylinder vertical triple expansion steam engines with 16 14 Dürr boilers delivering 17,272 (actual)-19.000 (design) ihp allowing with the 3 screws a maximum speed of 20,4 (actual)-21 (design) knots. With a speed of 12 knots and a coal bunker capacity of maximum 1.630 ton a range of 4.200 nautical miles. Hull built up from transverse and longitudinal frames to which the hull plates were riveted and divided into 12 watertight compartments and of the 60% of the ships’ length a double bottom.