original appearance Hessen
Hessen as target
An item referred to the magazine le Yacht dated 20 October 1934 reporting that the German armoured ship Hessen (1) was decommissioned and her crew transferred to the Admiral Scheer.(2)
Notes
1. Laid down with the contract name “L” at the Germaniawerft, Kiel with yard number 100 in April 1902, launched by princess Irene von Hessen-Darmstadt on 18 September 1903, commissioned on 19 September 1905, target in the Baltic Sea in December 1916, decommissioned on 18 January 1917, disarmed and converted into an accommodation for submarine crews at Brunsbüttel, Germany nicknamed SMS Kleinste Fahrt, modernized in 1924, decommissioned on 5 January 1925, replaced by the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer decommissioned on 12 November 1934, converted into a radio-controlled target decommissioned on 1 April 1937, used as target and as icebreaker in the Baltic and North Sea between 1939-1945, ceded to Russia at Libau, Latvia in January 1946, renamed Tsel and finally broken up in 1960. Of the Braunschweig-class consisting of the Braunschweig, Elsass, Hessen, Lotharingen and Preussen. Preceded by the Wittelsbach-class and succeeded by the Deutschland-class.
2. Panzerschiff of the Deutschland-class, later classified as heavy cruiser. Known abroad as pocket battleship. Laid down by Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven, Germany on 25 June 1931, launched on 1 April 1933, commissioned on 12 November 1934 and sunk by British air attack on 9 April 1945.
