Armored guardians of the German coast
Heavy guns, shallow draft and compact dimensions produced ships intended to defend naval bases and strategic approaches in the North Sea and Baltic.

Design and service
The coast defence ships of the Siegfried class were the first real capital warships build in Germany and the last before Kaiser Wilhelm II came into power and started the huge naval construction program. With their three 24 cm guns, those ships were not armed very heavily, but they were the first German warships that carried their main artillery in closed gun turrets. The last two ships of the class, Odin and Ägir had some minor modifications and different armor protection, but besides that, all eight ships were very similar. Because of their rolling movements through the seas, those ships got the nickname "Meerschweinchen" - guinea-pig.
Shortly after the beginning of the new century, all ships were modified in a major reconstruction, a second funnel and enlarged hull were the most obvious changes, and with their new coal storage's, their range was almost doubled. During World War I, those old ships were still used for coastal defence, and all of them survived the war. As they were too old for further military services most of them were scrapped while a few were converted in to civilian transport ships.
The Hagen was ended as a floating barrack after 1916 and was sold for scrapping in 1919.
Operational history
Hagen is commissioned.
Training and trials.
Send to Marokko.
Arrival at Tanger.
Hagen returns to Wilhelmshaven.
Fleet services as harbor guard ship in Kiel and part of the Reconnaissance forces.
Decommissioned.
Reconstruction, the ship is cut into two pieces and a new middle part is inserted.
Training and trials.
Recommissioned.
Send to the Isle of Wright to participate at the memorial for Queen Victoria.
Fleet services.
Repairs in Danzig.
Decommissioned.
Recommissioned for fleet exercises, decommissioned after that.
At the outbreak of World War I, the Hagen is attached to the VI. Squadron.
Assigned to patrol duty in the North Sea.
Decommissioned.
Used as a floating barrack.
Sold to the Netherlands and scrapped there.
At a glance
Dimensions, armament, protection and performance.
The archive
Ship models in 1/1250 scale.

Construction record