A turn-of-the-century battle line
Four 24 cm guns, a heavy secondary battery and improved armor defined the Imperial Navy's next generation of pre-dreadnoughts.
11785 tMaximum displacement
125,3 mOverall length
17,3 knMaximum speed
1084Complement
Design and service
The story of Kaiser Friedrich III
The five battleships of the Kaiser Friedrich III class were part of the 1897 naval construction program. With those ships, a new layout for German battleships was introduced which got characterisical for all German battleships.
Unlike their predecessors of the Brandenburg class, the Kaiser Friedrich class was only equipped with 24 cm guns, but the number of secondary guns was more than doubled. They were the first German battleships with three shafts, a characteristic feature that was kept for most German capital ships. In difference to many other German ships, they took not over much water in heavy seas and they were reported to be very good seagoing ships.
All five ships were used for fleet service until 1916, followed by a three year duty as harbor ships before they were decommissioned.
After its fleet service, the Kaiser Friedrich III was used as a prison ship, but after a one year, it was reassigned as a floating barrack in Flensburg and Swinemünde form 1917 on. In 1920 it was broken down in Kiel.
Operational history
Service timeline
Commissioned
Training and trials in North- and Baltic Sea. After this, the ship is decommissioned.
Recommissioned as flagship of the 2nd division.
Escort of the imperial yacht Hohenzollern to Britain.
Training in the Baltic Sea near Danzig.
Voyage to the northern North Sea.
Autumn fleet excercises.
Winter voyage to Norway.
On its way to Kiel, the Kaiser Friedrich III runs aground while beeing on full speed. Rudder and props were damaged, the ship takes about 1200t of water. It takes two days until the damaged ships arrives in Kiel.
Sent to Wilhelmshaven for repairs.
Decommissioned, followed by repairs.
Recommissioned.
Winter voyage to Norway, including a6 day stay in Oslo.
Voyage around Britain.
Another trip to Britain.
Voyage to Norway.
Autumn fleet excercises.
Voyage to Norway.
Gunnery exercices.
Atlantic voyage with stop in Vigo, Spain.
Gunnery exercises in the North Sea.
During the excercises, Kaiser Friedrich II collides with the torpedo boat G112. Both ships were slightly damaged.
Autumn fleet excercises.
Autumn fleet excercises.
Summer voyage to Sweden.
Excercises in the Baltic Sea.
Summer voyage to Norway.
Autumn fleet excercises.
Excercises in the North Sea.
Excercises in the North Sea.
Excercises in the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
Autumn fleet excercises.
Decommissioned.
Reconstruction, after this put into reserve status.
Recommissioned as part of the 3rd squadron.
Autumn fleet excercises.
Decommissioned.
Recommissioned as part of the 3rd squadron.
Autumn fleet excercises.
Decommissioned.
With the outbreak of WW1, Kaiser Friedrich III is recommissioned and attached to the 5th squadron.
Operation near Windau.
Operation near Gotland.
The ships crew is reduced and the ship is used as part of the Kiel harbor defences.
Decommissioned.
Moved to Flensburg. Before that, the ship was used as a prisoner ship.
Used as floating barrack in Flensburg and Swinemünde.
Removed from fleet lists
Scrapped in Kiel.
At a glance
Technical profile
Dimensions, armament, protection and performance.
Dimensions
- Size (Max)
- 11785 t
- Length (Total)
- 125,3 m
- Length (Waterline)
- 120,9 m
- Beam
- 20,4 m
- Draft
- 8,25 m
- Crew
- 1084
Armament
- 24 cm L/40 (9,5")
- 4
- 15 cm L/40
- 18
- 8,8 cm L/30
- 12
- Machine guns
- 12
- 45 cm torpedo tubes
- 6
Armor
- Deck
- 50 mm
- Belt
- 225 mm (max)
- Command Tower
- 250 mm
- Turrets
- 250 mm
Machinery
- Shafts
- 3
- Engines
- 3
- Type
- 3-cyl expansion engines
Performance
- Total Performance
- 13053 shp
- Speed
- 17,3 kn
- Range
- 3420 sm at 10kn
The archive
Photographs
Original postcard and photographic material from the private collection.
The archive
Models
Ship models in 1/1250 scale.
Construction record
Kaiser Friedrich III
- Laid down
- Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven, 1895
- Launched
- 01.07.1896
- Commissioned
- 07.10.1898
- Fate
- scrapped in 1920