Built at the Royal Dockyard in Wilhelmshaven, Kaiser Friedrich III marked an advance in seaworthiness and ambition in the German Navy, though at 11,600 tons the ships remained small compared to British fleet units. The previous Brandenburg class had featured 11" guns in an unconventional 3-turret layout; the Kaiser class reverted to the conventional 2x2 turret layout favored by the British and Russians: a twin turret on each end of the superstructure.
The guns used were a newly-developed high-velocity 9.4" Krupps weapon; though faster firing, they were considerably inferior to their British competition (12" Mk IX/50) in range and projectile weight. With a higher freeboard, these were reported to be among the best sea-boats in the German Navy and highly maneuverable. The commmand of the bow turret was increased by mounting it one deck up from the forecastle, giving it 30 feet of clearance above the waves. The structure on which the turret rested was an armored gunhouse bristling with 6 barrels of 5.9" ordnance. The sides of the ship abreast the midships redoubt were lined with 5.9" guns in single turrets, three to a side. The aft turret, one deck lower, was still a respectable 20 feet above the surface and sheltered from the waves breaking across the ship's bow.
The armor scheme for the class afforded less coverage than was ideal: a narrow 12/4" waterline belt amidships and 4" armor on the extensive secondary armament mounts (see schematic). These ships also introduced the triple-screw propulsion scheme which subsequently became nearly universal for Germany's capital ships. They all produced their designed speed of 18 kts on trials, but afterwards were a bit slower as noted. They were not especially efficient and had a reputation as "coal-eaters," consuming 16 tons an hour at speed. They were the first German capital ships to make provision for oil fuel, mostly used to help raise steam quickly by spraying over coal before ignition. Marking the pre-1898 order of things in the Kaiserliche Marine, these 5 ships were completed over a 4-year period, the last one commissioning in 1900. The ships wre no match for HMS Canopus, but German design began to improve soon afterwards, thanks to Adm. Tirpitz and the Kaiser's orchestrating a quantum leap in funding under the Navy Law of 1898 and succeeding years.
All five ships were used for fleet service until 1916, followed by a three-year spell of duty as receiving ships before they were decommissioned. After rendering fleet service, the Kaiser Friedrich III was used as a prison ship, then as a floating barrack in Flensburg and Swinemünde from 1917 - 1920. In the latter year she went to the shipbreakers at Kiel.
Plans and Specifications
Specifications for the 1896 Kaiser class:
Dimensions: 411' x 67' x 27' Displacement: 11,599 tons std. Armament: (4) 9.4"/40 cal., (15) 5.9", (12) 3.5", (12) 1-pdr guns. (6) 18" torpedo tubes. Armor: 12-4" belt, 10" main turrets and barbettes, 6" casemates and secondary turrets, 10" conning tower, 8" bulkheads, 3" deck. Fuel capacity: 650 tons of coal (max. 1000 tons), 100 tons bunker oil. Propulsion: (12) coal-burning boilers, 8 cylindrical and 4 Schultz-Thornycroft except in K. Karl & K. Barbarossa: 6/6. (3) 3-cyl vertical triple expansion engines developing 13,053-SHP, shafted to triple screw. Maximum speed: 17.3 kts. Endurance: 3,420 nm at 10 kts. Crew: 657. Average cost: £962,500 at 1895 valuation.
Ships in class: Kaiser Friedrich III · Kaiser Wilhelm II · Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse · Kaiser Karl der Grosse · Kaiser Barbarossa
Metric specifications:
Dimensions: 125m x 20m x 8.2m Displacement: 11,599 tons std. Armament: (4) 240 mm/40 cal., (15) 150 mm, (12) 90 mm, (12) 1-pdr guns. (6) 45 cm torpedo tubes. Armor: 305/100 mm belt, 254 mm main turrets and barbettes, 152 mm casemates and secondary turrets, 254 mm conning tower, 203 mm bulkheads, 76 mm deck. Fuel capacity: 650 tons of coal (max. 1,000 tons), 100 tons bunker oil. Propulsion: (12) coal-burning boilers, 8 cylindrical and 4 Schultz-Thornycroft except in K. Karl & K. Barbarossa: 6/6. (3) 3-cyl vertical triple expansion engines developing 9,733.6 kW, shafted to triple screw. Maximum speed: 32 km/hr. Endurance: 6,334 km at 18.5 km/hr. Crew: 657. Average cost: £962,500 at 1895 valuation.
A Few Photos of the Friedrichs
The Kaiser Friedrich III gliding into the locks at Wilhelmshaven, from an old postcard.
The Kaiser Friedrich III at anchor, in a shot from Jane's Fighting Ships 1905-06 edition.
The Kaiser Friedrich III in a quiet moment in port.
The Kaiser Friedrich III's elaborate figurehead: detail from a print by H. Graf. The glorius bust immortalizes the Kaiser's father, Friedrich Karl, a liberal and protégé of Britain's Prince Albert, who survived a long wait for the throne but reigned for only 99 days before dying of a brain tumor. Friedrich's wife was Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Vicky. Historians have read their son's anti-British sentiment as adolescent rebellion against his parents and their moderate politics.
As inaccurate and generalized as Graf's work was precise, a popular postcard of the time shows the class at sea.
These ships may not have been the best afloat, but the printing and embossing on the commemorative cards was first-rate. The Kaiser Wilhelm II appears with a gold embossed likeness of her namesake and the somewhat premature motto Unser Liskunst siegt auf dem Wasser (Our fleet rules the sea), a rather un-original slap at Britannia's prior claim. Card was posted in 1901. Enlarge
The same ship in immaculate form, early in her career. A sweet enlargement.
The Kaiser Karl der Grosse in a favorite spot for photography: passing under the Levensau High Bridge on the Kiel Canal. The crew lines the rail to lend extra texture and design as the photographer nails his shot.
This is the Kaiser Barbarossa at Kiel, in an image painstakingly restored by our photo specialist, Radar Radetzky: the emulsion had been damaged by chemical reaction with the acidic paste used to glue the print into a photo album, but you'd never know it to look at this restored JPEG rasta-file. . . .
The calm waters behind, here is the same ship bucking through a chop on a boisterous North Sea. Enlarge
