Kaiser-class battleship

Kaiser-class battleship

SMS Kaiser
Class overview
Operators	Imperial German Navy
Preceded by	Helgoland class
Succeeded by	König class
Built	1909–1913
In commission	1912–1919
Completed	5
Lost	5
Scrapped	5
General characteristics
Type	Dreadnought battleship
Displacement	Normal: 24,724 t (24,334 long tons) Full load: 27,000 t (27,000 long tons)
Length	172.4 m (565 ft 7 in)
Beam	29 m (95 ft 2 in)
Draft	9.1 m (29 ft 10 in)
Installed power	27,617 shp (20,594 kW) 16 × Schulz-Thornycroft water-tube boilers
Propulsion	3 × steam turbines 3 × propellers
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Range	7,900 nmi (14,600 km; 9,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement	1,084
Armament	10 × 30.5 cm (12 in) guns 14 × 15 cm (5.9 in) guns 8 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) guns 5 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes
Armor	Belt: 350 mm (13.8 in) Turrets: 300 mm (11.8 in) Battery: 170 mm (6.7 in) Conning Tower: 350 mm

The Kaiser class was a class of five dreadnought battleships that were built in Germany prior to World War I and served in the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) during the war. They were the third class of German dreadnoughts, and the first to feature turbine engines and superfiring turrets. The five ships were Kaiser, Friedrich der Grosse, Kaiserin, Prinzregent Luitpold, and König Albert. As was usual for German battleships of the period, the Kaiser class mounted main guns that were smaller than those of their British rivals: 30.5 cm (12 in), compared to the 34.3 cm (13.5 in) guns of the British Orion class.^[1]

All five ships saw action in the North Sea during the war; they served together as VI Division of III Battle Squadron. Four were present during the Battle of Jutland; König Albert was in dock at the time.^[2] Of the four ships that took part in the battle, only Kaiser was damaged, being struck by two heavy-caliber shells.^[3] The ships also took part in Operation Albion in the Baltic Sea; during the operation they were reorganized as IV Battle Squadron, under the command of Vice Admiral Wilhelm Souchon.^[4]

At the end of the war, all five ships were interned at the British naval base in Scapa Flow. On 21 June 1919, they were scuttled to prevent their seizure by the Royal Navy. The ships were subsequently raised and broken up for scrap between 1929 and 1937.^[5]