SMS Schleswig-Holstein
Sunk
Imperial German Navy, then Kriegsmarine (Germany)
| Type | Pre-dreadnought battleship |
|---|---|
| Class | Deutschland |
| Wars | First World War, Second World War |
| Main guns | 4 × 28 cm (11 in) SK L/40 guns |
Service
| to 1935 | Schleswig-Holstein | |
| from 1935 | Schleswig-Holstein The navy renamed the Kriegsmarine |
Pre-dreadnought at Jutland. As a cadet training ship she fired the first shots of the Second World War, at the Polish depot at Westerplatte on 1 September 1939, and carried troops to Denmark in 1940. Burned out by RAF bombs at Gotenhafen in December 1944 and scuttled.
Armament and specifications
Armament
At construction
- 4 × 28 cm (11 in) SK L/40 guns
- 14 × 17 cm (6.7 in) SK L/40 guns
- 20 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/45 guns
- 6 × 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes
Armament in 1926
- 4 × 28 cm SK L/40 guns
- 12 × 15 cm SK L/45 guns
- 8 × 8.8 cm SK L/45 guns
- 4 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes
Armament in 1939
- 10 × 15 cm SK L/45 guns
- 4 × 8.8 cm SK L/45 anti-aircraft guns
- 4 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) guns
- 4 × 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 guns
Armour
- Belt: 240 mm (9.4 in)
- Turrets: 280 mm (11 in)
- Deck: 40 mm (1.6 in)
| Builder | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
|---|---|
| Laid down | 18 August 1905 |
| Launched | 17 December 1906 |
| Commissioned | 6 July 1908 |
| Displacement | Normal: 13,191 t (12,983 long tons) Full load: 14,218 t (13,993 long tons) |
| Length | 127.60 m (418 ft 8 in) |
| Speed | 19.1 knots (35.4 km/h; 22.0 mph) |
| Complement | 35 officers 708 enlisted men |
As built, from the ship's Wikipedia article. Figures there may cover later refits too.
Career
Launched
17 December 1906
Battle of Jutland
Survived
31 May – 1 June 1916 · First World War
Battle of Westerplatte
Survived
1–7 September 1939 · Second World War
Fired on the depot from the harbour canal
Fate
Sunk
Sunk by bombs, 1944
Scuttled, 21 March 1945
Raised and beached for use as target 1948
Remains still exist