Hunter class
 The fox
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The Jäger class was a class of fifteen steam cannon boats, 2nd class, which was commissioned by the Prussian Navy and later also used by the Imperial Navy . It was created at the same time as the ships of the somewhat larger Camaeleon class .
development
The Kingdom of Prussia was faced with growing foreign policy tensions, especially with Denmark , in 1858 . This led to the consideration of expanding the coastal defense. At that time the fleet was very small in number and hardly increased after 1849. The existing sloop cannons, equipped with oars, were completely outdated, both technically and militarily, and had to be replaced. Among other things, the new Chief of the General Staff , Helmuth von Moltke , called for 20 new steam-powered gunboats to be built. With these the fleet should be modernized and expanded, whereby the wish of Prince Adalbert of Prussia to create a seaworthy fleet was not taken into account. But the suggestion of the Prussian House of Representatives to use the gunboats for merchant shipping in times of peace could not be accepted, since the construction of the warships did not allow such a profitable use. This proposal only shows the lack of expertise on the part of Members.
Initially, ships with a size of approx. 250 t, which have an output of around 230 PSi and should be armed with three guns, were considered. It was based on a British construction that was tried and tested in the Crimean War . Due to the difficult foreign policy situation, the originally planned construction of two test vehicles was waived; instead, a total of 15 gunboats were ordered simultaneously from eight private shipyards in mid-1859. The construction of the ships began in the same year. They were ready for launch between January and April 1860 and were handed over to the Navy in autumn 1860. However, they did not receive their names when they were launched, as is usually the case, but rather on October 18, 1859, through a very high cabinet order . The reason for this were regulations of the Prussian customs authority regarding the import of components from abroad, especially of iron parts, for which the name of the ship for which they were intended had to be stated. Among other things, this led to the fact that the Lübke shipyard in Wolgast gave the two ships under construction the names lightning and thunder within the shipyard , which was sufficient for the customs authorities.
technology
The gunboats were designed as wooden structures in traditional Kraweel construction, the hull was covered with copper plates. With a design displacement of 237 t , the maximum displacement was 283 t. The ships were 41.20 m long, 6.69 m wide and had a draft of 2.20 m with a maximum displacement of 283 t.
The crew consisted of two officers and 38 men . There could be deviations depending on the respective use of the ships.
The gunboats were considered bad seagoing ships. They tended to strong pitching and were very wet. A Andampfen and sailing Gegensee not been possible also lay the ships poorly at . The maneuverability was only mediocre. Their maritime properties earned the ships the nickname "sea piglet".
Propulsion system
The machine system consisted of four transverse suitcase boilers that generated 4 atmospheric pressure and supplied two single-cylinder steam engines with live steam. The boiler and machines were housed in a common room. The steam engines installed horizontally acted on a common shaft and drove a three-bladed screw with a diameter of 1.88 m. The machine system, which developed 220 PSi , helped the boats to a top speed of 9.0 knots . The fuel supply amounted to a maximum of 31 tons of coal.
In addition, the ships were equipped with schooner rigging , which had a sail area of around 300 m².
Armament
The Jäger- class ships were armed with three guns, one 24-pounder each, which corresponded to a caliber of 15 cm, and two 12-pounders with a 12 cm caliber, all of which were breech- loaders . Nine ships underwent a major overhaul in 1872, during which a ring cannon Kabliber 15 cm L / 22 was installed instead of the three original guns . Only the fox was umarmiert more times and was first in 1878 a 8.7-cm-L / 24-ring gun, 1880 Finally, a 3.7-cm - automatic cannon .
commitment
The gunboats were used during the German-Danish , German and German-French wars, but without playing a decisive role. They also worked as tenders in ports or for training ships. Overall, they were only used very rarely and were mostly slipped on land.
Hunter- class ships
- Jäger : Launched in January 1860. The first commissioning took place on June 25, 1861. Further deployments took place during the German-Danish and German-French wars. On March 19, 1872, theJäger wasremoved from the list of warships and subsequently used up as a target.
- Crocodill : launched at the end of January 1860. The first and only commissioning took place in autumn 1860, the exact date is not known. The structural condition of the slipped gunboat quickly deteriorated and prevented active use. On March 14, 1867, theCrocodillwas the first ship of her class to be removed from the list of warships and then scrapped.
- Fuchs : Launched on February 14, 1860. First commissioned in autumn 1860, the ship was also used in 1861. Further missions took place during the German-Danish and German-French wars. From 1878 to 1882 the ship was used periodically as anartillery schoolboat. Removed from the list of warships on November 14, 1882, theFuchs was used upas aPrahm.
- Hay : Launched on February 14, 1860. The first commissioning took place in autumn 1860. A commissioning during the German-Danish War was followed by a deployment in 1869 and during the Franco-German War. TheHay wasactivated for the last time in1872. On September 7, 1880, the ship was removed from the list of warships and was used up as a ship.
- Scorpion : launched on February 14, 1860. The ship was first put into service on June 25, 1861. It was activated during the German-Danish and German wars. TheScorpion was usedas a tenderfrom 1867 to 1869. The last service took place during the Franco-German War. On January 9, 1877, the ship was removed from the list of warships and then used up as a prahm.
- Sparrowhawk : Launched on February 14, 1860. The first commissioning took place on February 11, 1864. The ship was used during the German-Danish War and briefly in 1869, and at the beginning of the Franco-German War. From 1875 to 1877 theSperber was usedas a tender in Kiel. The ship was removed from the list of warships on November 12, 1878 and used up as a premium.
- Hyena : launched in April 1860. The ship first entered service in autumn 1860, but the exact date is unknown. It was used for service during the German-Danish and the Franco-German war. Removed from the list of warships on July 17, 1873, thehyena was usedas a target.
- Habicht : launched in spring 1860. The first commissioning took place in autumn 1860. The ship was used during the German-Danish War, in 1867 and 1868 as a tender and during the German-French War. TheHabicht waslast usedas a tender in 1877. The ship was removed from the list of warships on November 27, 1877 and used up as a premium.
- Arrow : Launched on February 14th, 1860. The first commissioning took place on February 14th, 1864 for use in the German-Danish War. After being used as a watch ship and tender, it was used during the Franco-German War. On March 19, 1872, it was deleted from the list of warships. Thearrowwas used up as a cream.
- Natter : launched on February 14, 1860. After the outbreak of the German-Danish War, the ship was first put into service on March 1, 1864. The second service took place during the Franco-German War. TheNatter waslast usedas a tender in 1873. On September 7, 1880, the ship was removed from the list of warships. His whereabouts are not known.
- Schwalbe : launched on February 14, 1860. After the first commissioning on March 1, 1864, the ship was used during the German-Danish and later during the Franco-German war. Removed from the list of warships on March 19, 1872, theswallow was used upas a prahm.
- Salamander : launched on February 14, 1860. The first commissioning took place on June 21, 1861. The ship was used during the German-Danish and German-French wars. From 1872 to 1875 thesalamander was usedas a tender. Struck from the list of warships on November 12, 1878, the ship was used up as a prahm.
- Wasp : launched on February 14, 1860. Commissioned for the first time on February 11, 1864, the ship took part in the German-Danish and German-French wars. It was deleted from the list of warships on March 19, 1872. Nevertheless, thewasp was used againin July and August 1872. The ship was eventually used up as a ship.
- Tiger : launched on February 14, 1860. The first commissioning took place on March 3, 1864. The ship was used during the German-Danish, German and Franco-German Wars. It was used as a tender in 1874 and 1875. On January 9, 1877, theTiger was struckfrom the list of warships and used up as a penny in the following period.
- Wolf : Launched on April 29, 1860. The ship was first put into service on February 21, 1864. The ship was used during the German-Danish and German wars. From 1866 to 1868 theWolf was usedfor surveying work. The ship was also used during the Franco-German War. On September 26, 1875, it was deleted from the list of warships. After it was used as a pram, the hull was sunk on August 5, 1884 during torpedo exercises, then lifted and scrapped.
literature
- Gröner, Erich / Dieter Jung / Martin Maass: The German warships 1815-1945 . tape 1 : Armored ships, ships of the line, battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, gunboats . Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Munich 1982, ISBN 3-7637-4800-8 , p. 160 f .
- Hildebrand, Hans H. / Albert Röhr / Hans-Otto Steinmetz: The German warships . Biographies - a mirror of naval history from 1815 to the present . 10 volumes. Mundus Verlag, Ratingen.
Hunter | Crocodill | Fox | Hay | Scorpion | Sparrowhawk | Hyena | Hawk | Arrow | Adder | Swallow | Salamander | Wasp | Tiger | wolf
List of Prussian warships
List of ships of the Imperial Navy