SMS Munich

Munich

Ship data flag  German Empire Ship type Small cruiser class Bremen class Shipyard AG Weser , Bremen Build number 138 building-costs 5,054,000 marks Launch April 30, 1904 Commissioning January 10, 1905 Whereabouts Sunk as a target on October 25, 1921

Ship dimensions and crew length 111.1 m ( Lüa ) 110.6 m ( KWL ) width 13.3 m Draft Max. 5.54 m displacement Construction: 3,278 t Maximum: 3,780 t   crew 288 to 313 men

Machine system machine 10 marine boilers, 2 3-cylinder compound machines Machine performance 12,205 hp (8,977 kW) Top speed 23.3 kn (43 km / h) propeller 2 four-leaf ⌀ 3.9 m

Armament 10 × Sk 10.5 cm L / 40 (1,500 shots) 10 × Sk 5,3 cm L / 55 2 × torpedo tube ⌀ 45.0 cm (5 shots) Armor Deck: 20-80 mm Coam: 100 mm Command tower: 20–100 mm Shields: 50 mm

The SMS München was a small cruiser of the German Imperial Navy . It was the fifth ship in the Bremen class . The baptism was carried out on April 30, 1904 in the presence of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria by the First Mayor of Munich, Hofrat Freiherr von Borscht . The commissioning followed on January 10, 1905.

Peace operations

After completion of all tests, the Munich replaced the small cruiser Nymphe as a test ship for the torpedo inspection. From December 9, 1906 to June 21, 1907, the ship was overhauled in the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven . Afterwards the Kaiser attended the demonstration of the submarine U 1 on the Munich . In August and September 1908 the cruiser belonged to the III. Reconnaissance group, which consisted of reserve units and took part in the autumn maneuvers. In February 1910, the rammed torpedo boat S 122 , the Munich equal to the engine room.

War missions

During the First World War , Munich belonged to the IV reconnaissance group from August 25, 1914. Initially deployed in the Baltic Sea , it was relocated three days later during the battle near Heligoland with the Danzig through the Kiel Canal into the North Sea . This was followed by various advances and participation in the battle on the Dogger Bank on January 24, 1915. After that, the Munich was relocated back to the Baltic Sea. There the ship made several forays near the island of Gotland . There was combat contact with four Russian armored cruisers . On January 31, 1916, the Munich collided with the German freighter Moscow from the Hanseatische Dampfschiffahrts GmbH, which then sank. On March 10, 1916, the Munich was again ordered to the outpost service in the North Sea.

In the Skagerrakschlacht the Munich came on the evening of May 31, 1916 with units of the III. British cruiser squadron into action. She received two 15.2 cm hits. Four men fell. During the subsequent night march back there was another battle, this time with the 2nd British Light Cruiser Squadron. The Munich got two more hits, which resulted in four dead and 20 wounded. The ship was repaired in Bremen and Wilhelmshaven and was ready for use again from June 30, 1916.

During an advance into the North Sea, the cruiser received a torpedo hit from the British submarine E38 in the early morning of October 19, 1916 . Due to severe damage and age, the Munich was not repaired. In November 1916 she was decommissioned and assigned to II. From 1918 onwards she served as a barge for the Sundwach ships.

post war period

On November 5, 1919, the ship was removed from the list of warships and delivered to Great Britain on July 6, 1920 as Ship Q. There the Munich was sunk on October 25, 1921 as a torpedo target in the Firth of Forth (position 56 ° 07 '00' N, 02 ° 45 '50' W).

Commanders

January to March 1905	Corvette Captain / Frigate Captain Wilhelm Schäfer
March to May 1905	Sea captain Ernst Schaefer
May to September 1905	Corvette captain / frigate captain Friedrich Schulz (deputy)
September 1905 to March 1906	Sea captain Ernst Schaefer
March to September 1906	Corvette Captain Ferdinand Thyen
October 1906 to September 1907	Corvette Captain Johannes von Karpf
October 1907 to September 1908	Corvette Captain Ferdinand Bertram
September 1908 to March 1910	Corvette Captain / Frigate Captain Johannes von Karpf
March to November 1910	Corvette Captain Ernst-Oldwig von Natzmer
November to December 1910	Captain Paul Wallenberg (deputy)
December 1910 to September 1912	Corvette Captain / Frigate Captain Rudolf Bartels
October 1912 to March 1915	Frigate captain / sea captain Oswald von Studnitz
March to December 1915	Corvette Captain / Frigate Captain Hans Carl von Schlick
December 1915 to March 1916	Frigate Captain Fritz Rebensburg
March to September 1916	Corvette Captain Oskar Böcker
September 1916 to November 1916	Frigate Captain Johannes Tietgenns

literature

• Gerhard Koop / Klaus-Peter Schmolke: Small cruisers 1903-1918, Bremen to Cöln class , Volume 12 ship classes and ship types of the German Navy, Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-7637-6252-3

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Entry on SMS Munich  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)