SMS Ostfriesland

**Ostfriesland**
	The East Frisia under the US flag
Ship data
flag	German Empire United States;
Ship type	Large-line ship
class	Helgoland class
Shipyard	Imperial shipyard , Wilhelmshaven
Build number	31
building-costs	43,579,000 marks
Keel laying	October 19, 1908
Launch	September 30, 1909
Commissioning	August 1, 1911
Whereabouts	Sunk on July 21, 1921
Ship dimensions and crew
length	167.2 m ( Lüa ) 166.5 m ( KWL )
width	28.5 m
Draft	Max. 8.94 m
displacement	Construction: 22,808 t; Maximum: 24,700 t
crew	1,113 to 1,192 men
Machine system
machine	15 × marine; boiler 3 × standing 4-cylinder compound machine; 2 oars
Machine ; performance	34,944 hp (25,701 kW)
Top ; speed	21.0 kn (39 km / h)
propeller	3 four-leaf ⌀ 5.1 m
Armament
	12 × Sk 30.5 cm L / 50 (1,020 shots); 14 × Sk 15 cm L / 45 (2.100 shots); 14 × Sk 8.8 cm L / 45 (including 2 flak , 2,800 rounds); 6 × torpedo tube ⌀ 50 cm ; (4 sides, 1 bow, 1 stern under water, 16 shots);
Armor
	Waterline: 120-300 mm; Deck: 55-80 mm; Torpedo bulkhead: 30 mm; Towers: 100-300 mm; Casemates : 170 mm; Front control station: 100–400 mm; aft control station: 50–200 mm;

The SMS Ostfriesland was a large-line ship ( battleship ) of the Helgoland class of the Imperial Navy . It is named after the region of the same name in northwest Germany.

The first years

It was provided with facilities for a squadron staff and baptized by the East Frisian Princess of Innhausen and Knyphausen . After the commissioning on August 1, 1911, the test drives only lasted until September 15. On September 22nd, Ostfriesland was assigned to the 1st Squadron. From November she took part in squadron and fleet exercises. Commandant from August 1, 1911 to August 23, 1915 was Captain Walter Engelhardt , who became Vice Admiral on September 4, 1919 (character) and June 21, 1920 (with seniority from October 1, 1919) .

On April 29, 1912 squadron chief Vice Admiral Hugo von Pohl rose from Westphalia to East Friesland , which thus became a squadron flagship. On September 29, 1912 von Pohl handed over the command of the squadron to Rear Admiral Wilhelm von Lans, who rose to Vice Admiral on December 27, 1913. In the shooting year 1912/13, the ship received the Kaiserschießpreis of the 1st Squadron.

The Ostfriesland participated throughout the deep-sea fleet, despite the political tensions in the long-planned, starting on July 13, 1914 Norway travel. After the premature termination, she arrived back in Wilhelmshaven shortly before the start of the war on July 29, 1914 . In October 1914, two anti-balloon guns were installed.

War missions

With the squadron she formed on 2/3 November 1914 a catchment position on the Schillig roadstead and on 15./16. December 1914 a rescue position on the Dogger Bank . On December 24, 1915, she left with the I and II Squadrons to receive the cruisers on the Dogger Bank after the battle . The cruisers came into view at 3:25 p.m., and at 7:05 p.m. the 1st Squadron anchored again on Schillig- Reede without touching the enemy .

On February 16, 1915 Vice Admiral Eckermann became the new squadron commander. On 29./30. March, 17th / 14th April 17th / 18th May and on 29./30. May she was again at sea with squadrons. On August 4, 1915, she ran into the Baltic Sea with the 1st Squadron and then covered the German burglary unit on the advance into the Bay of Riga . Wilhelmshaven was reached again on August 26th. On the same day, Vice Admiral Erhard Schmidt took over the squadron.

Further fleet advances followed on 11/12. September and 23./24. October 1915. 1916 joined ventures on 5./7. March, 25./26. March, 21./22. April and 24./25. April on. May 31st / April 1st June 1916 it came to a clash with the Royal Navy in the Skagerrakschlacht . In the course of the battle she was involved in the sinking of a British destroyer and the armored cruiser Defense . On the way back she ran into a mine at 6:20 a.m. , which led to a significant ingress of water. Their losses amounted to one dead and ten wounded.

Until July 25th she was in the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven . On 18./20. August, 25./26. September and 18./20. October she took part in naval advances again. The year 1917 was relatively uneventful with outpost service and branch trips. With the end of the fighting for the Baltic Islands, the 1st Squadron arrived in Putziger Wiek on October 28th, and on the 29th the East Frisia and Thuringia continued to Arensburg . On November 2nd the march back began.

On January 22, 1918, Vice Admiral Friedrich Boedicker boarded the ship as the new squadron commander. On 23/24 April it took part in the last North Sea advance of the deep sea fleet. On August 8, it arrived in the western Baltic Sea as part of a special unit put together for the Schlussstein company under Vice Admiral Boedicker. On August 23, the Ostfriesland returned to Wilhelmshaven. On October 2, she was ready with the 1st Squadron to pick up the Flanders submarines.

On November 3rd, following the abandoned fleet order of October 24th, 1918 , the squadron entered the Elbe estuary and moored in the Brunsbüttel lock . On November 6th, the command was taken over by the soldiers' council. On November 9, the squadron returned to Wilhelmshaven. In the period from November 21st to 25th, the East Frisia was disarmed . The squadron command was disbanded on November 30th. The ship served as the main ship for the crews of the squadron and was decommissioned on December 16, 1918.

According to the ceasefire conditions, the large-line ship was not intended for internment in Scapa Flow . On November 5, 1919, the Ostfriesland was deleted from the list of warships. It was only after the Allies made additional demands that it was extradited to the United States . On April 7, 1920 she ran out of Wilhelmshaven with a German crew and arrived on April 9 in Rosyth (Scotland), where she was taken over by the United States Navy as reparation ship H. The US Navy put the ship into service on April 7, 1920 for the transfer to the USA. After arriving in New York, she was decommissioned on September 20, 1920.

Whereabouts

On January 4, 1921, she left New York City on her last trip to serve in front of Virginia Beach at Cape Henry for testing aerial bombs. The first attack with Martin bombers took place on July 20, 1921 . 69 bombs from 115 to over 900 kilograms were dropped. The ship bobbing in the sea and marked with conspicuous markings received 13 hits. In the second attack on July 21, three out of eleven bombs hit. Due to leaks, the wreck fell one meter forward and 0.30 meters aft within four hours.

The third attack, using Handley Page HP16 aircraft , dropped six bombs weighing up to 906 kilograms. Close-up impacts caused the ship to turn on its side and sink within ten minutes. The wreck is still at the sinking location at 37 ° 9 '8 " N , 74 ° 34' 3" W at a depth of about 125 m. 37.152222222222 -74.5675

The Ostfriesland was the first battleship to be sunk by air raids. The test conducted by General Billy Mitchell demonstrated the vulnerability of capital ships to air strikes. The US Navy did not draw any conclusions from the test at the time.