SMS Biene

Biene's sister ship Natter in Kiel
History
German Empire
Name	Biene
Namesake	Bee
Builder	AG Weser, Bremen
Laid down	1876
Launched	2 December 1876
Commissioned	20 August 1877
Decommissioned	12 June 1884
Stricken	27 September 1910
Fate	Broken up, 1921
General characteristics
Type	Gunboat
Displacement	Design: 1,098 t (1,081 long tons) Full load: 1,163 t (1,145 long tons)
Length	46.4 m (152 ft 3 in)
Beam	10.6 m (34 ft 9 in)
Draft	3.2 to 3.4 m (10 ft 6 in to 11 ft 2 in)
Installed power	4 × fire-tube boilers 800 PS (790 ihp)
Propulsion	2 × double-expansion steam engines 2 × screw propellers
Speed	11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Complement	3 officers 73–85 enlisted
Armament	1 × 30.5 cm (12 in) MRK L/22 gun
Armor	Belt: 102 to 203 mm (4 to 8 in) Barbette: 203 mm (8 in) Deck: 44 mm (1.7 in)

SMS Biene was an ironclad gunboat of the Wespe class built for the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) in the 1870s. The ships, which were armed with a single 30.5 cm (12 in) MRK L/22 gun, were intended to serve as part of a coastal defense fleet.