SMS Deutschland (1874)

Deutschland in 1902
History
German Empire
NameSMS Deutschland
NamesakeDeutschland (Germany)
BuilderSamuda Brothers, Great Britain
Laid down1872
Launched12 September 1874
Commissioned20 July 1875
RenamedJupiter, 22 November 1904
ReclassifiedHulk
FateScrapped at Hamburg, 1909
General characteristics
Class and typeKaiser-class ironclad
Displacement
Length89.34 m (293 ft 1 in)
Beam19.1 m (62 ft 8 in)
Draft7.39 m (24 ft 3 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed14.6 knots (27.0 km/h; 16.8 mph)
Range3,200 nmi (5,900 km; 3,700 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement
  • 32 officers
  • 568 enlisted men
Armament
Armor
  • Belt: 127 to 254 mm (5 to 10 in)
  • Deck: 38 to 51 mm (1.5 to 2.0 in)
  • Battery: 203 mm (8 in)

SMS Deutschland[a] was the second and final ship of the Kaiser-class ironclads; SMS Kaiser was her sister ship. Named for Germany (Deutschland in German), the ship was laid down in the Samuda Brothers shipyard in London in 1872. The ship was launched in September 1874 and commissioned into the German fleet in July 1875. Deutschland mounted a main battery of eight 26 cm (10.2 in) guns in a central battery amidships. She was the last capital ship built for the German Navy by a foreign ship-builder; all subsequent ships were built in Germany.

Deutschland served with the fleet from her commissioning until 1896, though she was frequently placed in reserve throughout her career. The ship was a regular participant in the annual fleet training maneuvers conducted with the exception of the mid-1880s, when she was temporarily replaced by newer vessels. She participated in several cruises in the Baltic and Mediterranean, often escorting Kaiser Wilhelm II on official state visits. Deutschland was rebuilt in the early 1890s as an armored cruiser, though she was too slow to perform satisfactorily in this role. Nevertheless, she spent three years in the East Asia Squadron before returning to Germany in 1900. She was used in secondary roles after 1904, until 1908 when she was sold and broken up for scrap.
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