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| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | Viper |
| Namesake | Viper |
| Builder | AG Weser, Bremen |
| Laid down | May 1875 |
| Launched | 21 September 1876 |
| Commissioned | 27 March 1877 |
| Decommissioned | 22 September 1891 |
| Stricken | 28 June 1909 |
| Notes | Converted to crane ship, 1910 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Gunboat |
| Displacement | |
| 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 |
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| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 10.4 knots (19.3 km/h; 12.0 mph) |
| Complement |
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| Armament | 1 × 30.5 cm (12 in) MRK L/22 gun |
| Armor | |
SMS Viper 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. Viper saw little active service after her initial sea trials in 1877, being commissioned for short training periods every year between 1885 and 1891. The ship remained in reserve until 1909, when she was converted into a crane ship. During World War I in 1918, she assisted in the recovery of the battleship SMS Rheinland. She was still in service during World War II, and was slated to participate in Operation Sea Lion, the planned invasion of Britain. Viper remained operational until as late as 1970, but her ultimate fate is unknown.