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'''SMS[[Seiner Majestät Schiff|SMS]]''König Albert'''''{{efn|name=SMS}} wasera thela fourthquarta vesselnave ofda thebattaglia della [[Classe {{sclass-|Kaiser (nave da battaglia)|battleship|4}}Classe ofKaiser]] della [[battleshipKaiserliche Marine]]s.<ref ofgroup=Nota>La the''König [[ImperialAlbert'' Germanera Navy]]la quarta di cinque navi ordinate, ma fu completata dopo la quinta nave, la SMS Prinzregent Luitpold. See {{efnharvnb|nameGröner|p=completion order26}}. Perciò alcune fonti si riferiscono alla ''König Albert'' come alla quinta nave della classe. Si veda {{'harvnb|Hildebrand Röhr & Steinmetz|p=109}}s.</ref> keelLo wasscafo laiddella on''König Albert''fu impostato il 17 Julyluglio 1910 atpresso i cantieri thenavali [[Schichau-Werke]] dockyard indi [[DanzigDanzica]]., Shevarata was launched onnel 27 Aprilaprile 1912 and, wasentrò commissioned into thein fleetservizio onil 31 Julyluglio 1913. The ship was equipped with ten {{convert|30.5|cm|in|sp=us|adj=on}} guns in five twin turrets, and had a top speed of {{convert|22.1|kn}}. ''König Albert'' was assigned to the III Battle Squadron and later the IV Battle Squadron of the [[High Seas Fleet]] for the majority of her career, including [[World War I]].
Along with her four [[sister ship]]s, {{SMS|Kaiser|1911|2}}, {{SMS|Friedrich der Grosse|1911|2}}, {{SMS|Kaiserin||2}}, and {{SMS|Prinzregent Luitpold||2}}, ''König Albert'' participated in most of the major fleet operations of World War I, though she was in drydock for maintenance during the [[Battle of Jutland]] between 31 May and 1 June 1916. As a result, she was the only battleship actively serving with the fleet that missed the largest naval battle of the war. The ship was also involved in [[Operation Albion]], an amphibious assault on the Russian-held islands in the [[Gulf of Riga]], in late 1917.
After Germany's defeat in the war and the signing of the [[Armistice with Germany|Armistice]] in Novembernovembre 1918, ''König Albert'' and most of the [[capital ship]]s of the High Seas Fleet were interned by the [[Royal Navy]] in [[Scapa Flow]]. The ships were disarmed and reduced to skeleton crews while the [[Allies of World War I|Allied powers]] negotiated the final version of the [[Treaty of Versailles]]. On 21 June 1919, days before the treaty was signed, the commander of the interned fleet, Rear Admiral [[Ludwig von Reuter]], [[Scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow|ordered the fleet to be scuttled]] to ensure that the British would not be able to seize the ships. ''König Albert'' was raised in Julyluglio 1935 and subsequently [[ship breaking|broken up]] for scrap in 1936.
== Construction ==
[[File:Kaiser class diagram.jpg|thumb|left|A line-drawing of the ''Kaiser'' class; the shaded areas represent the portions of the ship protected by armor|alt=A large warship with five gun turrets, two tall masts, two funnels, and heavy armor protection.]]
Ordered under the contract name ''Ersatz Ägir'' as a replacement for the obsolete [[coastal defense ship]] {{SMS|Ägir}},{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|p=6}}{{efn|name=provisional names}} ''König Albert'' was laid down at the [[Schichau-Werke]] dockyard in [[Danzig]] on 17 Julyluglio 1910.{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|p=6}} She was launched on 27 Aprilaprile 1912;{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|p=20}} [[Princess Mathilde of Saxony (1863–1933)|Princess Mathilde of Saxony]] christened the ship, and her brother, the last king of Saxony, [[Frederick Augustus III of Saxony|Friedrich August III]] gave the speech.{{sfn|Hildebrand Röhr & Steinmetz|p=109}} Following the completion of fitting-out work, the ship was commissioned into the fleet on 31 Julyluglio 1913.{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|p=20}}
The ship was {{convert|172.4|m|ft|abbr=on}} long [[Length overall|overall]] and displaced a maximum of {{convert|27000|MT|sp=us|-1}}. She had a beam of {{convert|29|m|ft|abbr=on}} and a draft of {{convert|9.1|m|ft|abbr=on}} forward and {{convert|8.8|m|ft|abbr=on}} aft. ''König Albert'' was powered by three sets of [[Schichau-Werke|Schichau]] [[turbine]]s, supplied with steam by 16 coal-fired [[water-tube boiler|boilers]]. The powerplant produced a top speed of {{convert|22.1|kn}}. She carried {{convert|3600|MT|LT|sp=us}} of coal, which enabled a maximum range of {{convert|7900|nmi|sp=us}} at a cruising speed of {{convert|12|kn|abbr=on}}. She had a crew of 41 officers and 1,043 enlisted.{{sfn|Gröner|p=26}}
== Service history ==
Although ''König Albert'' was the last ship in her class to be launched, she was the third to be commissioned,{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|p=20}} owing to turbine damage on {{SMS|Kaiserin||2}} and delays on {{SMS|Prinzregent Luitpold||2}}'s diesel engine.{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|pp=18, 22}} The ship was selected to form part of the special Detached Division, alongside her sister {{SMS|Kaiser||2}} and the [[light cruiser]] {{SMS|Strassburg||2}}. The Division was placed under the command of ''Konteradmiral'' (Rear Admiral) von Rebeur Paschwitz and sent on a tour of South America,{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|p=20}} with the goals of testing the new turbine propulsion system and representing the growing power of the Imperial Navy.{{sfn|Gröner|p=26}} The three ships left [[Wilhelmshaven]] on 9 December 1913 and steamed for [[German West Africa]], where they made several stops, including [[Lomé]], Togo, and [[Limbe, Cameroon|Victoria]] and [[Douala|Duala]], [[Kamerun]]. The Division then proceeded to [[German South-West Africa]], making stops in [[Swakopmund]] and [[Lüderitzbucht]], and South Africa, stopping in [[Saint Helena]] en route. On 15 Februaryfebbraio 1914, the Division reached [[Rio de Janeiro]], which ceremonially greeted the visiting German warships.{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|pp=10, 11}}
From Rio de Janeiro, ''Strassburg'' went to [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina, while ''König Albert'' and ''Kaiser'' steamed to [[Montevideo]], Uruguay. ''Strassburg'' then rejoined the battleships in Montevideo, and all three then rounded [[Cape Horn]] and steamed to [[Valparaíso]], Chile. Between 2 and 11 Aprilaprile they remained in Valparaiso, which marked the furthest point of their journey. On the return voyage, the three ships made additional stops, including in [[Bahía Blanca]], Argentina, before returning to Rio de Janeiro. The Division then began the trip back to Germany, stopping in [[Cape Verde]], [[Madeira]], and [[Vigo]]. The ships reached [[Kiel]] on 17 June 1914, after having traveled some {{convert|20000|nmi}} without incident. On 24 June, the Detached Division was dissolved, and ''König Albert'' and ''Kaiser'' joined their classmates in the III Battle Squadron of the [[High Seas Fleet]].{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|p=11}}
=== World War I ===
[[File:North Sea map-en.png|thumb|upright|right|The [[North Sea]], where most major German fleet actions took place]]
Throughout the first two years of the war, the High Seas Fleet, including ''König Albert'', conducted a number of sweeps and advances into the North Sea. The first occurred on 2–3 Novembernovembre 1914, though no British forces were encountered. Admiral [[Friedrich von Ingenohl]], the commander of the High Seas Fleet, adopted a strategy in which the battlecruisers of Rear Admiral [[Franz von Hipper]]'s [[I Scouting Group]] raided British coastal towns to lure out portions of the [[Grand Fleet]] where they could be destroyed by the High Seas Fleet.{{sfn|Herwig|pp=149–150}} The [[raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby]] on 15–16 December 1914 was the first such operation.{{sfn|Tarrant|p=31}} On the evening of 15 December, the German battle fleet of some twelve dreadnoughts—including ''König Albert'' and her four [[sister ship|sisters]]—and eight pre-dreadnoughts came to within {{convert|10|nmi|abbr=on}} of an isolated squadron of six British battleships. However, skirmishes between the rival [[destroyer]] screens in the darkness convinced von Ingenohl that he was faced with the entire British Grand Fleet. Under orders from [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]] to avoid risking the fleet unnecessarily, von Ingenohl broke off the engagement and turned back toward Germany.{{sfn|Tarrant|pp=31–33}}
Following the loss of {{SMS|Blücher}} at the [[Battle of Dogger Bank (1915)|Battle of Dogger Bank]] in January 1915, the Kaiser removed Admiral von Ingenohl from his post on 2 Februaryfebbraio. Admiral [[Hugo von Pohl]] replaced him as commander of the fleet.{{sfn|Tarrant|pp=43–44}} Admiral von Pohl conducted a series of fleet advances in 1915 in which ''König Albert'' took part; in the first one on 29–30 March, the fleet steamed out to the north of [[Terschelling]] and returned without incident. Another followed on 17–18 Aprilaprile, where ''König Albert'' and the rest of the fleet covered a mining operation by the II Scouting Group. Three days later, on 21–22 Aprilaprile, the High Seas Fleet advanced toward the [[Dogger Bank]], though again failed to meet any British forces.{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|pp=15, 21}} On 15 May, a [[Bushing (bearing)#Bushing|bushing]] came loose in the ship's starboard turbine, which forced the crew to turn the engine off and [[wikt:decouple|decouple]] it. The center and port side shafts were still capable of propelling the ship at {{convert|18|kn|abbr=on}}, however.{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|p=21}} On 29–30 May, the fleet attempted to conduct a sweep in the North Sea, but inclement weather forced Pohl to cancel the operation some {{convert|50|nmi|abbr=on}} off [[Schiermonnikoog]]. The fleet remained in port until 10 Augustagosto, when it sortied to [[Helgoland]] to cover the return of the [[auxiliary cruiser]] {{SMS|Möwe||2}}. A month later, on 11–12 September, the fleet covered another mine-laying operation off the [[Swarte Bank]]. The last operation of the year, conducted on 23–24 Octoberottobre, was an advance in the direction of [[Horns Reef]] which concluded without result.{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|pp=15, 21}}
On 11 January 1916, Admiral [[Reinhard Scheer]] replaced the ailing von Pohl, who was suffering from liver cancer.{{sfn|Tarrant|p=49}} Scheer proposed a more aggressive policy designed to force a confrontation with the Grand Fleet; he received approval from the Kaiser in Februaryfebbraio.{{sfn|Tarrant|p=50}} The first of Scheer's operations was conducted the following month, on 5–7 March, with an uneventful sweep of the [[Hoofden]].{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|pp=32, 35}} On 25–26 March, Scheer attempted to attack British forces that had raided [[Tondern]], but failed to locate them. Another advance to Horns Reef followed on 21–22 Aprilaprile.{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|pp=15, 21}} On 24 Aprilaprile, the [[battlecruiser]]s of the I Scouting Group conducted a [[Bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft|raid on the English coast]]. ''König Albert'' and the rest of the fleet sailed in distant support. The battlecruiser {{SMS|Seydlitz||2}} struck a mine while en route to the target, and had to withdraw.{{sfn|Tarrant|p=53}} The other battlecruisers bombarded the town of Lowestoft unopposed, but during the approach to Yarmouth, they encountered the British cruisers of the [[Harwich Force]]. A short artillery duel ensued before the Harwich Force withdrew. Reports of British submarines in the area prompted the retreat of the I Scouting Group. At this point, Scheer, who had been warned of the sortie of the Grand Fleet from its base in Scapa Flow, also withdrew to safer German waters.{{sfn|Tarrant|p=54}}
After the raid on Yarmouth, several of the III Squadron battleships developed problems with their condensers.{{sfn|Tarrant|p=56}} This included ''König Albert''; tubing needed to be replaced in all three main condensers, which necessitated extensive dockyard work. The ship went into drydock in the [[Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven|Imperial Dockyard in Wilhelmshaven]] on 29 May, two days before the rest of the fleet departed for the [[Battle of Jutland]]. Work on the ship was not completed until 15 June,{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|p=21}} and as a result, ''König Albert'' was the only German dreadnought in active service to miss the battle.{{sfn|Tarrant|p=62}}{{efn|name=Bayern unavailable}} On 18 Augustagosto 1916, ''König Albert'' took part in an operation to bombard [[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]].{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|pp=15, 21}} Admiral Scheer attempted a repeat of the original 31 May plan: the two serviceable German battlecruisers—{{SMS|Moltke||2}} and {{SMS|Von der Tann||2}}—augmented by three faster dreadnoughts, were to bombard the coastal town of Sunderland in an attempt to draw out and destroy Vice Admiral [[David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty|David Beatty's]] battlecruisers. Scheer would trail behind with the rest of the fleet and provide support.{{sfn|Massie|p=682}} Scheer turned north after receiving a false report from a [[zeppelin]] about a British unit in the area.{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|p=15}} As a result, the bombardment was not carried out, and by 14:35, Scheer had been warned of the Grand Fleet's approach and so turned his forces around and retreated to German ports.{{sfn|Massie|p=683}}
Another fleet operation took place on 18–19 Octoberottobre, though it ended without encountering any British units. Unit training in the Baltic was then conducted, and on the return voyage the III Squadron was diverted to assist in the recovery of a pair of [[U-boat]]s stranded on the Danish coast. The fleet was reorganized on 1 December;{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|p=21}} the four ''König''-class battleships remained in the III Squadron, along with the newly commissioned {{SMS|Bayern||2}}, while the five ''Kaiser''-class ships, including ''König Albert'', were transferred to IV Squadron.{{sfn|Halpern|p=214}} ''König Albert'' saw no major operations in the first half of 1917, and on 18 Augustagosto she went into drydock at the [[Kaiserliche Werft Kiel|Imperial Dockyard in Kiel]] for periodic maintenance, which lasted until 23 September.{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|p=21}}
==== Operation Albion ====
[[File:Internment at Scapa Flow.svg|thumb|400px|Map of the scuttled ships showing ''König Albert'' (#14)|alt=A map designating the locations where the German ships were sunk; [[Media:Internment at Scapa Flow.svg|click]] for a larger view.]]
''König Albert'' and her four sisters were to have taken part in a [[Naval order of 24 October 1918|final fleet action]] at the end of October 1918, days before the [[Armistice with Germany|Armistice]] was to take effect. The bulk of the High Seas Fleet was to have sortied from their base in Wilhelmshaven to engage the British Grand Fleet; Scheer—by now the [[Grand Admiral]] (''Großadmiral'') of the fleet—intended to inflict as much damage as possible on the British navy, in order to retain a better bargaining position for Germany, despite the expected casualties. However, many of the war-weary sailors felt the operation would disrupt the peace process and prolong the war.{{sfn|Tarrant|pp=280–281}} On the morning of 29 October 1918, the order was given to sail from Wilhelmshaven the following day. Starting on the night of 29 October, sailors on {{SMS|Thüringen||2}} and then on several other battleships [[Wilhelmshaven mutiny|mutinied]].{{sfn|Tarrant|pp=281–282}} The ship remained on picket duty in the Bight until 10 Novembernovembre. This kept her away from the mutinous vessels, until she returned to port and her crew joined the mutiny.{{sfn|Staff, ''Battleships''|p=21}} The unrest ultimately forced Hipper and Scheer to cancel the operation.{{sfn|Tarrant|p=282}} Informed of the situation, the Kaiser stated "I no longer have a navy."{{sfn|Herwig|p=252}}
Following the capitulation of Germany in Novembernovembre 1918, most of the High Seas Fleet, under the command of Rear Admiral [[Ludwig von Reuter]], were interned in the British naval base in [[Scapa Flow]].{{sfn|Tarrant|p=282}} Prior to the departure of the German fleet, Admiral [[Adolf von Trotha]] made it clear to von Reuter that he could not allow the Allies to seize the ships, under any conditions.{{sfn|Herwig|p=256}} The fleet rendezvoused with the British light cruiser {{HMS|Cardiff|D58|2}}, which led the ships to the Allied fleet that was to escort the Germans to Scapa Flow. This consisted of some 370 British, American, and French warships.{{sfn|Herwig|pp=254–255}} Once the ships were interned, their guns were disabled through the removal of their breech blocks, and their crews were reduced to 200 officers and enlisted men.{{sfn|Herwig|p=255}}
The fleet remained in captivity during the negotiations that ultimately produced the [[Treaty of Versailles]]. Von Reuter believed that the British intended to seize the German ships on 21 June 1919, which was the deadline for Germany to have signed the peace treaty. Unaware that the deadline had been extended to the 23rd, Reuter [[Scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow|ordered the ships to be sunk]] at the next opportunity. On the morning of 21 June, the British fleet left Scapa Flow to conduct training maneuvers, and at 11:20 Reuter transmitted the order to his ships.{{sfn|Herwig|p=256}} ''König Albert'' capsized and sank at 12:54. On 31 Julyluglio 1935, the ship was raised and broken up for scrap over the following year in [[Rosyth]].{{sfn|Gröner|p=26}}
== Notes ==
| notes =
{{efn
| name = SMS
| "SMS" stands for "''[[Seiner Majestät Schiff]]''" ({{lang-de|His Majesty's Ship}}).
}}
{{efn
| name = completion order
| ''König Albert'' was the fourth of five ships ordered, but she was completed after the fifth ship, {{SMS|Prinzregent Luitpold||2}}. See {{harvnb|Gröner|p=26}}. As a result, some sources refer to ''König Albert'' as the fifth ship of the class. See {{harvnb|Hildebrand Röhr & Steinmetz|p=109}}.
}}
{{efn
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