SMS König Albert: differenze tra le versioni

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Versione delle 13:59, 28 set 2013

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'''[[Seiner Majestät Schiff|SMS]]''König Albert''''' era la quarta nave da battaglia della [[Classe Kaiser (nave da battaglia)|Classe Kaiser]] della [[Kaiserliche Marine]].<ref group=Nota>La ''König Albert'' era la quarta di cinque navi ordinate, ma fu completata dopo la quinta nave, la SMS Prinzregent Luitpold. SeeSi veda <ref>{{cita|Gröner| ''op. cit.'' p. 26}}</ref>. Perciò alcune fonti si riferiscono alla ''König Albert'' come alla quinta nave della classe. Si veda <ref>{{cita|Hildebrand Röhr & Steinmetz|p. 109}}.</ref> Lo scafo della ''König Albert''fu impostato il 17 luglio 1910 presso i cantieri navali [[Schichau-Werke]] di [[Danzica]], varata nel 27 aprile 1912 , entrò in servizio il 31 luglio 1913. La nave era dotata di dieci cannoni da 305&nbsp;mm (12,0 [[Pollice (unità di misura)|pollici]]) in cinque torrette binate, ed poteva sviluppare una velocità massima di 22,1 [[Nodo (unità di misura)|nodi]] (40.9 km/h). La ''König Albert'' fu assegnata al III. Geschwader (IIIª squadra da battaglia), successivamente al VI. Geschwader della [[Hochseeflotte]] durante [[prima guerra mondiale]].

AlongInsieme withalle hersue fourquattro pariclasse, la [[sisterSMS shipKaiser]]s, {{SMS|Kaiser|1911|2}},la {{[[SMS| Friedrich der Grosse|1911|2}}]], {{la [[SMS| Kaiserin||2}}]], ande {{la [[SMS| Prinzregent Luitpold||2}}]], la ''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 novembre 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 luglio 1935 and subsequently [[ship breaking|broken up]] for scrap in 1936.

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[[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}},<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 6}}</ref> {{efn|name=provisional names}} ''König Albert'' was laid down at the [[Schichau-Werke]] dockyard in [[Danzig]] on 17 luglio 1910.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 6}}</ref> She was launched on 27 aprile 1912;<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 20}}</ref> [[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.<ref>{{cita|Hildebrand Röhr & Steinmetz|p. 109}}</ref> Following the completion of fitting-out work, the ship was commissioned into the fleet on 31 luglio 1913.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 20}}</ref>

The ship was |172.4|m|ft long [[Length overall|overall]] and displaced a maximum of |27000|MT. She had a beam of |29|m|ft and a draft of |9.1|m|ft forward and |8.8|m|ft 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 |22.1 nodi. She carried |3600|MT|LT of coal, which enabled a maximum range of |7900|nmi at a cruising speed of |12|kn. She had a crew of 41&nbsp;officers and 1,043&nbsp;enlisted.<ref>{{cita|Gröner|p. 26}}</ref>

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== Service history ==

Although ''König Albert'' was the last ship in her class to be launched, she was the third to be commissioned,<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 20}}</ref> owing to turbine damage on {{[[SMS| Kaiserin||2}}]] and delays on {{[[SMS| Prinzregent Luitpold||2}}]]'s diesel engine.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|pp. 18, 22}}</ref> 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,<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 20}}</ref> with the goals of testing the new turbine propulsion system and representing the growing power of the Imperial Navy.<ref>{{cita|Gröner|p. 26}}</ref> 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 febbraio 1914, the Division reached [[Rio de Janeiro]], which ceremonially greeted the visiting German warships.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|pp. 10, 11}}</ref>

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 aprile 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 |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]].<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 11}}</ref>

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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 novembre 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.<ref>{{cita|Herwig|pp. 149–150}}</ref> The [[raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby]] on 15–16 December 1914 was the first such operation.<ref>{{cita|Tarrant|p. 31}}</ref> 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 |10|nmi 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.<ref>{{cita|Tarrant|pp. 31–33}}</ref>

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 febbraio. Admiral [[Hugo von Pohl]] replaced him as commander of the fleet.<ref>{{cita|Tarrant|pp. 43–44}}</ref> 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 aprile, where ''König Albert'' and the rest of the fleet covered a mining operation by the II Scouting Group. Three days later, on 21–22 aprile, the High Seas Fleet advanced toward the [[Dogger Bank]], though again failed to meet any British forces.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|pp. 15, 21}}</ref> 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 |18|kn, however.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 21}}</ref> 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 |50|nmi off [[Schiermonnikoog]]. The fleet remained in port until 10 agosto, 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 ottobre, was an advance in the direction of [[Horns Reef]] which concluded without result.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|pp. 15, 21}}</ref>

On 11 January 1916, Admiral [[Reinhard Scheer]] replaced the ailing von Pohl, who was suffering from liver cancer.<ref>{{cita|Tarrant|p. 49}}</ref> Scheer proposed a more aggressive policy designed to force a confrontation with the Grand Fleet; he received approval from the Kaiser in febbraio.<ref>{{cita|Tarrant|p. 50}}</ref> The first of Scheer's operations was conducted the following month, on 5–7 March, with an uneventful sweep of the [[Hoofden]].<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|pp. 32, 35}}</ref> 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 aprile.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|pp. 15, 21}}</ref> On 24 aprile, 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.<ref>{{cita|Tarrant|p. 53}}</ref> 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&nbsp;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.<ref>{{cita|Tarrant|p. 54}}</ref>

After the raid on Yarmouth, several of the III Squadron battleships developed problems with their condensers.<ref>{{cita|Tarrant|p. 56}}</ref> 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,<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 21}}</ref> and as a result, ''König Albert'' was the only German dreadnought in active service to miss the battle.<ref>{{cita|Tarrant|p. 62}}</ref>{{efn|name=Bayern unavailable}} On 18 agosto 1916, ''König Albert'' took part in an operation to bombard [[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]].<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|pp. 15, 21}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cita|Massie|p. 682}}</ref> Scheer turned north after receiving a false report from a [[zeppelin]] about a British unit in the area.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 15}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cita|Massie|p. 683}}</ref>

Another fleet operation took place on 18–19 ottobre, 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;<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 21}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cita|Halpern|p. 214}}</ref> ''König Albert'' saw no major operations in the first half of 1917, and on 18 agosto she went into drydock at the [[Kaiserliche Werft Kiel|Imperial Dockyard in Kiel]] for periodic maintenance, which lasted until 23 September.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 21}}</ref>

==== Operation Albion ====

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[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1970-074-34, Besetzung der Insel Ösel, Truppenanlandung.jpg|thumb|German troops landing at Ösel|alt=A small boat packed with soldiers passes in front of a cruiser and several transport ships]]

In early September 1917, following the German conquest of the Russian port of [[Riga]], the German naval command decided to eliminate the Russian naval forces that still held the [[Gulf of Riga]].<ref>{{cita|Halpern|p. 213}}</ref> On 18 September, the ''Admiralstab'' (the Navy High Command) issued the order for a joint operation with the army to capture [[Saaremaa|Ösel]] and [[Muhu|Moon]] Islands. The naval component, organized as a Special Unit (''Sonderverband''), was to comprise the flagship, ''Moltke'', along with the III and IV&nbsp;Battle Squadrons of the High Seas Fleet. Along with nine light cruisers, three torpedo boat flotillas, and dozens of [[naval mine|mine]] warfare ships, the entire force numbered some 300 ships, supported by over 100 aircraft and six zeppelins.<ref>{{cita|Halpern|pp. 214–215}}</ref> Opposing the Germans were the old Russian [[pre-dreadnought]]s {{ship|Russian battleship|Slava||2}}]] and {{ship|Russian battleship|Tsesarevich||2}}]], the [[armored cruiser]]s {{ship|Russian cruiser|Bayan|1907|2}}, {{ship|Russian cruiser|Admiral Makarov||2}}]], and {{ship|Russian cruiser|Diana|1899|2}}, 26 destroyers, and several torpedo boats and gunboats. The garrison on Ösel numbered some 14,000 men.<ref>{{cita|Halpern|p. 215}}</ref>

The operation began on the morning of 12 October, when ''Moltke'' and the III Squadron ships engaged Russian positions in Tagga Bay while ''König Albert'' and the rest of IV Squadron shelled Russian gun batteries on the [[Sõrve Peninsula|Sworbe Peninsula]] on Ösel.<ref>{{cita|Halpern|p. 215}}</ref> The coastal artillery in both locations were quickly silenced by the battleships' heavy guns.<ref>{{cita|Barrett|p. 125}}</ref> On the morning of the 14th, ''König Albert'', ''Friedrich der Grosse'', and ''Kaiserin'' were detached to support German troops advancing toward [[Anseküll]].<ref>{{cita|Barrett|p. 146}}</ref> ''König Albert'' and ''Kaiserin'' were assigned to suppress a Russian battery at [[Zerel]], though heavy fog delayed them from engaging the target. The Russians opened fire first, which was quickly returned by the two ships. ''Friedrich der Grosse'' came to the two ships' assistance and the three battleships fired a total of 120 large-caliber shells at the battery at Zerel over the span of an hour. The battleships' gunfire prompted most of the Russian gun crews to flee their posts.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battle for the Baltic Islands''|pp. 71–72}}</ref>

On the night of 15 October, ''König Albert'' and ''Kaiserin'' were sent to replenish their coal stocks in [[Putzig]].<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battle for the Baltic Islands''|p. 81}}</ref> On the 19th, they were briefly joined in Putzig by ''Friedrich der Grosse'', which continued on to [[Kuressaare|Arensburg]] with ''Moltke''.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battle for the Baltic Islands''|p. 140}}</ref> The next morning, Vice Admiral Schmidt ordered the special naval unit to be dissolved; in a communique to the naval headquarters, Schmidt noted that "''Kaiserin'' and ''König Albert'' can immediately be detached from Putzig to the North Sea."<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battle for the Baltic Islands''|p. 145}}</ref> The two ships then proceeded to Kiel via Danzig, where they transited the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal back to the North Sea.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 20}}</ref> After returning to the North Sea on 23 October, ''König Albert'' served as the [[flagship]] for a force of heavy ships, including ''Kaiserin'', {{[[SMS| Nassau||2}}]], {{[[SMS| Rheinland||2}}]], and the battlecruiser {{[[SMS| Derfflinger||2}}]], supporting a mine-sweeping operation in the [[German Bight]]. Afterward she resumed guard duty in the Bight.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 21}}</ref>

=== Fate ===

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[[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.<ref>{{cita|Tarrant|pp. 280–281}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cita|Tarrant|pp. 281–282}}</ref> The ship remained on picket duty in the Bight until 10 novembre. This kept her away from the mutinous vessels, until she returned to port and her crew joined the mutiny.<ref>{{cita|Staff, ''Battleships''|p. 21}}</ref> The unrest ultimately forced Hipper and Scheer to cancel the operation.<ref>{{cita|Tarrant|p. 282}}</ref> Informed of the situation, the Kaiser stated "I no longer have a navy."<ref>{{cita|Herwig|p. 252}}</ref>

Following the capitulation of Germany in novembre 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]].<ref>{{cita|Tarrant|p. 282}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cita|Herwig|p. 256}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cita|Herwig|pp. 254–255}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cita|Herwig|p. 255}}</ref>

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{{efn

| name = Bayern unavailable

| The new battleship {{[[SMS| Bayern||2}}]] had been commissioned on 18 March, but was still conducting trials in the Baltic Sea and was unavailable for the operation. See <ref>{{cita|Campbell|p. 17}}.

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