Wikipedia

SMS König Albert

nave da battaglia della Kaiserliche Marine
Versione del 15 dic 2013 alle 16:13 di Demostene119 (discussione | contributi)


SMS König Albert era la quarta nave da battaglia della Classe Kaiser della Kaiserliche Marine.[Nota 1]. Perciò alcune fonti si riferiscono alla König Albert come alla quinta nave della classe. Si veda [1] Lo scafo della König Albertfu 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 mm (12,0 pollici) in cinque torrette binate, ed poteva sviluppare una velocità massima di 22,1 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.

SMS König Albert
SMS König Albert in navigazione.
Descrizione generale
Tiponave da battaglia
In servizio con Kaiserliche Marine dal 1912 al 1919
CantiereSchichau-Werke, Danzica
Impostazione17 luglio 1910
Varo27 aprile 1911
Entrata in servizio31 luglio 1913
Destino finaleautoaffondata il 21 giugno 1919, presso Scapa Flow
Caratteristiche generali
Dislocamentostandard 24.724 t
a pieno carico 27.000 t
Lunghezza172,4 m
Larghezza29 m
Pescaggio9,1 m
Propulsione3 turbine a vapore Schichau di Elbląg su tre eliche per 31.000 hp all'asse (23.120 kW) complessivi
Velocità22,1 nodi (40,9 km/h)
Autonomia7.900 a 12 nodi (22 Km/h)
Equipaggio41 ufficiali, 1.043 marinai
Armamento
Artiglieria10 cannoni 30,5 cm SK L/50 (305 mm)
14 cannoni 15 cm SK L/45
12 cannoni 8;8 cm SK L/45
Siluri5 tubi lanciasiluri da 500 mm
Corazzaturamurata: 350 mm
Torrette: 300 mm
torre comando: 400 mm
Note
Recuperata nel 1935 e demolita nel 1936.
Riferimenti nel corpo della voce.
voci di navi presenti su Wikipedia

Insieme alle sue quattro pariclasse, la SMS Kaiser, la SMS Friedrich der Grosse, la SMS Kaiserin, e la SMS Prinzregent Luitpold, la König Albert prese parte alle più importanti azioni della flotta tedesca, ma era sottoposta a manutenzione in bacino durante la Battaglia dello Jutland il 31 maggio – 1 giugno 1916. Partecipò anche all'Operazione Albion nel Mar Baltico alla fine del 1917.

Dopo la resa della Germania e la sigla dell'armistizio nel novembre 1918, la König Albert fu condotta insieme alla maggior parte della Hochseeflotte presso la base della marina britannica di Scapa Flow.Le navi vennero disarmate e dotate del minimo degli uomini necessari al governo mentre gli Alleati discutevano le clausole del trattato di Versailles. Il 21 giugno 1919, giorni prima della firma del trattato, il comandante della flotta tedesca internata, il contrammiraglio Ludwig von Reuter, ordinò alle sue navi di autoaffondarsi per evitare che cadessero in mani britanniche. La König Albert fu recuperata nel luglio 1935 e demolita per recuperarne i metalli nel 1936.

Costruzione e caratteristiche

 
Schema della protezione della nave, in scuro le aree protette da corazza.

Ordinata sotto il nome di Ersatz Ägir a sostituzione della obsoleta corazzata costiera SMS Ägir,[2][Nota 2] La König Albert fu impostata presso i cantieri Schichau-Werke di Danzica il 17 luglio 1910.[3] Fu varata il 27 aprile 1912;[4] La principessa Matilde di Sassonia battezzò la nave, e suo fratello, l'ultimo re di Sassonia, Federico Augusto III tenne il discorso inaugurale.[5] Dopo la fine dei lavori di allestimento, entrò in servizio 31 luglio 1913.[6]

La König Albert aveva una lunghezza fuori tutto di 172,4 m ed un baglio massimo di 29 m. Dislocava 27.000 t con un'altezza di 29 m ed un pescaggio a prua di 9,1 m e di 8,8 m a poppa. La propulsione era assicurata da tre gruppi turboriduttori della ditta Schichau, alimentati da 16 caldaie a carbone. Le turbine permettevano una velocità massima di 22,1 nodi. La nave poteva trasportare 3.600 t di carbone, che garantiva un'autonomia massima di 7.900 miglia alla velocità di crociera di 12 nodi. L'equipaggio era formato da 41 ufficiali e da 1,043 marinai. [7]

La König Albert era dotata di una batteria principale di dieci cannoni 30,5 cm SK L/50 in cinque torrette binate.[8] La disposizione delle torrette abbandonava il precedente schema esagonale delle navi da battaglia tedesche, infatti tre delle cinque torrette erano montate sulla linea di mezzeria della nave, una a prua e due a poppa montate su due livelli. le altre due erano poste en echelon a centronave, in modo che potessero sparare su entrambe le bordate.[9] Le batterie secondarie erano costituite da quattordici cannoni 15 cm SK L/45 da 150 mm di calibro, posti in casamatta ed otto 8,8 cm SK L/45 da 8,8 mm sempre in casamatta e quattro cannoni antiaerei 8,8 cm L/45. L'armamento della nave era completato da cinque tubi lanciasiluri da 500 mm montati sotto la linea di galleggiamento; uno a prua e gli altri quattro su i due bordi.[10]

Servizio

La König Albert fu l'ultima, di cinque, nave della sua classe ad essere varata ma fu la terza ad entrare in servizio,[11] prima della SMS Kaiserin, per un guasto alla turbina, e della SMS Prinzregent Luitpold per i problemi derivanti la mancata installazione del motore diesel.[12] The ship was selected to form part of the special Detached Division, alongside her sister SMS Kaiser and the light cruiser SMS Strassburg. The Division was placed under the command of Konteradmiral (Rear Admiral) von Rebeur Paschwitz and sent on a tour of South America,[13] with the goals of testing the new turbine propulsion system and representing the growing power of the Imperial Navy.[14] The three ships left Wilhelmshaven on 9 December 1913 and steamed for German West Africa, where they made several stops, including Lomé, Togo, and Victoria and 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.[15]

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 Geschwader of the High Seas Fleet.[16]

World War I

 
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 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.[17] The raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on 15–16 December 1914 was the first such operation.[18] On the evening of 15 December, the German battle fleet of some twelve dreadnoughts—including König Albert and her four 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.[19]

Following the loss of [[SMS Blücher}} at the 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.[20] 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.[21] On 15 May, a bushing came loose in the ship's starboard turbine, which forced the crew to turn the engine off and decouple it. The center and port side shafts were still capable of propelling the ship at |18|kn, however.[22] 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. 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.[23]

On 11 January 1916, Admiral Reinhard Scheer replaced the ailing von Pohl, who was suffering from liver cancer.[24] Scheer proposed a more aggressive policy designed to force a confrontation with the Grand Fleet; he received approval from the Kaiser in febbraio.[25] The first of Scheer's operations was conducted the following month, on 5–7 March, with an uneventful sweep of the Hoofden.[26] 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.[27] On 24 aprile, the battlecruisers of the I Scouting Group conducted a raid on the English coast. König Albert and the rest of the fleet sailed in distant support. The battlecruiser SMS Seydlitz struck a mine while en route to the target, and had to withdraw.[28] 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.[29]

After the raid on Yarmouth, several of the III. Geschwader battleships developed problems with their condensers.[30] 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 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,[31] and as a result, König Albert was the only German dreadnought in active service to miss the battle.[32][N 1] On 18 agosto 1916, König Albert took part in an operation to bombard Sunderland.[33] Admiral Scheer attempted a repeat of the original 31 May plan: the two serviceable German battlecruisers—SMS Moltke and SMS Von der Tann—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's battlecruisers. Scheer would trail behind with the rest of the fleet and provide support.[34] Scheer turned north after receiving a false report from a zeppelin about a British unit in the area.[35] 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.[36]

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 Geschwader was diverted to assist in the recovery of a pair of U-boats stranded on the Danish coast. The fleet was reorganized on 1 December;[37] the four König-class battleships remained in the III Geschwader, along with the newly commissioned SMS Bayern, while the five Kaiser-class ships, including König Albert, were transferred to IV Geschwader.[38] König Albert saw no major operations in the first half of 1917, and on 18 agosto she went into drydock at the Imperial Dockyard in Kiel for periodic maintenance, which lasted until 23 September.[39]

Operation Albion

  Lo stesso argomento in dettaglio: Operation Albion.
 
German troops landing at Ösel

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.[40] On 18 September, the Admiralstab (the Navy High Command) issued the order for a joint operation with the army to capture Ösel and Moon Islands. The naval component, organized as a Special Unit (Sonderverband), was to comprise the flagship, Moltke, along with the III and IV Battle Geschwaders of the High Seas Fleet. Along with nine light cruisers, three torpedo boat flotillas, and dozens of mine warfare ships, the entire force numbered some 300 ships, supported by over 100 aircraft and six zeppelins.[41] Opposing the Germans were the old Russian pre-dreadnoughts {{ship|Russian battleship|Slava]] and {{ship|Russian battleship|Tsesarevich]], the armored cruisers Template:Ship, {{ship|Russian cruiser|Admiral Makarov]], and Template:Ship, 26 destroyers, and several torpedo boats and gunboats. The garrison on Ösel numbered some 14,000 men.[42]

The operation began on the morning of 12 October, when Moltke and the III Geschwader ships engaged Russian positions in Tagga Bay while König Albert and the rest of IV Geschwader shelled Russian gun batteries on the Sworbe Peninsula on Ösel.[43] The coastal artillery in both locations were quickly silenced by the battleships' heavy guns.[44] On the morning of the 14th, König Albert, Friedrich der Grosse, and Kaiserin were detached to support German troops advancing toward Anseküll.[45] 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.[46]

On the night of 15 October, König Albert and Kaiserin were sent to replenish their coal stocks in Putzig.[47] On the 19th, they were briefly joined in Putzig by Friedrich der Grosse, which continued on to Arensburg with Moltke.[48] 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."[49] The two ships then proceeded to Kiel via Danzig, where they transited the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal back to the North Sea.[50] 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, SMS Rheinland, and the battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger, supporting a mine-sweeping operation in the German Bight. Afterward she resumed guard duty in the Bight.[51]

Fate

  Lo stesso argomento in dettaglio: Scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow.
 
Map of the scuttled ships showing König Albert (#14)

König Albert and her four sisters were to have taken part in a final fleet action at the end of October 1918, days before the 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.[52] 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 and then on several other battleships mutinied.[53] 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.[54] The unrest ultimately forced Hipper and Scheer to cancel the operation.[55] Informed of the situation, the Kaiser stated "I no longer have a navy."[56]

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.[57] 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.[58] The fleet rendezvoused with the British light cruiser HMS Cardiff, 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.[59] 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.[60]

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 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.[61] König Albert capsized and sank at 12:54. On 31 luglio 1935, the ship was raised and broken up for scrap over the following year in Rosyth.[62]



Errore nelle note: </ref> di chiusura mancante per il marcatore <ref>


Note

  1. ^ La König Albert era la quarta di cinque navi ordinate, ma fu completata dopo la quinta nave, la SMS Prinzregent Luitpold. Si veda Gröner op. cit. p. 26
  2. ^ Le navi tedesche venivano ordinate con un nome provvisorio, se dovevano sostituire una nave già in servizio le veniva dato il nome Ersatz (sostituto di) ed il Nome della Nave da sostituire, in questo caso la SMS Ägir.

Riferimenti

  1. ^ Hildebrand Röhr & Steinmetz, p. 109.
  2. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 6
  3. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 6
  4. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 20
  5. ^ Hildebrand Röhr & Steinmetz, p. 109
  6. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 20
  7. ^ Gröner, p. 26
  8. ^ Gröner, p. 26
  9. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 4
  10. ^ Gröner, p. 26
  11. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 20
  12. ^ Staff, Battleships, pp. 18, 22
  13. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 20
  14. ^ Gröner, p. 26
  15. ^ Staff, Battleships, pp. 10, 11
  16. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 11
  17. ^ Herwig, pp. 149–150
  18. ^ Tarrant, p. 31
  19. ^ Tarrant, pp. 31–33
  20. ^ Tarrant, pp. 43–44
  21. ^ Staff, Battleships, pp. 15, 21
  22. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 21
  23. ^ Staff, Battleships, pp. 15, 21
  24. ^ Tarrant, p. 49
  25. ^ Tarrant, p. 50
  26. ^ Staff, Battleships, pp. 32, 35
  27. ^ Staff, Battleships, pp. 15, 21
  28. ^ Tarrant, p. 53
  29. ^ Tarrant, p. 54
  30. ^ Tarrant, p. 56
  31. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 21
  32. ^ Tarrant, p. 62
  33. ^ Staff, Battleships, pp. 15, 21
  34. ^ Massie, p. 682
  35. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 15
  36. ^ Massie, p. 683
  37. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 21
  38. ^ Halpern, p. 214
  39. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 21
  40. ^ Halpern, p. 213
  41. ^ Halpern, pp. 214–215
  42. ^ Halpern, p. 215
  43. ^ Halpern, p. 215
  44. ^ Barrett, p. 125
  45. ^ Barrett, p. 146
  46. ^ Staff, Battle for the Baltic Islands, pp. 71–72
  47. ^ Staff, Battle for the Baltic Islands, p. 81
  48. ^ Staff, Battle for the Baltic Islands, p. 140
  49. ^ Staff, Battle for the Baltic Islands, p. 145
  50. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 20
  51. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 21
  52. ^ Tarrant, pp. 280–281
  53. ^ Tarrant, pp. 281–282
  54. ^ Staff, Battleships, p. 21
  55. ^ Tarrant, p. 282
  56. ^ Herwig, p. 252
  57. ^ Tarrant, p. 282
  58. ^ Herwig, p. 256
  59. ^ Herwig, pp. 254–255
  60. ^ Herwig, p. 255
  61. ^ Herwig, p. 256
  62. ^ Gröner, p. 26


Errore nelle note: Sono presenti dei marcatori <ref> per un gruppo chiamato "N" ma non è stato trovato alcun marcatore <references group="N"/> corrispondente

Estratto da "https://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SMS_König_Albert&oldid=63052094"