SMS Fürst Bismarck (1915)
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 SMS Fürst Bismarck |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Mackensen |
| Builders: | Blohm + Voss Schichau Seebeckwerft Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven |
| Operators: | Kaiserliche Marine |
| Planned: | 7 |
| Completed: | Mackensen Graf Spee Prinz Eitel Friedrich Fürst Bismarck |
| Active: | 0 |
| General characteristics (Fürst Bismarck) | |
| Type: | Battlecruiser |
| Displacement: | 30,000 tons (standard), 35,000 tons (full load) |
| Length: | 223 m (732 ft) |
| Beam: | 30.4 m, (99.5 feet) |
| Draught: | 8.4 m (27.5 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 4 shaft geared steam turbines, 32 boilers, 90,000 hp |
| Speed: | 28 kt |
| Range: | 8,000 nm |
| Complement: | 1,186 |
| Armament: | 8 × 350 mm (13.8 inch) 12 × 150 mm (5.9 inch) 8 × 88 mm 6 × 600 mm torpedo tubes |
| Armour: | Main belt: 300 - 100 mm (12-4 in) Turrets: 320-110 mm (12.8 -4.3 in). |
| Aircraft carried: | 3 |
SMS Fürst Bismarck was the fourth ship of Mackensen class battlecruisers built for the German Imperial Navy during World War I. Construction of Fürst Bismarck and her sisterships was stopped towards the end of the war, with the ships in various stages of construction. Fürst Bismarck was named for German statesman Otto von Bismarck. Fürst Bismarck was initially named Ersatz Friedrich Carl for the earlier armored cruiser Friedrich Carl which had been sunk by Russian mines in 1915.
[edit] Design
The Mackensen class was initially to have seven ships armed with 35cm main guns, but reports of the construction of the British HMS Renown and HMS Repulse, both mounting 38cm guns, the last three ships of the class were redesigned to carry 38cm guns as well, and came to be known as the Ersatz Yorck class.
Fürst Bismarck was the fourth ship of the Mackensen class, and was laid down in Wilhelmshaven on 4 November 1915. She had a length of 223 m (732 ft), a beam of 30.4 m, a draught of 9.3 m, and a designed displacement of 35,300 tons. The armament consisted of eight 35 cm guns, fourteen 15 cm guns and eight 8.8 cm guns as well as five torpedo tubes. Four engines were to give her a maximum speed of 28.8 knots (53.3 km/h) and a range of 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h). The crew was to number 1,186 men.
[edit] Fate
The war ended before any of these ships were completed. Fürst Bismarck was never launched and scrapped in the shipyard in 1920-1922. Work on Mackensen was stopped 14 months before completion and the ship was broken up in 1921. Construction of Graf Spee was stopped shortly after the end of World War I on 17 November 1918, more than a year before completion, and she was scrapped in Kiel from 1921 to 1923. Prinz Eitel Friedrich was about 21 months from completion when construction was stopped; she was launched after the war and scrapped immediately thereafter.
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