SMS ''Grosser Kurfürst'' was the second
dreadnought battleship
The dreadnought (alternatively spelled dreadnaught) was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's , had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her ...
of the four-ship . ''Grosser Kurfürst'' (or ''Großer'' ''Kurfürst'') served in the
Imperial German Navy
The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Kaise ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The battleship was laid down in October 1911 and launched on 5 May 1913. She was formally commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 30 July 1914, days before the outbreak of war between Germany and the United Kingdom. Her name means
Great Elector
Frederick William (german: Friedrich Wilhelm; 16 February 1620 – 29 April 1688) was Prince-elector, Elector of Margraviate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg and Duke of Duchy of Prussia, Prussia, thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, from 1640 until hi ...
, and refers to
Frederick William I, the
Prince-elector
The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
From the 13th century onwards, the prin ...
of
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...
. ''Grosser Kurfürst'' was armed with ten guns in five twin turrets and could steam at a top speed of .
Along with her three
sister ships, , , and , ''Grosser Kurfürst'' took part in most of the fleet actions during the war, including the
Battle of Jutland on 31 May and 1 June 1916. The ship was subjected to heavy fire at Jutland, but was not seriously damaged. She shelled Russian positions during
Operation Albion
Operation Albion was a World War I German air, land and naval operation against the Russian forces in October 1917 to occupy the West Estonian Archipelago. The land campaign opened with German landings at the Tagalaht bay on the island of ...
in September and October 1917. ''Grosser Kurfürst'' was involved in a number of accidents during her service career; she collided with ''König'' and ''Kronprinz'', grounded several times, was torpedoed once, and hit a
mine.
After Germany's defeat and the signing of the
Armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...
in November 1918, ''Grosser Kurfürst'' and most of the
capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a primary ship in a naval fleet.
Strategic im ...
s of the
High Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet (''Hochseeflotte'') was the battle fleet of the German Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet (''Heimatflotte'') was renamed as the High Seas ...
were interned by the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
in
Scapa Flow. The ships were disarmed and limited to skeleton crews while the
Allied powers negotiated the final version of the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
. On 21 June 1919, days before the treaty was signed, the commander of the interned fleet, Rear Admiral
Ludwig von Reuter,
ordered the fleet to be scuttled to ensure that the British would not be able to seize the ships. Unlike her sister ships, ''Grosser Kurfürst'' was
raised in 1938 for scrapping and subsequently
broken up
Ship-breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for either a source of Interchangeable parts, parts, which can be sold for re-use, ...
in
Rosyth
Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440.
The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...
.
Design
![König class battleship - Jane's Fighting Ships, 1919 - Project Gutenberg etext 24797](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/K%C3%B6nig_class_battleship_-_Jane%27s_Fighting_Ships%2C_1919_-_Project_Gutenberg_etext_24797.png)
The four s were ordered as part of the
Anglo-German naval arms race
The arms race between Great Britain and Germany that occurred from the last decade of the nineteenth century until the advent of World War I in 1914 was one of the intertwined causes of that conflict. While based in a bilateral relationship tha ...
; they were the fourth generation of German
dreadnought battleship
The dreadnought (alternatively spelled dreadnaught) was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's , had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her ...
s, and they were built in response to the British that had been ordered in 1909. The ''König''s represented a refinement of the earlier , with the primary improvement being a more efficient arrangement of the
main battery
A main battery is the primary weapon or group of weapons around which a warship is designed. As such, a main battery was historically a gun or group of guns, as in the broadsides of cannon on a ship of the line. Later, this came to be turreted ...
. The ships had also been intended to use a
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...
on the center propeller shaft to increase their cruising range, but development of the diesels proved to be more complicated than expected, so an all-
steam turbine powerplant was retained.
''Grosser Kurfürst''
displaced as built and
fully loaded, with a
length of , a
beam of and a
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
of . She was powered by three AEG-Vulcan
steam turbines
A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbin ...
, with steam provided by three oil-fired and twelve coal-fired Schulz-Thornycroft
water-tube boiler
A high pressure watertube boiler (also spelled water-tube and water tube) is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which boils water in the steam-gen ...
s, which developed a total of and yielded a maximum speed of . The ship had a range of at a cruising speed of . Her crew numbered 41 officers and 1,095 enlisted men.
She was armed with ten
SK L/50 guns arranged in five twin
gun turret
A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechani ...
s: two
superfiring turrets each fore and aft and one turret amidships between the two funnels. Her secondary armament consisted of fourteen
SK L/45 quick-firing guns and six
SK L/45 quick-firing guns, all mounted singly in
casemates. As was customary for
capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a primary ship in a naval fleet.
Strategic im ...
s of the period, she was also armed with five underwater
torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes.
There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s, one in the bow and two on each beam.
The ship's
armored belt consisted of
Krupp cemented steel that was thick in the central
citadel
A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
I ...
that protected the propulsion machinery spaces and the ammunition
magazines
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combination ...
, and was reduced to forward and aft. In the central portion of the ship, horizontal protection consisted of a
deck, which was reduced to on the bow and stern. The main battery turrets had of armor plate on the sides and on the roofs, while the casemate guns had of armor protection. The sides of the forward
conning tower were also 30 cm thick.
Service history
''Grosser Kurfürst'' was ordered under the provisional name ''Ersatz Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm'' and built at the
AG Vulcan
Aktien-Gesellschaft Vulcan Stettin (short AG Vulcan Stettin) was a German shipbuilding and locomotive building company. Founded in 1851, it was located near the former eastern German city of Stettin, today Polish Szczecin. Because of the limited ...
shipyard in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
under construction number 4. Her keel was laid in October 1911 and she was launched on 5 May 1913. At her launching ceremony,
Prince Oskar of Prussia
Prince Oskar Karl Gustav Adolf of Prussia (27 July 1888 – 27 January 1958) was the fifth son of German Emperor Wilhelm II and Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.
Biography Birth and family
Prinz Oskar of Prussia w ...
christened the ship, which was named for the earlier
armored frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
. Due to the heightening political tensions in Europe in mid-1914, the final construction work was accelerated, so the first set of dockyard trials were conducted on 15 July, and
fitting-out
Fitting out, or outfitting, is the process in shipbuilding that follows the float-out/launching of a vessel and precedes sea trials. It is the period when all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and readied for delivery to her o ...
work was completed by the 30th, the day she was commissioned into the
High Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet (''Hochseeflotte'') was the battle fleet of the German Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet (''Heimatflotte'') was renamed as the High Seas ...
. After her commissioning, she underwent
sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...
s in the Baltic. The ship's first combat operation was the
Raid on Yarmouth
The Raid on Yarmouth, on 3 November 1914, was an attack by the Imperial German Navy on the British North Sea port and town of Great Yarmouth. German shells only landed on the beach causing little damage to the town, after German ships laying m ...
on 2–3 November 1914. The raid was conducted by the
battlecruisers of Rear Admiral
Franz von Hipper
Franz Ritter von Hipper (13 September 1863 – 25 May 1932) was an admiral in the German Imperial Navy (''Kaiserliche Marine''). Franz von Hipper joined the German Navy in 1881 as an officer cadet. He commanded several torpedo boat units an ...
's
I Scouting Group
The I Scouting Group (german: I. Aufklärungsgruppe) was a special reconnaissance unit within the German Kaiserliche Marine. The unit was famously commanded by Admiral Franz von Hipper during World War I. The I Scouting Group was one of the most ...
. She and the other
dreadnought
The dreadnought (alternatively spelled dreadnaught) was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's , had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her ...
s sailed in distant support of Hipper's force. After a brief bombardment, the German fleet withdrew to port. On 7 December, she sustained no damage when she accidentally rammed her sister .
Her second operation, the
raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby
The Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on 16 December 1914 was an attack by the Imperial German Navy on the British ports of Scarborough, Hartlepool, West Hartlepool and Whitby. The bombardments caused hundreds of civilian casualties ...
, followed on 15–16 December. On the evening of the 15th, the German battle fleet of some twelve dreadnoughts and eight pre-dreadnoughts came to within of an isolated squadron of six British battleships. However, skirmishes between the rival
destroyer screens in the darkness convinced Admiral
Friedrich von Ingenohl, the fleet commander, that he was faced with the entire
Grand Fleet
The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands.
History
Formed in August 1914 from the F ...
. Under orders from
Kaiser Wilhelm II
, house = Hohenzollern
, father = Frederick III, German Emperor
, mother = Victoria, Princess Royal
, religion = Lutheranism (Prussian United)
, signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor ...
to avoid risking the fleet unnecessarily, von Ingenohl broke off the engagement and turned the battlefleet back toward Germany.
On 22 January 1915, she and the rest of III Squadron were detached from the fleet to conduct maneuver, gunnery, and torpedo training in the
Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
* Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian
*Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...
. They returned to the North Sea on 11 February, too late to assist I Scouting Group at the
Battle of Dogger Bank. Following the loss of at the Battle of Dogger Bank, the Kaiser removed von Ingenohl from his post on 2 February. Admiral
Hugo von Pohl
Hugo von Pohl (25 August 1855 – 23 February 1916) was a German admiral who served during the First World War. He joined the Navy in 1872 and served in various capacities, including with the new torpedo boats in the 1880s, and in the ''Reic ...
replaced him as commander of the fleet. She then took part in several sorties into the North Sea. On 29 March, she sailed with the fleet out to
Terschelling without any contact with the enemy. Another fleet advance occurred on 22 April, again without result. On 23 April, III Squadron returned to the Baltic for another round of exercises lasting until 10 May.
She participated in a fleet advance into the North Sea from 29 until 31 May which ended without combat. The ship covered a minelaying operation on 11–12 September off
Texel
Texel (; Texels dialect: ) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,643 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of Den ...
. Another uneventful fleet advance followed on 23–24 October. She ended the year with a two-week training cruise in the Baltic, which lasted from 5 to 20 December. Another round of exercises in the Baltic followed on 18–23 January 1916. She went into drydock in Wilhelmshaven for periodic maintenance on 12 February. Work lasted until 3 March; two days later the ship sailed for a sweep into the
Hoofden, though this again failed to encounter any British forces. The fleet conducted another sortie on 23 March to the Amrun Bank, followed by another a month later to
Horns Reef
Horns Rev is a shallow sandy reef of glacial deposits in the eastern North Sea, about off the westernmost point of Denmark, Blåvands Huk. on 21–22 April.
On 24–25 April, Hipper's battlecruisers conducted another
bombardment of the English coast; ''Grosser Kurfürst'' and the rest of the High Seas Fleet sailed in support. The battlecruisers left the
Jade Estuary at 10:55
CET
CET or cet may refer to:
Places
* Cet, Albania
* Cet, standard astronomical abbreviation for the constellation Cetus
* Colchester Town railway station (National Rail code CET), in Colchester, England
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Comcast En ...
, and the rest of the High Seas Fleet followed at 13:40. The battlecruiser struck a mine while en route to the target, and had to withdraw. The other battlecruisers bombarded the town of
Lowestoft unopposed, but during the approach to
Yarmouth, they encountered the British cruisers of the
Harwich Force
The Harwich Force originally called Harwich Striking Force was a squadron of the Royal Navy, formed during the First World War and based in Harwich. It played a significant role in the war.
History
After the outbreak of the First World War, a ...
. A short artillery duel ensued before the Harwich Force withdrew. Reports of British submarines in the area prompted the retreat of I Scouting Group. At this point, Admiral
Reinhard Scheer
Carl Friedrich Heinrich Reinhard Scheer (30 September 1863 – 26 November 1928) was an Admiral in the Imperial German Navy (''Kaiserliche Marine''). Scheer joined the navy in 1879 as an officer cadet and progressed through the ranks, commandin ...
, who had been warned of the sortie of the Grand Fleet from its base in Scapa Flow, also withdrew to safer German waters.
Battle of Jutland
![Map of the Battle of Jutland, 1916](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Map_of_the_Battle_of_Jutland%2C_1916.svg)
''Grosser Kurfürst'' was present during the fleet operation on 31 May and 1 June 1916 that resulted in the Battle of Jutland. The German fleet again sought to draw out and isolate a portion of the Grand Fleet and destroy it before the main British fleet could retaliate. She was the second ship in the German line, behind her sister ''König'' and followed by ''Markgraf'' and ''Kronprinz''. The four ships made up V Division of
III Battle Squadron
The III Battle Squadron was a unit of the German High Seas Fleet before and during World War I. The squadron saw action throughout the war, including the Battle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916, where it formed the front of the German line ...
, and they were the
vanguard
The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.
History
The vanguard derives fr ...
of the fleet. III Battle Squadron was the first of three battleship units; directly astern were the ''Kaiser''-class battleships of VI Division, III Battle Squadron. III Squadron was followed by the and es of
I Battle Squadron
The I Battle Squadron was a unit of the German Imperial Navy before and during World War I. Being part of the High Seas Fleet, the squadron saw action throughout the war, including the Battle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916, where it for ...
; in the
rear guard
A rearguard is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more ...
were the obsolescent pre-dreadnoughts of
II Battle Squadron
The II Battle Squadron was a unit of the German High Seas Fleet before and during World War I. The squadron saw action throughout the war, including the Battle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916, where it formed the rear of the German line ...
.
Shortly before 16:00 the battlecruisers of I Scouting Group encountered the British 1st Battlecruiser Squadron under the command of
David Beatty. The opposing ships began an artillery duel that resulted in the destruction of , shortly after 17:00, and less than half an hour later. By this time, the German battlecruisers were steaming south to draw the British ships toward the main body of the High Seas Fleet. At 17:30, ''König''s crew spotted both I Scouting Group and the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron approaching. The German battlecruisers were steaming to starboard, while the British ships steamed to port. At 17:45, Scheer ordered a
two-point
Hunt seat is a style of forward seat riding commonly found in North American horse shows. Along with dressage, it is one of the two classic forms of English riding. The hunt seat is based on the tradition of fox hunting. Hunt seat competitio ...
turn to port to bring his ships closer to the British battlecruisers, and a minute later, the order to open fire was given.
''Grosser Kurfürst'' engaged the battlecruiser at a range of . Simultaneously, her secondary guns fired on British destroyers attempting to make torpedo attacks against the German fleet. The faster British ships began to pull away from their pursuers, and at 18:00 she was forced to shift fire from ''Princess Royal'' to the battleship , though by 18:16 ''Valiant'' too had moved out of range. Her shells
straddled ''Valiant'' four times and her gunners incorrectly claimed a hit on the British ship. The ship did not escape unscathed herself though; at 18:09 she was hit by a shell from either the battleships or . The shell struck the water some from the ship and either ricocheted or exploded, impacting the hull approximately from the bow. The hit caused no significant damage. During this period, she claimed three hits from her 15 cm battery on a destroyer, which was most likely . At 18:22, the ship briefly fired her secondary guns at the destroyer at extreme range, without scoring a hit. At the same time, ''Grosser Kurfürst'' came back into range of the battleship ''Valiant'', and engaged her with her two forward turrets. The ship fired for eight minutes, though her shots all fell short of their target.
Shortly after 19:00, the German cruiser had become disabled by a shell from the British battlecruiser ; Rear Admiral
Paul Behncke
Paul Behncke (13 August 1869 – 4 January 1937) was a German admiral during the First World War, most notable for his command of the III Battle Squadron of the German High Seas Fleet during the Battle of Jutland.
Naval career
He was born in Lü ...
in ''König'' attempted to maneuver his four ships to cover the stricken cruiser. Simultaneously, the British 3rd and 4th Light Cruiser Squadrons began a torpedo attack on the German line; while advancing to torpedo range, they smothered ''Wiesbaden'' with fire from their main guns. ''Grosser Kurfürst'' and her sisters fired heavily on the British cruisers, but even sustained fire from the battleships' main guns failed to drive off the British cruisers. She fired a pair of salvos at extremely close range from her main guns at the armored cruiser , which, under heavy fire from several German capital ships, exploded and sank at 19:19. Observers aboard the ship noted that both salvos hit ''Defence'', though did not ascribe credit for the latter's destruction to the hits. She then shifted fire to the armored cruiser , which was heavily damaged and forced to withdraw. ''Warrior''
foundered on the trip back to port the following morning.
By 20:00, the German line was ordered to turn eastward to disengage from the British fleet, commanded by Admiral
John Jellicoe
Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, (5 December 1859 – 20 November 1935) was a Royal Navy officer. He fought in the Anglo-Egyptian War and the Boxer Rebellion and commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutlan ...
. Shortly thereafter, four British light cruisers from the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron resumed the attacks on the crippled ''Wiesbaden''; the leading German battleships, including ''Grosser Kurfürst'', opened fire on the cruisers in an attempt to drive them off. She began firing at 20:07, at ranges between . Despite the heavy fire, the British cruisers managed to escape without serious damage. At around the same time, the British fleet came back into range and seven battleships took V Division under heavy fire. ''Grosser Kurfürst'' was hit seven times, four hits occurring at 20:18 and 20:19. Three of the hits were from the guns of , though her gunners incorrectly claimed a fourth hit. The remaining four hits came from the 15-inch guns of or ''Valiant''. One of the 15-inch shells destroyed the No. 2 port-side 15 cm gun, and another struck the main belt and burst on impact. Though it did not penetrate the belt, it forced the plating in by as much as for a length of some . Damage control teams managed to temporarily stop the resulting flooding, after approximately of water had entered the ship. The flooding caused a
list
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
of 4°, though counter-flooding efforts reduced it to less than a degree. As the battle continued, the flooding worsened, and by the time she reached
Helgoland
Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...
the following morning, an estimated of water had entered the ship. More hits were sustained, but these shells burst on impact and caused relatively minor damage.
The heavy fire of the British fleet forced Scheer to order the fleet to turn away; this turn reversed the order of the fleet and placed her toward the end of the line. After successfully withdrawing from the British, Scheer ordered the fleet to assume night cruising formation, though communication errors between Scheer, aboard , and , the lead ship, caused delays. The fleet fell into formation by 23:30, with ''Grosser Kurfürst'' the 15th vessel in the line of 24 capital ships. Around 02:45, several British destroyers mounted a torpedo attack against the rear half of the German line; she spotted six unidentified destroyers in the darkness. She engaged them with her 15 cm and 8.8 cm guns while turning away to avoid any torpedoes that might have been launched. She scored one 15 cm hit on the destroyer at a range of about , disabling one of ''Nessus''s boilers. Heavy fire from the German battleships forced the British destroyers to withdraw.
The High Seas Fleet managed to punch through the British light forces without drawing the attention of Jellicoe's battleships, and subsequently reached Horns Reef by 04:00 on 1 June. Off Helgoland, ''Grosser Kurfürst'' had taken in so much water that she was forced to reduce speed. She fell out of formation, but later rejoined the fleet outside the
Schillig
Schillig is a village in the Friesland district of Lower Saxony in Germany. It is situated on the west coast of Jade Bay and is north of the town of Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'' ...
roadstead. Upon reaching Wilhelmshaven, she went into harbor while several other battleships took up defensive positions in the outer roadstead. The ship was transferred to Hamburg where she was repaired in AG Vulcan's large floating dock. Repair work was completed by 16 July. In the course of the battle, she fired a total of 135 shells from her main battery and 216 rounds from her 15 cm guns. She was hit by eight large-caliber shells, which killed fifteen men and wounded ten.
Subsequent operations
![Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1971-017-32, Besetzung Insel Ösel, Linienschiff und Zeppelin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1971-017-32%2C_Besetzung_Insel_%C3%96sel%2C_Linienschiff_und_Zeppelin.jpg)
Following completion of the repair work, ''Grosser Kurfürst'' conducted training maneuvers in the Baltic until 4 August. Admiral Scheer attempted a repeat of the original Jutland plan
on 18–19 August. The battlecruiser squadron, however, had been reduced to only two operational ships— and —so ''Grosser Kurfürst'', ''Markgraf'', and the newly commissioned were temporarily transferred to the squadron. The British were aware of the German plans, and sortied the Grand Fleet to meet them. By 14:35, Scheer had been warned of the Grand Fleet's approach and, unwilling to engage the whole of the Grand Fleet just 11 weeks after the decidedly close call at Jutland, turned his forces around and retreated to German ports.
Unit training with III Squadron followed from 21 October to 2 November. Two days later, the ship formally rejoined III Squadron. On the 5th, a pair of U-boats grounded on the Danish coast. Light forces were sent to recover the vessels, and III Squadron, which was in the North Sea en route to Wilhelmshaven, was ordered to cover them. The British submarine torpedoed ''Grosser Kurfürst'' some northwest of Horns Reef. The torpedo destroyed the port-side rudder and flooded the rudder rooms, though the ship maintained a speed of . She returned to the AG Vulcan dockyard, where she was repaired from 10 November to 9 February. That same day, while in transit to Kiel, the ship ran aground off
Krautsand in the
Elbe river
The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of ...
. Damage was minimal and the ship proceeded to unit training in the Baltic, but on the return to the North Sea on 4 March, she accidentally rammed ''Kronprinz''. Her bow was pushed in, necessitating repairs in the
Imperial Dockyard in Wilhelmshaven until 22 April.
''Grosser Kurfürst'' rejoined the fleet on 23 April and conducted training with the rest of III Squadron in the Baltic from 17 May to 8 June. After returning to the North Sea the ship was assigned to security duties in the German Bight. Another round of exercises in the Baltic followed on 11–23 September. She then sailed to
Putziger Wiek to prepare for
Operation Albion
Operation Albion was a World War I German air, land and naval operation against the Russian forces in October 1917 to occupy the West Estonian Archipelago. The land campaign opened with German landings at the Tagalaht bay on the island of ...
, the planned conquest of the islands off
Riga. On 12 October, ''Grosser Kurfürst'' took up a position in Tagga Bay off Cape Ninnast. But she struck a mine while maneuvering into firing position, which allowed around of water into the ship. Despite the mine damage, the ship continued with the bombardment of Russian coastal guns on the Cape. She was detached from the invasion force later that day; she sailed to Wilhelmshaven via Kiel, where repairs were completed by 1 December.
Upon her return to service, ''Grosser Kurfürst'' resumed picket duties in the Bight. She was present during the abortive anti-convoy operation on 23–25 April 1918. While entering the lock outside Wilhelmshaven following the conclusion of the operation, the ship was damaged. She was back in dock for repairs from 27 April to 2 May. At the end of the month, ''Grosser Kurfürst'' ran aground just off the Helgoland's north harbor. The ship's port-side propeller shaft was bent, necessitating repairs at the
Imperial Dockyard in Kiel from 2–9 June and 21–31 July. She finally rejoined the fleet on 12 August.
Fate
''Grosser Kurfürst'' and her three sisters were to have taken part in a
final fleet action at the end of October 1918, days before the
Armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...
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
Grand admiral is a historic naval rank, the highest rank in the several European navies that used it. It is best known for its use in Germany as . A comparable rank in modern navies is that of admiral of the fleet.
Grand admirals in individual n ...
(''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. 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 and then on several other battleships mutinied. On the 31st, Scheer ordered the fleet dispersed; ''Grosser Kurfürst'' and the rest of III Squadron was sent to Kiel. On 4 November, the ship's crew joined the general mutiny and hoisted the
red flag of the Socialists. The unrest ultimately forced Hipper and Scheer to cancel the operation. When informed of the situation, the Kaiser stated, "I no longer have a navy."
Following the capitulation of Germany in November 1918, most of the High Seas Fleet's ships, under the command of Rear Admiral
Ludwig von Reuter, were interned in the British naval base in Scapa Flow. Prior to the departure of the German fleet, Admiral
Adolf von Trotha made clear to von Reuter that he could not allow the Allies to seize the ships, under any conditions. The fleet rendezvoused with the British
light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to th ...
, which led the ships to the Allied fleet that escorted the Germans to Scapa Flow. The massive flotilla consisted of some 370 British, American, and French warships. 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 men.
The fleet remained in captivity during the negotiations that ultimately produced the
Versailles Treaty
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 19 ...
. 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. ''Grosser Kurfürst'' sank at 13:30; unlike her sisters, she was ultimately raised on 29 April 1938 and sold for
scrapping
Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has monetary value, especially recovered me ...
in
Rosyth
Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440.
The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...
. Her bell was sold and was used for many years as a garden ornament. It was sold at auction in March 2014 and was bought by the
National Museum of the Royal Navy
The National Museum of the Royal Navy was created in early 2009 to act as a single non-departmental public body for the museums of the Royal Navy. With venues across the United Kingdom, the museums detail the history of the Royal Navy operating o ...
,
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
.
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grosser Kurfurst (1913)
König-class battleships
Ships built in Hamburg
World War I battleships of Germany
World War I warships scuttled at Scapa Flow
Maritime incidents in 1919
1913 ships