SMS ''G39'' was a 1913 Type

Large Torpedo Boat Large means of great size. Large may also refer to: Mathematics * Arbitrarily large, a phrase in mathematics * Large cardinal, a property of certain transfinite numbers * Large category, a category with a proper class of objects and morphisms (or ...

(''Großes Torpedoboot'') of 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. Wilhel ...

(''Kaiserliche Marine'') 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 ...

, and the 15th ship of her class.

Construction

Built by Germaniawerft in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, she was commissioned in August 1915. The "G" in ''G39'' refers to the shipyard at which she was constructed.

Service

''G39'' was assigned to the High Seas Fleet of the Kaiserliche Marine when she participated in the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...

. She served as the leader of the First Torpedo Boat Flotilla in this action under the command of Commander Conrad Albrecht. Admiral Hipper transferred from to ''G39'' during the Battle of Jutland prior to his transfer to the . After the end of hostilities, ''G39'' was interned at

Scapa Flow Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern end in June 2009 Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and ...

and scuttled. One of the crew members on her last voyage was

Leopold Bürkner Leopold Bürkner (29 January 1894 - 15 July 1975) was a German naval officer who served on torpedo boats in World War I. In the post-war period he served on a pocket battleship that patrolled the Spanish coast during the Spanish Civil War and then ...

, who later became head of foreign affairs intelligence during the Third Reich. He was interned until 29 January 1920. The boat was salvaged by

Ernest Cox Ernest Frank Guelph Cox (1883–1959) was an English engineer, with knowledge in electrical and mechanical engineering, which he notably deployed in marine salvage. Between 1924 and 1931 his Cox & Danks Shipbreaking Co. successfully raised 35 s ...

on 3 July 1925.

References

''Technical specs of the Großes Torpedoboot 1913 class'' {{DEFAULTSORT:G39 Torpedo boats of the Imperial German Navy 1915 ships Ships built in Kiel World War I torpedo boats of Germany World War I warships scuttled at Scapa Flow Maritime incidents in 1919