Kaiser Wilhlem der Grosse 1914
| Laid down as passenger ship. |
Contruction Data
| Laid down: |
A.G. Vulcan Stettin, 1897 |
| Launched: |
04.05.1897 |
| Commissioned: |
02.08.1914 (as auxiliary cruiser) |
| Fate: |
sunk 26.08.1914 |
| Costs: |
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Technical Data
| Size: |
24300 t |
| Length: |
199,5 m |
| Beam: |
20,13 m |
| Draft: |
8,5 m |
| Armament: |
6 x 10,5 cm; 2 x Revolver cannons
|
| Performance: |
31000 shp, 22,5 kn |
History
The famous German passenger ship Kaiser Wilhelm der Große
was modified into an auxiliary cruiser at the outbreak of World War I. Because of its high speed it was seen as an ideal weapon, but the high coal consumption made the ship an easy target for the Royal Navy. After a quite unsuccessful operation near the Canary Islands (2 ship were sunk), the ship was surprised by the old British cruiser Highflyer
while being resupplied at Rio de Oro. The German ship capsized and was sunk after a short battle on 26.08.1914. During its operations in the North Atlantic, the Kaiser Wilhelm der Große
sunk two ships.
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