Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm

10670 tMaximum displacement

115,7 mOverall length

16,9 knMaximum speed

568 - 591Complement

A German battleship under a new flag

Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm reflected Germany's early search for an ocean-going navy, serving beyond European waters before newer capital ships relegated her to secondary roles.

Six heavy guns, one unusual battery

Three twin-gun turrets gave the class a powerful but unconventional centerline battery at the beginning of Germany's ocean-going battleship era.

From overseas duty to home waters

An early deployment to East Asia demonstrated Germany's growing naval reach before age and new technology pushed her toward secondary duties at home.

A second flag and a wartime loss

Transferred to the Ottoman Navy before the First World War, she began a second career that ended when a British submarine sank her in the Dardanelles campaign.

Design and service

The story of Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm

The four battleships (the official German designation was Linienschiff) of the Brandenburg class were the first attempt to build real battleships, in difference to their predecessors which were mainly build as coast defence ships. They were the strongest ships of the German navy when they were commissioned. Although they were quite maneuverable ships with a fast turning speed, they tend to take over much water in heavy seas, something that would be characteristically for almost all German battleships. Their 28cm guns could only be loaded in end-on position and had a slow firing rate once the ammunition stored in the turret itself was used up, the barrels of the medium turrets were shorter than those of the others because of the surrounding superstructure.

As part of the 1st Linienschiff Division, they took part in the international intervention in China after the so called "Boxer-insurrection" in 1900 and 1901.

Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm was sold to Turkey on 12.09.1910 and was renamed to Barbaros Hayreddin. It was sunk by the British submarine E11 on 08.08.1915 near the Dardanelles.

At a glance

Technical profile

Dimensions, armament, protection and performance.

Dimensions

Size (Max): 10670 t
Length (Total): 115,7 m
Length (Waterline): 113,9 m
Beam: 19,5 m
Draft: 7,9 m
Crew: 568 - 591

Armament

28 cm L/40 (L/35): 6
10,5 cm L/35: 6-8
8,8 cm L/30: 8
Machine guns: 2
45 cm torpedo tubes: 6

Armor

Deck: 60 mm
Belt: 400 mm (max)
Command tower: 300 m (max)
Main guns: 120 mm (max)

Machinery

Shafts: 2
Turbines: 2
Type: 3-cyl expansion engines

Performance

Total Performance: 9686 shp
Speed: 16,9 kn
Range: 4300 miles at 10 kn

Construction record

Laid down: Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven, 1890
Launched: 30.06.1891
Commissioned: 29.04.1894
Fate: sold to Turkey in 1910, sunk 08.08.1915 by British Submarine E11