Profile drawing of Hagen
3741 t (4247 t since 1900)Maximum displacement
79,0 m (86,13 m since 1900)Overall length
15,3 knMaximum speed
276 - 307Complement

Rebuilt for a second career

Hagen illustrates the effort invested in keeping Germany's first armored coast defenders useful as fleet requirements and technology advanced.

01

Armored guardians of the German coast

Heavy guns, shallow draft and compact dimensions produced ships intended to defend naval bases and strategic approaches in the North Sea and Baltic.

02

Modernized but still specialized

Reconstruction improved habitability and range, yet the ship remained best suited to home-water defense and secondary duties.

03

War service beyond her intended era

Called back during the First World War, she served until newer needs and advancing age made retirement unavoidable.

Design and service

The story of Hagen

The coast defence ships of the Siegfried class were the first real capital warships build in Germany and the last before Kaiser Wilhelm II came into power and started the huge naval construction program. With their three 24 cm guns, those ships were not armed very heavily, but they were the first German warships that carried their main artillery in closed gun turrets. The last two ships of the class, Odin and Ägir had some minor modifications and different armor protection, but besides that, all eight ships were very similar. Because of their rolling movements through the seas, those ships got the nickname "Meerschweinchen" - guinea-pig.

Shortly after the beginning of the new century, all ships were modified in a major reconstruction, a second funnel and enlarged hull were the most obvious changes, and with their new coal storage's, their range was almost doubled. During World War I, those old ships were still used for coastal defence, and all of them survived the war. As they were too old for further military services most of them were scrapped while a few were converted in to civilian transport ships.

The Hagen was ended as a floating barrack after 1916 and was sold for scrapping in 1919.

Operational history

Service timeline

Hagen is commissioned.

Training and trials.

Send to Marokko.

Arrival at Tanger.

Hagen returns to Wilhelmshaven.

Fleet services as harbor guard ship in Kiel and part of the Reconnaissance forces.

Decommissioned.

Reconstruction, the ship is cut into two pieces and a new middle part is inserted.

Training and trials.

Recommissioned.

Send to the Isle of Wright to participate at the memorial for Queen Victoria.

Fleet services.

Repairs in Danzig.

Decommissioned.

Recommissioned for fleet exercises, decommissioned after that.

At the outbreak of World War I, the Hagen is attached to the VI. Squadron.

Assigned to patrol duty in the North Sea.

Decommissioned.

Used as a floating barrack.

Sold to the Netherlands and scrapped there.

At a glance

Technical profile

Dimensions, armament, protection and performance.

Dimensions

Size (Max)
3741 t (4247 t since 1900)
Length (Total)
79,0 m (86,13 m since 1900)
Length (Waterline)
76,40 m (84,80 since 1900)
Beam
14,9 m
Draft
5,51 m (6,47 m since 1900)
Crew
276 - 307

Armament

24 cm L/35
3
8,8 cm L/40
8 - 10
45 cm Torpedo tubes
4 (3 since 1900)

Armor

Deck
50 mm
Belt
530 mm (armor + teak wood, max)
Command Tower
160 mm (max)
Turrets
200 mm (+ 200 teak wood)

Machinery

Shafts
2
Engines
2
Type
3-cyl triple expansion

Performance

Total Performance
5332 shp
Speed
15,3 kn
Range
1490 sm at 10 kn (3400 sm at 10 kn since 1900)

The archive

Models

Ship models in 1/1250 scale.

Hagen
Navis 15 Hagen

Construction record

Hagen

Laid down
Kaiserliche Werft Kiel, 1891
Launched
21.10.1893
Commissioned
02.10.1894
Fate
scrapped after 1919