SMS Bayern (1878)
| 300px SMS Bayern | |
| Career (German Empire) | Kaiserliche Marine Ensign |
|---|---|
| Name: | SMS Bayern |
| Builder: | Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven |
| Launched: | 13 May 1878 |
| Struck: | 19 Feb 1910 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap, 1919 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 7,677 tons |
| Length: | 93 m |
| Beam: | 18.3 m |
| Draft: | 6.53 m |
| Propulsion: | two 3-cylinder steam engines, two four-bladed screws |
| Speed: | 13.5 knots |
| Range: | 1,940 sm at 10 knots |
| Complement: | 317-436 men |
| Armament: |
6 x 26 cm-L/22 c. 1886: 5 torpedo tubes (2 x 45 cm in the sides, 2 x 35 cm in the nose and 1 x 35 cm in the tail) |
SMS Bayern was a member of the Sachsen class of armored frigates of the German Imperial Navy. Her sisterships were Sachsen, Baden, and SMS Württemberg. Bayern was built in the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven shipyard in Kiel.
Design specifications
The ship was 97.8 meters long and had a draught of 18.3m. She was armed with six 26cm guns, two single-mounted in an open barbette forward, and the remaining four mounted amidships in a second open barbette, also on single mounts. In 1886, the ship was modified to include five torpedo tubes, of various sizes. Two 45cm tubes were mounted in the sides of the ship, two 35cm tubes located in the bow of the ship, and one 35cm tube in the stern.
Bayern's armor was made of wrought steel, and ranged from 203mm to 254mm on the armored citadel, and between 51mm to 64mm thick on the deck. The ship was manned by a crew which ranged from 317 to 436 officers and sailors.
Service history
Bayern, along with her sisterships, was operational by 1884. In 1885 she was used by August von Thomsen (later admiral), who had been appointed chief gunner, to gain fame as "the father of German naval artillery.” He set up the first long range experiments on Bayern in October 1885.[1] Between 1886 and 1889, Bayern, along with her sisters, were converted from the original eight boilers to two 2-cylinder steam engines. Her original four stacks were removed and replaced with a single stack.
On 19 February 1910, the ship was stricken from the German navy and converted into a target ship. She served in this capacity off Stollergrund after 1911. On 5 May 1919, Bayern was sold for scrapping and broken up in Kiel.[2]
Footnotes
References
- Friedman, Norman; W. J. Jurens, A. D. Baker (2008). Naval Firepower: Battleship Guns and Gunnery in the Dreadnought Era. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781591145554.
- Gröner, Erich (1990). German Warships: 1815–1945. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-790-9.
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