SMS Hansa (1898)
| 300px SMS Hansa | |
| Career (German Empire) | Kaiserliche Marine Ensign |
|---|---|
| Name: | SMS Hansa |
| Builder: | Stettiner Maschinenbau AG Vulcan |
| Launched: | 12 March 1898 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 5,880 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Length: | 105 m |
| Beam: | 17.6 m |
| Draft: | 6.6 m |
| Propulsion: | 3 shaft triple expansion engines, 10,000 ihp (7,500 kW) |
| Speed: | 19 knots |
| Complement: | 465 men |
| Armament: |
2 x 8.2in 40cal (2 x 1) 8 x 5.9in 40 cal (8 x 1) 10 x 3.45in 30 cal (10 x 1) 3 x 17.7in TT |
| Armour: | 4in decks |
Seiner Majestät Schiff Hansa was a German Victoria Louise class protected cruiser launched from Stettiner Maschinenbau AG Vulcan shipyard in 1898 for service in the Kaiserliche Marine. Ships in this class including SMS Hansa were primarily built for overseas cruiser duties and introduced the clipper bow and blocky looking sides that typified later German large cruisers.
Contents
Design
Dimensions and machinery
Hansa was 358 feet 3 inches (109.19 m) long at the waterline, and had an overall length of 363 feet 2 inches (110.69 m) She had a beam of 57 feet 2 inches (17.42 m) and a draught of 22 feet 9 inches (6.93 m) Hansa displaced 5,660 tons on a standard load, and 6,491 tons fully loaded. The ship was powered by three shaft triple expansion engines, that produced 10,000 ihp (7,500 kW) and delivered a top speed of 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h).
Between 1905 and 1911, the ships of the Victoria Louise class were modernized. The ships had their boilers replaced, and had their original three funnels reduced to two stacks.
Armor and armament
Hansa was protected by 4-inch (100 mm) thick armor plating on the decks. The ship was armed with a wide mix of armaments. The main armament consisted of two 8.2-inch (208 mm) guns mounted in single turrets fore and aft. The secondary armament comprised eight 5.9-inch (150 mm) guns in casemates along the length of the ship, along with ten 3.4-inch (86 mm) guns, also casemated. The ships were also armed with three 17.7-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes.
Boxer Rebellion
She was part of the German East Asia Squadron (Ostasiengeschwader) commanded by admiral Felix von Bendemann during the Boxer Rebellionand made a noteworthy contribution in the Battle of Taku Forts (1900).[1] Starting on 08 June 1900, along with the SMS Hertha and the small cruisers SMS Gefion and SMS Irene, she came before the Taku Fort (together with warships of other nations) to land detachments of Seebatallione (marines) for the protection of their citizens in Tientsin[2]
SMS Hansa was scrapped in 1920.
==References==
- ↑ The origins of the Boxer War: a multinational study by Lanxin Xiang; Routledge, 2003, 382 pages, p. 282.
- ↑ http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=122270
External links
- worldwar1.co.uk webpage about Victoria Luise class cruiser
- the-blueprints.com webpage with blueprint of SMS Hansa
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