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FIGHTING SHIPS OF THE WORLD
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BRANDENBURG battleships (1893 - 1894)


Photo



  Wörth 1890s

Ships


Name No Yard No Builder Laid down Launched Comp Fate
Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm   13 Wilhelmshaven KW 1890 30.6.1891 29.4.1894 to Turkey 9.1910 (Barbaros Hayreddin)
Brandenburg   198 Vulcan, Stettin 1890 21.9.1891 19.11.1893 barrack ship 1916
Weissenburg   199 Vulcan, Stettin 1890 14.12.1891 14.10.1894 to Turkey 9.1910 (Torgut Reis)
Wörth   52 Germaniawerft, Kiel 1890 6.8.1892 31.10.1893 barrack ship 1915


Technical data


Displacement normal, t

10501

Displacement full, t

10670

Length, m

115.7 oa 113.9 wl

Breadth, m

19.5

Draught, m

7.90

No of shafts

2

Machinery

2 VTE, 12 cylindrical boilers

Power, h. p.

10000

Max speed, kts

16.5

Fuel, t

coal 1050 + oil 110

Endurance, nm(kts)

4300(10)

Armour, mm

Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm: belt: 400 - 180 (compound), deck: 60, cupolas: 120, barbettes: 300, battery: 42, CT: 300

Brandenburg: belt: 400 - 180, deck: 60, cupolas: 120, barbettes: 300 (A, B - compound, C - Krupp), battery: 42, CT: 300

Weissenburg: belt: 400 - 180 (compound), deck: 60, cupolas: 120, barbettes: 300 (A, C - compound, B - Krupp), battery: 42, CT: 300

Wörth: belt: 400 - 180, deck: 60, cupolas: 120, barbettes: 300, battery: 42, CT: 300

Armament

2 x 2 - 283/37 MRK L/40 C/90, 1 x 2 - 283/32 MRK L/35 C/90, 6 x 1 - 105/32 SK L/35 C/91, 8 x 1 - 88/27 SK L/30 C/89, 12 x 1 - 7.9/80, 6 - 450 TT (2 bow, 4 beam)

Complement

568



Standard scale images


<i>Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm</i> 1905
Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm 1905


Graphics


  <i>Wörth </i>1890s
  Wörth 1890s
<i>Wörth </i>1900s  
Wörth 1900s  


Project history

The Brandenburg class were unusual amongst the pre-dreadnoughts of their era in having two different lengths of gun in their main armament. While the fore and aft turrets were 40 cal, the midship turret had 35 cal guns, to make them short enough to be trained round from one side to the other. This midships mounting proved unsatisfactory—the guns were too near the deck and caused blast damage when fired — and the secondary armament was weak by the standards of the time. However, the Germans were at last building sea-going battleships with a powerful main armament. An extra pair of 105mm guns were added later. These were the first German warships to be fitted with radio.

Ship protection, Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm

Mostly Krupp steel armour was used. Main belt (Compound iron-steel armour!) protected full hull length and had 400mm thickness amidships above CWL (backed by 200mm teak), tapered to 200mm below CWL on 400mm wooden backing; ship ends were protected by 300mm above CWL (backed by 300mm teak) tapered to 180mm below CWL backed by 420mm teak. Armoured deck had 60mm thickness. Barbettes were protected by 300mm armour backed by 210mm wood and were closed by 120mm cupolas with 50mm crowns. Battery had 42mm sides. CT had 300mm sides and 30mm roof.

Ship protection, Brandenburg

Mostly Krupp steel armour was used. Main belt protected full hull length and had 400mm thickness amidships above CWL (backed by 200mm teak), tapered to 200mm below CWL on 400mm wooden backing; ship ends were protected by 300mm above CWL (backed by 300mm teak) tapered to 180mm below CWL backed by 420mm teak. Armoured deck had 60mm thickness. Barbettes (A and B barbettes had compound armour, C barbette had Krupp steel) were protected by 300mm armour backed by 210mm wood and were closed by 120mm cupolas with 50mm crowns. Battery had 42mm sides. CT had 300mm sides and 30mm roof.

Ship protection, Weissenburg

Mostly Krupp steel armour was used. Main belt (Compound iron-steel armour!) protected full hull length and had 400mm thickness amidships above CWL (backed by 200mm teak), tapered to 200mm below CWL on 400mm wooden backing; ship ends were protected by 300mm above CWL (backed by 300mm teak) tapered to 180mm below CWL backed by 420mm teak. Armoured deck had 60mm thickness. Barbettes (A and C barbettes had compound armour, B barbette had Krupp steel) were protected by 300mm armour backed by 210mm wood and were closed by 120mm cupolas with 50mm crowns. Battery had 42mm sides. CT had 300mm sides and 30mm roof.

Ship protection, Wörth

Mostly Krupp steel armour was used. Main belt protected full hull length and had 400mm thickness amidships above CWL (backed by 200mm teak), tapered to 200mm below CWL on 400mm wooden backing; ship ends were protected by 300mm above CWL (backed by 300mm teak) tapered to 180mm below CWL backed by 420mm teak. Armoured deck had 60mm thickness. Barbettes were protected by 300mm armour backed by 210mm wood and were closed by 120mm cupolas with 50mm crowns. Battery had 42mm sides. CT had 300mm sides and 30mm roof.

Modernizations

1903, Wörth; 1904, Brandenburg, Weissenburg; 1905, Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm: - 4 - 450 TT (2 bow, 2 beam); + 2 x 1 - 105/32 SK L/35 C/91, 1 - 450 TT (stern)

Naval service

In 1910 two of the class went to Turkey. The remaining pair were transferred to coastal defence in 1915, disarmed and used as accommodation ships in 1916, and discarded in 1919. A conversion of Brandenburg to a target ship was never completed.