Großes Torpedoboot 1913-class torpedo boat

The Großes Torpedoboot 1913 class ("Large torpedo boat 1913") torpedo boat was a class of torpedo boat built for the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine). It was the largest class ever built for the High Seas Fleet, consisting of 71 ships. Of the class, 32 were sunk during World War I, several to mines in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Of those that survived the war 29 were scuttled with the German fleet at Scapa Flow, one was destroyed by a mine on the way there, four were given to Britain and were not scuttled while one was given to Italy and France.

Design
The Großes Torpedoboot 1913 class was different from its predecessors, the Großes Torpedoboot 1911 class, in a number of ways. Firstly, it was enlarged from 71.50 m at the waterline (72.50 m length overall) to 83.70 m at the waterline (and 84.65 m overall). The ships of the class were the first German torpedo boats to be powered purely by oil (earlier ships used a mixture of oil and coal) which resulted in greatly increased performance. Also the ships were modified with an additional 8.8 cm gun, and twice the number of torpedo tubes. Some were modified to carry floatplanes.

The 8.8 cm guns on these vessels could be depressed to -10° and raised to 25°. At maximum elevation, the gun could fire a 9 kg high explosive shell a distance of 10964 m at a muzzle velocity of 650 m/s and at a rate of 15 rounds per minute. Each ship carried about 150 rounds per gun. The ships also carried six 50 cm torpedo tubes and 12-24 mines.

The ships were manned by 83 to 87 crewmen. Each ship displaced 975 - 1188 t had a beam of 8.33 m and a draught of 3.40 to 3.96 m.

Ships
The ships were numbered according to the yard which built them. There were minor differences between each yard series, so some references list each such series as a separate type. Strictly speaking, the 1913 series consisted only of V25 to V30 and S31 to S36 ships, but the later ones listed here were quite similar, though increasing in displacement. The German practice in peacetime was to build one flotilla of similar ships per fiscal year, hence the name 1913 series. Later ships belonged to 1914 series and so on. During the war the armament of most of these ships was upgraded, with 8.8 cm guns replaced with 10.5 cm guns.
 * V25 to V30, V43 to V48, V67 to V84, built by Vulkan Stettin
 * G37 to G42, G85 to G95, built by Germaniawerft Kiel,
 * S31 to S36, S49 to S66, built by Schichau Elbing

Service history
Due to the British naval blockade of Germany, most of the ships did not see any service, although some participated in the Battle of Jutland. V-43 was scuttled at Scapa Flow but later raised and repaired. She was taken over by the US Navy and commissioned for a brief period in 1920, then sunk as target on 15 July 1921.