SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse

For the liner of the same name, see SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse

SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse ("HMS Emperor William the Great") was a German pre-dreadnought battleship of the, built around the turn of the 20th Century. The ship was one of the first battleships built by the German Imperial Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) as part of a program of naval expansion under Kaiser Wilhelm II. Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was built in Kiel, at the Germaniawerft shipyard. She was laid down in 1898 and completed in May, 1901. The ship was armed with a main battery of four 24 cm guns in two twin gun turrets.

Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse served in the active fleet for ten years, during which time she participated in a number of the fleet's training maneuvers. By the early 1910s, however, the new dreadnought battleships had begun to come into service. As a result, the ship was decommissioned and placed in reserve. At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the battleship and her sisters were placed back in active service as the V Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet and tasked with coastal defense. In 1915, the ships were again withdrawn from service and relegated to secondary duties. Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was used as a depot ship in Kiel and eventually a torpedo target ship. After the end of the war, the vessel was sold for scrapping to a German company and broken up in 1920.

Construction
Kaiser Wilhelm II, the emperor of Germany, believed that a strong navy was necessary for the country to expand its influence outside of continental Europe. As a result, he initiated a program of naval expansion in the late 1880s; the first battleships built under this program were the four ships. These were immediately followed by the five s, of which Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was a unit. Her keel was laid in 1895, at the Kaiserliche Werft in Wilhelmshaven, under construction number 22. She was ordered under the contract name Ersatz König Wilhelm, to replace the obsolete armored frigate SMS König Wilhelm (1868). Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was launched on 1 June 1899 and commissioned on 5 May 1901.

The ship was 125.3 m long overall and had a beam of 20.4 m and a draft of 7.89 m forward and 8.25 m aft. She was powered by three 3-cylinder vertical triple expansion engines that drove three screws. Steam was provided by four naval and eight cylindrical boilers. Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse's powerplant was rated at 13000 ihp, which generated a top speed of 17.5 kn.

Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse's armament consisted of a main battery of four 24 cm (9.4 in) SK L/40 guns in twin gun turrets, one fore and one aft of the central superstructure. Her secondary armament consisted of eighteen 15 cm (5.9 inch) SK L/40 guns and twelve 8.8 cm (3.45 in) SK L/30 quick-firing guns. The armament suite was rounded out with six 45 cm torpedo tubes, all in above-water swivel mounts.

Service history
After commissioning in 1901, the ship joined her sister-ships in the I Squadron of the Heimatflotte (Home Fleet). After her sister SMS Kaiser Friedrich III had to be docked for repairs, Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse replaced her as the I Squadron flagship, which was commanded by Prince Heinrich. In late August through mid September, Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse conducted extensive training exercises with the rest of the German fleet. That year, Erich Raeder—who would go on to command the Kriegsmarine in World War II, was promoted to serve as the watch officer aboard her.

On 31 August 1902, the fleet conducted the annual summer training maneuvers. Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was assigned to the "hostile" force, as were several of her sister-ships. The "hostile" force was first tasked with preventing the "German" squadron from passing through the Great Belt in the Baltic. Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse and several other battleships were then tasked with forcing an entry into the mouth of the Elbe River, where the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal and Hamburg could be seized. The "hostile" flotilla accomplished these tasks within three days. In 1903, the fleet, which was composed of only one squadron of battleships, was reorganized as the "Active Battle Fleet." Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse remained in the I Squadron along with her sisterships and the newest s, while the older ships were placed in reserve in order to be rebuilt.

In October 1905, the Heimatflotte was again reorganized; Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was reassigned to the I Division of the II Squadron, alongside her sister-ship Kaiser Friedrich III and the older battleship SMS Wörth. The balance of the Heimatflotte consisted of another division of three battleships in the I Squadron and two more three-ship divisions in the II Squadron. This was supported by a cruiser division, composed of two armored cruisers and six protected cruisers. In 1907, the newest s were coming into service; along with the s, these provided enough modern battleships to create two full battle squadrons. As a result, the Heimatflotte was renamed the Hochseeflotte (High Seas Fleet).

Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was extensively modernized in 1908–1910 at the Kaiserliche Werft shipyard in Kiel. During the refit, four of the ship's 15 cm guns and the stern-mounted torpedo tube were removed. Two 8.8 cm guns were added and the arrangement of the tertiary battery was modified. Her superstructure was also cut down to reduce the ship's tendency to roll excessively. The ship's funnels were also lengthened. After she emerged from the reconstruction, the ship was moved to the III Squadron, along with her sister-ships. However, in 1910, the new dreadnought battleships were beginning to come into service with the fleet. Thoroughly obsolete compared to the new "all-big-gun" battleships, Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was then decommissioned and placed into reserve.

World War I
At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse and her sisters were brought back to active service and mobilized as the V Battle Squadron. They were assigned to coastal defense in the Baltic, though they served in this capacity for a very short time. In February 1915, they were again withdrawn from service and placed in reserve. In 1916, Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was employed as a depot ship in Kiel. The following year, the ship was used as a torpedo target ship. According to Article 181 of the Treaty of Versailles, signed on 28 June 1919, Germany was permitted to retain only six battleships of the " or Lothringen types." On 6 December 1919, the vessel was struck from the naval list and sold to a shipbreaking firm based in Berlin. The following year, Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was broken up for scrap metal in Kiel-Nordmole.