SMS Victoria Louise

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SMS Victoria Louise, prior to modernization in 1905.
Career (German Empire) Kaiser
Name: Victoria Louise
Namesake: Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia
Builder: AG Weser, Bremen
Laid down: April 1896
Commissioned: February 1899
Fate: Scrapped in 1923
General characteristics
Class and type: Victoria Louise class protected cruiser
Displacement: 5,660t standard;
6,491t full load
Length: 363.16 ft (110.69 m)
Beam: 57.16 ft (17.42 m)
Draught: 22.66 ft (6.91 m)
Propulsion: 10,000 hp, three shafts
Speed: 19.5 knots (36 km/h)
Complement: 477
Armament: Two 9.4 in (24 cm) (2 × 2)
eight5.9 in (15 cm) (12 × 1)
ten3.45 in (8.8 cm) (10 × 1)
three17.7 in (45 cm) torpedo tubes
Armor: 4 in (10 cm) in deck

Seiner Majestät Schiff Victoria Louise was the lead ship of her class of protected cruisers, built for the Kaiserliche Marine before the turn of the 20th Century.

Victoria Louise was laid down in Bremen by the AG Weser shipyard in April 1896. She was completed in February 1899, at a cost of 10,714,000 Marks. She was designed primarily for an overseas cruiser role.

Contents

[edit] Design

[edit] Dimensions and machinery

Victoria Louise was 358 feet 3 inches long at the waterline, and had an overall length of 363 feet 2 inches. She had a beam of 57 feet 2 inches and a draught of 22 feet 9 inches. Victoria Louise 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 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.

[edit] Armor and armament

Victoria Louise was protected by 4 inch thick armor plate 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.

[edit] Service history

At the start of World War I, Victoria Louise served as a coastal defense ship, but by November of 1914, she was consigned to a barracks ship role, along with her sister ships. In 1923, she was sold for scrap.

[edit] External links