SMS Falke
SMS Falke in 1892
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| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire
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| Name: | Falke |
| Laid down: | 1890 |
| Launched: | 4 April 1891 |
| Commissioned: | 14 September 1891 |
| Fate: | Scrapped, 1913 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Bussard-class unprotected cruiser |
| Displacement: | 1,868 t (1,838 long tons; 2,059 short tons) |
| Length: | 82.6 m (271 ft 0 in) |
| Beam: | 12.5 m (41 ft 0 in) |
| Draft: | 4.45 m (14 ft 7 in) |
| Propulsion: | 3-cylinder triple expansion engines, 2 screws |
| Speed: | 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h) |
| Range: | 2,990 nmi (5,540 km) at 9 knots (17 km/h) |
| Complement: |
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| Armament: |
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SMS Falke ("His Majesty's Ship Falke—Falcon") was an unprotected cruiser of the Bussard class, built for the Imperial German Navy. She was the second member of the class of six vessels. The cruiser was laid down in 1890, launched in April 1891, and commissioned into the fleet in September of that month. Designed for overseas service, she carried a main battery of eight 10.5-centimeter (4.1 in) guns and had a top speed of 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph).
Falke served abroad for the majority of her career, seeing duty in East Asia, the Central Pacific, and the Americas. She assisted in the suppression of a revolt in Samoa in 1893, and was damaged in a later uprising there in 1899. In 1901, Falke was transferred to the American Station, and the following year she took part in the Venezuela Crisis of 1902–03, during which she helped enforce an Anglo-German blockade of the Venezuelan coast. In 1907, Falke was recalled to Germany. She was stricken from the naval register in late 1912 and subsequently broken up for scrap.
Falke was 82.6 meters (271 ft) long overall and had a beam of 12.5 m (41 ft) and a draft of 4.45 m (14.6 ft) forward. She displaced 1,868 t (1,838 long tons; 2,059 short tons) at full combat load. Her propulsion system consisted of two horizontal 3-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines powered by four coal-fired cylindrical boilers. These provided a top speed of 15.5 kn (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) and a range of approximately 2,990 nautical miles (5,540 km; 3,440 mi) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph). She had a crew of 9 officers and 152 enlisted men.
The ship was armed with eight 10.5 cm SK L/35 quick-firing guns in single pedestal mounts, supplied with 800 rounds of ammunition in total. They had a range of 10,800 m (35,400 ft). Two guns were placed side by side forward, two on each broadside in sponsons, and two side by side aft. The gun armament was rounded out by five revolver cannon. She was also equipped with two 35 cm (14 in) torpedo tubes with five torpedoes, both of which were mounted on the deck.
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