SMS Frauenlob (1902)
Frauenlob passing under the Levensau High Bridge in the Kiel Canal
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| History | |
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 German Empire
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| Name: | Frauenlob |
| Laid down: | 1901 |
| Launched: | 22 March 1902 |
| Commissioned: | 17 February 1903 |
| Fate: | Sunk during the Battle of Jutland, 31 May 1916 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Gazelle-class light cruiser |
| Displacement: | 3,158 tonnes (3,108 long tons) |
| Length: | 105 m (344.5 ft) overall |
| Beam: | 12.4 m (40.7 ft) |
| Draft: | 4.99 m (16.4 ft) |
| Installed power: | 8,000 ihp (6,000 kW) |
| Propulsion: | 2 shafts, 2 Triple-expansion steam engines |
| Speed: | 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph) |
| Range: | 4,400 nmi (8,100 km; 5,100 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement: |
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| Armament: |
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| Armor: | Deck: 20 to 25 mm (0.79 to 0.98 in) |
SMS Frauenlob ("His Majesty's Ship Frauenlob") was the eighth member of the ten-ship Gazelle class, built by the Imperial German Navy. She was built by the AG Weser dockyard in Bremen, laid down in 1901, launched in March 1902, and commissioned into the High Seas Fleet in February 1903. Armed with a main battery of ten 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns and two 45 cm (18 in) torpedo tubes, Frauenlob was capable of a top speed of 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph).
Frauenlob spent her entire career in the reconnaissance forces of the High Seas Fleet. She saw action during World War I at the Battle of Heligoland Bight in August 1914, where she badly damaged the British cruiser HMS Arethusa, and at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916. There, in a chaotic night engagement, Frauenlob was hit by a torpedo launched by HMS Southampton, which caused the ship to capsize and sink with the vast majority of her crew. The wreck was discovered in 2000, and is in remarkably good condition, sitting upright on the ocean floor.
Frauenlob was 105 meters (344 ft) long overall and had a beam of 12.4 m (41 ft) and a draft of 4.99 m (16.4 ft) forward. She displaced 3,158 t (3,108 long tons; 3,481 short tons) at full combat load. Her propulsion system consisted of two triple-expansion engines manufactured by AG Weser. They were designed to give 8,000 shaft horsepower (6,000 kW), for a top speed of 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph). The engines were powered by eight coal-fired Marine-type water-tube boilers. Frauenlob carried 700 tonnes (690 long tons) of coal, which gave her a range of 4,400 nautical miles (8,100 km; 5,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). She had a crew of 14 officers and 256 enlisted men.
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