SMS Irene
SMS Irene at full steam.
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| History | |
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 German Empire
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| Name: | SMS Irene |
| Namesake: | Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine |
| Builder: | AG Vulcan Stettin, Stettin |
| Laid down: | 1886 |
| Launched: | 23 July 1887 |
| Commissioned: | 25 May 1888 |
| Reclassified: | U-boat depot ship in 1914 |
| Struck: | 17 February 1914 |
| Fate: | Broken up in 1922 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Irene-class protected cruiser |
| Displacement: | 5,027 t (4,948 long tons; 5,541 short tons) |
| Length: | 103.7 m (340 ft) oa |
| Beam: | 14.2 m (47 ft) |
| Draft: | 6.74 m (22.1 ft) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 18 knots (33.3 km/h) |
| Range: | 2,490 nmi (4,610 km; 2,870 mi) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph) |
| Complement: |
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| Armament: |
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| Armor: | 20 millimeters (0.79 in) |
SMS Irene was a protected cruiser or Kreuzerkorvette of the German Imperial Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) and the lead ship of the Irene class. She had one sister, Prinzess Wilhelm; the two ships were the first protected cruisers built by the German Navy. Irene was laid down in 1886 at the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin, launched in July 1887, and commissioned into the fleet in May 1888. The cruiser was named after Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine, sister-in-law of Kaiser Wilhem II. As built, the ship was armed with a main battery of fourteen 15 cm (5.9 in) guns and had a top speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).
Irene saw extensive service with the German fleet in the first years of her career, frequently escorting Kaiser Wilhelm II's yacht on cruises throughout Europe. In 1894, she was deployed to East Asian waters; she was in dock for engine maintenance in November 1897 when Otto von Diederichs seized the naval base Kiaochou Bay, and so she was not present during the operation. She was present in the Philippines in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Manila Bay between American and Spanish squadrons during the Spanish–American War in 1898. Irene eventually returned to Germany in 1901. She remained in service until early 1914, when she was retired from front-line service and converted into a submarine tender. She served in this capacity until 1921, when she was sold for scrap and broken up the following year.
Irene was the first protected cruiser built by the German navy. She was ordered under the contract name "Ersatz Elisabeth" and was laid down at the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin in 1886. She was launched on 23 July 1887, after which fitting-out work commenced. She was commissioned into the German navy on 25 May 1888. The ship was 103.7 meters (340 ft) long overall and had a beam of 14.2 m (47 ft) and a draft of 6.74 m (22.1 ft) forward. She displaced 5,027 t (4,948 long tons; 5,541 short tons) at full combat load. Her propulsion system consisted of two horizontal Wolfsche 2-cylinder double-expansion steam engines powered by four coal-fired cylindrical double-boilers. These provided a top speed of 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) and a range of approximately 2,490 nautical miles (4,610 km; 2,870 mi) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph). She had a crew of 28 officers and 337 enlisted men.
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