SMS Kaiser (1874)
SMS Kaiser in Constantinople
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| History | |
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 German Empire
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| Name: | SMS Kaiser |
| Namesake: | Kaiser |
| Builder: | Samuda Brothers, Great Britain |
| Laid down: | 1871 |
| Launched: | 19 March 1874 |
| Commissioned: | 13 February 1875 |
| Renamed: | Uranus, 12 October 1905 |
| Fate: | Scrapped at Harburg, 1920 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Kaiser class armored frigate |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 89.34 m (293.1 ft) |
| Beam: | 19.10 m (62.7 ft) |
| Draft: | 7.39 m (24.2 ft) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 14.6 knots (27.0 km/h; 16.8 mph) |
| Range: | 2,470 nmi (4,570 km; 2,840 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement: |
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| Armament: | 8 × 26 cm (10 in) L/20 guns |
SMS Kaiser was the lead ship of the Kaiser-class ironclads; SMS Deutschland was her sister ship. Named for the title "Kaiser" (German: Emperor), held by the leader of the then newly created German Empire, the ship was laid down in the Samuda Brothers shipyard in London in 1871. The ship was launched in March 1874 and commissioned into the German fleet in February 1875. Kaiser mounted a main battery of eight 26 cm (10 in) guns in a central battery amidships.
Kaiser served with the fleet from her commissioning until 1896, though she was frequently placed in reserve throughout her career. The ship was a regular participant in the annual fleet training maneuvers conducted with the exception of the mid-1880s, when she was temporarily replaced by newer vessels. She participated in several cruises in the Baltic and Mediterranean, often escorting Kaiser Wilhelm II on official state visits. Kaiser was rebuilt in the early 1890s as an armored cruiser, though she was too slow to perform satisfactorily in this role. Nevertheless, she spent several years as the flagship of the East Asia Squadron before returning to Germany in 1899. She was used in secondary roles after 1904, until after the end of World War I in 1919, when she was broken up for scrap.
Kaiser was ordered by the Imperial Navy from the Samuda Brothers shipyard in London, UK; her keel was laid in 1871.Kaiser and her sister Deutschland were ordered shortly after the end of the Franco-Prussian War, under the assumption that the French would quickly attempt a war of revenge. The ship was launched on 19 March 1874 and commissioned into the German fleet on 13 February 1875.Kaiser cost the German government 8,226,000 gold marks.
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