SMS Kaiserin Augusta
SMS Kaiserin Augusta in 1893
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| History | |
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 German Empire
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| Name: | SMS Kaiserin Augusta |
| Builder: | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Laid down: | 1890 |
| Launched: | 15 January 1892 |
| Commissioned: | 17 November 1892 |
| Struck: | 1 October 1919 |
| Fate: | Scrapped 1920 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Unique protected cruiser |
| Displacement: | 6,318 t (6,218 long tons; 6,964 short tons) |
| Length: | 123.2 m (404 ft) oa |
| Beam: | 15.6 m (51 ft) |
| Draft: | 6.48 m (21.3 ft) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 21 knots (38.9 km/h) |
| Complement: |
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| Armament: |
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| Armor: | 50 millimeters (2.0 in) - 70 mm (2.8 in) |
SMS Kaiserin Augusta was a unique protected cruiser, built for the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) in the early 1890s. Named for Empress Augusta, who died in January 1890, she was laid down in 1890, launched in January 1892, and completed in November of that year. Owing to budgetary restrictions, Kaiserin Augusta was designed to fill both fleet scout and colonial cruiser roles. The ship was initially armed with a main battery of four 15 cm (5.9 in) and eight 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns, which by 1896 was replaced with twelve new model 15 cm guns. She was the first ship in the German Navy to feature a three-shaft propeller arrangement.
Kaiserin Augusta served abroad between 1897 and 1902, primarily in the East Asia Squadron under the command of Admiral Otto von Diederichs. During this time, the ship's crew assisted in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. In 1902, she returned to Germany for an extensive overhaul that lasted until 1907, after which she went into reserve. Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Kaiserin Augusta was mobilized to serve as a gunnery training ship. She served in this role throughout the war; the ship was ultimately sold for scrapping in October 1919 and broken up the following year.
Design work on Kaiserin Augusta began in 1887; budgetary restrictions forced the German Navy to design a ship that could serve in both colonial and fleet scout roles. During the design process, it was determined a three-shaft arrangement of the machinery would be necessary to attain the high speed requirement. This resulted in the first warship of the German Navy to use three screws. This was a relatively novel development; at the time of Kaiserin Augusta's construction, only a handful of French and American ships had experimented with the arrangement, and had not yet been to sea for a thorough evaluation of the design.Kaiserin Augusta was laid down at the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel in 1890. She was launched on 15 January 1892 and commissioned into the fleet less than a year later on 17 November 1892.
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