SMS Leipzig (1875)
 |
|
| History | |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | Battle of Leipzig |
| Builder: | German Imperial Navy |
| Laid down: | 1874 |
| Fate: | Broken up 1921 |
| General characteristics | |
| Sail plan: | Corvette |
SMS Leipzig was a flush-deck corvette, the lead ship of her class, built by the German Imperial Navy; she had one sister ship, SMS Prinz Adalbert. She was named after the Battle of Leipzig in 1813 rather than after the city of Leipzig.
She was laid down in 1874, launched in 1875, and completed in 1877. She was converted into a 'cruiser frigate' (German: kreuzerfregatte) in 1884. She served abroad until 1893 and frequently became involved in German colonialism and gunboat diplomacy. She was thereafter hulked in Wilhelmshaven, where she was scuttled on 5 November 1919. She was raised and broken up in 1921.
After her commissioning, the ship was sent on a world tour as a training ship, under the command of Korvettenkapitän Karl Paschen. In March 1878 she formed part of the German naval demonstration in Corinto/Nicaragua during the 'Eisenstuck Affair' - at the end of this crisis, she visited Mexican and American ports. In July 1878 she visited Japan, followed by Chinese ports in April 1879. She then sailed back to Germany via Singapore, Cape Town and Plymouth, arriving in Kiel on 27 September 1879.
After some modifications (including the addition of four torpedo tubes), Leipzig set out on her second world tour on 19 October 1882. In June the following year she was assigned to the German East Asia Squadron and at the end of 1883 she transported Zappe, the German Consul-General in Shanghai, to Chemulpo to sign the first German-Korean trade agreement. During that trip some of the ship's officers and its military band also visited the court of king Taiwen-kun in Seoul. In March 1884 Leipzig left the Squadron and set out for Germany, but suffered problems off Borneo or near Sandakan and had to put into Singapore for seven weeks' repairs. During this time an epidemic fever broke out on board, meaning part of the crew had to disembark.
...
Wikipedia