SMS Wiesbaden
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire
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| Name: | SMS Wiesbaden |
| Builder: | A.G. Vulcan |
| Laid down: | 1913 |
| Launched: | 20 January 1915 |
| Commissioned: | 23 August 1915 |
| Fate: | Sunk at the Battle of Jutland, 1 June 1916 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Wiesbaden-class light cruiser |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 145.30 m (476 ft 8 in) |
| Beam: | 13.90 m (45 ft 7 in) |
| Draft: | 5.76 m (18.9 ft) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 27.5 knots (50.9 km/h; 31.6 mph) |
| Range: | 4,800 nmi (8,900 km; 5,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Crew: |
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| Armament: |
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| Armor: |
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SMS Wiesbaden was a light cruiser of the Wiesbaden class built for the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine). She had one sister ship, SMS Frankfurt; the ships were very similar to the previous Karlsruhe-class cruisers. The ship was laid down in 1913, launched in January 1915, and completed by August 1915. Armed with eight 15 cm SK L/45 guns, Wiesbaden had a top speed of 27.5 knots (50.9 km/h; 31.6 mph) and displaced 6,601 t (6,497 long tons; 7,276 short tons) at full load.
Wiesbaden saw only one major action, the Battle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916. The ship was badly damaged by gunfire from the battlecruiser HMS Invincible. Immobilized between the two battle fleets, Wiesbaden became the center of a hard-fought action that saw the destruction of two British armored cruisers. Heavy fire from the British fleet prevented evacuation of the ship's crew. Wiesbaden remained afloat until the early hours of 1 June and sank sometime between 01:45 and 02:45. Only one crew member survived the sinking; the wreck was located by German Navy divers in 1983.
Wiesbaden was ordered under the contract name "Ersatz Gefion" and was laid down at the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin in 1913 and launched on 20 January 1915, after which fitting-out work commenced. She was commissioned into the High Seas Fleet on 23 August 1915, after being rushed through trials. The ship was 145.30 meters (476 ft 8 in) long overall and had a beam of 13.90 m (45 ft 7 in) and a draft of 5.76 m (18 ft 11 in) forward. She displaced 6,601 t (6,497 long tons; 7,276 short tons) at full combat load. Her propulsion system consisted of two sets of Marine steam turbines driving two 3.5-meter (11 ft) propellers. They were designed to give 31,000 shaft horsepower (23,000 kW). These were powered by twelve coal-fired Marine-type water-tube boilers and two oil-fired double-ended boilers. These gave the ship a top speed of 27.5 knots (50.9 km/h; 31.6 mph). Wiesbaden carried 1,280 tonnes (1,260 long tons) of coal, and an additional 470 tonnes (460 long tons) of oil that gave her a range of 4,800 nautical miles (8,900 km; 5,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). Wiesbaden had a crew of 17 officers and 457 enlisted men.
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