Wacht-class aviso
SMS Jagd
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: |
 Kaiserliche Marine
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| Preceded by: | SMS Greif |
| Succeeded by: | Meteor class |
| Completed: | 2 |
| Retired: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,499 metric tons (1,475 long tons; 1,652 short tons) |
| Length: | 85.8 m (281 ft 6 in) o/a |
| Beam: | 9.66 m (31 ft 8 in) |
| Draft: | 3.74 m (12 ft 3 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × 3-cylinder double expansion engines, 2 shafts |
| Speed: | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Range: | 2,440 nmi (4,520 km; 2,810 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) |
| Complement: |
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| Armament: |
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| Armor: |
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The Wacht class was a pair of avisos built by the Imperial German Navy in the late-1880s; the class comprised two ships, Wacht and Jagd. They were laid down in 1886 and 1887 and completed by 1888 and 1889, respectively. The ships were based on the previous aviso, SMS Greif, which had proved to be an unsuccessful design due to its lack of torpedo armament. As a result, the Wacht-class ships were equipped with three torpedo tubes to improve their combat power; they were also the first German avisos to carry armor protection.
Both ships served in the main German fleet for the entirety of their active duty careers. They were primarily employed in the peacetime routine of unit and fleet training maneuvers. In September 1901, Wacht was accidentally rammed by the ironclad SMS Sachsen during the annual fleet maneuvers. The collision caused serious damage to Wacht and she quickly sank. Jagd continued in service for another three years, after which she was withdrawn from service and used in various roles over the following sixteen years. She was sold for scrapping in 1920.
The Imperial Navy began building small avisos in the 1880s to serve in the main fleet in German waters. These vessels were intended to support the battle line, and so unlike the contemporary German unprotected cruisers, their designs emphasized offensive capability and high speed rather than a long cruising radius. The Wacht class followed the previous aviso, SMS Greif. The ship had proved to be a disappointment in service since it carried no torpedo armament. As a result, the Wacht design returned to the torpedo as its primary armament like earlier vessels such as the Blitz class.
The Wacht-class ships were 84 meters (276 ft) long at the waterline and 85.5 m (281 ft) long overall. They had a beam of 9.66 m (31.7 ft) and a maximum draft of 3.74 m (12.3 ft) forward and 4.67 m (15.3 ft) aft. They displaced 1,246 metric tons (1,226 long tons; 1,373 short tons) as designed and up to 1,499 t (1,475 long tons; 1,652 short tons) at full combat load. Their hulls were constructed from transverse steel frames.Wacht and Jagd each had a crew of 7 officers and 134 enlisted men. The ships carried several smaller boats, including one picket boat, one yawl, one dinghy, and one cutter. They were poor sea boats; they rolled and pitched badly and were very wet. They were also not particularly maneuverable vessels.
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Wikipedia