German Pre-Dreadnought Battleship SMS Schleswig-Holstein

SMS Schleswig-Holstein was the fifth and final ship of the Deutschland-class (along with her sisters Deutschland, Pommern, Schlesien, and Hannover), built at the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel. She was laid down in 1905, launched in December 1906, and commissioned in July 1908. Like her sisters, she was a pre-dreadnought completed in the dreadnought era, but she became one of the most famous German warships due to her role in starting the Second World War.

She carried the same armament and protection as the other ships of her class, with four 28 cm (11 in) SK L/40 guns, a secondary battery of fourteen 17 cm (6.7 in) guns, lighter weapons, and six submerged torpedo tubes. Her armour protection and speed were virtually identical to Schlesien.

Before 1914, Schleswig-Holstein served in training cruises and fleet manoeuvres. In the First World War, she was active with II Battle Squadron in the North Sea and Baltic but, like her sisters, saw little heavy action. After the war, she was one of the few battleships Germany was allowed to keep under the Treaty of Versailles.

In the interwar period, Schleswig-Holstein served in the Reichsmarine as a training ship, undergoing modernisation to extend her usefulness. She made numerous goodwill cruises to foreign ports, representing the German navy internationally.

Her most famous moment came on 1 September 1939. While officially on a courtesy visit to Danzig (Gdańsk), she opened fire on the Polish garrison at Westerplatte at 04:47 in the morning, firing the first shots of the Second World War. This bombardment began the German invasion of Poland and marked Schleswig-Holstein permanently in naval history.

During the war, Schleswig-Holstein was used mainly as a training and gunnery instruction ship, due to her obsolete design. In December 1944, she was badly damaged in an air raid at Gotenhafen (Gdynia). After the war, her wreck was raised by the Soviets and used for target practice.

Specifications of SMS Schleswig-Holstein (Deutschland-class)

Type: Pre-dreadnought battleship
Displacement: 13,191 t (standard); 14,218 t (full load)
Length: 127.6 m (418 ft 8 in)
Beam: 22.2 m (72 ft 10 in)
Draft: 8.21 m (26 ft 11 in)
Propulsion: 3 × triple-expansion steam engines, 12 coal-fired boilers, 16,000 ihp
Speed: 18 knots (33 km/h)
Range: 4,800 nmi (8,900 km) at 10 knots
Crew: 35 officers, 708 enlisted men (approx.)
Armament:
- 4 × 28 cm (11 in) SK L/40 guns (2 × twin turrets)
- 14 × 17 cm (6.7 in) SK L/40 guns
- 22 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/35 guns
- 6 × 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes (submerged)
Armour:
- Belt: 225 mm (8.9 in)
- Main turrets: 280 mm (11 in)