SMS Kaiser Karl der Grosse

Kaiser Karl der Grosse in 1902
History
German Empire
Name	Kaiser Karl der Grosse
Namesake	Charlemagne (Karl der Grosse in German)
Builder	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Laid down	17 September 1898
Launched	18 October 1899
Commissioned	4 February 1902
Decommissioned	19 November 1915
Stricken	6 December 1919
Fate	Scrapped in 1920
General characteristics
Class and type	Kaiser Friedrich III-class pre-dreadnought battleship
Displacement	Normal: 11,097 t (10,922 long tons) Full load: 11,785 t (11,599 long tons)
Length	125.3 m (411 ft 1 in)
Beam	20.4 m (66 ft 11 in)
Draft	7.89 m (25 ft 11 in)
Installed power	12 × water-tube boilers 13,000 PS (12,820 ihp; 9,560 kW)
Propulsion	3 × triple-expansion steam engines 3 × screw propellers
Speed	17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph)
Range	3,420 nmi (6,330 km; 3,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	39 officers 612 enlisted
Armament	4 × 24 cm (9.4 in) 40  cal guns 18 × 15 cm (5.9 in) SK L/40 guns 12 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 guns 12 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) machine cannon 6 × 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes
Armor	Belt: 300 to 150 mm (11.8 to 5.9 in) Deck: 65 mm (2.6 in) Conning Tower: 250 mm (9.8 in) Turrets: 250 mm Casemates: 150 mm

SMS Kaiser Karl der Grosse^[a] was a German pre-dreadnought battleship of the Kaiser Friedrich III class, built around the turn of the 20th century for the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy).^[b] Named for the Emperor Charlemagne, Kaiser Karl der Grosse was built in Hamburg, at the Blohm and Voss shipyard. She was laid down in September 1898 and launched in October 1899. A shipyard strike and an accidental grounding delayed her completion until February 1902; she was therefore the last member of her class to enter service. The ship was armed with four 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns in two twin gun turrets and had a top speed of 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph).

Kaiser Karl der Grosse served with the active fleet until 1908, participating in the normal peacetime routine of training cruises and fleet maneuvers. By 1908, the new "all-big-gun" dreadnought battleships were entering service. As these rendered her obsolete, Kaiser Karl der Grosse was withdrawn from active service and placed in the Reserve Division. At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the ship was placed back in active duty as a coastal defense ship in V Battle Squadron, though by February 1915 she was again placed in reserve. Kaiser Karl der Grosse was briefly used as a training ship and ended her career as a prison ship for prisoners of war in Wilhelmshaven. After the German defeat in November 1918, she was sold to ship-breakers and scrapped in 1920.
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