Sachsen-class ironclad

A 1902 lithograph of SMS Baden
Class overview
Operators	Imperial German Navy
Preceded by	Kaiser class
Succeeded by	SMS Oldenburg
Built	1875–1883
In commission	1878–1910
Completed	4
Retired	4
General characteristics
Type	Armored corvette
Displacement	7,635 t (7,514 long tons)
Length	98.2 m (322 ft 2 in)
Beam	18.4 m (60 ft 4 in)
Draft	6.32 m (20 ft 9 in)
Installed power	8 × boilers 5,600 ihp (4,200 kW)
Propulsion	2 × single-expansion steam engines 2 × screw propellers
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Range	1,940 nmi (3,590 km; 2,230 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	32 officers 285 enlisted men
Armament	6 × 26 cm (10.2 in) L/22 guns 6 × 8.7 cm (3.4 in) guns 8 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) guns
Armor	Belt: 203–254 mm (8–10 in) Deck: 50–75 mm (2–3 in)

The Sachsen class of armored corvettes was a class of four ships built by the Imperial German Navy in the late 1870s to early 1880s. The ships—Sachsen, Bayern, Württemberg, and Baden—were designed to operate as part of an integrated coastal defense network. The ships were intended to sortie from fortified bases to break up an enemy blockade or landing attempt. Armed with six 26 cm (10.2 in) guns, they were also intended to fight hostile ironclads on relatively equal terms.

Following their commissionings in 1878–1883, the four ships served with the fleet on numerous training exercises and cruises in the 1880s and 1890s. They also participated in several cruises escorting Kaiser Wilhelm II on state visits to Great Britain and to various cities in the Baltic Sea in the late 1880s and early 1890s. In the late 1890s, the four ships were extensively rebuilt; their secondary batteries were modernized and they received upgraded propulsion systems. They were removed from active duty between 1902 and 1910 and relegated to secondary duties. Sachsen and Bayern became target ships while Württemberg became a torpedo training ship. The three ships were broken up for scrap in 1919–1920. Baden was used as a boom defense hulk from 1910 to 1920, when she became a target ship. She survived until 1938, when she was sold for scrapping.