GERMAN IWW BATTLESHIP "KRONPRINZ"

SMS Kronprinz (later name: SMS Kronprinz Wilhelm) was a German battleship (so-called dreadnought) from the First World War. The keel for this vessel was laid in 1911, the launch took place in February 1914, and entry into service in Kaiserliche Marine - in November of the same year. The length of the ship was 175.4 meters and a width of 29.5 meters. Full displacement reached approx. 28,600 tons, and maximum speed - approx. 21-22 knots. The deck armament, at the time of launch, consisted of 10 305 mm guns, 14 150 mm guns, 10 88 mm guns and 5 torpedo tubes. SMS Kronprinz was one of four battleships belonging to the König-class. The battleships of this type were designed and built to be very similar to the previous class of German battleships, the Kaiser. Both classes of ships had almost identical combat capabilities and weapons. The main difference was a slightly different arrangement of the main artillery on the König-class battleships. Originally, they were also planned to use a mixed drive consisting of steam turbines and a diesel engine, but eventually three steam turbines were used as the drive. One of the battleships of this type was SMS Kronprinz, which was built at the Germaniawerft shipyard in the city of Kiel. Shortly after entering service, the battleship entered the 3rd Squadron. In April 1915, the unit covered mines in the North Sea, and a year later - it covered German battlecruisers during shelling on the British coast. At the turn of May and June 1916, SMS Kronprinz took an active part in the Battle of Jutland, during which it avoided damage. At the end of 1917, he took part in Operation Albion, during which he damaged two Russian cruisers: Tsarevich and Bajan. After the end of the war, SMS Kronprinz was interned at the British base at Scapa Flow, where he was sunk by his own crew on June 21, 1919. The shipwreck has not been excavated from the seabed until today.