700-49 SMS KONIG WILHELM 1867 ARMORED FRIGATE

SMS König Wilhelm was a Prussian, and later German, armored sail-steam frigate from the second half of the 19th century. The keel for this unit was laid in 1865, the launch took place in 1868, and the entry into service in the Prussian Navy - in 1869. The length of the ship was 112.2 meters and a width of 18.3 meters. The displacement reached approx. 10,700 tons, and the maximum speed - approx. 14-15 knots. The deck armament at the time of launching consisted of 18 240 mm guns and 5 210 mm guns. SMS König Wilhelm was originally commissioned by the Turkish Navy under the name Fatih and was built by the British Thames Iron Works shipyard in London. However, in 1867, the still unfinished vessel was purchased by the Prussian Navy. Upon entering SMS service, König Wilhelm was the largest ship in the German Navy and served as the flagship of the German Navy during the Prussian-French War of 1870-1871. The unit during its long service underwent numerous modernizations (e.g. in the years 1895-1896). However, from 1904 the ship was already a residential ship, and from 1907 - a training unit. In 1921, it was sold for scrap.