German Ironclads

Between the mid 1860s and the early 1880s, the Prussian and later Imperial German Navies purchased or built sixteen ironclad warships. In 1860, however, the Prussian Navy consisted solely of wooden, unarmored warships. The following year, The Germans wrote an expanded fleet plan that included four large ironclads and four smaller ironclads. Two of the latter were to be ordered from Britain immediately, as German shipyards were at the time incapable of building such vessels. The rival Danish fleet had three ironclads in service by the time the Second Schleswig War broke out in 1864 as a result, Prussia purchased the ironclads Arminius and Prinz Adalbert, then under construction in Britain and France, respectively. The British, sympathetic to the Danish cause, delayed delivery of both Arminius and Prinz Adalbert until after the combined Austro-Prussian victory. Both ships entered service by 1865.

The Prussian Navy had acquired three more ships by the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. A fourth was ordered from Prussian shipbuilders, but would not be completed in time to see service during the war. In the aftermath of the war in 1871, the various Germanic states were unified under Prussian dominance as the German Empire; the Prussian Navy became the core of the Imperial Navy. The three turret ships of the Preussen class were built in Germany in the early 1870s, followed by two Kaiser-class vessels in the middle of the decade, the last capital ships ordered from foreign yards by Germany. A different strategic plan affected the next design, the four Sachsen-class ships. These vessels were intended to operate from fortified bases against a naval blockade, not on the high seas. The last ironclad built by Germany, Oldenburg, was originally to have been a fifth member of the Sachsen class, but dissatisfaction with those ships led to a new design. The German Navy temporarily ceased construction of capital ships in the 1880s, due to the poor performance of the Sachsen class; instead, concentration was focused on creating a large force of torpedo boats for coastal defense.

Ironclads of the 19th century

SMS Arminius

SMS Prinz Adalbert (1865)

SMS Friedrich Carl (1867)

SMS Kronprinz (1867)

SMS König Wilhelm

SMS Hansa (1872)

Preussen class

The Preussen class of ironclad turret ships was a class of three ships built for the German Imperial Navy in the early 1870s. The lead ship was the SMS Preussen. The other two ships were SMS Friedrich der Grosse and the SMS Grosser Kurfürst. The ships served in the fleet starting in 1876, when Preussen was commissioned. Grosser Kurfürst was lost in 1878 during maneuvers shortly after her commissioning. Both Preussen and Friedrich der Grosse served in the fleet until the 1890s, when they were relegated to secondary duties, including serving as harbor ships, and later as coal hulks. The ships were eventually scrapped following the end of World War I.

Kaiser class

The Kaiser class of ironclad warships was a pair of vessels built for the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) in the early 1870s. The lead ship Kaiser and Deutschland. Both ships were built in London. They were the last German capital ships built by a foreign shipyard. The ships were substantially rebuilt in the 1890s into armored cruisers and stationed in Asia for three years. Following their return to Germany in 1899–1900, the ships were used in several secondary roles, including as
harbor and barracks ships.

Sachsen class

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. The four ships served with the fleet on numerous training exercises and cruises in the 1880s and 1890s. In the late 1890s, the four ships
were extensively rebuilt. When removed from active duty between 1902 and 1910 Sachsen and Bayern became target ships while Württemberg became a torpedo training ship. The three ships were broken up for scrap in 1919. Baden was used as a boom defense hulk from and target ship. She survived until 1938, when she was sold for scrapping.

SMS Oldenburg

SMS Oldenburg was an armored warship of the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy). Laid down at the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin in 1883. Oldenburg was intended to have been a fifth member of the Sachsen class of sortie corvettes, but budgetary limitations and dissatisfaction with the Sachsen class prompted a redesign that bore little resemblance to the earlier vessels. She was the first German capital ship constructed entirely from German-made steel. Oldenburg did not see significant service with the German Navy. She spent the majority of the 1890s in reserve. In 1900, she was withdrawn from active duty and used as a harbor defense ship and as a target ship. She was sold for scrapping in 1919 and broken up that year.