SMS Kaiser Karl der Grosse – SMS Kaiser Karl der Grosse (His Majesty’s Ship “Charles the Great”)…

SMS Kaiser Karl der Grosse – SMS Kaiser Karl der Grosse (His Majesty’s Ship “Charles the Great”) 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).[a] Kaiser Karl der Grosse was built in Hamburg, at the Blohm and Voss shipyard. She was laid down in September 1898 and was 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, and during this time she participated in the normal peacetime routine of training cruises and fleet manoeuvres. By 1908, the new “all-big-gun” dreadnought battleships were entering service. As the ship was completely obsolete, she was withdrawn from active service and placed in the Reserve Division.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 the 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. Following the German defeat in November 1918, the ship was sold to ship-breakers and scrapped in 1920.

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