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Vestes Bellica Military history archive

Vestes Bellica

The Imperial German Navy - SMS Iltis

The SMS Iltis was a gunboat of the Imperial Navy, whose construction began in the summer of 1897 at the Schichau shipyard in Danzig. The launching took place on 04.08.1898.

The gunboat had a length of 65.20 m, a beam of 9.10 m and a draft of 3.63 m. The speed was 14.8 knots. The horsepower was 1,378 hp.

The crew of the SMS Iltis consisted of 6 sea officers, 1 naval engineer, 1 medical officer, 1 paymaster, 4 deck officers and 108 non-commissioned officers and crew (a total of 121).

The original station of the SMS Iltis was the North Sea; from 01.12.1898 the gunboat was deployed abroad/overseas.

On 06.02.1899 the ship left the port of Kiel and on 18.05.1899 reached the area leased by the German Empire on the southern Shandong Peninsula on the Chinese east coast, with the capital Tsingtau.

During the so-called Boxer Rebellion in China, the SMS Iltis took part in the fighting for the Taku Forts and their defeat on 17.06.1900 and distinguished itself in the process. For this it received, as the only ship of the German Navy, the Order Pour le Mérite. It was also permitted to be carried as a reproduction on the jackstaff and on the two gunwales of the ship's lifeboats.

The deployment of the SMS Iltis in China is the setting for the photos shown.

The SMS Iltis was scuttled in the harbor of Tsingtau on 28.09.1914.

Photo collection of a deck officer of the SMS Iltis from before 1914, probably around 1900.

The SMS Iltis with the Order Pour le Mérite on the bow.
The SMS Iltis with the Order Pour le Mérite on the bow.
Visit on board.
Visit on board.
Prominent Chinese visitor (viceroy) aboard the SMS Iltis. Sea officers of the gunboat can also be seen.
Prominent Chinese visitor (viceroy) aboard the SMS Iltis. Sea officers of the gunboat can also be seen.
Here, members of the crew in front of the east gate of the Tsingtau fortress.
Here, members of the crew in front of the east gate of the Tsingtau fortress.
(Sea officers and) deck officers of the SMS Iltis.
(Sea officers and) deck officers of the SMS Iltis.
Deck officers in front of the east gate in Tsingtau with local musicians.
Deck officers in front of the east gate in Tsingtau with local musicians.
The photo shows deck officers ashore. Here inside the fort in Tsingtau.
The photo shows deck officers ashore. Here inside the fort in Tsingtau.
Deck officers and sailors of the SMS Iltis inside the fort.
Deck officers and sailors of the SMS Iltis inside the fort.
Photo of a Chinese woman in 1903.
Photo of a Chinese woman in 1903.
Aboard the SMS Kaiser in 1897.
Aboard the SMS Kaiser in 1897.
Deck officers in Tsingtau with locals.
Deck officers in Tsingtau with locals.
Ashore in Nanking. Members of the SMS Iltis in tropical uniforms.
Ashore in Nanking. Members of the SMS Iltis in tropical uniforms.

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