The Imperial Navy - Photographic estate of a crew member of SMS Thüringen from 1916
The ship (SMS Thüringen) I. - Basic data
The SMS Thüringen belonged to the so-called Helgoland class.
Other ships of this class were Oldenburg, Ostfriesland and Helgoland.
The SMS Thüringen was a capital ship (battleship) which was built at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen.
The construction costs amounted to 46,314,000 marks.
Launched on 27.11.1909, the SMS Thüringen was commissioned on 10.09.1911.
The length of the ship was 167.2 m, its width 28.5 m with a draft of 8.94 m.
The armament mainly consisted of twelve 30.5 cm guns mounted in six twin gun turrets; the top speed was 21 knots.
The crew numbered 1,113 men.
The ship (SMS Thüringen) II. - Service and fate
The SMS Thüringen was commissioned on 01.07.1911.
For most of the time the ship belonged to the 1st Squadron of the German High Seas Fleet and before 1914 participated in all major fleet maneuvers.
Still in 1914 the SMS Thüringen undertook a summer voyage to Norway.
In 1915 she was deployed in the Baltic Sea and engaged the Russian fleet.
In 1916 the SMS Thüringen was above all involved in the Skagerrak battle on 31.05. - 01.06.
In this she was involved in the sinking of the British armored cruiser Black Prince.
The SMS Thüringen was to take part in 1918 in the so-called Operation Schlussstein, which aimed at the occupation of the city of Saint Petersburg. The action was not carried out, however, and so the ship returned to Wilhelmshaven in August.
Also the last operation of the German High Seas Fleet against the British fleet planned shortly before the armistice in October of the year 198 did not take place.
A mutiny of sailors also took place on the SMS Thüringen (and on the SMS Helgoland), which could at first be suppressed by force (314 sailors and 124 stokers were arrested), but subsequently spread to the entire fleet.
The ship was taken out of service on 16.12.1918 and initially used as a barracks ship and finally handed over to the French in Cherbourg in April 1920.
From 1923 the SMS Thüringen was scrapped.
Photograph collection, probably of an apprentice (career in the technical service, future naval engineer)
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