Wehrmacht History 1935 to 1945

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Schlesien

Pre-Dreadnought




Schlesien Pre-Dreadnoughts

Service Data

In Service: 5 May 1908 to 4 May 1945

Production Data

Ordered:
Builder: F. Schichau GmbH, Danzig
Construction No: 571
Laid down: 1905
Launched: 28 May 1906
Commissioned: 5 May 1908

Technical Data

Type: Pre-Dreadnoughts
Class: Deutschland

Displacement: 13,191 tons standard 14,218 tons full load
Length: 127.6 m
Beam: 22.2 m
Draft: 8.21 m
Propulsion: 3 × shafts 3 cylinder expansion engines producing up to 18,923 hp
Propellers:
Speed: 18,5 knots
Range: 4,800 nautical miles at 10 knots
Crew: 742 men and officers
Armament:
14 × 17 cm L/40 SK L/40 range 14,500 m
carried 1,820 rounds
4 × 28 cm L/40 SK L/40 range 18,800 m
carried 340 rounds
10 × 15 cm L/45 SK L/45
2 × 8.8 cm L/35 SK L/35
carried 2,800 rounds
4 × 3.7 cm L/83 SK C/30
22 × 2 cm L/83 SK C/30
6 × 45 cm torpedo tubes
16 torpedo's carried
Armour Belt 40 mm Deck 240 mm
Aircraft:
Electronics:
Operators: Kriegsmarine
Variants:

Other: Pre-Dreadnoughts
Articles:

History

SMS Schlesien was a pre-dreadnought Deutschland class battleship which was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy. Her sisters were Deutschland, Hannover, Pommern and the Schleswig Holstein.

Career

5 May 1908
The Schlesien is commissioned.

8 April 1940
The Schlesien takes part in operation Weser�bung (Invasion of Denmark and Norway).

1940
The Schlesien is used as a barracks in Gotenhafen.

1941
The Schlesien is used as an ice breaker with reduced crew.

1941
The Schlesien is used along Schleswig Holstein and the 6th E-Boat Flotilla, for mine laying operations in the Baltic Sea to prevent a Russian breakthrough of ships to Britain.

1945
The Schlesien is used in surport for the Battle of Gotenhafen.

1945
The Schlesien is moved to Swinemünde with over 1000 wounded men.

3 May 1945
The Schlesien is hit by a mine at Zinnowitz, Swinem�nde. The ship is then beached.

4 May 1945
The Schlesien crew, places scuttling charges.

1956
The Schlesien is broken up, and scrapped.

Commanders

Wilhlem Canaris
Takes command on 1932
Ends command on 1934

Heinrich Ancker
Takes command on 1934
Ends command on 1936

Thilo von Seebach
Takes command on 1936
Ends command on 1937

Friedrich Wilhelm Fleischer
Takes command on 1937
Ends command on 1938

Werner Lindenau
Takes command on 4 August 1938
Ends command on 4 April 1939

Kurt Utke
Takes command on 1939
Ends command on 1939

Günther Horstmann
Takes command on 1939
Ends command on 1941

Johannes Isenlar
Takes command on 1941
Ends command on 1941

Werner Lindenau
Takes command on 27 May 1941
Ends command on 8 October 1941

Ernst von Studnitz
Takes command on 1942
Ends command on 1942

Franz Friedrichs
Takes command on 1942
Ends command on 1943

Alfred Roegglen
Takes command on 1943
Ends command on 1944

Hans Eberhardt Busch
Takes command on 1944
Ends command on 1945

Gallery

Schlesien picture 2
Schlesien picture 3
Schlesien picture 4

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Sources

German Warships, 1815-1945: Major Surface Vessels.
ISBN-10: 0851775330

German Warships, 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels.
ISBN-10: 155750301X

German warships of the Second World War.
ISBN-10: 0668040378

For a complete list of sources
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