Braunschweig Class Battleship - Service History - Post World War I

Post World War I

Because all of Germany's powerful dreadnoughts had either been scuttled in Scapa Flow or ceded to the Allies as war prizes, the Braunschweig class battleships were recommissioned into the newly reorganized Reichsmarine. In the years following World War I, Braunschweig, Elsass, and Hessen were to be rebuilt as coastal defense ships, although this plan was abandoned. Braunschweig served in the Reichsmarine from 1921 to 1926, at which point she was withdrawn from active duty. On 31 May 1931, she was stricken and converted into a hulk at Wilhelmshaven, and eventually scrapped. Elsass saw active duty in the fleet from 1924 until 25 February 1930, at which point she was removed from active service. On 31 March 1931, she was stricken, hulked in Wilhelmshaven. On 31 October 1935, Elsass was sold to Norddeutscher-Lloyd in Bremerhaven, and scrapped in 1936.

Hessen served in the fleet from 1925 to 12 November 1934, when she was withdrawn and converted into a target ship. Conversion work lasted from 31 March 1935 to 1 April 1937, when she was recommissioned as a target. She served in this capacity until 1945; at the end of World War II, she was renamed Tsel and ceded to the Soviet Union. The ship was eventually scrapped in the 1960s. Preussen saw active service with the fleet as a minesweeper depot ship from 1919 to 5 April 1929, when she was stricken from the navy list. The ship was sold for breaking on 25 February 1931 for 216,800 Mark, and scrapped in Wilhelmshaven. A 63 m (68.9 yd) section of the hull was kept for use as a torpedo target and other explosives. The hull section was bombed and sunk by Allied aircraft in April 1945. The wreck was eventually raised and scrapped in 1954. Lothringen was also converted into a minesweeper depot ship, and she served in this capacity from 1922 to 1926. The ship was stricken on 31 March 1931, sold for scrapping for 269,650 Marks, and broken up by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg.