Construction
Sachsen, the first ship of the class, was laid down at the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin in 1875, under construction number 74. The ship was launched on 21 July 1877 and commissioned into the fleet on 20 October 1878. AG Vulcan also built Württemberg, which was laid down in 1876 under construction number 78. She was launched on 9 November 1878 and commissioned for service on 9 May 1881.
Bayern was actually the first ship to be laid down; work on her keel began in 1874 at the Imperial Dockyard in Kiel, under construction number 3. She was not launched until 13 May 1878, nearly one year after her sister Sachsen. She was commissioned on 4 August 1881, rendering her the third ship of the class to enter service. Baden was the fourth and final ship of the class; she was laid down at the Imperial Dockyard in Kiel in 1876. She was launched on 28 July 1880 and commissioned into the fleet on 24 September 1881.
The ships built by AG Vulcan—Sachsen and Württemberg—were completed in three and five years, respectively. The two vessels built by the Imperial Dockyard—Bayern and Baden—, required eight and seven years' work, respectively. One of the primary causes for the great disparity in build times was the experience of the shipbuilders. AG Vulcan was an established commercial ship builder, while the Imperial Dockyards were recently founded and still lacked experience in large warship construction.
Read more about this topic: Sachsen Class Armored Frigate
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