SMS Kronprinz (1867) - Design - General Characteristics and Propulsion

General Characteristics and Propulsion

Kronprinz was 88.2 meters (289 ft) long at the waterline and 89.44 m (293.4 ft) long overall. She had a beam of 15.2 m (50 ft) and a draft of 7.85 m (25.8 ft) forward and 7.45 m (24.4 ft) aft. The ship was designed to displace 5,767 metric tons (5,676 long tons; 6,357 short tons) at a normal loading, and up to 6,760 t (6,650 long tons; 7,450 short tons) with a combat load. The ship's hull was constructed with transverse and longitudinal iron frames. It contained nine watertight compartments and a double bottom that ran for 43 percent of the length of the vessel. The ship was an excellent sea boat; the ship was responsive to commands from the helm but had a large turning radius. The ship's crew numbered 33 officers and 508 enlisted men. Kronprinz carried a number of smaller boats, including a large tender, two launches, a pinnace, two cutters, two yawls, and one dinghy.

The ship's propulsion system was built by J. Penn & Sons of Greenwich, England. A horizontal two-cylinder single expansion steam engine powered the ship. It drove a two-bladed screw 6.5 m (21 ft) in diameter. Eight trunk boilers, with four fireboxes in each, were divided into two boiler rooms. The boilers supplied steam to the engine at 2 standard atmospheres (200 kPa). The propulsion system was rated at 4,500 indicated horsepower (3,400 kW) and a top speed of 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph), though on trials Kronprinz managed to make 4,870 ihp (3,630 kW) and 14.7 kn (27.2 km/h; 16.9 mph). The ship carried up to 646 t (636 long tons; 712 short tons) of coal, which enabled a maximum range of 3,200 nautical miles (5,900 km; 3,700 mi) at a cruising speed of 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) and a range of 1,730 nmi (3,200 km; 1,990 mi) at 14 knots. A barque rig with a surface area of 1,980 square meters supplemented the steam engine. Steering was controlled with a single rudder.