Construction
Kaiser Friedrich III, the first ship of the class, was ordered from the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven as Ersatz Preussen. She was intended to replace the old armored frigate Preussen. She was laid down in 1895 under construction number 22. She was launched on 1 July 1896, after which fitting out commenced; this included the installation of the ship's armament and the completion of the superstructure. The ship was completed and commissioned into the German fleet on 7 October 1898. Kaiser Wilhelm II's keel was laid in Wilhelmshaven in 1896, also at the Kaiserliche Werft, under construction number 24. She was ordered under the contract name Ersatz Friedrich der Grosse, to replace the armored frigate Friedrich der Grosse. Kaiser Wilhelm II was launched on 14 September 1897 and commissioned on 13 February 1900.
Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was ordered under the contract name Ersatz König Wilhelm as a replacement for the obsolete König Wilhelm. Her keel was laid at the Germaniawerft dockyard under construction number 79 in 1898. The ship was launched on 1 June 1899 and commissioned into the fleet on 5 May 1901. The keel for Kaiser Barbarossa—ordered as "B", an addition to the fleet—was laid down at the Schichau-Werke in Danzig in 1898. Her construction number was 640. She was launched on 21 April 1900 and commissioned into the German navy on 10 June 1901. Also in 1898, Kaiser Karl der Grosse was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg under construction number 136. She was ordered as an addition to the fleet, and so was assigned the contract name "A". The last ship of the class to be completed, Kaiser Karl der Grosse was launched on 18 October 1899 and commissioned into the fleet on 4 February 1902.
Read more about this topic: Kaiser Friedrich Class Battleship
Famous quotes containing the word construction:
“When the leaders choose to make themselves bidders at an auction of popularity, their talents, in the construction of the state, will be of no service. They will become flatterers instead of legislators; the instruments, not the guides, of the people.”
—Edmund Burke (1729–1797)
“The construction of life is at present in the power of facts far more than convictions.”
—Walter Benjamin (1892–1940)
“No construction stiff working overtime takes more stress and straining than we did just to stay high.”
—Gus Van Sant, U.S. screenwriter and director, and Dan Yost. Bob Hughes (Matt Dillon)