Construction
Kaiser Wilhelm II, the emperor of Germany, believed that a strong navy was necessary for the country to expand its influence outside of continental Europe. As a result, he initiated a program of naval expansion in the late 1880s; the first battleships built under this program were the four Brandenburg-class ships. These were immediately followed by the five Kaiser Friedrich III-class battleships, of which Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was a unit. Her keel was laid in 1895, at the Kaiserliche Werft in Wilhelmshaven, under construction number 22. She was ordered under the contract name Ersatz König Wilhelm, to replace the obsolete armored frigate König Wilhelm. Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was launched on 1 June 1899 and commissioned on 5 May 1901.
The ship was 125.3 m (411 ft) long overall and had a beam of 20.4 m (67 ft) and a draft of 7.89 m (25.9 ft) forward and 8.25 m (27.1 ft) aft. She was powered by three 3-cylinder vertical triple expansion engines that drove three screws. Steam was provided by four naval and eight cylindrical boilers. Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse's powerplant was rated at 13,000 indicated horsepower (9,700 kW), which generated a top speed of 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h).
Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse's armament consisted of a main battery of four 24 cm (9.4 in) SK L/40 guns in twin gun turrets, one fore and one aft of the central superstructure. Her secondary armament consisted of eighteen 15 cm (5.9 inch) SK L/40 guns and twelve 8.8 cm (3.45 in) SK L/30 quick-firing guns. The armament suite was rounded out with six 45 cm torpedo tubes, all in above-water swivel mounts.
Read more about this topic: SMS Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse
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