SMS ''G38'' was a 1913 Type
Large Torpedo Boat (''Großes Torpedoboot'') of the
Imperial German Navy
The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Kaise ...
(''Kaiserliche Marine'') during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and the 14th ship of her class.
Service
Built by
Germaniawerft in
Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, she was launched in December 1914.
''G38'' was assigned to the First Torpedo Boat Flotilla of the
High Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet (''Hochseeflotte'') was the battle fleet of the German Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet (''Heimatflotte'') was renamed as the High Seas ...
of the ''Kaiserliche Marine''. When she participated in the
Battle of Jutland she was assigned to escort the
battlecruiser SMS ''Lützow''. In this action, ''Lützow'' was severely damaged such that she was unable to return to German waters. After assisting
SMS ''G37'', ''
G40'' and ''
V45'' in the evacuation of survivors, ''G38'' was ordered to
scuttle ''Lützow'' by launching two
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...
es into her.
After the end of hostilities, ''G38'' was interned at
Scapa Flow in November 1918 and
scuttled along with most of the fleet on 21 June 1919. She was salvaged for scrap by
Ernest Cox in 1924.
References
*Emmeric
"Großes Torpedoboot 1913 technical data"(2003) German-navy.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:G38
G38
1914 ships
Ships built in Kiel
World War I torpedo boats of Germany
World War I warships scuttled at Scapa Flow
Maritime incidents in 1919