SMS Albatross (1871)

SMS was a gunboat, the lead ship of the , which were built for the German (Imperial Navy) in the late 1860s and early 1870s. The ship was ordered as part of a construction program intended to begin replacing the old s that had been built a decade earlier. Unlike the older ships, was intended to serve abroad to protect German economic interests overseas. The ship was armed with a battery of four guns, and had a top speed of .

spent the first half of her career overseas, beginning with a deployment to South America from 1872 to 1874. After a brief period of time in home waters in 1874, she sailed to Spain to protect German nationals there during the Third Carlist War, patrolling the coast there into 1875. From 1877 to 1880, cruised in the Pacific Ocean, which included periods in Chinese waters as well as the South Pacific. After an overhaul in Germany in the early 1880s, spent the years from 1882 to 1888 overseas, beginning with a tour of South America that included an observation of the 1882 transit of Venus. She then moved back to the South Pacific, and in 1887, she took the exiled Samoan king Malietoa Laupepa to the German colony of Kamerun in Central Africa. After returning to Germany in 1888, she was used as a survey ship in home waters. She was eventually struck from the naval register in 1899, sold soon thereafter, and eventually converted into a storage hulk (ship type), hulk in 1905. She did not survive long, being wrecked in a storm the following year.

Design

In the late 1850s and early 1860s, the Prussian Navy had embarked on a construction program that included the fifteen s and eight s. By 1869, the navy realized that the earliest vessels, starting with the badly rotted , would need to be replaced. Design work started for the new class, which were intended for overseas cruising, instead of coastal defense as the earlier vessels had been.

was long overall, with a beam (nautical), beam of and a draft (hull), draft of . She displacement (ship), displaced normally and at full load. The ship's crew consisted of 5 officers and 98 enlisted men. She was powered by a pair of marine steam engines that drove one 2-bladed propeller. Steam was provided by two coal-fired fire-tube boilers, which gave her a top speed of at . When steaming at , the ship had a cruising range of . As built, she was equipped with a three-Mast (sailing), masted barque rig. The ship was armed with a battery of two 15 cm RK L/22, RK L/22 built-up guns and two K L/23 built-up guns.

Service history

was keel laying, laid down at the in Danzig in 1869 under the provisional name " ''Crocodill''". Construction of the ship was delayed by the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, and she was ceremonial ship launching, launched on 11 March 1871. The ship was ship commissioning, commissioned later that year on 23 December to begin sea trials; her first commander was (KK—Corvette Captain) Max von der Goltz. During the initial testing process, she frequently returned to the shipyard for alterations, and two other captains took command of the ship. She was decommissioned on 24 August 1872 and the trials were officially pronounced completed in mid-September.

Deployment to South America, 1872–1874

was recommissioned on 1 October and assigned to the Flying Squadron, led by the ironclad warship, ironclad , along with the screw frigates , , and , under the command of (Commodore) Reinhold von Werner. The squadron was sent abroad to show the flag along the eastern coast of South America and in the West Indies, and to protect German commercial interests during periods of internal unrest in the countries of the region. The ships of the squadron met in Barbados on 28 November, and thereafter toured several ports in Venezuela, Colombia, Haiti, Jamaica, and Curaçao. Conditions in the region had calmed by that time, and no attacks on Germans had materialized, so while the ships were in Havana, Cuba, on 10 March 1873, they received orders to return to Germany. Only was to remain on station.

She spent the summer months cruising off the coast of Brazil, voyaging as far south as Montevideo, Uruguay, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. There, the ship was greeted by a large number of German emigres who had moved to the area recently. She thereafter returned to the West Indies to protect Germans in Haiti during a revolution in the country. then visited other ports in the Antilles. The ship conducted shooting practice off Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saint Thomas in the Danish West Indies in early January 1874, which led to rumors that Germany intended to annex the island. spent the next two months cruising in the West Indies. By 17 March, the screw corvette had arrived to replace , allowing her to begin the voyage home. She arrived in Kiel on 17 April, and was decommissioned there on 30 April.

Operations in Europe, 1874–1875

was reactivated shortly after being placed in reserve fleet, reserve, being recommissioned on 19 May. On 6 June, she was assigned to the summer training squadron, which was led by (Rear Admiral) Ludwig von Henk and included the ironclads and , the screw corvette , and the aviso . The ships embarked on a training cruise to visit Britain on 25 July, and they escorted Crown Prince Frederick III, German Emperor, Friedrich Wilhelm and his wife to the Isle of Wight. remained there while the other ships continued on, so she could be available for the crown prince's use. She made several short trips in the area over the following days, but on 29 July, she returned to Kiel to meet the rest of the squadron. There, her crew immediately began making preparations for a deployment to Spain. and her sister ship were to be sent, under the command of the captain of the latter vessel.

Spain was at that time in the midst of the Third Carlist War between the First Spanish Republic, Republican government, and rival factions for backers of the pretenders to the throne, Infante Carlos, Duke of Madrid, Don Carlos and Alfonso XII, Alfonso. The deployment was in response to attacks against Germans in the country, including the summary execution of a retired captain of the Prussian Navy on the orders of Carlos. The German chancellor of Germany, chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, pressed the navy to send a squadron (naval), squadron of ironclads to Spain in response to the attacks, but Kaiser Wilhelm I and Albrecht von Stosch, the Chief of the Admiralty, preferred a smaller and less intrusive option. Therefore, and were to be sent; they were ordered to avoid interfering in internal Spanish affairs and to act in close cooperation with Paul von Hatzfeldt, the List of ambassadors of Germany to Spain, German ambassador to Spain.

The two ships sailed from Kiel on 8 August and arrived in Santander, Spain, Santander on sixteen days later; much of the surrounding area had been captured by the Carlists, but Santander and the nearby cities of Bilbao and San Sebastián remained in the hands of the Republicans. The two gunboats initially patrolled the northern coast of Spain, but on 5 September, while cruising off Guetaria, they came under rifle fire from Carlist soldiers. The Germans returned fire with their cannon, prompting the Carlists to retreat quickly. The ships then sailed back to Santander, where they were welcomed by the local citizens. On 12 December, while both gunboats were in Santander, the Italian barque was driven ashore in a severe storm. and both sent a boat to rescue the crew, who had been swept into the sea as broke apart. Between the two of them, the German boats rescued five men out of eleven. As the severe winter weather curtailed the ships' ability to patrol the coast, and the feared attacks against Germans in the area failed to materialize, the Admiralty recalled and ordered to sail across the Atlantic to South American waters. The men aboard transferred surplus equipment to for her deployment to South America, and then left for Germany on 19 December. While sailing home, she suffered a machinery breakdown and had to stop in Portsmouth, Britain, for repairs.

By 5 January 1875, had reached Kristiansand, Norway, where she received orders to return to Spain. Unbeknownst to s crew, on 11 December, the Rostock-flagged brig had put in at Guetaria due to the weather, and Carlist forces had opened fire, prompting the crew to abandon the vessel. then ship grounding, ran aground and was seized by the Carlist forces, who demanded payment to return the vessel and its cargo. Bismarck immediately demanded a retaliation, and several warships were ordered to Spain, including and . had to stop in Devonport, Plymouth, Devonport, Britain, for further repairs to her machinery and hull, which delayed her arrival in Spanish waters until 29 January. She stopped first in El Ferrol, where she met , while sailed to Guetaria to negotiate with the Carlists there. The three ships rendezvoused in Santander on 30 January, and the captain of informed the Germans that the incident was a cause of significant embarrassment for the Carlist leadership. For its part, the Republican government wanted to avoid German military action, and so a negotiated settlement was quickly reached. and quickly left for El Ferrol to avoid the perception that the Germans planned to attack the Carlists. returned to Santander on 12 April, and on the 28th, the two sides exchanged Gun salute, salutes, formally ending the incident. Finally on 2 May, the ship departed to return to Germany. She arrived in Kiel on 25 May, where she was decommissioned for a thorough overhaul.

Deployment to the Pacific, 1877–1880

next recommissioned on 18 August 1877, under the command of KK Franz Mensing. She was ordered to replace , which was then stationed in East Asian waters. left Germany on 4 September, but while en route, she was diverted to Ottoman Palestine to join a squadron of German warships that included the ironclad and the frigate that had been assembled to suppress Muslim attacks on Christians in the region. stopped in several ports in the country, including İzmir, Smyrna. On 23 December, she was detached to resume her voyage to the Pacific Ocean. She arrived in Singapore on 7 March 1878, and she formally joined the cruiser squadron in East Asia, which also included and the gunboat . The three ships primarily operated off the coast of Qing China, enforcing trade agreements between the Chinese and German governments, and they operated largely at the direction of the German ambassador, Max von Brandt. As part of these operations, the three ships conducted a naval Demonstration (military), demonstration off Shanghai from 14 May to 11 June.

While in Nagasaki, Japan, received orders to sail to the South Pacific on 24 October. The ship then moved to Yokohama, Japan, for periodic maintenance that lasted until 10 November. took a circuitous route, first sailing east to visit the Hawaiian Kingdom, where she hosted King Kalākaua. Eventually, on 15 January 1879, she anchored in Apia in Samoa; the following day, arrived. The Germans signed a commercial treaty with the Samoan government on 24 January. sailed for the Tonga Islands on 27 February, where a trading agreement was reached on 12 March. She then continued on south to Auckland, New Zealand, for periodic maintenance. While there, Mensing received a telegram instructing him to take the ship back to Apia.

Over the following five months, the ship toured several ports in Samoa, and made another trip to Auckland. On 2 October, was ordered to return to Germany. She passed through Sydney, Australia, on the way, staying there from 29 October to 22 November. While there, her crew competed in boat races with British and French warship crews in the harbor. Her Gig (boat), gig won one of the races, and her Cutter (boat), cutter came in second to their French counterparts. Also, the crew contributed work parties to help construct Germany's section of the Sydney International Exhibition. The ship thereafter departed, sailed through the Dutch East Indies, crossed the Indian Ocean, and passed through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. She eventually reached Kiel on 26 April 1880, where she was decommissioned on 12 May for another lengthy overhaul.

Third overseas cruise, 1882–1888

On 1 April 1882, was recommissioned, under the command of KK Friedrich von Pawelsz. She was initially ordered to sail for South American waters to serve as the station ship in the region. After departing on 19 May, she arrived in the Strait of Magellan to observe the 1882 transit of Venus in company with the screw corvette . Beginning in 1883, made a series of visits to Montevideo and Buenos Aires. She also sailed up the Río de la Plata, Uruguay River, and the Paraná River to visit settlements of German immigrants in the area. The ship also cruised along the coast of Brazil and western Patagonia to visit other German settlements there.

On 27 November, received orders to move back to the south Pacific to serve as the station ship there. She stopped in Montevideo to replace part of her crew for the long voyage, including her captain; KK Max Plüddemann took command of the ship at that time. then sailed south through the Strait of Magellan, where she conducted several surveys of the area. She stopped in Valparaiso, Chile, and the Marquesas Islands on the way, and eventually anchored off Apia on 30 May 1884. While on the way, the ship was formally reclassified as a cruiser. The next three years on station in the area proved to be very challenging for the crew, who had to mediate disputes between Germans and Samoans, try to enforce German claims in the islands against other foreign rivals, and make repeated, lengthy voyages to Australia or New Zealand for maintenance and exchange crews. In addition to these responsibilities, the crew also had to avoid hurricanes and deal with outbreaks of disease amongst the sailors.

In mid-June 1885, joined a newly formed Australian Squadron in Sydney, which also included the screw corvettes and and the gunboat . On 20 September, the ship arrived in the Caroline Islands, where the Germans negotiated a treaty of protection with the local government. Her crew assisted in erecting markers and raise the German flag to demonstrate German rule in the islands, and these operations lasted until 18 October. The following month, (KL—Captain Lieutenant) Friedrich von Baudissin took command of the ship. Spain disputed Germany's claim to the Carolines, which ultimately led to an arbitration by Pope Leo XIII, who ruled in 1886 in favor of Spain. On 11 April 1886, joined the Cruiser Squadron, commanded by Eduard von Knorr, with the screw corvettes , , and . was sent to the Carolines on 6 June to remove the German flags in accordance with the pope's decision.

In December, KL Ernst von Frantzius relieved Baudissin as the ship's commander. On 15 January 1887, arrived in Matupi Harbor in Neu-Pommern, where she met the gunboat . On 2 October, met again in Cooktown, Queensland, Cooktown, Australia; the exiled Samoan chief Malietoa Laupepa was transferred from to . Three days later, the ship departed for Germany, carrying Laupepa to Kamerun, where he was being deported. The ship stayed in Kamerun until 22 January 1888, when she resumed the voyage northward. She stopped in several West African ports along the way before arriving in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, on 3 April. She was decommissioned on 17 October for an inspection to determine the state of her hull.

Later career

The inspection found the ship to be in good condition, despite years of overseas service, and she required only an overhaul before she could be recommissioned. The Admiralty decided to employ the vessel as a survey ship in German waters, and she was classified as a "vessel for special purposes" on 27 November 1888. was recommissioned on 2 April 1889 and carried out survey work along Germany's North Sea coast until being laid up for the winter on 1 October. This established the pattern for the next nine years of the ship's career: recommissioning in early April and conducting surveys in the North Sea until late September or early October. KL Walther Faber commanded the ship during the 1893 and 1894 service periods, and KL Johannes Merten served as the captain in the 1895 and 1896 commissions. was decommissioned for the last time on 30 September 1898.

The ship was struck from the naval register on 9 January 1899 and was soon sold to the firm (Neugebauer Brothers) of Hamburg, which had the intention of re-selling the ship to a South American navy. The German government blocked the offer, so the ship was sold to the firm Ihms of Kiel, which removed the ship's sailing rig and engines so she could be used as a Lighter (barge), lighter. In 1905, the ship was sold to (United Towing and Cargo Shipping Company) of Hamburg, which converted the ship into a coal hulk (ship type), hulk based in Cuxhaven. She was grounded and destroyed by a storm in March 1906.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Albatross
Albatross-class gunboats
1871 ships
Ships built in Danzig
Maritime incidents in 1906
Merchant ships of Germany