SMS ''Danzig'' was a

paddle A paddle is a handheld tool with an elongated handle and a flat, widened end (the ''blade'') used as a lever to apply force onto the bladed end. It most commonly describes a completely handheld tool used to propel a human-powered watercraft by p ...

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

of the

Prussian Navy The Prussian Navy (German language, German: ''Preußische Marine''), officially the Royal Prussian Navy (German Language, German: ''Königlich Preußische Marine''), was the naval force of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1701 to 1867. The Prussian N ...

. She was the lead warship during the

Battle of Tres Forcas The Battle of Tres Forcas was a battle on 7 August 1856 between boat crews from the Prussian Navy corvette SMS ''Danzig'' (then on a foreign cruise, commanded by Heinrich Adalbert) and the Berber Riffians. It occurred at Cape Tres Forcas in Mo ...

in 1856, one of the first examples of Prussian

gunboat diplomacy Gunboat diplomacy is the pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of naval power, implying or constituting a direct threat of warfare should terms not be agreeable to the superior force. The term originated in ...

. She was later decommissioned from the Prussian Navy and served in the navy of the

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

as the from 1864 until 1869, and then briefly with the breakaway

Ezo Republic The was a short-lived separatist state established in 1869 on the island of Ezo, now Hokkaido, by a part of the former military of the Tokugawa shogunate at the end of the ''Bakumatsu'' period in Japan. It was the first government to attempt t ...

until her destruction later the same year.

Construction

''Danzigs design was conceived by the British engineer

John Scott Russell John Scott Russell (9 May 1808, Parkhead, Glasgow – 8 June 1882, Ventnor, Isle of Wight) was a Scottish civil engineer, naval architecture, naval architect and shipbuilder who built ''SS Great Eastern, Great Eastern'' in collaboration with Is ...

and it was originally planned to build her in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. However,

Prince Adalbert of Prussia (1811–1873) Prince Heinrich Wilhelm Adalbert of Prussia (29 October 1811 – 6 June 1873) was a son of Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and Landgravine Marie Anna of Hesse-Homburg. He was a naval theorist and admiral. He was instrumental during the Revolutions ...

decided to build the vessel in Danzig instead to stimulate the local economy. The keel was laid at JW Klawitter's works there on 24 August 1850, with the copper mined near Berlin, the wood for the hull coming from the outskirts of Danzig and the iron imported from England. She entered service in June 1853.

Career

First voyage

''Danzigs first voyage was on 12 July 1853 to pick up her armament of ten

68-pounder gun The 68-pounder cannon was an artillery piece designed and used by the British Armed Forces in the mid-19th century. The cannon was a smoothbore muzzle-loading gun manufactured in several weights firing projectiles of . Colonel William Dundas de ...

s from

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...

.Günter Stavorius, Peter P.E. Günther (Hrsg.). Tagebuch an Bord Sr. Majestät Dampf-Korvette "Danzig" auf der Reise von Danzig nach London, Konstantinopel, Athen, Syra 1853/54. Geführt von Eduard Arendt, Leutnant zur See 2. Klasse, Berlin und Trappenkamp 1998, Selbstverlag, o. ISBN The guns had to be picked up directly, since they could not be exported due to the demands of the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

). She had a crew of 220 officers and men. Because of the 1853 conflict between the Ottoman and the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, the vessel was then sent to Constantinople in September of that year, together with other Prussian units, to protect Prussian interests. From April to June 1854, the ship was in

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...

to protect

Otto of Greece Otto (; ; 1 June 1815 – 26 July 1867) was King of Greece from the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece on 27 May 1832, under the Convention of London, until he was deposed in October 1862. The second son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ott ...

(a member of the

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...

), because he was threatened by a revolution. After this, the ship sailed to

Syros Syros ( ), also known as Siros or Syra, is a Greece, Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is south-east of Athens. The area of the island is and at the 2021 census it had 21,124 inhabitants. The largest towns are Ermoupoli, Ano S ...

to pick up a load of

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

for Berlin Museums.

Battle of Tres Forcas

In the spring of 1856, a squadron under the leadership of Prince Adalbert, including the ''Danzig'' as

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

, the ''

Thetis Thetis ( , or ; ) is a figure from Greek mythology with varying mythological roles. She mainly appears as a sea nymph, a goddess of water, and one of the 50 Nereids, daughters of the ancient sea god Nereus. When described as a Nereid in Cl ...

'', the '' Amazone'', the ''Mercur'' and the ''Frauenlob'', sailed in the Atlantic Ocean to practise. As ''Danzig'' was the only ship with an engine, she had to tow the other vessels in case of no wind ('). At the invitation of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

, she visited

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

. Due to differences between Prince Adalbert and the ship's commander, Wilhelm von Hessen-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, the prince dismissed the commander until reaching Gibraltar. In the meantime, the ship was commanded by Artur von Bothwell. Prince Adalbert planned a punitive expedition against Riffian pirates, who had in 1852 attacked the

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...

''Flora''. This expedition lead to the battle of Tres Forcas, which failed both on military as political terms, resulting in the death of seven crew members as well as 22 wounded, including the then 16-year old (later

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

)

Eduard von Knorr Ernst Wilhelm Eduard von Knorr (8 March 1840 – 17 February 1920) was a German admiral of the Kaiserliche Marine who helped establish the German colonial empire. Life Born in Saarlouis, Rhenish Prussia, Knorr entered the Prussian Navy in ...

. The battle is considered to be one of the first examples of German gunboat diplomacy. After the battle, the ship sailed to Syra, where antique coffins where loaded for Berlin Museums. On 20 November 1856, she returned to Danzig, where she would be decommissioned.

Decommissioning

Due to severe

dry rot Dry rot is wood decay caused by one of several species of fungi that digest parts of wood which give it strength and stiffness. It was previously used to describe any decay of cured wood in ships and buildings by a fungus which resulted in a ...

damage to the hull, the navy considered replacing ''Danzigs wooden hull with iron, but this plan was ultimately scratched on cost grounds. She was therefore only occasionally in service from 1859 to 1860 and was finally struck from the navy list on 1 September 1862, especially since

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine driving paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, whereby the first uses were wh ...

s like her were now technically obsolete compared to

steam screw Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

. She was sold to the English firm Dorset and Blythe for 56,000 taler.

Service with Japanese forces

Now renamed the ''Eagle'', the ship sailed to England in 1864, where she was bought later the same year by the

, which renamed her as the ''Kaiten''. She was armed with 13 cannons, and during the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a coalition seeking to seize political power in the name of the Impe ...

was operated by forces loyal to the ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

''. She was the key actor in the Naval Battle of Miyako Bay, in which, after a failed attempt to board and overtake the , she was forced to flee ahead of the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

. She was then the flagship of the

Ezo is the Japanese term historically used to refer to the people and the lands to the northeast of the Japanese island of Honshu. This included the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, which changed its name from "Ezo" to "Hokkaidō" in 1869, Nu ...

navy during the

Naval Battle of Hakodate Bay The was fought from 4 to 10 May 1869, between the remnants of the Tokugawa shogunate navy, consolidated into the armed forces of the rebel Ezo Republic, and the newly formed Imperial Japanese Navy. It was one of the last stages of Battle of H ...

. Later in the war, ''Kaiten'' was beached at

Aomori Bay The is a bay located north of the island of Honshu, in Japan. It is considered to be part of the larger Mutsu Bay. Geography Aomori Bay is an inner bay located to the west of Natsudomari Peninsula that protrudes in the center of the southern coa ...

near

Hakodate is a Cities of Japan, city and seaports of Japan, port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 239,813 with 138,807 househol ...

on 6 May 1869 and burned by her crew on 20 June the same year to prevent her falling into enemy hands – the Prussian corvette happened to be present and observed the burning. In the late

Meiji Era The was an Japanese era name, era of History of Japan, Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feu ...

, Arai Ikunosuke, once the Navy Minister of the

Republic of Ezo The was a short-lived separatist state established in 1869 on the island of Ezo, now Hokkaido, by a part of the former military of the Tokugawa shogunate at the end of the ''Bakumatsu'' period in Japan. It was the first government to attempt t ...

, wrote an extensive article on the ''Kaiten'' in the historical journal ''"Kyū Bakufu"''.

Sources

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * Stichwort: ''Dampf-Korvette „Danzig“'', in: Hans H. Hildebrand/Albert Röhr/Hans-Otto Steinmetz: ''Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe. Biographien – ein Spiegel der Marinegeschichte von 1815 bis zur Gegenwart'', Ratingen o.J. (Einbändiger Nachdruck der siebenbändigen Originalausgabe, Herford 1979ff.,) vol. 2, p. 26–29. * Jürgen Duppler: ''Der Juniorpartner. England und die Entwicklung der Deutschen Marine 1848-1890'', Herford 1985 * Jürgen Duppler: ''Prinz Adalbert von Preußen. Gründer der deutschen Marine'', Herford 1986 * ''7. August. 1856. Prinz Adalbert von Preußen bei Tres Forcas'', in: Walter Lohmann: ''Denkwürdige Tage aus der deutschen Marine-, Kolonial- und Seekriegsgschichte. Ein Traditionskalender für die Reichsmarine'', Berlin 1928, p. 156f * Chapter 6: ''Prinz Adalbert von Preußen'', in: Wilhelm Wolfslast ( Fritz-Otto Busch): ''Helden der See. Band 1: Entdecker und Admirale'', Berlin 1944, pp. 89–101 * Günter Stavorius, Peter P.E. Günther (ed.). Tagebuch an Bord Sr. Majestät Dampf-Korvette "Danzig" auf der Reise von Danzig nach London, Konstantinopel, Athen, Syra 1853/54. Geführt von Eduard Arendt, Leutnant zur See 2. Klasse, Berlin und Trappenkamp 1998, no ISBN * Otto Mielke: ''Die erste preußische Dampfkorvette. Raddampfkorvette "Danzig"'', ''SOS-Schicksale deutscher Schiffe'' No. 146, München ( Moewig-Verlag) o. J. . 1958

External links

Bakufu Kaigun
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danzig 1851 ships 1853 establishments in Prussia Ships of the Prussian Navy Steamships Ships of the Tokugawa Navy Ships built in Danzig Maritime incidents in May 1869 Shipwrecks of Japan Otto of Greece