Brandenburg, Wörth, Weissenburg, and Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm were the first ocean-going capital ships built for the German fleet in nearly two decades. They were ordered as part of a construction program that reflected the strategic and tactical confusion that affected many navies in the 1880s. All four ships served with I Squadron of the German Fleet for the first several years of their careers. In 1910, Kurfurst Friedrich Wilhelm and Weissenburg were sold to the Ottoman Navy and were renamed Barbaros Hayreddin and Turgut Reis.
About Brandenburg-class battleship in brief
Brandenburg, Wörth, Weissenburg, and Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm were the first ocean-going capital ships built for the German fleet in nearly two decades. They were ordered as part of a construction program that reflected the strategic and tactical confusion that affected many navies in the 1880s. The design process that resulted in the Brandenburg class was very lengthy, with proposals that ranged from outdated casemate ships to versions with two twin-gun turrets placed side by side. The designers ultimately settled on ships that were armed with an unusual main battery of six 28 cm guns at a time when all foreign battleships were built with four or fewer heavy guns. All four ships served with I Squadron of the German Fleet for the first several years of their careers. In 1910, Kurfurst Friedrich Wilhelm and Weissenburg were sold to the Ottoman Navy and were renamed Barbaros Hayreddin and Turgut Reis. The now-Ottoman ships saw extensive service during the First Balkan War, providing fire support to Ottoman ground forces fighting in Thrace, as well as engaging the Greek fleet at the Battles of Elli and Lemnos. Following the outbreak of World War I, the German ships were reactivated for use as guard ships protecting the German North Sea coast. The Ottoman vessels meanwhile were used to support the fortresses guarding the Dardanelles during the campaign against British and French forces. The ships were disarmed and reduced to secondary duties, eventually being broken up in 1919, while Turguts Reis lingered on as a training ship until 1933.
She became a barracks ship until 1950 when she was sold for scrap, and was slowly dismantled over the following decade. She was eventually broken up by the German Navy in the 1970s and 1980s. In March 1883, General Leo von Caprivi became the Chef der Admiralität following Albrecht von Stosch’s resignation. He was required to submit a memorandum to the Reichstag on his plans by March 1884 to gather opinions on future naval construction programs. At the time, he was constrained by the fleet plan of 1873 that had been created under Stosh’s direction and had been approved by the ReichStag. The plan governed the size and composition of the Germany fleet, calling for fourteen ocean- going ironclad warships, a total that was reached with the launching of the casemate ship Oldenburg in 1884. CapriVI noted that without a powerful battle fleet, the sea-going ironclads would have little utility against a numerically superior French fleet. He also pointed out that shell designers and designers were competing to keep costs spiraling to defeat each other, which necessitated spiraling costs for navies that attempted to keep pace with the latest technological developments. He noted that the navy could not afford the luxury of failed experiments, owing to parliamentary refusal to authorize funding for new ships with a two-front war against France and Russia. The decision resulted in his decision to opt for a strategy of coastal defense in the early 1800s.
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