SMS Von der Tann was the first battlecruiser built for the German Kaiserliche Marine. At the time of her construction, she was the fastest dreadnought-type warship afloat, capable of reaching speeds in excess of 27 knots. She was present at the Battle of Jutland, where she destroyed the British battlecruisers HMS Indefatigable in the opening minutes of the engagement. The ship met her end in 1919 when German caretaker crews scuttled their ships to prevent their division among Allied navies. The wreck was raised in 1930, and scrapped at Rosyth from 1931 to 1934.
About SMS Von der Tann in brief
SMS Von der Tann was the first battlecruiser built for the German Kaiserliche Marine. At the time of her construction, she was the fastest dreadnought-type warship afloat, capable of reaching speeds in excess of 27 knots. She was present at the Battle of Jutland, where she destroyed the British battlecruisers HMS Indefatigable in the opening minutes of the engagement. The ship met her end in 1919 when German caretaker crews scuttled their ships to prevent their division among Allied navies. The wreck was raised in 1930, and scrapped at Rosyth from 1931 to 1934. She is the only German battleship to have been named after a character from the novel The Adventures of H.M.S. The Scarlet Pimpernel, which was also named after the character of the same name, was the last ship to be named for a German naval hero. The name “Von der TANN” means “the lion” in German, referring to a large lion-like figure that was often seen as a symbol of the German navy. The design was a response to the British Invincible class, which were armed with a main battery of eight 30. 5 cm guns. The German design had slightly lighter guns, but was faster and significantly better-armored than the British ships. She set the precedent of German battle cruisers carrying much heavier armor than their British equivalents, albeit at the cost of smaller guns. In the First World War, she participated in a number of fleet actions, including several bombardments of the English coast, and was interned at Scapa Flow pending a decision by the Allies as to the fate of the fleet.
After the end of the war in November 1918, the ship, along with most of the High Seas Fleet, was interning at Sc Papa Flow pending the decision on the fleet’s fate. It was scrapped in 1919. She has been identified as one of the most important battleships of the 20th century, and is now a museum piece in the city of Stuttgart, Germany. Her name translates to “The Lion” or “The Red Lion” in English, and “the Red Lion in German” in the German language. It is also known as “Cruiser F” and “Cruisers F” in French. The main battery was armed with eight 28 cm guns with a secondary battery of 8 15 cm guns, and a minimum speed of 23 knots. In 1906, senior officers disagreed over the intended role of the new ship; the State Secretary of the Reichsmarineamt, Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, envisioned the ship as a replication of the BritishInvincibles, mounting heavier guns, lighter armor, and higher speed with the intention of using it as a fleet scout and to destroy the opposing fleet’s cruisers. However, Kaiser Wilhelm II was in favor of incorporating the ship into the battle line after initial contact was made, which necessitated heavier armor.
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