Prinz Adalbert Class Armoured Cruisers

Prinz Adalbert Class.  Generally similar in layout to the previous Prinz Heinrich class but with three funnels.  The lower casemates for the secondary armament were prone to flooding although this was common in ships of this era it did limit the use of those guns in anything but a calm sea.

SMS Prinz Adalbert
Built Kiel Navy Dockyard, laid down April 1900, completed January 1904, cost 16,371,000 Marks

SMS Friedrich Carl
Built Blohm and Voss, Hamburg, laid down August 1901, completed December 1903. cost 15,665,000 Marks

Size:
Length 410 feet 4 inches waterline 415 feet 4 inches overall, beam 64 feet 4 inches, draught 25 feet 7 inches, displacement 9,087 load 9,875 tons full load.

Propulsion:
3 shaft Triple expansion engines, 16,200 ihp, 20 knots

Trials:
Prinz Adalbert 17,272 ihp = 20.4 knots
Friedrich Carl 18,541 ihp = 20.5 knots

Armour:
6in belt, 8in turret faces, 3-2in decks

Armament:
4 x 8.2in 40cal (2 x 2), 10 x 5.9in 40 cal (10 x 1), 12 x 3.45in 35 cal (12 x 1), 4 x 17.7in TT

Comments:
Similar to Prinz Heinrich but the belt was slightly more extensive and the single main guns were replaced with twin gun turrets although of smaller calibre.  Crew 586.

World War 1 Service:
Prinz Adalbert
III Scouting Group of the high Seas Fleet.
November 1914 transferred to Baltic.
23 October 1915 Torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine E8 west of Libau.

Friedrich Carl
August 1914 Refit.
September 1914 Operated in the Baltic.
17 November 1914 sunk by Russian mines near Memel.

SMS Friedrich Carl.  although mounted a smaller calibre main armament the higher rate of fire and increase in number of guns carried was felt to compensate.  Both ships were sunk  by underwater damage relatively early in the war, a common weakness of ships of this age.