SMS Wolf (1878)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Wolf |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Wolf-class gunboat |
| Displacement | 570 t (560 long tons) |
| Length | 47.2 m (154 ft 10 in) |
| Beam | 7.66 m (25 ft 2 in) |
| Draft | 3.1 m (10 ft 2 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 1 × Marine steam engine |
| Speed | 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) |
| Range | 1,640 nmi (3,040 km; 1,890 mi) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph) |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
SMS Wolf was the lead ship of the Wolf class of steam gunboats built for the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) in the 1870s.
Design
[edit]German economic activity in Qing China in the 1870s faced significant threats from piracy and resistance from local officials, so the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) stationed warships in East Asia to protect its trade interests. The two Albatross-class gunboats and the rebuilt Cyclop were too few for the task, so another three vessels were ordered according to the fleet plan that had been approved in 1872. The design for the new ships was completed in 1876, and it called for reusing the engines from three of the Camäleon-class gunboats that had been ordered in the 1859 plan. These three ships became the Wolf-class gunboats.[1]
Wolf was 47.2 meters (154 ft 10 in) long overall, with a beam of 7.66 m (25 ft 2 in) and a draft of 3.1 m (10 ft 2 in). She displaced 490 metric tons (480 long tons) as designed and 570 t (560 long tons) at full load. The ship's crew consisted of 5 officers and 80 enlisted men. She was powered by a marine steam engine that drove a 2-bladed screw propeller, with steam provided by two coal-fired trunk fire-tube boilers.[2][3] The engine was taken from the old gunboat Blitz.[1] Her propulsion system was rated to produce a top speed of 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) at 340 metric horsepower (340 ihp), but she reached 9.4 knots (17.4 km/h; 10.8 mph) in service. At a cruising speed of 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph), she could steam for 1,640 nautical miles (3,040 km; 1,890 mi). To supplement the steam engine on long voyages, the ships were fitted with a barque sailing rig.[2][3]
The ship was armed with a pair of 12.5 cm (4.9 in) K L/23 built-up guns, which were supplied with a total of 270 rounds of ammunition. She carried an additional pair of 8.7 cm (3.4 in) K L/24 built up guns and three 37 mm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss revolver cannon.[2][3]
Service history
[edit]The contract for Wolf was awarded to the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven (Imperial Shipyard) in Wilhelmshaven in September 1876. The keel for the new ship was laid down later that year. She was launched on 21 March 1878, and Konteradmiral Gustav Klatt gave a speech at the launching ceremony. The ship was commissioned six months later on 1 October. She thereafter began sea trials, but these were cut short by the need to send the ship to Asia immediately.[1][2]
First overseas cruise, 1878–1884
[edit]Wolf got underway on 26 October, bound for China, but already on 4 November, she had to stop in Sheerness, Britain, after damaging her screw. Repairs lasted until 11 November, and the following day, the ship's engine broke down, forcing her to stop in Margate for further repairs. The crew's luck improved for the rest of the voyage, and on 2 February 1879, Wolf arrived in Singapore. She thereafter joined the cruiser squadron in East Asia, which was led by the screw corvette Leipzig and included the corvettes Freya and Luise and the gunboat Cyclop. Wolf initially visited Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Hainan Island, and Beihai, along the south China coast. She then sailed south to visit Annam before returning north to Hong Kong on 1 May. Wolf thereafter sailed on 12 May to visit northern waters, which included a stop in Yokohama, Japan, on 1 July. There she met the corvette Prinz Adalbert, which had relieved Leipzig as the squadron flagship. Wolf got underway again on 22 July and returned to the coast of China. She cruised in the Yellow and Bohai Seas, visiting many ports in the region, including Shanghai. On 30 November, she anchored in Yantai, China, where she spent the winter months.[1]
In early 1880, tensions between Japan and China threatened to erupt into war, which prompted the German vessels in the region to assemble at the mouth of the Yangtze river to await developments. Wolf embarked Kapitän zur See (Captain at Sea) Archibald MacLean, the commander of Prinz Adalbert, along with Prince Heinrich (who was serving as a watch officer aboard Prinz Adalbert), to Shanghai and back. By 10 May, the crisis had been defused, allowing the German ships to disperse; that day, Wolf got underway to visit other ports in the region. Kapitänleutnant (Captain Lieutenant) Johannes Strauch took command of the ship. In late October, the ship sailed up the Hai River to stop in Tianjin, for another period of inactivity during the winter months. The crew took down the ship's rigging for storage ashore, and an upper deck structure was erected to protect the ship. In January 1881, the cruiser squadron was reorganized and renamed the East Asia Cruiser Squadron, which was now led by the corvette Stosch. Over the course of the year, Wolf toured many ports in the region, including a stay at Guangzhou from 26 November to 6 January 1882. She stopped in Incheon, Korea, from 16 June to 10 July, in company with Stosch while a trade agreement between Germany and Korea was negotiated.[4]
For the rest of 1882, Wolf cruised throughout the region, at times with other members of the squadron. On 15 November, she arrived back in Tianjin for the winter. She joined the rest of the squadron on 7 March 1883 to cruise through the Sulu Archipelago. The rest of the year passed as usual, with tours of the region. She spent the winter of 1883–1884 in Guangzhou. The gunboat Nautilus arrived in Guangzhou on 11 April to relieve Wolf, allowing her to return home. Her departure was delayed by the outbreak of riots against Europeans at Swatow, as she was sent to protect foreigners in the city. The situation had calmed by late May, and on 30 May, Wolf sailed for home. She crossed the Indian Ocean to Capetown, South Africa, where she received orders to proceed to the coast of southwest Africa to join Leipzig and the screw frigate Elisabeth in early August. Wolf anchored in Lüderitz Bay from 8 to 10 August. There, the Germans established the colony of German South West Africa. Wolf embarked Adolf Lüderitz and a geologist to survey the coast as far north as Sandwich Harbor and the mouth of the Swakop River. Wolf then took part in flag-raising ceremonies at Walvis Bay, Cape Cross, and other locations. After returning to Lüderitz Bay, she sailed for Germany and arrived in Wilhelmshaven on 19 October. The ship was decommissioned there on the 30th for a major overhaul that modernization of her machinery, sailing rig, and armament.[5]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- Gröner, Erich (1990). German Warships: 1815–1945. Vol. I: Major Surface Vessels. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-790-6.
- Hildebrand, Hans H.; Röhr, Albert & Steinmetz, Hans-Otto (1993). Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe: Biographien – ein Spiegel der Marinegeschichte von 1815 bis zur Gegenwart [The German Warships: Biographies − A Reflection of Naval History from 1815 to the Present] (in German). Vol. 8. Ratingen: Mundus Verlag.
- Lyon, David (1979). "Germany". In Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 240–265. ISBN 978-0-85177-133-5.
- Nottelmann, Dirk (2022). "The Development of the Small Cruiser in the Imperial German Navy Part III: The Gunboats". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2022. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. pp. 63–79. ISBN 978-1-4728-4781-2.
- Sondhaus, Lawrence (1997). Preparing for Weltpolitik: German Sea Power Before the Tirpitz Era. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-745-7.