Talk:SMS Viper (1876)/GA1

GA Review

Article (edit | visual edit | history) · Article talk (edit | history) · Watch

Nominator: Parsecboy (talk · contribs) 15:28, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Reviewer: Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk · contribs) 17:26, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

Might as well continue my streak with these! What's your view on moving this article (post-review, let's not mess any links up!) to include a disambiguation? I'm not seeing it as clear primary topic over SMS Viper (1896). Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 17:26, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

Ha, I had only looked at German ships - I sometimes forget about the Austro-Hungarians (which is amusing, since I've written quite a few articles on their ships!) Parsecboy (talk) 18:01, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

Prelim

• No relevant duplicated links
• Images correctly licensed
• Article is stable
• Earwig reports copyvio unlikely

Lede and infobox

• "she was slated to participate"
  • Done
• "the cancelled invasion of Britain" Perhaps "planned invasion", to avoid it sounding like a pre-planned cancellation!
  • Good point!
• Launch date differs between main text and infobox
  • Good catch
• Should the teak be included in the armour?
  • I don't think so - wood backing was normal for ships of this era, but it's not usually considered to be part of the armor

Design

• What's the connection between development beginning in the 1850s but von Stosch conceiving of the Wespe-included plan in the 1870s?
  • It was a fairly long and convoluted process - basically, they knew they wanted armored gunboats for coastal defense as far back as the Crimean War, but couldn't decide on what form they should take.

Service history

• "8.7 cm (3.4 in) L/24 built-up guns"
  • Fixed

References

• References look good. AGF for print sources.
• I don't know if you'll be able to match this with any reliable sources, but this forum thread describes Viper as being converted into an LST at Emden in August 1940 for tank landing trials.
  • Unfortunately no - I looked high and low for additional details on the ship's later career, but couldn't find much. It's a fairly obscure ship, so short of when it popped up during a notable historical event, it rated no attention (and even when it did, like with Sea Lion, there's only a passing mention that I've been able to find). There may be something useful here, but all I can see in the GB preview is the index.
    • The relevant text on page 135 is the caption to an image from the Rehwald Collection, "Im Hintergrund Kranschiff Viper, ein ehemaliges Panzerkanonenboot von 1877, mit einer Versuchsrampe". Confirms that she was fitted with an experimental ramp. On the previous page, 134, the text notes that an unnamed crane ship was used to lower tanks into the water: "Meer selbstandige Unterwasserfahten unternahm bzw. von einem Kranschiff auf 5m Wassertiefe abgesenkt wurde und an Land fuhr". Hope that helps! Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 18:14, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

  Would be interested whether you agree with me that the ship in the background of File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101II-MW-5674-45, Übungen mit Panzer III für Unternehmen Seelöwe.jpg could very well be Viper! Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 18:31, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

  Ah, see page 65 here which confirms that ship to be Viper, fitted with a ramp to allow Tauchpanzers to enter the water! Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 18:36, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

  Excellent find! I added that image and a bit of detail on the Tauchpanzer. Thanks again! Parsecboy (talk) 21:41, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

@Parsecboy: Hi, that's all I have for now. Not much but at least it demonstrates I read it! Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 16:42, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks for looking over the article! Parsecboy (talk) 17:47, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

What an interesting end to the career of a gunboat. Passing this article as satisfying the GA criteria. Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 21:47, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

Oh, and as previously mentioned you might want to move the article now! Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 21:49, 23 November 2024 (UTC)