Template:POTD/2015-12-19
SMS Odin was the lead ship of her class of coastal defense ships built for the German Imperial Navy. Named for the Norse god, Odin was built by the Kaiserliche Werft Danzig shipyard between 1893 and 1896, and was armed with a main battery of three 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns. She served in the German fleet throughout the 1890s and was rebuilt in 1901–1903. She served in the VI Battle Squadron after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, but saw no action. Odin was demobilized in 1915 and used as a tender thereafter. After the war, she was rebuilt as a merchant ship and served in this capacity until 1935, when she was broken up for scrap.Lithograph: Hugo Graf; restoration: Adam Cuerden