German ocean-going torpedo boats and destroyers of World War I

The German large, or ocean-going, torpedo boats and destroyers of World War I were built by the Imperial German Navy between 1899 and 1918 as part of its quest for a “High Seas” or ocean-going fleet. At the start of the First World War Germany had 132 such ships, and ordered a further 216 during the conflict, 112 of which were actually completed. Of these, 55 were lost during the war, 50 were interned on 23 November 1918 under the terms of the Armistice, and subsequently scuttled at Scapa Flow on 21 June 1919. Of the survivors, 32 were included in the post-war Germany navy (some surviving to see service as auxiliaries in the Second World War), 36 were surrendered to Allied powers in 1920, and the remainder were scrapped in 1921.

Designation Officially they were called "large torpedo-boats" (Große Torpedoboote) or "ocean-going torpedo-boats" (Hochseetorpedoboote), they were in many ways the equivalent of the contemporary destroyers in other navies (and were often referred to as such by their crews).Gardiner, Conways 1906-1921, p.164 The Imperial German Navy also had a number of vessels officially designated "destroyers" (Zerstörer), but numbered sequentially in the same series as the torpedo-boats. These were, primarily, vessels under construction for foreign navies and taken over at the outbreak of the First World War.

Background The first German Naval Law of 1898 legislated the construction of an ocean-going battle fleet by Imperial Germany. To accompany the squadrons of battleships and cruisers, the law called for the construction of flotillas of considerably larger, better armed and more seaworthy than the previous torpedo boats built by Germany. Although they were initially given numbers in the same series as the smaller torpedo-boats, they were separated in 1911, with the large torpedo boats numbered from SMS V1, and the older vessels re-numbered with a 'T-'prefix. During the next 20 years a total of 336 such vessels were ordered for the German navy; these vessels are listed in this article.

General remarks

Programs The German Navy's strength during the years prior to the outbreak of the First World War was mandated by a series of acts of the Reichstag, which prescribed the numbers of ships constituting the fleet, as well as age at which these ships should be replaced. The original 1898 Naval Law called for a force 19 Battleships (in two battle squadrons), 8 Armored Coastal Defense Vessels (forming a third battle squadron), 12 large and 30 small cruisers, supported by six flotillas of Ocean-going torpedo boats (two flotillas each for the three battle squadrons). Each flotilla consisted of 12 vessels, or 72 in total. Admiral Tirpitz, the originator of this law, called for these vessels to be large enough to cope with rough seas, but small enough to be commanded by a single officer (due to the man-power constraints of the German Navy at that time).

The 1900 Naval Law, which provided for a major expansion of the German Navy (in reaction to the growing antipathy towards Great Britain provoked by the outbreak of the Boer War) expanded the torpedo-boat force to 144 vessels, half in commission, half in reserve with 60% nucleus crews. From 1898 until 1905, torpedo boats were ordered at a rate of 6 per year.

The total number of torpedo boats remained the same under the 1906 Law, although the number in commission increased to 99, with 45 in material reserve. Older vessels were to be replaced after 12 years of service, so that the annual rate of construction increased to 12 vessels in 1906 and subsequent years.

Following the outbreak of war in August 1914, 48 new vessels of the latest design were quickly ordered. This was augmented in the following weeks by seizures of vessels and machinery under manufacture in Germany for foreign powers, resulting in the addition of 4 small and 12 extra-large torpedo boats (the later group officially being designated destroyers). More orders were placed in 1916 and later years, although the deteriorating war situation of Germany meant that only a portion of these vessels were ever completed.

Designations and builders As was common with other naval powers, the Germany Admiralty gave broad specifications for the vessels they ordered but allowed shipbuilders considerable latitude in the detail designs, with the result that there were various minor differences between vessels, even between vessels ordered in the same year. German torpedo-boats were not given names, but were numbered in a sequential series, with an initial letter to denote the builder: LetterBuilderNumber of vessels B Blohm & Voss, Hamburg G Germaniawerft, Kiel H Howaldtswerke, Kiel S Schichau-Werke, Elbing and Danzig V AG Vulcan, Stettin and Hamburg Ww Wilhelmshaven Imperial Shipyard

Comparison with foreign vessels Germany's main naval adversary of this period was Great Britain. Generally speaking, German large torpedo-boats tended to be slightly smaller than contemporary British destroyers, with lighter gun armament but heavier torpedo armament. Germany favored a well-deck forward of the bridge, mounting torpedo tubes, with a short fo'c'sle mounting a single gun; the freeboard was kept small in order to reduce the silhouette (so that the vessel would be more difficult for an adversary to spot); these features made fighting in rough weather difficult, and in later designs the well-deck was deleted and the fo'c'sle extended. Germany was slower than Britain in adopting new propulsion technologies such as steam turbines, oil fuel and geared turbines.

Type 1898

1898 Program length: water-line, over-all; beam: ; draft: deep load Displacement: 310 tons normal, 394 tons full Machinery: triple expansion engines driving two propellers, 5900 HP (4.4 MW); speed: 27 knots (50 km/h); 93 tons coal; Range : 830 nautical miles at 17 knots Crew: 57 men Weapons: three 5 cm SK L/40 (2") guns in single mountings; three torpedo tubes, single center-line mountings (one in well-deck forward of the bridge, two others amidships).

VesselLaunchedCompletedFate. 26 Jul 1899 24 Oct 1899 based in the German colony of Tsingtao in 1914; On 17 Oct 1914 during the Siege of Tsingtao, she sortied and sank the cruiser IJNS Takachiho, but, unable to escape the Allied blockade after running aground, she was scuttled, c. 35 nautical miles south-west of Tsingtao (). 25 Sep 1899 24 Apr 1900 served overseas 1900–02; renamed T 91 (4 Sep 1914); served as a coastal defense vessel, and then as a tender (from 1915); stricken from list, 22 Mar 1921; sold 26 May 1921 and scrapped, Düsseldorf. 15 May 1900 27 Jun 1900 served overseas 1900–02; renamed T 92 (4 Sep 1914); mine-sweeping and escort vessel, 1914–18; stricken from list, 22 Mar 1921; sold 26 May 1921 and scrapped, Düsseldorf. 24 Mar 1900 14 Jul 1900 renamed T 93 (4 Sep 1914); coastal defense and escort vessel, 1914–18; stricken from list, 22 Mar 1921; sold 26 May 1921 and scrapped, Düsseldorf. 23 Apr 1900 27 Jul 1900 renamed T 94 (4 Sep 1914); coastal defense and tender, 1914–18; sunk, 13 Mar 1920 at Wilhelmshaven during the Kapp Putsch; raised, stricken 26 Oct 1920; sold 13 May 1921 and scrapped, Wilhelmshaven. 20 Feb 1900 29 Aug 1900 renamed T 95 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Kiel, 1921.

1899 Program VesselLaunchedCompletedFate. 31 Jan 1900 27 Sep 1900 renamed T 96 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Düsseldorf, 1921. 16 Dec 1899 28 May 1900 on completion she served as the disarmed dispatch vessel Sleipner for service with Royal yacht; following the outbreak of war, she was re-armed and renamed T 97 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Düsseldorf, 1921. 28 Jul 1900 4 Nov 1900 renamed T 98 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Düsseldorf, 1921. 4 Sep 1900 13 Dec 1900 renamed T 99 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Düsseldorf, 1921. 13 Nov 1900 18 Apr 1901 renamed T 100 (4 Sep 1914); training vessel; sunk 15 Oct 1915 in collision with ferry Preußen c. 5 miles south-east of Sassnitz, Baltic Sea () (39 killed); wreck was blown up and raised, 1925–26. 22 Dec 1900 30 Apr 1901 renamed T 101 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Kiel, 1921.

1900 Program VesselLaunchedCompletedFate. 18 Apr 1901 18 Jul 1901 renamed T 102 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Kiel, 1921. 15 May 1901 17 Sep 1901 renamed T 103 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Düsseldorf, 1921. 22 Jun 1901 7 Oct 1901 renamed T 104 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Düsseldorf, 1921. 7 Aug 1901 17 Nov 1901 renamed T 105 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Düsseldorf, 1921. 7 Sep 1901 9 Dec 1901 renamed T 106 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Düsseldorf, 1921. 17 Oct 1901 27 Jan 1902 renamed T 107 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Kiel, 1921.

1901 Program VesselLaunchedCompletedFate. 7 Sep 1901 26 Mar 1902 renamed T 108 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Hamburg, 1921. 9 Nov 1901 19 Jun 1902 renamed T 109 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Kiel, 1921. 9 Sep 1902 21 Jan 1903 renamed T 110 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Hamburg. 2 Apr 1902 21 Jul 1902 renamed T 111 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1920 and scrapped, Kiel, 1921. 19 Jun 1902 6 Sep 1902 renamed T 111 (4 Sep 1914); Sold 22 Mar 1920 and scrapped, Kiel, 1921. 9 Aug 1902 16 Oct 1902 renamed T 113 (4 Sep 1914); sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Wilhelmshaven, 1921.

1902 Program VesselLaunchedCompletedFate. 9 Aug 1902 25 Oct 1902 renamed T 114 (27 Sep 1916); Sold 9 Nov 1920 and scrapped, Kiel, 1921. 10 Sep 1902 22 Feb 1903 Sunk 17 Oct 1914 in action c. 50 miles SW of Texel Island, North Sea () by light cruiser and the destroyers , , and (55 killed). 14 Oct 1902 28 Mar 1903 Torpedoed and sunk, 6 Oct 1914, c. 10 miles north of Schiermonnikoog, North Sea () by the British submarine E 9 (9 killed). 4 Feb 1903 21 May 1903 Sunk 17 Oct 1914 with S115, in (64 killed). 21 Mar 1903 9 Jul 1903 Sunk 17 Oct 1914 with S 115, in (52 killed). 8 Jul 1903 6 Sep 1903 Sunk 17 Oct 1914 with S115, in (47 killed); code books subsequently recovered by Royal Navy Intelligence.

1903 Program VesselLaunchedCompletedFate. 10 Feb 1904 7 May 1904 renamed T 120 (27 Sep 1916); sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Wilhelmshaven, 1921. 3 Mar 1904 17 Jun 1904 renamed T 121 (27 Sep 1916); Sold 22 Mar 1920 and scrapped, Kiel, 1921. 23 Apr 1904 5 Aug 1904 mined and sunk 5 Oct 1918 c. 50 miles north of Ameland, North Sea () (12 killed). 25 Jun 1904 23 Aug 1904 mined and sunk 1 May 1916 northern end of Sylt Island, North Sea () (23 killed). 3 Aug 1904 8 Oct 1904 sunk 30 Nov 1914 in collision with Danish S.S. Anglodane, c. 12 miles north of Rostock, Baltic () (1 killed); wreck raised and scrapped, Kiel, 1915. 19 May 1904 4 Apr 1905 renamed T 125 (27 Sep 1916); sold 26 Oct 1920 and scrapped, Hamburg-Moorburg.

1904 Program VesselLaunchedCompletedFate. 26 Nov 1904 30 Apr 1905 sunk in collision with , 17 Nov 1905 (33 killed); raised 1906 and returned to service, 1908; renamed T 126 (27 Sep 1916); Sold 22 Mar 1920 and scrapped, Kiel, 1921. 12 Jan 1905 7 Jun 1905 renamed T 120 (27 Sep 1916); sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Wilhelmshaven, 1921. 25 Feb 1905 8 Jul 1905 renamed T 128 (27 Sep 1916); Sold 22 Mar 1920 and scrapped, Kiel, 1921. 4 Mar 1905 10 Aug 1905 wrecked 5 Nov 1915 c. 3 miles north-west of Nigehörn Island, North Sea () (0 killed). 27 Apr 1905 17 Sep 1905 renamed T 130 (27 Sep 1916); sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Wilhelmshaven, 1921. 25 May 1905 6 Oct 1905 renamed T 131 (27 Sep 1916); sold 22 Mar 1921 and scrapped, Wilhelmshaven, 1921.

1905 Program