SMS Goeben (Yavuz Sultan Selim)

The Story of SMS Goeben (Yavuz Sultan Selim)

In 1909, SMS Goeben became the second of two Moltke-class battlecruisers built for the Kaiserliche Marine ("Imperial Navy") by the premium shipyard Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, Germany since 1877. Technological developments brought hardened steel (from Krupp) to the shipyard's table, making it possible to build a battlecruiser with armor capable of withstanding 6 inches (150 mm) of fire, while at the same time being able to withstand Employ 11.1 caliber Battleships use their main guns in combat with enemy cruisers, destroyers, and cargo ships.

The design used less armor than the traditional battleships of the time, increasing speed to help the ship surpass larger capital ships. SMS Goeben was named after Prussian infantry general August Karl von Goeben and was laid on 28 August 1909.

Two years later, on March 28, 1911, she was launched and officially commissioned on July 2, 1912.

Preamble

SMS Goeben, like many famous warships in naval history, witnessed a crucial historical event:

USS. The Constitution, entered service in 1797, and won all her naval battles in three wars - earning the nickname "Old Ironside" (she's still serving in the U.S. Navy 216 years later!). In 1805, HMS Victory served as the flagship of Admiral Horatio Nelson at the famous Battle of Trafalgar, when the British fleet defeated the combined Spanish and French fleets and saved England from a sea invasion. The USS Monitor and CSS Virginia, the first two armored ships built globally, fought during the Civil War of 1862, an event that marked the end of all wooden warships.

In 1864, the federal submarine CSS Hunley torpedoed the USS Housatonic, a spiral sloop in Charleston Harbor, making her the first submarine to torpedo a ship. USS Maine (ACR-1) was the second battleship of the United States Navy.

While anchored in Cuba in 1898, the wreck of the Maine, killing 266 crew members, prompted American newspapers to run the headline "Remember Maine Goes to Hell with Spain!" and thus contributed to the U.S.-Spain war in 1898. On September 1, 1939, Hitler chose the pre-World War I German dreadnought Schleswig-Holstein to fire at Westerplattburg in Poland with her 40 guns - This was the first shot of World War II in Europe. During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, the superdreadnought battleship USS Arizona sank, killing 1,177 of its crew, and the ship became the battle cry - "Vengeance for Arizona." The USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine in 1954, making all diesel ships obsolete.

These battleships and others such as the battlecruiser SMS Goeben played an important role in influencing the military and geopolitical thinking of the time, and even current events.

Specification

The two Moltke-class battlecruisers were the battleships of the Imperial Navy and in 1914 were two of the most modern and powerful warships in the world. Goeben's crew consisted of 1,050 officers and men (as expected) and increased to 1,350 during the war. She is 615.78 feet (186.6 m) long, with a beam of 97 feet (30.33 m) and an additional 29.4 feet (9.19 m). She was designed to displace 22,979 tons and 25,400 tons at maximum load.

The Goeben was a streamlined ship with a low profile and was built to carry a total of 34 guns, including the primary armament of five twin 10x11 turrets. The 1-inch (28.3 cm) SK L/50 (280 mm) main gun was capable of firing 1,000-pound shells to a distance of 14 miles (513 yards) (23 km).

The mount for the 11.1" gun uses an electric pump to power hydraulic jacks, while the gun's training is powered by a generator. Turret location There was an "A" (or "Anton") turret in the bow of the centerline. The "B" turret was located on the starboard side - off centerline - between the two funnels - close to the deck's outboard rails. Towers "C" and "D" are located on the centerline behind the stern mast. The 'C' towers are higher and the 'D' below, both facing the stern of the main deck.

The "E" turret was located on the port side aft of the midship funnel and forward of the aft conning tower. Three of the five main towers are located on the centerline of the boat for stability. This arrangement of the main turrets provided maximum firepower, with turrets A, C, D and E capable of firing eight guns to port and turrets A, B, C and D capable of firing shells to starboard.

If the battlecruiser had to flee the battleship, she could fire eight guns from turrets B, C, D, and E at the pursuing enemy ship, who in turn could only deploy one or two of her own main turrets on the fleeing Goeben . Conversely, if a German battlecruiser was chasing an enemy cruiser, turrets A, B, and E could fire a salvo of six guns in front of the fleeing target.

Thus, Yavuz Sultan Selim now flies the Turkish Navy flag as the flagship of the Ottoman Navy. Admiral Souchon docked at Yavuz to supply and complete repairs for the new boilers in Constantinople. The Turkish light cruiser Hamidiye and some destroyers will complement the new filotille. Hamidiyes' primary armament is a 2 x 6" (15 cm) / 45 Armstrong "rapid-firing" gun mounted in separate turrets - one front and one rear - with a maximum range of 8.2 miles (14,600 yards) Secondary weapons include 8 x 4.7" (12 cm)/50 Armstrong "Rapid Fire" guns mounted in a single unit amidships, four guns on each side.

With its new, stronger navy, the Ottoman Empire joined the Allies Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. Their enemies will be the allies France, Russia, Great Britain (and the associated British Empire states in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, South Africa and the West Indies).

The other allies are in Serbia and ultimately the United States.

The Ottoman Empire, under German direction, secretly planned to enter the war by attacking Russia in eastern Germany. The new commander of the Turkish Navy, Admiral Sushon, took the time to form his new fleet, take his ships to the Sea of ??Marmara and the Black Sea, and develop a communication plan between German and Turkish officers and crews.

These exercises revolve around the development of naval warfare technology in the modern world, where seconds may prove to be extremely important.

Attack on Russia

In mid-October, Admiral Souchon sailed into Russian waters and his fleet was in danger. On October 29, 1914, Turkish warships shelled the Russian ports of Yavuz and Sevastopol, sinking a Russian minelayer (Prut) and destroying the destroyer Lieutenant Pusin. They also captured the steamboat Ida.

Yavuz's main guns severely damaged most of the port facilities, destroying military installations and attached arsenals. The Russian coastal battery fired back at the battlecruiser, hitting her twice - once in the tail funnel - but doing little damage.

The light cruiser Midili was released from the side of Yavuz and about 60 mines were laid in the port of Kerch. The operation sank two Russian ships - Yalta and Kazbek.

Black Sea Fleet

Russia declares war on the Ottoman Empire as a result of an unexpected attack on October 30, 1914. In retaliation, Russia dispatched a Black Sea Fleet consisting of five former dreadnoughts, three cruisers and three Delsky-class destroyers, ten older destroyers and two minelayers to raid Turkish ports.

The five Russian ex-dreadnoughts are the new Evstafii and Ioann Zlatoust, built in 1911, both displacing 12,850 tons, armed with 4 x 12", 4 x 8" and 12 x 6" guns, and each with a top speed of 16. These ships represent It was the most modern ship in the Black Sea Fleet at the beginning of World War I and the most powerful ship in active service in Russia.

The third battleship Panteleimon was built in 1905 and weighed 12,900 tons and was armed with 4 x 12" and 16 x 6" guns , with a speed of 16 knots. The oldest of the group is the Tri Sviatitelia - built in 1897, displacing 13,000 tons, equipped with 4 x 12" and 14 x 6" guns, and she was able to advance at 16 knots in the fleet The fifth battleship was the slowest - Rostislav - built in 1900, displacing only 10,500 tons and armament consisting of 4 x 10" main and 8 x 6" secondary guns.

15 knots at flank speed.

On November 15, 1914, Admiral Abergard transferred the Black Sea Fleet from its main base in Sevastopol, Crimea, to Turkish waters. The mission was to bomb the Turkish port of Trabzon on the Anatolian coast because of its abundance of coal - the fuel used by modern ships.

Two days later, the Russian fleet shelled the port, then paralleled the coast, looking for enemy ships heading for Sevastopol. Constantinople received news of the attack and radioed Admiral Souchon, who was suspicious of Russian strategy. To confront the Russians, the fastest ships of the Turkish Navy (Yavuz and Midilli) headed for the Black Sea. Admiral Souchon has a good idea of ??Russia's strength, and there are reports that they are heading to the main base in Sevastopol.

Yavuz maintained a top speed of 28.4 knots, but Souchon maintained 15 knots, arguing that the Russian fleet would only be cruising at 6 knots.

Battle of Saric Point

As the battle was about to begin, Russian forces and three cruisersPamiat Mercuria, Almaz, and Kagurverecharged north, about three or four from the capital ship miles to find enemy ships. Five Russian battleships lined the coast, led by the flagship Evstafii, followed by her sister Ioann Zlatoust, then Panteleimon, Tri Sviatitelia and - towed - Rostislav, the slowest of the fleet. Destroyers set back slightly on one side of the ocean in two long columns, protecting the battleships from that side. Such formations would give the battleships room to turn to the sea if necessary.

The Russian squadron was heading south past Sarech Cape when the cruiser Almaz saw the smoke. Admiral Ebergard then ordered his battleships and destroyers to increase their speed to 14 knots, not to let Rostislav fall behind.

Ebergard was waiting to turn his battleships 90 degrees to port towards the open sea when the Turkish ships came into view and flanked acceleration. The view from the mast of Evstafii indicates that the Turkish vessel is about 8,000 meters ahead. Evstafii housed two pairs of 12-inch 40-caliber Model 1895 guns in hydraulic turrets - one front mounted and the other rear mounted.

They fired 731.3 lb (331.7 kg) shells at a maximum range of 22,200 yards (20,300 m) or 12.8 miles. Their guns were designed for longer ranges than cruisers, and the gunners were not trained to fire the main guns at ships at close range.

However, the brief engagement was essentially a duel between the Russian flagship Evstafii and the Turkish flagship Yavuz. A subsequent report showed that Yavuz fired 19 11.1-inch 28-centimeter projectiles at a range of 6,000 to 7,200 meters (1.2 to 4.0 miles). Yavuz didn't fire the secondary guns, and Medillii didn't fire at all because the Russian fleet was out of range of the 5.9" main guns. Evstafi was hit by three 28cm APC shells on the starboard forward 8" turret, killing 12 gunners. An 11.2" shell hit the 6" turret, penetrating its 127mm armor and detonating a series of 6" shells and gunpowder charges.

A shell penetrated the officers' corridor deck below, sending lethal shrapnel into the boiler room space. The third shell hit briefly but came close enough to the ship, and the shrapnel hit the middle of the hull, passing through the interior bulkhead and destroying the 75mm, 3-inch ammunition lift - also killing 33 people.

Another 25 crew members on board were injured, many of whom later died.

Evstafi fired 16 12", 14 8" and 19 6" to Yavuz. Turkish post-war reports indicate that Yavuz was hit by a 12-inch high-explosive round that penetrated the battery armor of Battery 3. According to reports, three 9.5-inch 15cm shells detonated along with 16 15cm gunpowder rounds and caught fire.

Twelve German sailors died along with a Turkish sailor who was training on board. The battleship Ioann Zlatoust fired six 12-inch shells. Panteleimon was overtaken and not shot. Tri Sviatitelia fired 12 of her 12-inch rounds and Rostislav fired a series of shells at Medili. Admiral Su Xiong did not turn to attack the Russian fleet, but sailed towards Constantinople at flank speed.

The Russian fleet continued north to its base in Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula.

Combat Level

The result of a brief discussion that lasted only a few minutes, leaving many questions unanswered. Why did Admiral Souchon attack a much stronger Russian fleet of 5 battlecruisers, 3 cruisers, 13 destroyers and 2 minelayers with one battlecruiser and one light cruiser? The main armament of the Turkish light cruiser Hamidiye assigned to Souchon was only two 6-inch guns and a maximum speed of 22 knots - 28.4 knots for the Yavuz and 27.5 knots for the Midilis.

Hamidiye couldn't match in the running competition, so she was left behind. Souchon's message about his enemy was that the Russian battleships were more than 10 knots slower than the Yavuz and Midilli. Souchon believed that the Midilli could fend off Russian destroyers and cruisers, while Yavuz's job was to fight battleships.

What choice does he have but to attack with what he has, or to let the Russian Black Sea Fleet go free in the Black Sea?