In Ottoman service SMS Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm

1 in ottoman service

1.1 balkan wars

1.1.1 battle of elli
1.1.2 battle of lemnos
1.1.3 subsequent operations


1.2 world war i

in ottoman service

in late 1909, german military attache ottoman empire began conversation ottoman navy possibility of selling german warships ottomans counter greek naval expansion. after lengthy negotiations, including ottoman attempts buy 1 or more of new battlecruisers von der tann, moltke, , goeben, germans offered sell 4 ships of brandenburg class @ cost of 10 million marks. ottomans chose buy kurfürst friedrich wilhelm , weissenburg, since more advanced ships of class. 2 battleships renamed after famous 16th-century ottoman admirals, hayreddin barbarossa , turgut reis. transferred on 1 september 1910, , german crews took ships constantinople, along 4 new destroyers purchased germany. ottoman navy, however, had great difficulty equipping barbaros hayreddin , turgut reis; navy had pull trained enlisted men rest of fleet put crews them. both vessels suffered condenser troubles after entered ottoman service, reduced speed 8 10 knots (15 19 km/h; 9 12 mph).

a year later, in september 1911, italy declared war on ottoman empire. 2 battleships , ancient central battery ironclad mesûdiye—which had been built in mid-1870s—had been on summer training cruise since july, , prepared conflict. on 1 october, shortly after outbreak of war, barbaros hayreddin , rest of ottoman fleet moored @ beirut. following day, fleet departed constantinople repairs in preparation engage italian fleet. nevertheless, bulk of ottoman fleet, including barbaros hayreddin, remained in port duration of war. end of war, barbaros hayreddin , sister in poor condition. rangefinders , ammunition hoists main battery guns had been removed, telephones did not work, , pipes pumps badly rusted. of watertight doors not close, , condensers remained problematic.

balkan wars

the first balkan war broke out in october 1912, when balkan league attacked ottoman empire. condition of barbaros hayreddin, ships of ottoman fleet, had deteriorated significantly. during war, barbaros hayreddin conducted gunnery training along other capital ships of ottoman navy, escorted troop convoys, , bombarded coastal installations. on 17 october, barbaros hayreddin , turgut reis steamed İğneada. 2 days later, 2 battleships bombarded bulgarian artillery positions near varna. on 30 october, barbaros hayreddin outside varna blockade port along destroyer nümune-i hamiyet. on 17 november, barbaros hayreddin , mesûdiye bombarded bulgarian positions in support of corps, aid of artillery observers ashore. battleships gunnery poor, though provided morale boost defending ottoman army dug in @ Çatalca. 15 20 november, ship stationed @ büyükçekmece along sister ship , several other warships, saw no action against small bulgarian navy.

in december 1912, ottoman fleet reorganized armored division, included barbaros hayreddin flagship, 2 destroyer divisions, , fourth division composed of warships intended independent operations. on next 2 months, armored division attempted break greek naval blockade of dardanelles, resulted in 2 major naval engagements.

battle of elli


painting depicting greek fleet during battle of elli

at battle of elli on 16 december 1912, ottomans attempted launch attack on imbros. ottoman fleet sortied dardanelles @ 9:30; smaller craft remained @ mouth of straits while battleships sailed north, hugging coast. greek flotilla, included armored cruiser georgios averof , 3 hydra-class ironclads, sailing island of lemnos, altered course northeast block advance of ottoman battleships. ottoman ships opened fire on greeks @ 9:40, range of 15,000 yd (14,000 m). 5 minutes later, georgios averof crossed on other side of ottoman fleet, placing ottomans in unfavorable position of being under fire both sides. @ 9:50 , under heavy pressure greek fleet, ottoman ships completed 16-point turn, reversed course, , headed safety of straits. turn poorly conducted, , ships fell out of formation, blocking each other s fields of fire.

by 10:17, both sides had ceased firing , ottoman fleet withdrew dardanelles. ships reached port 13:00 , transferred casualties hospital ship resit paşa. battle considered greek victory, because ottoman fleet remained blockaded. during battle, barbaros hayreddin hit twice. first shell struck afterdeck , killed 5 men assigned damage control party. second shell jammed rear turret, placing out of action. shell fragments hit damaged several boilers , caused fire in 1 of coal bunkers.

on 4 january 1913, ottoman navy , army attempted landing @ bozca ada (tenedos) retake island greeks. barbaros hayreddin , rest of fleet supported operation, appearance of greek fleet forced ottomans break off operation. greeks withdrew, , several ottoman cruisers opened fire both sides departed, no damage done. 15:30, barbaros hayreddin @ Çanakkale inside safety of dardanelles. on 10 january, fleet conducted patrol outside dardanelles. encountered several greek destroyers , forced them withdraw, inflicted no damage on greek ships.

battle of lemnos

the battle of lemnos resulted ottoman plan lure faster georgios averof away dardanelles. protected cruiser hamidiye evaded greek blockade , broke out aegean sea in attempt draw greek cruiser pursuit. despite threat posed cruiser, greek commander refused detach georgios averof. mid-january, however, ottomans had learned georgios averof remained greek fleet, , kalyon kaptanı (captain) ramiz numan bey, ottoman fleet commander, decided attack greeks regardless.

barbaros hayreddin, turgut reis, , other units of ottoman fleet departed dardanelles @ 8:20 on morning of 18 january, , sailed toward island of lemnos @ speed of 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph). barbaros hayreddin led line of battleships, flotilla of torpedo boats on either side of formation. georgios averof, 3 hydra-class ironclads , 5 destroyers trailing behind, intercepted ottoman fleet approximately 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) lemnos. @ 10:55, ottoman cruiser mecidiye spotted greeks, , fleet turned south engage them.

a long range artillery duel lasted 2 hours began @ around 11:55, when ottoman fleet opened fire @ range of 8,000 m (26,000 ft). concentrated fire on greek georgios averof, returned fire @ 12:00. @ 12:50, greeks attempted cross t of ottoman fleet, barbaros hayreddin turned north block greek maneuver. ottoman commander detached old battleship mesudiye after serious hit @ 12:55. @ around same time, shell hit barbaros hayreddin on amidships turret, killing entire gun crew. thereafter hit several times in superstructure; these hits did relatively little damage, created significant smoke sucked boiler rooms , caused ship s speed fall 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph). result, turgut reis took lead of formation , bey decided break off engagement.

toward end of engagement, georgios averof closed within 5,000 yd (4,600 m) , scored several hits on fleeing ottoman ships. @ 14:00, ottoman warships had come close enough shore protected coastal batteries, forcing greeks withdraw , ending battle. during battle, both barbaros hayreddin , sister had barbette disabled gunfire, , both caught fire result. between barbaros hayreddin , turgut reis, ships fired 800 rounds, of main battery 28 cm (11 in) ammunition without success.

subsequent operations

on 8 february 1913, ottoman navy supported amphibious assault @ Şarköy. barbaros hayreddin , turgut reis, along several cruisers weighed anchor @ 5:50 , arrived off island @ around 9:00. ottoman fleet provided artillery support, kilometer off shore. ships supported left flank of ottoman army once ashore. bulgarian army provided stiff resistance forced ottoman army withdraw, though withdrawal successful in large part due gunfire support barbaros hayreddin , rest of fleet. during battle, barbaros hayreddin fired 250 rounds 10.5 cm (4.1 in) sk l/35 guns , 180 shells 8.8 cm (3.5 in) sk l/30 guns.

in march 1913, ship returned black sea resume support of Çatalca garrison, under renewed attacks bulgarian army. on 26 march, 28 cm (11 in) , 10.5 cm (4.1 in) shells fired barbaros hayreddin , turgut reis helped turn advance of 2nd brigade of bulgarian 1st infantry division. on 30 march, left wing of ottoman line turned pursue retreating bulgarians. advance supported both field artillery , heavy guns of barbaros hayreddin; assault gained ottomans 1,500 m (1,600 yd) nightfall. in response, bulgarians brought 1st brigade front, beat ottoman advance starting position.

world war i

map showing ottoman defenses @ dardanelles in 1915

in summer of 1914, world war broke out in europe, though ottomans remained neutral. on 3 august 1914, barbaros hayreddin began refit @ constantinople—german engineers inspected , other ottoman warships in dockyard , found them in state of severe disrepair. owing state of tension, repairs not effected, , ammunition, coal, , other supplies loaded. november, actions of german battlecruiser goeben, had been transferred ottoman navy, resulted in declarations of war russia, france, , great britain. between 1914–15, of ship s guns removed , employed coastal guns shore defenses protecting dardanelles. in meantime, used floating artillery battery @ nara naval base, along sister turgut reis. during stint, ships immobilized, threat british submarines grew, steam kept in boilers allow them move quickly.

barbaros hayreddin returned constantinople on 11 march 1915; ottoman high command had decided both ships not needed @ times. on next several months, 2 ships alternated trips constantinople. on 25 april, 2 battleships bombarded british landings on first day of gallipoli campaign. after firing fourteen shells, fifteenth detonated in right gun barrel in center turret, destroying gun. after shell exploded inside 1 of turgut reis s guns in june, both battleships withdrawn. on 7 august, british landed more troops @ suvla bay, prompting high command send barbaros hayreddin support ottoman defenses there. in addition, loaded large quantity of ammunition resupply fifth army fighting in gallipoli campaign. next day, while en route area single torpedo boat escort, intercepted british submarine hms e11 off bolayır in sea of marmara. submarine hit barbaros hayreddin single torpedo; capsized 7 minutes later, remained afloat few minutes before slipped below waves. ship sank loss of 21 officers , 237 men. rest of crew picked escort , second torpedo boat patrolling area.