SMS Baden ( 1880 ) SMS " Baden " was one of four armored frigates of the German Imperial Navy . Her sister ships were , , and . " Baden " was built in the Imperial Dockyard in Kiel from 1876 to 1883 . The ship was commissioned into the Imperial Navy in September 1883 . She was armed with a main battery of six guns in two open barbette s . After her commissioning , " Baden " served with the fleet on numerous training exercises and cruises in the 1880s and 1890s , during which she frequently simulated hostile naval forces . She participated in several cruises escorting Kaiser Wilhelm II on state visits to Great Britain and to various countries in the Baltic Sea in the late 1880s and early 1890s . During 1896 – 1897 , the ship was extensively rebuilt at the Germaniawerft dockyard in Kiel . She was removed from active duty in 1910 and thereafter served in a number of secondary roles , finally serving as a target hulk in the 1920s and 1930s . She was sold in April 1938 and broken up in 1939 – 1940 in Kiel . Construction . " Baden " was ordered by the Imperial Navy under the contract name " C , " which denoted that the vessel was a new addition to the fleet . She was built at the Imperial Dockyard in Kiel ; her keel was laid in 1876 under construction number 4 . The ship was launched on 28 July 1880 and commissioned into the German fleet on 24 September 1883 . Along with her three sisters , " Baden " was the first large , armored warship built for the German navy that relied entirely on engines for propulsion . The ship was long overall and had a beam of and a draft of forward . " Baden " was powered by two 3 - cylinder triple expansion engines , which were supplied with steam by eight coal - fired Dürr boilers . The ship ' s top speed was , at Her standard complement consisted of 32 officers and 285 enlisted men , though while serving as a squadron flagship this was augmented by another 7 officers and 34 men . She was armed with six guns , two of which were single - mounted in an open barbette forward of the conning tower and the remaining four mounted amidships , also on single mounts in an open barbette . As built , the ship was also equipped with six L / 24 guns and eight Hotchkiss revolver cannons . " Baden " s armor was made of wrought iron , and was concentrated in an armored citadel amidships . The armor ranged from on the armored citadel , and between on the deck . The barbette armor was 254 mm of wrought iron backed by 250 mm of teak . Service history . Commissioned in September 1883 , " Baden " joined the fleet too late to participate in the fleet maneuvers that year . " Baden " served as the flagship for Rear Admiral Alexander von Monts during the 1884 fleet maneuvers ; she was assigned to the I Division alongside her three sisters . The ship was placed in reserve in 1885 , but returned to active duty the following year for training exercises with the fleet . In June 1887 , Germany dedicated the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal ; " Baden " was among the ships present during the celebrations . In 1888 , " Baden " returned to active duty to take part in a naval tour of the Baltic by the newly crowned Kaiser Wilhelm II . Rear Admiral Eduard Knorr , the commander of the fleet , raised his flag aboard " Baden " during the voyage . The fleet stopped in St . Petersburg , Stockholm , and Copenhagen on the seventeen - day cruise . " Baden " ran aground in the harbors of both Stockholm and Copenhagen , but was not seriously damaged in either incident . " Baden " also participated in the visit to Great Britain in August 1889 , where Wilhelm II took part in the Cowes Regatta . " Baden " and the rest of the fleet joined the Royal Navy in a fleet review for Queen Victoria . During the fleet maneuvers of 1890 , " Baden " and the rest of the capital ships of the I and II Divisions simulated a Russian attack on Kiel . The exercises were held in conjunction with IX Corps of the German Army , several divisions of which acted as a simulated amphibious invasion . " Baden " remained in the I Division in 1891 , when she was joined by the new coastal defense ship . During the 1891 maneuvers , the I Division generally " fought " on the German side , against either Franco - Russian or Danish - Russian alliances . " Baden " was present for all of the fleet exercises in 1892 and 1893 . The maneuvers of the early 1890s were generally disappointments , as the " hostile " forces were judged to be the victors in the majority of the scenarios . By the winter of 1894 – 1895 , the last of the four s had been commissioned ; these ships were assigned to the I Division , which displaced " Baden " and her three sisters to the II Division . The eight ships conducted training cruises over the winter and spring before conducting the annual autumn fleet exercises . On 21 June 1895 , the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal was opened for traffic , eight years after work had begun . " Baden " and her three sisters , along with dozens of other warships , attended the ceremonies . The major naval powers sent fleets to join the fleet review . The Autumn 1895 maneuvers simulated a high - seas battle between the I and II Divisions in the North Sea , followed by combined maneuvers with the rest of the fleet in the Baltic . In 1896 , " Baden " went into drydock in the Germaniawerft dockyard in Kiel for an extensive modernization . The ship ' s old wrought iron and teak armor was replaced with new Krupp nickel - steel armor . The four funnels were trunked into a single large funnel and new engines were also installed , which increased the ship ' s speed to . The ship ' s 8 . 7 cm guns were replaced with quick - firing SK L / 30 guns and four autocannons . Work was completed in 1897 . " Baden " remained with the fleet until 1910 , at which point she was removed from active duty . She then served as a blockade and defense hulk after 1912 . In 1920 , she was converted into a target hulk and stationed off Stollergrund . The ship was finally sold on 23 April 1938 and broken up for scrap in 1939 – 1940 in Kiel .