SMS Kaiser Friedrich III SMS " Kaiser Friedrich III " ( " His Majesty ' s Ship " Emperor Frederick III " " ) was the lead ship of the of pre - dreadnought battleship s . She was laid down at the " Kaiserliche Werft " in Wilhelmshaven in 1895 , and finished in October 1898 . The ship was armed with a main battery of four guns in two twin gun turret s . After she was commissioned on 7 October 1898 , the ship became the flagship of Prince Henry in the I Squadron of the German " Heimatflotte " ( Home Fleet ) . In 1901 , the ship was severely damaged after striking an underwater obstacle in the Baltic , though she was subsequently repaired . The ship took part in extensive fleet maneuvers in 1900 and 1902 . In 1907 , the " Heimatflotte " was reorganized as the " Hochseeflotte " ( High Seas Fleet ) . In 1908 , " Kaiser Friedrich III " was modernized ; her secondary guns were reorganized and her superstructure was cut down to reduce top - heaviness . Obsolete by the beginning of World War I , " Kaiser Friedrich III " and her sister ships served in a limited capacity as coastal defense ships in the V Battle Squadron in the early months of the war . By January 1915 , " Kaiser Friedrich " was withdrawn from service and employed as a prison ship . She was scrapped in 1919 , following the end of the war . Construction and design . " Kaiser Friedrich III " s keel was laid in 1895 , at the Kaiserliche Werft in Wilhelmshaven , under construction number 22 . She was ordered under the contract name " Ersatz Preussen " , to replace the elderly armored frigate . " Kaiser Friedrich III " was launched on 1 July 1896 and commissioned on 7 October 1898 . The ship was long overall and had a beam of and a draft of forward and aft . The ship was powered by three 3 - cylinder vertical triple expansion engines that drove three screws . Steam was provided by four Marine - type and eight cylindrical boilers . " Kaiser Friedrich III " s powerplant was rated at , which generated a top speed of . " Kaiser Friedrich III " s armament consisted of a main battery of four 24 cm ( 9 . 4 in ) SK L / 40 guns in twin gun turret s , one fore and one aft of the central superstructure . Her secondary armament consisted of eighteen 15 cm ( 5 . 9 inch ) SK L / 40 guns and twelve 8 . 8 cm ( 3 . 45 in ) SK L / 30 quick - firing guns . The armament suite was rounded out with six 45 cm torpedo tubes , all in above - water swivel mounts . Service history . After commissioning , " Kaiser Friedrich III " was assigned to the I Squadron of the " Heimatflotte " ( Home Fleet ) . Prince Henry — the commander in chief of the I Squadron — raised his flag aboard " Kaiser Friedrich III " . From 15 August 1900 to 15 September , the " Heimatflotte " conducted a series of fleet maneuvers in the North and Baltic seas . The four s were deployed to China to assist in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion , so the fleet was greatly reduced in strength . " Kaiser Friedrich III " and her sister were the only battleships available for the maneuvers . They were joined by the armored frigates and and six and s . Throughout the maneuvers , " Kaiser Friedrich III " was assigned to the " German " force , which had to combat a hostile " Yellow " squadron . On 17 November 1900 , " Kaiser Friedrich III " was steaming to Kiel after conducting exercises with the fleet . " Kaiser Wilhelm II " attempted to pass " Kaiser Friedrich III " , so the latter stopped and allowed the former to pass to port . However , the order to resume steaming was given too quickly , so the ship accidentally rammed " Kaiser Wilhelm II " . " Kaiser Friedrich III " suffered minor damage to her bow , while her sister was slightly damaged in the compartment that housed the steering engines . Repairs were completed within three days , without the need for either vessel to enter drydock . Collision , 1901 . While en route from Danzig to Kiel on 2 January 1901 , " Kaiser Friedrich III " struck an underwater obstacle while in company with " Kaiser Wilhelm II " . The impact damaged four of the ship ' s watertight compartments , which then filled with water and caused the ship to list to port . The shock from the collision damaged the ship ' s boilers and started a fire in the coal bunkers . All of the ship ' s ammunition magazines , engine rooms , and storage compartments had to be flooded in order to prevent the fire from spreading . Two men were seriously injured while fighting the fire , and a third died of his injuries . " Kaiser Wilhelm II " took her sister in tow , although after several hours the fire was extinguished and the engines were restarted . Throughout the incident , Prince Henry adamantly refused requests that he depart the ship , stating " I shall be the last to leave the ship . " The ships reached Kiel , where it was thoroughly examined . The dockyard workers found that eight of the ship ' s boilers had been badly damaged , and many bulkheads had been bent from the pressure of the water . The keel was extensively damaged , with large holes torn in several places . All three of the ship ' s propellers were damaged as well . Temporary repairs were effected in Kiel , which included sealing the holes with cement and wood . On 23 April the ship was moved to Wilhelmshaven , where she was completely repaired . A subsequent investigation found that the nearby lightship — which was used to navigate the channel at night — was from its assigned location , and there were several uncharted rocks in the area of the accident . On 31 August 1902 , the annual summer maneuvers were begun by the fleet . " Kaiser Friedrich III " was assigned to the " hostile " force , and was first tasked with preventing the " German " squadron from passing through the Great Belt in the Baltic . " Kaiser Friedrich III " and several other battleships were then tasked with forcing an entry into the mouth of the Elbe River , where the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal and Hamburg could be seized . The " hostile " flotilla accomplished these tasks within three days . In 1903 , the fleet , which was composed of only one squadron of battleships , was reorganized as the " Active Battle Fleet . " " Kaiser Friedrich III " remained in the I Squadron along with her sister ships and the newest s , while the older ships were placed in reserve in order to be rebuilt . Fleet reorganization , 1905 . In October 1905 , the " Heimatflotte " was again reorganized ; " Kaiser Friedrich III " was reassigned to the I Division of the II Squadron , alongside her sister - ship and the older battleship . The " Heimatflotte " in 1905 consisted of another division of three battleships in the II Squadron and two more three - ship divisions in the I Squadron . This was supported by a cruiser division , composed of two armored cruiser s and six protected cruiser s . The divisions were not organized by ship class , as would be the case in later years . In 1907 , the newest s were coming into service ; along with the s , these provided enough modern battleships to create two full battle squadrons . As a result , the " Heimatflotte " was renamed the " Hochseeflotte " ( High Seas Fleet ) . In 1908 , " Kaiser Friedrich III " was taken into drydock for an extensive modernization , which lasted until 1909 . Four of her 15 cm guns were removed , though two 8 . 8 cm guns were added . All twelve machine guns were removed , as was the ship ' s stern - mounted torpedo tube . " Kaiser Friedrich III " s superstructure was also cut down to reduce the ship ' s tendency to roll excessively . The ship ' s funnels were also lengthened . " Kaiser Friedrich III " served with the active fleet for a total span of ten years , by which time the ship was moved to the III Squadron . However , in 1910 , the new dreadnought battleship s were beginning to come into service . " Kaiser Friedrich III " was then decommissioned and placed into reserve . World War I . At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 , " Kaiser Friedrich III " and her sisters were brought back to active service and mobilized as the V Battle Squadron . They were assigned to coastal defense in the Baltic , though they served in this capacity for a very short time . In February 1915 , they were again withdrawn from service and placed in reserve . " Kaiser Friedrich III " was used as a floating prison stationed in Kiel after 1916 . The following year , the ship was moved to Flensburg where she was used as a barracks ; later that year she was again moved to Swinemünde . " Kaiser Friedrich III " was stricken from the navy list on 6 December 1919 and subsequently sold to a ship - breaking firm based in Berlin . The ship was ultimately broken up at Kiel - Nordmole in 1920 . Her bow ornament is on display at the Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr in Dresden . Notes . Footnotes Citations References . Books Journals