SMS Thüringen SMS " Thüringen " was the third vessel of the of dreadnought battleship s of the German Imperial Navy . " Thüringen " s keel was laid in November 1908 at the AG Weser dockyard in Bremen . She was launched on 27 November 1909 and commissioned into the fleet on 1 July 1911 . The ship was equipped with twelve guns in six twin turrets , and had a top speed of . " Thüringen " was assigned to the I Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet for the majority of her career , including World War I . Along with her three sister ships , , , and , " Thüringen " participated in all of the major fleet operations of World War I in the North Sea against the British Grand Fleet . This included the Battle of Jutland on 31 May and 1 June 1916 , the largest naval battle of the war . " Thüringen " was involved in the heavy night fighting at Jutland , including the destruction of the armored cruiser . The ship also saw action against the Imperial Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea , where she participated in the unsuccessful first incursion into the Gulf of Riga in August 1915 . After the German collapse in November 1918 , most of the High Seas Fleet was interned in Scapa Flow during the peace negotiations . The four " Helgoland " - class ships were allowed to remain in Germany and were therefore spared the destruction of the fleet in Scapa Flow . " Thüringen " and her sisters were eventually ceded to the victorious Allied powers as war reparations ; " Thüringen " was transferred to France in April 1920 and used as a target ship for the French Navy . She was sunk off Gavres and broken up " in situ " in 1923 – 1933 , though some sections of the ship remain . Construction . " Thüringen " was ordered by the German Imperial Navy ( " Kaiserliche Marine " ) under the provisional name " Ersatz Beowulf " , as a replacement for the old coastal defense ship . The contract for the ship was awarded to the AG Weser dockyard in Bremen under construction number 166 . Work began on 2 November 1908 with the laying of her keel , and the ship was launched a year later on 27 November 1909 . She was christened by Duchess Adelheid von Sachsen - Altenburg , and Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst gave the speech . Fitting - out , including completion of the superstructure and the installation of armament , lasted until June 1911 . Following her completion , six pontoon barges were attached to the new battleship to reduce her draft to allow her to be towed down the Weser River to the North Sea . " Thüringen " , named for Thuringia , a state in central Germany , was commissioned into the High Seas Fleet on 1 June 1911 , less than three years after work commenced , at a cost of 46 . 314 million gold marks , the most expensive unit of her class . The ship was long overall , had a beam of and a draft of , and displaced at full load . She was powered by three vertical triple expansion steam engines and fifteen water - tube boilers . The engines were rated at and were capable of producing a top speed of . " Thüringen " stored up to of coal , which allowed her to steam for at a speed of . After 1915 , the boilers were modified to spray oil on the coal to increase its burn rate ; the ship could carry up to of fuel oil . " Thüringen " was armed with a main battery of twelve SK L / 50 guns in six twin gun turret s , with one turret fore , one aft , and two on each flank of the ship . The ship ' s secondary armament consisted of fourteen SK L / 45 guns and fourteen SK L / 45 guns . After 1914 , two of the 8 . 8 cm guns were removed and replaced by 8 . 8 cm anti - aircraft guns . " Thüringen " was also armed with six submerged torpedo tube s ; one was in the bow , one in the stern , and two on each broadside . Her main belt of armor was thick , with the same thickness of armor on her main battery turrets . Her deck was thick . Service history . After her commissioning on 1 July 1911 , " Thüringen " conducted sea trials , which were completed by 10 September . On 19 September , she was assigned to the I Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet , alongside her sisters . She then went on to conduct individual ship training exercises , which were followed by I Squadron exercises and then fleet maneuvers in November . The annual summer cruise in July and August , which typically went to Norway , was interrupted by the Agadir Crisis . As a result , the cruise only went into the Baltic . " Thüringen " and the rest of the fleet then fell into a pattern of individual ship , squadron , and full fleet exercises over the next two years . In October 1913 , William Michaelis became the ship ' s commanding officer ; he held the post until February 1915 . On 14 July 1914 , the annual summer cruise to Norway began . During the last peacetime cruise of the Imperial Navy , the fleet conducted drills off Skagen before proceeding to the Norwegian fjords on 25 July . The following day the fleet began to steam back to Germany , as a result of Austria - Hungary ' s ultimatum to Serbia . On 27 July , the entire fleet assembled off Cape Skudenes before returning to port , where they remained at a heightened state of readiness . War between Austria - Hungary and Serbia broke out the following day , and within a week all the major European powers had joined the conflict . By 29 July " Thüringen " and the rest of I Squadron were back in Wilhelmshaven . During the first year of the war , the future anti - Nazi Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller served aboard the ship as an officer . World War I . " Thüringen " was present during the first sortie by the German fleet into the North Sea , which took place on 2 – 3 November 1914 . No British forces were encountered during the operation . A second operation followed on 15 – 16 December . This sortie was the initiation of a strategy adopted by Admiral Friedrich von Ingenohl , the commander of the High Seas Fleet . Admiral von Ingenohl intended to use the battlecruiser s of " Konteradmiral " ( Rear Admiral ) Franz von Hipper ' s I Scouting Group to raid British coastal towns to lure out portions of the Grand Fleet where they could be destroyed by the High Seas Fleet . Early on 15 December the fleet left port to raid the towns of Scarborough , Hartlepool , and Whitby on the English coast . That evening , the German battle fleet of some twelve dreadnoughts — including " Thüringen " and her three sisters — and eight pre - dreadnoughts came to within of an isolated squadron of six British battleships . Skirmishes between the rival destroyer screens in the darkness convinced von Ingenohl that he was faced with the entire Grand Fleet . Under orders from Kaiser Wilhelm II to avoid risking the fleet unnecessarily , von Ingenohl broke off the engagement and turned the battle fleet back toward Germany . The Battle of Dogger Bank , in which Vice Admiral David Beatty ' s 1st and 2nd Battlecruiser Squadrons ambushed the I Scouting Group battlecruisers , occurred on 24 January 1915 . " Thüringen " and the rest of I Squadron were sortied to reinforce the outnumbered German battlecruisers ; I Squadron left port at 12 : 33 CET , along with the pre - dreadnought s of II Squadron . The High Seas Fleet was too late , so it failed to locate any British forces . By 19 : 05 , the fleet had returned to the Schillig Roads outside Wilhelmshaven . In the meantime , the armored cruiser had been overwhelmed by concentrated British fire and sunk , while the battlecruiser was severely damaged by an ammunition fire . As a result , Wilhelm II removed von Ingenohl from his post and replaced him with Admiral Hugo von Pohl on 2 February . The eight I Squadron ships went into the Baltic on 22 February 1915 for unit training , which lasted until 13 March . Following their return to the North Sea , the ships participated in a series of uneventful fleet sorties on 29 – 30 March , 17 – 18 April , 21 – 22 April , 17 – 18 May , and 29 – 30 May . " Thüringen " and the rest of the fleet then remained in port until 4 August , when the I Squadron returned to the Baltic for another round of training maneuvers . From there , the squadron was attached to the naval force that attempted to sweep the Gulf of Riga of Russian naval forces in August 1915 . The assault force included the eight I Squadron battleships , the battlecruisers , , and " Seydlitz " , several light cruiser s , 32 destroyers and 13 minesweepers . The plan called for channels to be swept in Russian minefields so that the Russian naval presence , which included the pre - dreadnought , could be eliminated . The Germans would then lay minefields of their own to prevent Russian ships from returning to the Gulf . " Thüringen " and the majority of the other big ships of the High Seas Fleet remained outside the Gulf for the entirety of the operation . The dreadnoughts and were detached on 16 August to escort the minesweepers and to destroy " Slava " , though they failed to sink the old battleship . After three days , the Russian minefields had been cleared , and the flotilla entered the Gulf on 19 August ; reports of Allied submarines in the area prompted a German withdrawal from the Gulf the following day . By 26 August , the I Squadron had returned to Wilhelmshaven . On 23 – 24 October , the High Seas Fleet undertook its last major offensive operation under the command of von Pohl , though it ended without contact with British forces . By January 1916 hepatic cancer had weakened von Pohl to the point where he was no longer able to carry out his duties , and he was replaced by Vice Admiral Reinhard Scheer in January . Scheer proposed a more aggressive policy designed to force a confrontation with the British Grand Fleet ; he received approval from the Kaiser in February . Scheer ' s first operation was a sweep into the North Sea on 5 – 7 March , followed by two more on 21 – 22 March and 25 – 26 March . During Scheer ' s next operation , " Thüringen " supported a raid on the English coast on 24 April 1916 conducted by the German battlecruiser force . The battlecruisers left the Jade Estuary at 10 : 55 and the rest of the High Seas Fleet followed at 13 : 40 . The battlecruiser " Seydlitz " struck a mine while en route to the target , and had to withdraw . The other battlecruisers bombarded the town of Lowestoft unopposed , but during the approach to Yarmouth , they encountered the British cruisers of the Harwich Force . A short gun duel ensued before the Harwich Force withdrew . Reports of British submarines in the area prompted the retreat of the I Scouting Group . At this point , Scheer , who had been warned of the sortie of the Grand Fleet from its base in Scapa Flow , also withdrew to safer German waters . Battle of Jutland . " Thüringen " was present during the fleet operation that resulted in the battle of Jutland which took place on 31 May and 1 June 1916 . The German fleet again sought to draw out and isolate a portion of the Grand Fleet and destroy it before the main British fleet could retaliate . During the operation , " Thüringen " was the second ship in the I Division of I Squadron and the tenth ship in the line , directly astern of the squadron flagship " Ostfriesland " and ahead of another sister " Helgoland " . The I Squadron was the center of the German line , behind the eight - and s of III Squadron . The six elderly pre - dreadnoughts of the III and IV Divisions , II Battle Squadron , formed the rear of the formation . Shortly before 16 : 00 , the battlecruisers of the I Scouting Group encountered the British 1st Battlecruiser Squadron under the command of David Beatty . The opposing ships began an artillery duel that saw the destruction of , shortly after 17 : 00 , and , less than half an hour later . By this time , the German battlecruisers were steaming south to draw the British ships toward the main body of the High Seas Fleet . At 17 : 30 , the crew of the leading German battleship , " König " , spotted both the I Scouting Group and the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron approaching . The German battlecruisers were steaming to starboard , while the British ships steamed to port . At 17 : 45 , Scheer ordered a two - point turn to port to bring his ships closer to the British battlecruisers , and a minute later , the order to open fire was given . While the leading battleships engaged the British battlecruiser squadron , " Thüringen " and ten other battleships , too far out of range to attack the British battlecruisers , fired on the British 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron . " Thüringen " and engaged the cruiser , though both ships failed to score a hit . " Thüringen " fired for eight minutes at ranges of , expending twenty - nine 30 . 5 cm shells . The British destroyers and , which had been disabled earlier in the engagement , laid directly in the path of the advancing High Seas Fleet . " Thüringen " and three other battleships destroyed " Nestor " with their primary and secondary guns while several III Squadron battleships sank " Nomad " . Shortly after 19 : 15 , the British dreadnought came into range ; " Thüringen " opened fire at 19 : 25 with her main and secondary battery guns , at ranges of . The ship fired twenty - one 30 . 5 cm and thirty - seven 15 cm shells in the span of five or six minutes , after which " Thüringen " s gunners lost sight of " Warspite " , without scoring any hits . They then shifted fire to . " Thüringen " fired twenty main battery rounds at " Malaya " , also unsuccessfully , over seven minutes at a range of before conforming to a 180 degree turn ordered by Scheer to disengage from the British fleet . At around 23 : 30 , the German fleet reorganized into the night - cruising formation . " Thüringen " was the seventh ship , stationed toward the front of the 24 - ship line . An hour later , the leading units of the German line encountered British light forces and a violent firefight at close range ensued . Sometime around 01 : 10 , the armored cruiser stumbled into the German line . " Thüringen " illuminated the vessel with her spotlights and poured salvos of 30 . 5 cm rounds into the ship at point - blank range . The first salvo struck near " Black Prince " s rear gun turret , which appears to have been blown overboard . " Thüringen " fired a total of ten 30 . 5 cm , twenty - seven 15 cm , and twenty - four 8 . 8 cm shells . She was joined by three other battleships , and " Black Prince " was soon destroyed by a huge ammunition explosion . Around a half an hour later , " Thüringen " spotted what appeared to be a " Birkenhead " - class cruiser . She fired a starshell to illuminate the British cruiser and opened fire with her secondary guns . The ship was actually the destroyer . " Thüringen " fired eighteen 15 cm and six 8 . 8 cm shells before launching another starshell . " Turbulent " appeared to be capsized to starboard , though she remained afloat and was dispatched later by the cruiser and the destroyers and . Despite the ferocity of the night fighting , the High Seas Fleet punched through the British destroyer forces and reached Horns Reef by 04 : 00 on 1 June . A few hours later , the fleet arrived in the Jade ; " Thüringen " , " Helgoland " , " Nassau " , and took up defensive positions in the outer roadstead and four undamaged III Squadron ships anchored just outside the entrance locks to Wilhelmshaven . The remaining eight dreadnoughts entered port , where those that were still in fighting condition restocked ammunition and fuel . In the course of the engagement , " Thüringen " had fired one - hundred and seven 30 . 5 cm , one - hundred and fifteen 15 cm , and twenty - two 8 . 8 cm shells , while she and her crew emerged from the battle unscathed . Subsequent operations . On 18 August , Admiral Scheer attempted to repeat the 31 May operation . The two serviceable German battlecruisers ( " Moltke " and " Von der Tann " ) , supported by three dreadnoughts , would bombard Sunderland in an attempt to draw out and destroy Beatty ' s battlecruisers . The rest of the fleet , including " Thüringen " , would trail behind and provide cover . British signals intelligence informed Jellicoe of the German departure later in the day , and he sent the Grand Fleet out to intercept the Germans . On the approach to the English coast , Scheer turned north after receiving a false report from a zeppelin about a British unit in the area . As a result , the bombardment was not carried out , and by 14 : 35 on 19 August , Scheer had been warned of the Grand Fleet ' s approach and so turned his forces around and retreated to German ports . On 25 – 26 September , " Thüringen " and the rest of I Squadron covered an advance conducted by the second commander of the torpedo - boat flotillas ( II " Führer der Torpedoboote " ) to the Terschelling Bank . Scheer conducted another fleet operation on 18 – 20 October in the direction of the Dogger Bank , though rudder damage prevented " Thüringen " from participating . For the majority of 1917 , " Thüringen " was assigned to guard duty in the German Bight . During Operation Albion , the amphibious assault on the Russian - held islands in the Gulf of Riga , " Thüringen " and her three sisters were moved to the Danish straits to block any possible British attempt to intervene . On 28 October the four ships arrived in Putzig Wiek , and from there steamed to Arensburg on the 29th . On 2 November the operation was completed and " Thüringen " and her sisters began the voyage back to the North Sea . A final abortive fleet sortie took place on 23 – 24 April 1918 . " Thüringen " , " Ostfriesland " , and " Nassau " were formed into a special unit for Operation " Schlußstein " , a planned occupation of St . Petersburg . The three ships reached the Baltic on 10 August , but the operation was postponed and eventually canceled . The special unit was dissolved on 21 August and the battleships were back in Wilhelmshaven on the 23rd . Fate . " Thüringen " and her three sisters were to have taken part in a final fleet action at the end of October 1918 , days before the Armistice was to take effect . The bulk of the High Seas Fleet was to have sortied from their base in Wilhelmshaven to engage the British Grand Fleet ; Scheer — by now the Grand Admiral ( " Großadmiral " ) of the fleet — intended to inflict as much damage as possible on the British navy , to improve Germany ' s bargaining position , despite the expected casualties . But many of the war - weary sailors felt that the operation would disrupt the peace process and prolong the war . On the morning of 29 October 1918 , the order was given to sail from Wilhelmshaven the following day . Starting on the night of 29 October , sailors on " Thüringen " and then on several other battleships mutinied . Stokers turned off the boilers and refused to work . The following day , the torpedo boats and came alongside and the U - boat pointed her guns at the ship . A significant portion of the crew , 314 sailors and 124 stokers , were arrested and taken off the ship . This was not enough to stop the mutiny , which quickly spread throughout the fleet . The unrest ultimately forced Hipper and Scheer to cancel the operation . Informed of the situation , the Kaiser stated " I no longer have a navy " . Following the capitulation of Germany in November 1918 , most of the High Seas Fleet , under the command of Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter , was interned in the British naval base in Scapa Flow . " Thüringen " and her three sisters , along with the four " Nassau " - class battleships , were permitted to remain in Germany during the peace negotiations . On the morning of 21 June , the British fleet left Scapa Flow to conduct training maneuvers , and in their absence Reuter ordered the crews to scuttle the ten battleships and five battlecruisers interned at Scapa Flow . " Thüringen " was decommissioned on 16 December 1918 and used as a barracks ship while she remained in Germany . She was stricken from the naval register on 5 November 1919 and placed out of commission . The fate of the eight remaining German battleships was determined in the Treaty of Versailles , which stated that the ships were to be disarmed and surrendered to the governments of the principal Allied powers . " Thüringen " was surrendered to the French Navy on 29 April 1920 under the name " " L " " . A skeleton crew took the ship to Cherbourg for the official transfer . " Thüringen " was briefly used as a target ship by the French Navy before sinking off Gavres . The ship was partially broken up " in situ " in 1923 – 1933 , though significant portions of the ship remain off the French coast . Notes . Footnotes Citations