In Service: 5 May 1908 to 4 May 1945
Ordered:
Builder: F.
Schichau GmbH, Danzig
Construction No: 571
Laid down: 1905
Launched: 28 May 1906
Commissioned: 5 May 1908
Type: Pre-Dreadnoughts
Class: Deutschland
Displacement: 13,191 tons standard 14,218 tons full
load
Length: 127.6 m
Beam: 22.2 m
Draft: 8.21 m
Propulsion: 3 × shafts 3 cylinder expansion engines
producing up to 18,923 hp
Propellers:
Speed: 18,5 knots
Range: 4,800 nautical miles at 10 knots
Crew: 742 men and officers
Armament:
14 × 17 cm L/40 SK L/40 range 14,500 m
carried 1,820 rounds
4 × 28 cm L/40 SK L/40 range 18,800 m
carried 340 rounds
10 × 15 cm L/45 SK L/45
2 × 8.8 cm L/35 SK L/35
carried 2,800 rounds
4 × 3.7 cm L/83 SK C/30
22 × 2 cm L/83 SK C/30
6 × 45 cm torpedo tubes
16 torpedo's carried
Armour Belt 40 mm Deck 240 mm
Aircraft:
Electronics:
Operators: Kriegsmarine
Variants:
Other: Pre-Dreadnoughts
Articles:
SMS Schlesien was a pre-dreadnought Deutschland class battleship
which was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy. Her
sisters were Deutschland, Hannover, Pommern and the Schleswig
Holstein.
5 May 1908
The Schlesien is commissioned.
8 April 1940
The Schlesien takes part in operation Weserübung (Invasion
of Denmark and Norway).
1940
The Schlesien is used as a barracks in Gotenhafen.
1941
The Schlesien is used as an ice breaker with reduced crew.
1941
The Schlesien is used along Schleswig Holstein and the 6th
E-Boat Flotilla, for mine laying operations in the Baltic
Sea to prevent a Russian breakthrough of ships to Britain.
1945
The Schlesien is used in surport for the Battle of Gotenhafen.
1945
The Schlesien is moved to Swinemünde with over 1000 wounded
men.
3 May 1945
The Schlesien is hit by a mine at Zinnowitz, Swinemünde. The
ship is then beached.
4 May 1945
The Schlesien crew, places scuttling charges.
1956
The Schlesien is broken up, and scrapped.
Wilhlem
Canaris
Takes command on 1932
Ends command on 1934
Heinrich
Ancker
Takes command on 1934
Ends command on 1936
Thilo
von Seebach
Takes command on 1936
Ends command on 1937
Friedrich
Wilhelm Fleischer
Takes command on 1937
Ends command on 1938
Werner
Lindenau
Takes command on 4 August 1938
Ends command on 4 April 1939
Kurt
Utke
Takes command on 1939
Ends command on 1939
Günther
Horstmann
Takes command on 1939
Ends command on 1941
Johannes
Isenlar
Takes command on 1941
Ends command on 1941
Werner
Lindenau
Takes command on 27 May 1941
Ends command on 8 October 1941
Ernst
von Studnitz
Takes command on 1942
Ends command on 1942
Franz
Friedrichs
Takes command on 1942
Ends command on 1943
Alfred
Roegglen
Takes command on 1943
Ends command on 1944
Hans
Eberhardt Busch
Takes command on 1944
Ends command on 1945
German Warships, 1815-1945: Major Surface Vessels.
ISBN-10: 0851775330
German Warships, 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels.
ISBN-10: 155750301X
German warships of the Second World War.
ISBN-10: 0668040378
For a complete list of
sources
