Service SMS König

1 service

1.1 operations in north sea
1.2 battle of jutland
1.3 subsequent operations
1.4 operation albion
1.5 final operations
1.6 fate

service

directly after commissioning, könig conducted sea trials, completed 23 november 1914. crew consisted of 41 officers , 1,095 enlisted men. afterward, ship attached v division of iii battle squadron of german high seas fleet, later joined sister ships. on 9 december, könig ran aground in wilhelmshaven roadstead. sister ship grosser kurfürst, following right behind, rammed stern , caused minor damage. könig freed bottom , taken wilhelmshaven; repair work lasted until 2 january 1915.

operations in north sea

könig took part in several fleet sorties in support of rear admiral franz von hipper s battlecruisers of scouting group; however, due grounding outside wilhelmshaven, ship missed first operation of these battlecruisers on night of 15–16 december 1914, when tasked bombarding english coast lure out portion of british grand fleet waiting german fleet. on 22 january 1915, könig , rest of iii squadron detached fleet conduct maneuver, gunnery, , torpedo training in baltic. returned north sea on 11 february, late assist i scouting group @ battle of dogger bank.

plan , elevation view of ship of könig class, jane s fighting ships 1919

könig took part in several sorties north sea. on 29 march, ship led fleet out terschelling. 3 weeks later, on 17–18 april, supported operation in light cruisers of ii scouting group laid mines off swarte bank. fleet advance occurred on 22 april, again könig in lead. on 23 april, iii squadron returned baltic round of exercises lasting until 10 may. minelaying operation conducted ii scouting group on 17 may, battleship again in support.

könig participated in fleet advance north sea ended without combat 29 until 31 may. briefly assigned picket duty in german defensive belt. ship again ran aground on 6 july, though damage minimal. ship supported minelaying operation on 11–12 september off texel. fleet advance followed on 23–24 october; after returning, könig went drydock maintenance, rejoining fleet 4 november. ship sent baltic more training on 5–20 december. on return voyage, damaged after grounding in kaiser wilhelm canal during snow storm. könig in baltic on 17 january 1916 further training, on 24 january returned north sea. 2 fleet advances followed on 5–6 march , 21–22 april.

könig available on 24 april 1916 support raid on english coast, again support german battlecruiser force in i scouting group. battlecruisers left jade estuary @ 10:55, , rest of high seas fleet followed @ 13:40. battlecruiser seydlitz struck mine while en route target, , had withdraw. other battlecruisers bombarded town of lowestoft unopposed, during approach yarmouth, encountered british cruisers of harwich force. short artillery duel ensued before harwich force withdrew. reports of british submarines in area prompted retreat of i scouting group. @ point, admiral reinhard scheer, had been warned of sortie of grand fleet base in scapa flow, withdrew safer german waters. könig went baltic round of exercises, including torpedo drills off mecklenburg.

battle of jutland


maps showing maneuvers of british (blue) , german (red) fleets on 31 may – 1 june 1916

könig present during fleet operation resulted in battle of jutland took place on 31 may , 1 june 1916. german fleet again sought draw out , isolate portion of grand fleet , destroy before main british fleet retaliate. könig, followed sisters grosser kurfürst, markgraf, , kronprinz, made v division of iii battle squadron, , vanguard of fleet. iii battle squadron first of 3 battleship units; directly astern kaiser-class battleships of vi division, iii battle squadron. directly astern of kaiser-class ships helgoland , nassau classes of ii battle squadron; in rear guard obsolescent deutschland-class pre-dreadnoughts of i battle squadron.

shortly before 16:00 cet, battlecruisers of scouting group encountered british 1st battlecruiser squadron under command of david beatty. opposing ships began artillery duel saw destruction of indefatigable, shortly after 17:00, , queen mary, less half hour later. time, german battlecruisers steaming south draw british ships toward main body of high seas fleet. @ 17:30, könig s crew spotted both i scouting group , 1st battlecruiser squadron approaching. german battlecruisers steaming starboard, while british ships steamed port. @ 17:45, scheer ordered two-point turn port bring ships closer british battlecruisers, , minute later @ 17:46, order open fire given.

könig, grosser kurfürst, , markgraf first reach effective gunnery range; engaged battlecruisers lion, princess royal, , tiger, respectively, @ range of 21,000 yards. könig s first salvos fell short of target, , shifted fire nearer tiger. simultaneously, könig , sisters began firing on destroyers nestor , nicator secondary battery. 2 destroyers closed in on german line, , after having endured hail of gunfire, maneuvered firing position. each ship launched 2 torpedoes apiece @ könig , grosser kurfürst, although 4 weapons missed. in return, secondary battery shell 1 of battleships hit nestor , wrecked engine room. ship, along destroyer nomad, crippled , lying directly in path of advancing german line. both of destroyers sunk, , german torpedo boats stopped pick survivors. @ around 18:00, könig , 3 sister ships shifted fire approaching queen elizabeth-class battleships of v battle squadron. könig engaged barham until ship out of range, shifted valiant. however, faster british battleships able move out of effective gunnery range quickly.

shortly after 19:00, german cruiser wiesbaden had become disabled shell british battlecruiser invincible; rear admiral paul behncke in könig attempted maneuver 4 ships cover stricken cruiser. simultaneously, british iii , iv light cruiser squadrons began torpedo attack on german line; while advancing torpedo range, smothered wiesbaden fire main guns. könig , sisters fired heavily on british cruisers, sustained fire battleships main guns failed drive off british cruisers. in ensuing melee, british armored cruiser defence struck several heavy caliber shells german dreadnoughts. 1 salvo penetrated ship s ammunition magazines and, in massive explosion, destroyed cruiser.

recognition drawing of sms könig prepared royal navy

shortly after 19:20, könig again entered gunnery range of battleship warspite , opened fire on target. joined dreadnoughts friedrich der grosse, ostfriesland, helgoland, , thüringen. however, könig rapidly lost sight of warspite, had been in process of turning east-northeast. simultaneously, british light cruisers , destroyers attempted make torpedo attack against leading ships of german line, including könig. shortly thereafter, main british line came range of german fleet; @ 19:30 british battleships opened fire on both german battlecruiser force , könig-class ships. könig came under heavy fire during period. in span of 5 minutes, iron duke fired 9 salvos @ könig range of 12,000 yards; 1 shell hit ship. 13.5-inch shell struck forward conning tower instead of penetrating, shell ricocheted off , detonated 50 yards past ship. rear admiral behncke injured, though remained in command of ship. ship obscured smoke granted temporary reprieve.

by 20:00, german line ordered turn westward disengage british fleet. könig, @ head, completed turn , reduced speed allow vessels behind return formation. shortly thereafter, 4 british light cruisers resumed attacks on crippled wiesbaden; leading german battleships, including könig, opened fire on cruisers in attempt drive them off. pursuing british battleships had time turned further south , managed cross t of german line. rectify situation, admiral scheer ordered 16-point turn south , sent hipper s battlecruisers on charge toward british fleet. during turn, könig struck 13.5-inch shell iron duke; shell hit ship aft of rearmost gun turret. könig suffered significant structural damage, , several rooms filled smoke. during turn starboard, vice admiral schmidt, commander of i battle squadron, decided turn ships immediately, instead of following leading ships in succession. caused great deal of confusion, , resulted in several collisions. result, many of german battleships forced drastically reduce speed, put entire fleet in great danger. in attempt mitigate predicament, könig turned port , laid smokescreen between german , british lines.

during battle, könig suffered significant damage. heavy shell penetrated main armored deck toward bow. shell hit armored bulkhead @ corner , shoved 5 feet, breaking off large piece armor plate in process. shell splinters hit penetrated several of casemates held 15 cm secondary guns, 2 of disabled. ammunition stores these 2 guns set on fire , magazines had flooded prevent explosion. ship nevertheless remained combat effective, primary battery remained in operation, did of secondary guns; könig steam @ close maximum speed. other areas of ship had counter-flooded maintain stability; 1,600 tons of water entered ship, either result of battle damage or counter-flooding efforts. flooding rendered battleship sufficiently low in water prevent ship being able cross amrum bank until 09:30 on 1 june. könig taken kiel initial repairs, location had floating dry dock large enough fit ship. repairs conducted there 4 18 june, @ point ship transferred howaldtswerke shipyard. könig again ready join fleet 21 july. in course of battle, suffered 45 men killed , 27 wounded, highest tally surviving battleship in german fleet.

subsequent operations

following completion of repairs, könig again detached baltic training, end of july until august. könig in north sea on 5 august. major fleet sortie occurred on 18–20 august, könig again in lead. i scouting group bombard coastal town of sunderland, in attempt draw out , destroy beatty s battlecruisers. however, von der tann , moltke battlecruisers in fighting condition, new battleship bayern , 2 of könig s sisters, markgraf , grosser kurfürst, temporarily assigned i scouting group. admiral scheer , rest of high seas fleet trail behind providing cover. british aware of german plans , sortied grand fleet meet them. 14:35, scheer had been warned of grand fleet s approach and, unwilling engage whole of grand fleet 11 weeks after decidedly close call @ jutland, turned forces around , retreated german ports.

könig remained in port until 21 october, when ship again sent baltic training. ship returned fleet on 3 november. könig , rest of iii squadron steamed out horns reef on 5–6 november. könig assigned various tasks, including guard duty in german bight , convoy escort in baltic. 1917 saw several training missions in baltic during 22 february – 4 march; 14–22 march , 17 may – 9 june. könig went wilhelmshaven maintenance on 16 june. installation of new heavy foremast , other work lasted until 21 july. on 10 september, könig again went baltic training maneuvers.

operation albion

in september 1917, following german conquest of russian port of riga, german navy decided eliminate russian naval forces still held gulf of riga. admiralstab (the navy high command) planned operation seize baltic island of Ösel, , russian gun batteries on sworbe peninsula. on 18 september, order issued joint operation army capture Ösel , moon islands; primary naval component comprise flagship, moltke, along iii battle squadron of high seas fleet. v division included 4 könig-class ships, , time augmented new battleship bayern. vi division consisted of 5 kaiser-class battleships. along 9 light cruisers, 3 torpedo boat flotillas, , dozens of mine warfare ships, entire force numbered 300 ships, supported on 100 aircraft , 6 zeppelins. invasion force amounted approximately 24,600 officers , enlisted men. opposing germans old russian pre-dreadnoughts slava , tsesarevich, armored cruisers bayan, admiral makarov, , diana, 26 destroyers, , several torpedo boats , gunboats. garrison on Ösel numbered 14,000 men.

german troops landing @ Ösel

könig departed kiel on 23 september putziger wiek, ship remained until 10 october. operation began on 12 october; @ 03:00 könig anchored off Ösel in tagga bay , disembarked soldiers. 05:50, könig opened fire on russian coastal artillery emplacements, joined moltke, bayern, , other 3 könig-class ships. simultaneously, kaiser-class ships engaged batteries on sworbe peninsula; objective secure channel between moon , dagö islands, block escape route of russian ships in gulf. both grosser kurfürst , bayern struck mines while maneuvering bombardment positions, minimal damage former. bayern severely wounded, , had withdrawn kiel repairs. @ 17:30, könig departed area refuel; returned irben strait on 15 october.

on 16 october, decided detach portion of invasion flotilla clear russian naval forces in moon sound; these included 2 russian pre-dreadnoughts. end, könig , kronprinz, along cruisers strassburg , kolberg , number of smaller vessels, sent engage russian battleships. arrived morning of 17 october, deep russian minefield thwarted progress. germans surprised discover 30.5 cm guns of russian battleships out-ranged own 30.5 cm guns. russian ships managed keep distance wide enough prevent german battleships being able return fire, while still firing on german ships, , germans had take several evasive maneuvers avoid russian shells. however, 10:00, minesweepers had cleared path through minefield, , könig , kronprinz dashed bay. 10:13, könig in range of slava , opened fire. meanwhile, kronprinz fired on both slava , cruiser bayan. russian vessels hit dozens of times, until @ 10:30 russian naval commander, admiral bakhirev, ordered withdrawal. könig had hit slava 7 times; damage inflicted prevented escaping north. instead, scuttled , crew evacuated on destroyer. in course of engagement, könig struck cruiser bayan once. following engagement, könig fired on shore batteries on woi , werder.

on 20 october, könig towed mine sweepers kuiwast roadstead. könig transferred soldiers island of schildaum occupied. time, fighting on islands winding down; moon, Ösel, , dagö in german possession. previous day, admiralstab had ordered cessation of naval actions , return of dreadnoughts high seas fleet possible. on return voyage, könig struck bottom in heavy swell. ship repaired in kiel; work lasted until 17 november.

final operations

following könig s return baltic, ship tasked guard duties in north sea , providing support minesweepers. könig returned baltic on 22 december further training, lasted until 8 january 1918. round of exercises conducted 23 february 11 march. on 20 april könig steamed out assist german patrol engaged british forces. ship part of force steamed norway intercept heavily escorted british convoy on 23–25 april, though operation canceled when battlecruiser moltke suffered mechanical damage. könig briefly grounded in northern harbor of island of helgoland on 30 may. 2 months later, on 31 july, könig , rest of iii squadron covered minesweeping unit in north sea. ship went baltic training on 7–18 august, after könig returned north sea. könig conducted last exercise in baltic starting on 28 september; maneuvers lasted until 1 october.

könig have taken part in final fleet action days before armistice, operation envisioned bulk of high seas fleet sortieing base in wilhelmshaven engage british grand fleet. retain better bargaining position germany, admirals hipper , scheer intended inflict damage possible on british navy, whatever cost fleet. on 29 october 1918, order given depart wilhelmshaven consolidate fleet in jade roadstead, intention of departing following morning. however, starting on night of 29 october, sailors on thüringen mutinied. unrest spread other battleships, including könig. operation canceled; in attempt suppress mutiny, admiral scheer ordered fleet dispersed. könig , rest of iii squadron sent kiel. during subsequent mutiny, könig s captain wounded 3 times, , both first officer , adjutant killed.

fate

map of scuttled ships showing könig (#7); click larger view

following capitulation of germany in november 1918, of high seas fleet, under command of rear admiral ludwig von reuter, interned in british naval base in scapa flow. prior departure of german fleet, admiral adolf von trotha made clear von reuter not allow allies seize ships, under conditions. fleet rendezvoused british light cruiser cardiff, led ships allied fleet escort germans scapa flow. massive flotilla consisted of 370 british, american, , french warships. once ships interned, guns disabled through removal of breech blocks.

the fleet remained in captivity during negotiations produced versailles treaty. von reuter believed british intended seize german ships on 21 june, deadline germany have signed peace treaty. unaware deadline had been extended 23rd, reuter ordered ships sunk. on morning of 21 june, british fleet left scapa flow conduct training maneuvers, , @ 11:20 reuter transmitted order ships. könig sank @ 14:00; ship never raised scrapping, unlike of other capital ships scuttled. rights future salvage operations on wreck sold britain in 1962.

the ship popular dive site in scapa flow, lying @ depth of 40 m (130 ft) on sandy floor east of cava. turned on sank , hull faces upwards @ 20 m (66 ft) down. there several dynamited holes in superstructure salvagers have gained access obtain non-ferrous metals. in 2017, marine archaeologists orkney research center archaeology conducted extensive surveys of könig , 9 other wrecks in area, including 6 other german , 3 british warships. archaeologists mapped wrecks sonar , examined them remotely operated underwater vehicles part of effort determine how wrecks deteriorating.

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