SMS Greif (1914)
HMS Alcantara (left) and SMS Greif (right) dueling at close range during the action of 29 February 1916.
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History | |
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Name | Greif |
Builder | Neptun Werft, Rostock[1] |
Launched | 1914[1] |
Acquired | 1915[1] |
Commissioned | 23 January 1916[1] |
Fate | Sunk 29 February 1916 |
General characteristics | |
Displacement | 9,900 tons normal[1] |
Length | 131.7 m (432 ft)[1] |
Beam | 16.4 m (54 ft)[1] |
Draught | 7.5 m (25 ft)[1] |
Propulsion | Two coal-fired boilers, one 3,000 shaft horsepower (12 MW) 3-cylinder triple expansion reciprocating steam engine driving one propeller[1] |
Speed | 13 knots (24.1 km/h)[1] |
Range | 35,000 nautical miles (65,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)[1] |
Complement | 10 officers & 297 men[2] |
Armament | Four 15 cm (5.9 in) SK L/40 guns (4 × 1) with 600 rounds ammunition, one 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/40 rapid-fire gun with 200 rounds ammunition, and two 50 cm (20 in) torpedo tubes with 12 torpedoes[3] |
SMS Greif was a German cargo steamship that was converted into a merchant raider for the Imperial German Navy.[1]
Construction and conversion
[edit]Built as Guben, she was a 4,962 GRT steel-hulled ship owned by the German-Australian Line (DADG), Hamburg.[1] She was converted for naval service at Kaiserliche Werft Kiel in 1915 and commissioned as Greif on 23 January 1916.[1]
Service history
[edit]Greif sailed from the Elbe port of Cuxhaven on 27 February 1916[4] under the command of Fregattenkapitän Rudolf Tietze (born 13 September 1874, previously was commander of the battleship SMS Wörth).[5] The Royal Navy had learned of Greif's sailing and was waiting in the North Sea.[6]
Action of 29 February 1916
[edit]Greif was disguised as the Norwegian Rena bound for Tønsberg, Norway, when intercepted by the 15,620 GRT armed merchant cruiser Alcantara on the morning of 29 February 1916.[4] Alcantara closed to 2,000 yards (1,800 m) and slowed to lower a boarding cutter when Greif hoisted the German battle ensign, increased speed, and opened fire.[4] Alcantara returned fire with her six 6-inch (152 mm) guns and two 3-pounders.[4] Range was never more than 3,000 yards (2,700 m).[4]
Alcantara was hit by a torpedo amidships on her port side, and one of Alcantara's shells exploded the ready ammunition for Greif's after gun.[4] Both ships lost speed.[4] Greif's crew abandoned ship 40 minutes after opening fire.[4] Alcantara sank first.[4] The C-class light cruiser Comus and M-class destroyer Munster then arrived to sink the stationary Greif[4] and rescue 120 German survivors.[2] An estimated 187 Germans perished along with 72 Britons.
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- Poole, Francis (July 1975). "Alcantara vs. Greif: Duel of the Merchant Cruisers". United States Naval Institute Proceedings.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - Schmalenbach, Paul (1977). German Raiders. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85059-351-4.
External links
[edit]Media related to Greif (ship, 1915) at Wikimedia Commons