K1-class gunboat
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image |Ship image= |Ship caption= }} {{Infobox ship class overview |Name=K1 class |Builders= |Operators= |Class before=none |Class after={{sclass|K1|gunboat|4 | 1939}}
|Subclasses= |Cost={{Reichsmark|6,000,000|link=yes}} each |Built range= |In service range= |In commission range= |Total ships building= |Total ships planned=4 |Total ships completed= |Total ships cancelled=4 |Total ships active= |Total ships laid up= |Total ships lost= |Total ships retired= |Total ships preserved= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship type=Gunboat |Ship displacement=*Designed: {{cvt|1,600|t|lk=on}}
|Ship length={{convert|82.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |Ship beam={{convert|11.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |Ship draft={{convert|3.38|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |Ship power={{convert|4,600|PS|ihp|lk=on|abbr=on|0}} |Ship propulsion=
|Ship speed=Designed: {{convert|18.5|knot|km/h|lk=in}} |Ship range={{convert|3000|nmi|km |
| 3|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|12|knot|km/h|0}}
|Ship crew= |Ship armament=
}} |
The K1 class was a type of gunboat designed by the German {{lang|de|Kriegsmarine}} before World War II. The class was to have comprised four ships, which had been ordered under the provisional names K1, K2, K3, and K4. The four ships were ordered in November 1938, and were scheduled to have been completed by early 1942. However, the contracts for the four ships were canceled on 19 September 1939, two weeks after the start of World War II.
Design
In the mid-1930s, particularly after the Nazi party came to power in 1933 and signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement in 1935, the {{lang|de|Reichsmarine}} (after 1935 the {{lang|de|Kriegsmarine}}) began to consider a major naval construction program. Various elements in the German navy and government favored different priorities, ranging from a large battle fleet like the Imperial-era High Seas Fleet to a force of long-range commerce raiders.{{sfn|Sieche|p=220}} The K1 design was prepared in 1938,{{sfn|Gröner|p=146}} while the discussions that resulted in the adoption of Plan Z in January 1939 were still on-going.{{sfn|Sieche|p=220}}
=General characteristics and machinery=
The K1-class gunboats were {{convert|79|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long at the waterline, and {{convert|82.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long overall. The ships had a beam of {{convert|11.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a draft of {{convert|3.38|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, and a displacement of {{convert|1600|t|lk=on|0|sp=us}} as designed, {{cvt|1390|LT}} standard displacement, and up to {{cvt|1890|LT}} at full load displacement. The ships were of steel construction, and their hulls would have been divided into eleven watertight compartments.{{sfn|Gröner|p=146}}
The ships were to have used a pair of 4-cylinder, triple-expansion engines that drove a pair of screw propellers. The number and type of boilers that would have provided steam to the engines is unknown, but they would have been vented through a pair of funnels. The engines were rated to provide {{convert|4600|PS|ihp|lk=on}}, which would have given the ships a top speed of {{convert|18.5|kn|lk=in}}. At a more economical speed of {{convert|12|kn}}, they would have had a cruising radius of {{convert|3000|nmi|km|-3}}. The ships were designed to carry 176 tons of fuel oil.{{sfn|Gröner|p=146}}
=Armament=
File:10.5 cm mount on Prinz Eugen.jpg
The K1-class ships primary armament consisted of four 10.5 cm FlaK 38{{efn|"L/65" denotes the length of the gun, in terms of the diameter of the barrel. This gun was 65 calibers, meaning the gun was 65 times as long as it is in diameter; in this case, it was 6.825 meters in length}} in two twin-turrets, one fore and one aft of the superstructure.{{sfn|Gröner|p=146}} The 10.5 cm guns fired two types of projectiles: a {{convert|58.4|kg|lb|abbr=on}} high explosive shell and a {{convert|51.8|kg|lb|abbr=on}} incendiary round. Both types of ammunition used a single propellant charge: the {{convert|11.46|kg|lb|abbr=on}} RPC/32 charge. The guns could elevate to 80 degrees, and could hit targets flying at {{convert|12500|m|yd|abbr=on}}. When the guns were used to engage surface targets, they could hit targets {{convert|17700|m|yd|abbr=on}} away, at an elevation of 45 degrees.{{cite web | last = DiGiulian | first = Tony | title = German 10.5 cm/65 (4.1") SK C/33| url = http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_41-65_skc33.htm | publisher = Navweaps.com | date = 26 January 2009 | accessdate = 2 June 2009 }}
The ships were also armed with two 3.7 cm SK C/30, and four heavy machine guns.{{sfn|Gröner|p=146}} The 3.7 cm guns fired {{convert|0.742|kg|lb|abbr=on}} high-explosive shells at a rate of fire of about 30 rounds per minute, and a muzzle velocity of {{convert|1,000|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}. The guns could elevate to 85 degrees and hit targets flying at {{convert|6800|m|yd|abbr=on}}, although the tracers were limited to {{convert|4800|m|yd|abbr=on}}.{{cite web | last = DiGiulian | first = Tony | title = German 3.7 cm/L83 (1.5") SK C/30 3.7 cm/L83 (1.5") SK C/30U| url = http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_37mm-83_skc30.htm | publisher = Navweaps.com | date = 23 March 2009 | accessdate = 2 June 2009 }}
Construction and cancellation
The four ships were ordered on 11 November 1938, at the cost of 6 million Reichsmarks apiece. K1 was planned to have been completed on 20 May 1941; K2 was to have followed on 15 September. K3 was to be completed by 15 January 1942, and K4, the final ship of the class, was to be completed a month later on 14 February.{{sfn|Gröner|p=146}} However, the outbreak of World War II in early September 1939 exacerbated the already fraught state of the German economy. The country had embarked on a massive rearmament program in the years after the Nazis rose to power, which included the {{lang|de|Heer}} (Army) and {{lang|de|Luftwaffe}} (Air Force), all of which competed for scarce resources, especially high-grade steel.{{sfn|Sieche|p=220}} The start of war meant that construction priorities were shifted away from less critical projects to focus Germany's limited resources on projects that might influence the outcome of the war. As a result, the K1 class was canceled on 19 September 1939.{{sfn|Gröner|p=146}}
Footnotes
=Notes=
{{notes}}
=Citations=
{{reflist|20em}}
References
- {{cite book
|last=Campbell
|first=John
|title=Naval Weapons of World War II
|year=1985
|location=London
|publisher=Conway Maritime Press
|isbn=978-0-87021-459-2
|ref={{sfnRef|Campbell}}
}}
- {{cite book
| last = Gröner
| first = Erich
|author-link=Erich Gröner
| year = 1990
| title = German Warships: 1815–1945
| volume = I: Major Surface Vessels
| publisher = Naval Institute Press
| location = Annapolis
| isbn = 978-0-87021-790-6
| ref ={{sfnRef|Gröner}}
}}
- {{cite book
| last = Sieche
| first = Erwin
| chapter = Germany
| pages = 218–254
| editor-last1 = Gardiner
| editor-first1 = Robert
| editor-last2 = Chesneau
| editor-first2 = Roger
| year = 1992
| title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946
| publisher = Conway Maritime Press
| location = London
| isbn = 978-0-85177-146-5
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=bJBMBvyQ83EC
| ref = {{sfnRef|Sieche}}
}}
{{German gunboats}}