SMS V2

In 1911, the Imperial German Navy placed orders for a flotilla of 12 torpedo boats as part of its shipbuilding programme for that year, with one half flotilla of six ordered from AG Vulcan, and six from Germaniawerft.{{#tag:ref|The Imperial German Navy's practice was to split a year's orders into half-flotillas of six torpedo boats from different builders, to differing detailed design.{{Harvnb|Gardiner|Gray|1985|p=164}}|group=lower-alpha}} The 1911 torpedo boats were smaller than those ordered in recent years in order to be more manoeuvrable and so work better with the fleet, which resulted in the numbering series for torpedo boats being restarted. The reduction in size resulted in the ships' seaworthiness being adversely affected,{{Harvnb|Gardiner|Gray|1985|p=167}} with the 1911 torpedo boats and the similar craft of the 1912 programme acquiring the disparaging nickname "Admiral Lans' cripples".

V2, yard number 318, was launched from Vulcan's Stettin, Prussia (now Szczecin in Poland) shipyard on 14 October 1911 and commissioned on 12 January 1912.{{Harvnb|Gröner|1983|p=51}}

The ship was {{convert|71.1|m|ftin}} long overall and {{convert|70.2|m|ftin}} at the waterline, with a beam of {{convert|7.6|m|ftin}} and a draught of {{convert|3.11|m|ftin}}. Displacement was {{convert|569|t|LT}} normal and {{convert|697|t|LT}} deep load. Three coal-fired and one oil-fired water-tube boilers fed steam to two direct-drive steam turbines rated at {{convert|17000|PS|shp kW}}, giving a design speed of {{convert|32|kn}}. {{convert|107|t|LT}} of coal and {{convert|78|t|LT}} of oil were carried, giving a range of {{convert|1190|nmi}} at {{convert|17|kn}} or {{convert|490|nmi}} at {{convert|29|kn}}.

Armament consisted of two 8.8 cm SK L/30 naval gun naval guns{{#tag:ref|In Imperial German Navy gun nomenclature, the L/30 denotes the length of the gun. In this case, the L/30 gun is 30 caliber, meaning that the gun is 30 times as long as it is in diameter.|group=lower-alpha}} in single mounts fore and aft, together with four 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes with one reload torpedo carried. Up to 18 mines could be carried. In 1916 the L/30 guns were replaced by more powerful 8.8 cm SK L/45 naval gun guns. In 1921 she was rearmed with two 10.5 cm SK L/45 naval guns and two 50 cm torpedo tubes, and was fitted with new boilers, while her forecastle was extended rearwards, eliminating the exposed well-deck forward of the ship's bridge.{{Harvnb|Dodson|2019|pp=140–141}} The ship had a crew of 74 officers and other ranks.

In May 1913 V2 was a member of the 9th Half-Flotilla, 5th Torpedo Boat Flotilla,{{Harvnb|Rangeliste der Kaiserlisch-Deutschen Marine|1913|p=62}} and remained part of the 9th Half-Flotilla in May 1914.{{Harvnb|Rangeliste der Kaiserlisch-Deutschen Marine|1914|p=64}}

On 28 August 1914, a British force of destroyers and cruisers supported by battlecruisers made a sortie into the Heligoland Bight in order to ambush German torpedo boats on patrol, which caused the Battle of Heligoland Bight. The 5th Torpedo Boat Flotilla, including V2, were sent out from Heligoland to investigate sightings of British submarines (which were deployed as bait to draw out German ships), and ran into several British destroyers. The Flotilla then turned away to try and escape the trap, but the torpedo boat {{SMS|V1||2}}, which along with {{SMS|S13|1911|2}} could not make full speed and lagged behind the rest of the flotilla, was hit by British shells before the arrival of the German cruiser {{SMS|Stettin||2}} allowed the 5th Flotilla to escape.{{Harvnb|Massie|2007|pp=98–99, 102–104}}{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 11|1921|pp=122–123, 162}} In total, however, three German light cruisers ({{SMS|Ariadne||2}}, {{SMS|Cöln|1909|2}} and {{SMS|Mainz||2}}) and one torpedo boat of the German outer screen ({{SMS|V187||2}}) had been sunk.{{Harvnb|Massie|2007|pp=111–115}}

On 23 January 1915, a German force of Battlecruisers and light cruisers, escorted by torpedo boats, and commanded by Admiral Franz von Hipper, made a sortie to attack British fishing boats on the Dogger Bank.{{Harvnb|Massie|2007|p=377}} V2, part of the 10th Torpedo Boat Half-Flotilla of the 5th Torpedo Boat Flotilla, formed part of the escort for Hipper's force.{{Harvnb|Groos|1923|pp=193, 214}} British Naval Intelligence was warned of the raid by radio messages decoded by Room 40, and sent out the Battlecruiser Force from Rosyth, commanded by Admiral Beatty aboard {{HMS|Lion|1910|2}} and the Harwich Force of light cruisers and destroyers, to intercept the German force.{{Harvnb|Massie|2007|pp=377–380}} The British and German Forces met on the morning of 24 January in the Battle of Dogger Bank. On sighting the British, Hipper ordered his ships to head south-east to escape the British, who set off in pursuit.{{Harvnb|Massie|2007|p=385}} The armoured cruiser {{SMS|Blücher||2}} was disabled by British shells and was sunk, but the rest of the German force escaped, with the German battlecruiser {{SMS|Seydlitz||2}} and the British battlecruiser {{HMS|Lion|1910|2}} badly damaged.{{Harvnb|Massie|2007|p=413}} On 15 April 1915, V2, searching for the British submarine {{HMS|E5||2}}, which had torpedoed and damaged the Sperrbrecher (or auxiliary minesweeper) Schwarzwald on 14 April, dropped several depth charges on an oil slick south of the Amrum Bank thought to from a submarine. Further searches by minesweepers could not find any hint of the suspected submarine, and in fact, E5 had already left the German Bight by the time V2 carried out her attack.{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 29|1925|pp=188–189}}{{Harvnb|Groos|1924|pp=83, 87–88}}

At the Battle of Jutland on 31 May–1 June 1916, V2 was part of the 9th Half-Flotilla, 5th Torpedo Boat Flotilla, operating in support of the main German battle fleet.{{Harvnb|Campbell|1998|pp=14, 25}} At about 03:15 hr CET (i.e. 02:15 hr GMT) on the night of 31 May/1 June V2, {{SMS|V4||2}} and {{SMS|V6|1913|2}} were accompanying the German Fleet on its journey back to base when a large underwater explosion, probably due to a floating mine, blew the bows off V4, killing 18 and wounding four. V2 and V6 rescued the survivors from V4 before V6 scuttled V4 with shellfire and a torpedo.{{Harvnb|Campbell|1998|p=301}}

V2 survived the war, and was one of the twelve destroyers that the Reichsmarine was allowed to retain under the Treaty of Versailles.{{Harvnb|Gardiner|Chesneau|1980|p=223}}{{#tag:ref|Although treated as destroyers under the treaty, V2 and other ships of her class were always referred to as torpedo boats by the Germans.|group=lower-alpha}} She was stricken on 18 November 1929 and was sold for scrap on 25 March 1930 for 61000 Reichsmark and broken up at Wilhelmshaven.

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book|last=Campbell|first=John|title=Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting|year=1998|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=0-85177-750-3}}
• {{cite book |last1=Dodson |first1=Aidan |title=Warship 2019 |date=2019 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-1-4728-3595-6 |pages=129–144 |editor1-last=Jordan |editor1-first=John |chapter=Beyond the Kaiser: The IGN's Destroyers and Torpedo Boats After 1918}}
• {{cite book|editor-last1=Gardiner |editor-first1=Robert |editor-last2=Chesneau |editor-first2=Roger |title=Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946 |year=1980 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=London|isbn=0-85177-146-7}}
• {{cite book|editor-last1=Gardiner|editor-first1=Robert|editor-last2=Gray|editor-first2=Randal|title=Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|year=1985|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=0-85177-245-5}}
• {{cite book|last=Gröner|first=Erich|title=Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815–1945: Band 2: Torpedoboote, Zerstörer, Schnelleboote, Minensuchboote, Minenräumboote|year=1983|publisher=Bernard & Graefe Verlag|location=Koblenz, Germany|isbn=3-7637-4801-6|language=German}}
• {{cite book |last=Groos |first=O. |title=Der Krieg in der Nordsee: Dritter Band: Von Ende November 1914 bis Unfang Februar 1915 |series=Der Krieg zur See: 1914–1918 |year=1923 |location=Berlin |publisher=Verlag von E. S. Mittler und Sohn |url=https://www.digar.ee/arhiiv/et/raamatud/17105 |via=National Library of Estonia}}
• {{cite book |last=Groos |first=O. |title=Der Krieg in der Nordsee: Vierter Band: Von Unfang Februar bis Dezember 1915 |series=Der Krieg zur See: 1914–1918 |year=1924 |location=Berlin |publisher=Verlag von E. S. Mittler und Sohn |url=https://www.digar.ee/arhiiv/nlib-digar:134741 |via=National Library of Estonia}}
• {{cite book |last=Massie|first=Robert K. |title=Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany and the Winning of the Great War at Sea |year=2007 |publisher=Vintage Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-099-52378-9}}
• {{cite book|title=Monograph No. 11: Heligoland Bight—The Action of August 28, 1914|series=Naval Staff Monographs (Historical)|volume=III|year=1921|publisher=The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division|pages=110–166|url=http://www.navy.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/Naval-Staff-Monographs-Vol.III_opt.pdf#67|oclc=220734221|ref={{harvid|Naval Staff Monograph No. 11|1921}}}}
• {{cite book |title=Monograph No. 29: Home Waters Part IV: From February to July 1915 |series=Naval Staff Monographs (Historical) |volume=XIII |year=1925 |publisher=The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/Naval-Staff-Monographs-Vol.XIII_opt.pdf |ref={{Harvid|Naval Staff Monograph No. 29|1925}} }}
• {{cite book|title=Rangeliste der Kaiserlisch-Deutschen Marine für das Jahr 1913 |year=1913|publisher=Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn|language=German |location=Berlin |url=http://digital.ub.uni-duesseldorf.de/ihd/periodical/pageview/8154959|ref={{harvid|Rangeliste der Kaiserlisch-Deutschen Marine|1913}}}}
• {{cite book|title=Rangeliste der Kaiserlisch-Deutschen Marine für das Jahr 1914 |year=1914|publisher=Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn|language=German |location=Berlin |url=https://digital.ub.uni-duesseldorf.de/ihd/periodical/pageview/8162520|ref={{harvid|Rangeliste der Kaiserlisch-Deutschen Marine|1914}}}}

{{V1 class destroyer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:V2}}

Category:Torpedo boats of the Imperial German Navy

Category:Ships built in Stettin

Category:1911 ships

Category:World War I torpedo boats of Germany

Category:V1-class destroyers