A double hull is a ship hull design and construction method where the bottom and sides of the ship have two complete layers of watertight hull surface: one outer layer forming the normal hull of the ship, and a second inner hull which is some distance inboard, typically by a few feet, which forms a redundant barrier to seawater in case the outer hull is damaged and leaks.
121-880: SMS König Wilhelm ( King William ) was an armored frigate of the Prussian and later the German Imperial Navy . The ship was laid down in 1865 at the Thames Ironworks shipyard in London , originally under the name Fatih for the Ottoman Empire . She was purchased by Prussia in February 1867, launched in April 1868, and commissioned into the Prussian Navy in February 1869. The ship
242-419: A central battery, with nine on either broadside . The nineteenth gun was a Chase gun placed in the stern, in the commandant's quarters. The guns could depress to −4° and elevate to 7.5°; at maximum elevation, the guns could reach targets out to 4,500 m (14,800 ft). The ship's armament was rounded out by four 21 cm (8.3 in) guns, which could depress to −5° and elevate to 13°. Their maximum range
363-716: A continuous line of guns from bow to stern at the level of the quarterdeck/forecastle), were built, which were an almost exact match in size and firepower to the American 44-gun frigates. Frigates were perhaps the hardest-worked of warship types during the Age of Sail . While smaller than a ship-of-the-line , they were formidable opponents for the large numbers of sloops and gunboats , not to mention privateers or merchantmen. Able to carry six months' stores, they had very long range; and vessels larger than frigates were considered too valuable to operate independently. Frigates scouted for
484-409: A greater chance of glory, promotion, and prize money . Unlike larger ships that were placed in ordinary , frigates were kept in service in peacetime as a cost-saving measure and to provide experience to frigate captains and officers which would be useful in wartime. Frigates could also carry marines for boarding enemy ships or for operations on shore; in 1832, the frigate USS Potomac landed
605-544: A light armament, built for speed and maneuverability. The etymology of the word remains uncertain, although it may have originated as a corruption of aphractus , a Latin word for an open vessel with no lower deck. Aphractus , in turn, derived from the Ancient Greek phrase ἄφρακτος ναῦς ( aphraktos naus ) – "undefended ship" . In 1583, during the Eighty Years' War of 1568–1648, Habsburg Spain recovered
726-507: A partially armed lower deck, from which it was known as a 'half-battery' or demi-batterie ship. Removing the guns from this deck allowed the height of the hull upperworks to be lowered, giving the resulting 'true-frigate' much improved sailing qualities. The unarmed deck meant that the frigate's guns were carried comparatively high above the waterline; as a result, when seas were too rough for two-deckers to open their lower deck gunports , frigates were still able to fight with all their guns (see
847-461: A party of 282 sailors and Marines ashore in the US Navy's first Sumatran expedition . Frigates remained a crucial element of navies until the mid-19th century. The first ironclads were classified as "frigates" because of the number of guns they carried. However, terminology changed as iron and steam became the norm, and the role of the frigate was assumed first by the protected cruiser and then by
968-523: A single rudder . She suffered from severe roll but little pitch. The ship's crew numbered 36 officers and 694 enlisted men, and while serving as a flagship , the crew was augmented with a command staff composed of 9 officers and 47 enlisted men. König Wilhelm carried a number of smaller boats, including two picket boats, two launches , a pinnace , two cutters , two yawls , and one dinghy . A horizontal, two-cylinder single-expansion steam engine , built by Maudslay, Son & Field of London, powered
1089-495: A standard design averaging a hull length of 135 ft (41 m) and an average draught of 13 ft (4.0 m). The new frigates recorded sailing speeds of up to 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), significantly faster than their predecessor vessels. In 1778, the British Admiralty introduced a larger "heavy" frigate, with a main battery of twenty-six or twenty-eight 18-pounder guns (with smaller guns carried on
1210-448: A surface area of 2,600 square meters (28,000 sq ft) supplemented the steam engine, though in service they added little to the ship's performance. As built, König Wilhelm was equipped with a main battery of thirty-three rifled 72-pounder cannon. After her delivery to Germany, these guns were replaced with nineteen 24 cm K L/20 guns, supplied with a total of 1,440 rounds of ammunition. Most of these guns were mounted in
1331-430: A top speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), though on trials König Wilhelm exceeded both figures, reaching 8,440 metric horsepower (8,320 ihp) and 14.7 knots (27.2 km/h; 16.9 mph). The ship carried 750 t (740 long tons) of coal, which enabled a maximum range of 1,300 nautical miles (2,400 km; 1,500 mi) at a cruising speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). A ship rig with
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#17327930768121452-523: A visit to Britain, though Friedrich Carl was damaged after running aground in the Great Belt . König Wilhelm , Kronprinz , and Prinz Adalbert continued on to Plymouth while Friedrich Carl returned to Kiel for repairs. The latter vessel quickly rejoined the ships there and on 1 July they departed for a training cruise to Fayal in the Azores , Portugal. But tensions with France over
1573-426: A wide variety of ships have been classified as frigates, and the reasons for such classification have not been consistent. While some navies have used the word 'frigate' principally for large ocean-going anti-submarine warfare (ASW) combatants, others have used the term to describe ships that are otherwise recognizable as corvettes, destroyers, and even nuclear-powered guided-missile cruisers . Some European navies use
1694-407: Is also invaluable for search and rescue operation and has largely replaced the use of small boats or the jackstay rig for such duties as transferring personnel, mail and cargo between ships or to shore. With helicopters these tasks can be accomplished faster and less dangerously, and without the need for the frigate to slow down or change course. Frigates designed in the 1960s and 1970s, such as
1815-530: Is an example of a specialised anti-submarine warfare frigate, though it also has Sea Wolf surface-to-air missiles for point defense plus Exocet surface-to-surface missiles for limited offensive capability. Especially for anti-submarine warfare, most modern frigates have a landing deck and hangar aft to operate helicopters , eliminating the need for the frigate to close with unknown sub-surface threats, and using fast helicopters to attack nuclear submarines which may be faster than surface warships. For this task
1936-476: Is penetrated as well. Double hulls or double bottoms have been required in all passenger ships for decades as part of the Safety Of Life At Sea or SOLAS Convention. Double hulls are significantly safer than double bottoms, which in turn are safer than single bottoms. In case of grounding or other underwater damage, most of the time the damage is limited to flooding the bottom compartment, and
2057-560: Is rated as a frigate and is still in commission, but does not count towards Navy force levels). The remaining 20 LCSs to be acquired from 2019 and onwards that will be enhanced will be designated as frigates, and existing ships given modifications may also have their classification changed to FF as well. A few frigates have survived as museum ships. They are: These ships are classified by their respective nations as frigates, but are considered destroyers internationally due to size, armament, and role. Double bottom The space between
2178-677: Is the Iver Huitfeldt class of the Royal Danish Navy . Stealth technology has been introduced in modern frigate design by the French La Fayette class design. Frigate shapes are designed to offer a minimal radar cross section , which also lends them good air penetration; the maneuverability of these frigates has been compared to that of sailing ships. Examples are the Italian and French Horizon class with
2299-585: Is the U.S. littoral combat ship (LCS). As of 2015, all Oliver Hazard Perry -class frigates in the United States Navy have been decommissioned, and their role partially being assumed by the new LCS. While the LCS class ships are smaller than the frigate class they will replace, they offer a similar degree of weaponry while requiring less than half the crew complement and offering a top speed of over 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph). A major advantage for
2420-478: The California and Virginia classes – were nuclear-powered (DLGN). These "frigates" were roughly mid-way in size between cruisers and destroyers. This was similar to the use of the term "frigate" during the age of sail during which it referred to a medium-sized warship, but it was inconsistent with conventions used by other contemporary navies which regarded frigates as being smaller than destroyers. During
2541-606: The De Zeven Provinciën -class air defence and command frigate of the Royal Netherlands Navy . These ships are armed with VL Standard Missile 2 Block IIIA , one or two Goalkeeper CIWS systems, ( HNLMS Evertsen has two Goalkeepers, the rest of the ships have the capacity for another one.) VL Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles , a special SMART-L radar and a Thales Active Phased Array Radar (APAR), all of which are for air defence. Another example
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#17327930768122662-461: The 1975 ship reclassification , the large American frigates were redesignated as guided-missile cruisers or destroyers (CG/CGN/DDG), while ocean escorts (the American classification for ships smaller than destroyers, with hull symbol DE/DEG ( destroyer escort )) such as the Knox -class were reclassified as frigates (FF/FFG), sometimes called "fast frigates". In the late 1970s, as a gradual successor to
2783-581: The Age of Sail . Constitution and her sister ships President and United States were created in a response to deal with the Barbary Coast pirates and in conjunction with the Naval Act of 1794 . Joshua Humphreys proposed that only live oak , a tree that grew only in America, should be used to build these ships. The British, wounded by repeated defeats in single-ship actions, responded to
2904-1457: The Aster 15 and Aster 30 missile for anti-missile capabilities, the German F125 and Sachsen -class frigates, the Turkish TF2000 type frigates with the MK-41 VLS , the Indian Shivalik , Talwar and Nilgiri classes with the Brahmos missile system and the Malaysian Maharaja Lela class with the Naval Strike Missile . The modern French Navy applies the term first-class frigate and second-class frigate to both destroyers and frigates in service. Pennant numbers remain divided between F-series numbers for those ships internationally recognised as frigates and D-series pennant numbers for those more traditionally recognised as destroyers. This can result in some confusion as certain classes are referred to as frigates in French service while similar ships in other navies are referred to as destroyers. This also results in some recent classes of French ships such as
3025-550: The British Royal Navy were rated as Captain-class frigates. The U.S. Navy's two Canadian -built Asheville -class and 96 British-influenced, American-built Tacoma -class frigates that followed originally were classified as "patrol gunboats " (PG) in the U.S. Navy but on 15 April 1943 were all reclassified as patrol frigates (PF) . The introduction of the surface-to-air missile after World War II made relatively small ships effective for anti-aircraft warfare:
3146-462: The Dogger Bank , though they encountered no French warships. König Wilhelm and the other two broadside ironclads thereafter suffered from chronic engine trouble, which left Arminius alone to conduct operations. König Wilhelm , Friedrich Carl , and Kronprinz stood off the island of Wangerooge for the majority of the conflict, while Arminius was stationed in the mouth of
3267-530: The Dutch Republic became the first navy to build the larger ocean-going frigates. The Dutch navy had three principal tasks in the struggle against Spain: to protect Dutch merchant ships at sea, to blockade the ports of Spanish-held Flanders to damage trade and halt enemy privateering , and to fight the Spanish fleet and prevent troop landings. The first two tasks required speed, shallowness of draft for
3388-641: The Elbe river . On 11 September, the three broadside ironclads were again ready for action; they joined Arminius for another major operation into the North Sea. It too did not encounter French opposition, as the French Navy had by this time returned to France. After the war, the Prussian Navy became the Imperial Navy , and resumed its peacetime training routines. General Albrecht von Stosch became
3509-601: The Ems Dispatch , initiating the Franco-Prussian War . The greatly numerically inferior Prussian Navy assumed a defensive posture against a naval blockade imposed by the French Navy . Kronprinz , Friedrich Carl , and König Wilhelm were concentrated in the North Sea at the port of Wilhelmshaven, with a view toward breaking the French blockade of the port. They were subsequently joined there by
3630-657: The Eurosam Aster 15 ) allow modern guided-missile frigates to form the core of many modern navies and to be used as a fleet defence platform, without the need for specialised anti-air warfare frigates. Modern destroyers and frigates have sufficient endurance and seaworthiness for long voyages and so are considered blue water vessels, while corvettes (even the largest ones capable of carrying an anti-submarine warfare helicopter) are typically deployed in coastal or littoral zones so are regarded as brown-water or green-water vessels. According to Dr. Sidharth Kaushal of
3751-780: The Hohenzollern candidacy for the vacant Spanish throne were reaching a crisis point. While they cruised east through the English Channel , they learned of the increasing likelihood of war, and the Prussians detached Prinz Adalbert to Dartmouth to be kept informed of events. The rest of the squadron joined her there on 13 July, and as war seemed to be imminent, the Prussians ended the cruise and returned to home. The ships arrived back in Wilhelmshaven on 16 July, three days before France declared war on Prussia over
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3872-596: The Horizon class being among the largest in the world to carry the rating of frigate. The Frégates de Taille Intermédiaire (FTI), which means frigates of intermediate size, is a French military program to design and create a planned class of frigates to be used by the French Navy. At the moment, the program consists of five ships, with commissioning planned from 2023 onwards . In the German Navy , frigates were used to replace aging destroyers; however in size and role
3993-509: The Knox frigates, the US Navy introduced the 51-ship Oliver Hazard Perry -class guided-missile frigates (FFG), the last of which was decommissioned in 2015, although some serve in other navies. By 1995 the older guided-missile cruisers and destroyers were replaced by the Ticonderoga -class cruisers and Arleigh Burke -class destroyers . One of the most successful post-1945 designs was
4114-640: The Kyan Sittha-class frigate . Before the Kyan Sittha class, the Myanmar Navy also produced an Aung Zeya -class frigate . Although the size of the Myanmar Navy is quite small, it is producing modern guided-missile frigates with the help of Russia, China, and India. However, the fleets of the Myanmar Navy are still expanding with several on-going shipbuilding programmes, including one 135 m (442 ft 11 in), 4,000-tonne frigate with
4235-667: The RIM-2 Terrier missile, upgraded to the RIM-67 Standard ER missile in the 1980s. This type of ship was intended primarily to defend aircraft carriers against anti-ship cruise missiles , augmenting and eventually replacing converted World War II cruisers (CAG/CLG/CG) in this role. The guided-missile frigates also had an anti-submarine capability that most of the World War II cruiser conversions lacked. Some of these ships – Bainbridge and Truxtun along with
4356-577: The Type 41 ( Leopard -class) air-defence frigates built on the same hull. Multi-role frigates like the MEKO 200 , Anzac and Halifax classes are designed for navies needing warships deployed in a variety of situations that a general frigate class would not be able to fulfill and not requiring the need for deploying destroyers . At the opposite end of the spectrum, some frigates are specialised for anti-submarine warfare . Increasing submarine speeds towards
4477-582: The United States Navy 's destroyer escorts (DE), although the latter had greater speed and offensive armament to better suit them to fleet deployments. The destroyer escort concept came from design studies by the General Board of the United States Navy in 1940, as modified by requirements established by a British commission in 1941 prior to the American entry into the war, for deep-water escorts. The American-built destroyer escorts serving in
4598-521: The action of 13 January 1797 , for an example when this was decisive). The Royal Navy captured a number of the new French frigates, including Médée , during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748) and were impressed by them, particularly for their inshore handling capabilities. They soon built copies (ordered in 1747), based on a French privateer named Tygre , and started to adapt
4719-457: The broadside tactic in naval warfare. At this time, a further design evolved, reintroducing oars and resulting in galley frigates such as HMS Charles Galley of 1676, which was rated as a 32-gun fifth-rate but also had a bank of 40 oars set below the upper deck that could propel the ship in the absence of a favorable wind. In Danish, the word "fregat" often applies to warships carrying as few as 16 guns, such as HMS Falcon , which
4840-524: The light cruiser . Frigates are often the vessel of choice in historical naval novels due to their relative freedom compared to ships-of-the-line (kept for fleet actions) and smaller vessels (generally assigned to a home port and less widely ranging). For example, the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey–Maturin series , C. S. Forester 's Horatio Hornblower series and Alexander Kent 's Richard Bolitho series. The motion picture Master and Commander: The Far Side of
4961-625: The opposing force in the Baltic, simulating a Russian fleet attacking Germany's Baltic coast. Following the conclusion of maneuvers in September, Diederichs left the squadron and was replaced by Admiral Karl Barandon . In 1895, König Wilhelm went into drydock at the Blohm and Voss shipyard in Hamburg for an extensive reconstruction into an armored cruiser. The vessel's armament was increased,
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5082-673: The southern Netherlands from the Protestant rebels. This soon resulted in the use of the occupied ports as bases for privateers , the " Dunkirkers ", to attack the shipping of the Dutch and their allies. To achieve this the Dunkirkers developed small, maneuverable, sailing vessels that came to be referred to as frigates. The success of these Dunkirker vessels influenced the ship design of other navies contending with them, but because most regular navies required ships of greater endurance than
5203-583: The vertical missile launch systems . The four planned Tamandaré -class frigates of the Brazilian Navy will be responsible for introducing ships with stealth technology in the national navy and the Latin American region, with the first boat expected to be launched in 2024. Some new classes of ships similar to corvettes are optimized for high-speed deployment and combat with small craft rather than combat between equal opponents; an example
5324-662: The "guided-missile frigate". In the USN, these vessels were called " ocean escorts " and designated "DE" or "DEG" until 1975 – a holdover from the World War II destroyer escort or "DE". While the Royal Canadian Navy used similar designations for their warships built in the 1950s, the British Royal Navy maintained the use of the term "frigate"; in the 1990s the RCN re-introduced the frigate designation. Likewise,
5445-480: The 1875 training year, König Wilhelm cruised with Kronprinz and the recently completed ironclads Hansa and Kaiser , though they stayed in local waters. König Wilhelm remained laid up through 1876 and 1877. König Wilhelm was recommissioned in early 1878 to take part in that year's training program. While steaming in the Straits of Dover on 31 May, König Wilhelm accidentally collided with
5566-476: The 1888 training cycle as well, along with Kaiser and the ironclads Bayern and Württemberg . She did not see activity from 1889 to late 1892, but she was reactivated to take part in the training cruise of the winter of 1892–1893. By 1893, König Wilhelm had been assigned as the flagship for II Division of the German fleet; the four Sachsen -class armored corvettes composed I Division. The ship flew
5687-627: The 9,137 ton vessel to speeds of up to 14 knots and rifled breechloading 110-pdr guns, Warrior is the ancestor of all modern warships. During the 1880s, as warship design shifted from iron to steel and cruising warships without sails started to appear, the term "frigate" fell out of use. Vessels with armoured sides were designated as " battleships " or " armoured cruisers ", while " protected cruisers " only possessed an armoured deck, and unarmoured vessels, including frigates and sloops, were classified as " unprotected cruisers ". Modern frigates are related to earlier frigates only by name. The term "frigate"
5808-582: The American destroyer escort , frigates are usually less expensive to build and maintain. Small anti-submarine escorts designed for naval use from scratch had previously been classified as sloops by the Royal Navy, and the Black Swan -class sloops of 1939–1945 (propelled by steam turbines as opposed to cheaper triple-expansion steam engines) were as large as the new types of frigate, and more heavily armed. 22 of these were reclassified as frigates after
5929-760: The British Leander -class frigate, which was used by several navies. Laid down in 1959, the Leander class was based on the previous Type 12 anti-submarine frigate but equipped for anti-aircraft use as well. They were used by the UK into the 1990s, at which point some were sold onto other navies. The Leander design, or improved versions of it, were licence-built for other navies as well. Nearly all modern frigates are equipped with some form of offensive or defensive missiles, and as such are rated as guided-missile frigates (FFG). Improvements in surface-to-air missiles (e.g.,
6050-529: The British classified as a sloop. Under the rating system of the Royal Navy , by the middle of the 18th century, the term "frigate" was technically restricted to single-decked ships of the fifth rate , though small 28-gun frigates classed as sixth rate . The classic sailing frigate, or 'true frigate', well-known today for its role in the Napoleonic Wars , can be traced back to French developments in
6171-553: The Dunkirker frigates could provide, the term soon came to apply less exclusively to any relatively fast and elegant sail-only warship. In French, the term "frigate" gave rise to a verb – frégater , meaning 'to build long and low', and to an adjective, adding more confusion. Even the huge English Sovereign of the Seas could be described as "a delicate frigate" by a contemporary after her upper decks were reduced in 1651. The navy of
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#17327930768126292-629: The English and Spanish to the lighter frigates, carrying around 40 guns and weighing around 300 tons. The effectiveness of the Dutch frigates became most evident in the Battle of the Downs in 1639, encouraging most other navies, especially the English, to adopt similar designs. The fleets built by the Commonwealth of England in the 1650s generally consisted of ships described as "frigates",
6413-606: The French Navy refers to missile-equipped ships, up to cruiser-sized ships ( Suffren , Tourville , and Horizon classes ), by the name of "frégate", while smaller units are named aviso . The Soviet Navy used the term "guard-ship" ( сторожевой корабль ). From the 1950s to the 1970s, the United States Navy commissioned ships classed as guided-missile frigates ( hull classification symbol DLG or DLGN, literally meaning guided-missile destroyer leaders ), which were actually anti-aircraft warfare cruisers built on destroyer -style hulls. These had one or two twin launchers per ship for
6534-464: The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The British produced larger, 38-gun, and slightly smaller, 36-gun, versions and also a 32-gun design that can be considered an 'economy version'. The 32-gun frigates also had the advantage that they could be built by the many smaller, less-specialised shipbuilders. Frigates could (and usually did) additionally carry smaller carriage-mounted guns on their quarterdecks and forecastles (the superstructures above
6655-421: The German navy; she served as its flagship during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870–1871, though engine troubles prevented the ship from seeing action. In 1878, the ship accidentally rammed and sank the ironclad Grosser Kurfürst , with great loss of life. König Wilhelm was converted into an armored cruiser in 1895–1896; by early 1904, however, she had been superseded by newer vessels. In May of that year, she
6776-467: The LCS ships is that they are designed around specific mission modules allowing them to fulfill a variety of roles. The modular system also allows for most upgrades to be performed ashore and installed later into the ship, keeping the ships available for deployment for the maximum time. The latest U.S. deactivation plans mean that this is the first time that the U.S. Navy has been without a frigate class of ships since 1943 (technically USS Constitution
6897-409: The Prevention of Pollution from Ships or MARPOL Convention. A double hull does not protect against major, high-energy collisions or groundings which cause the majority of oil pollution, despite this being the reason that the double hull was mandated by United States legislation. After the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster, when that ship grounded on Bligh Reef outside the port of Valdez , Alaska ,
7018-444: The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, describing the difference between 21st century destroyers and frigates, the larger "destroyers can more easily carry and generate the power for more powerful high-resolution radar and a larger number of vertical launch cells. They can thus provide theatre wide air and missile defence for forces such as a carrier battle group and typically serve this function". By contrast
7139-401: The US Government required all new oil tankers built for use between US ports to be equipped with a full double hull. In submarine hulls , the double hull structure is significantly different, consisting of an outer light hull and inner pressure hull, with the outer hull intended more to provide a hydrodynamic shape for the submarine than the cylindrical inner pressure hull. It was introduced in
7260-478: The US Navy's Knox -class frigate , West Germany's Bremen -class frigate , and Royal Navy's Type 22 frigate were equipped with a small number of short-ranged surface-to-air missiles ( Sea Sparrow or Sea Wolf ) for point defense only. By contrast newer frigates starting with the Oliver Hazard Perry -class frigate are specialised for "zone-defense" air defence , because of the major developments in fighter jets and ballistic missiles . Recent examples include
7381-445: The World features a reconstructed historic frigate, HMS Rose , to depict Aubrey's frigate HMS Surprise . Vessels classed as frigates continued to play a great role in navies with the adoption of steam power in the 19th century. In the 1830s, navies experimented with large paddle steamers equipped with large guns mounted on one deck, which were termed "paddle frigates". From the mid-1840s on, frigates which more closely resembled
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#17327930768127502-528: The battle line in an emergency. In the 1790s the French built a small number of large 24-pounder frigates, such as Forte and Egyptienne , they also cut-down (reduced the height of the hull to give only one continuous gun deck) a number of older ships-of-the-line (including Diadème ) to produce super-heavy frigates; the resulting ship was known as a rasée . It is not known whether the French were seeking to produce very potent cruisers or merely to address stability problems in old ships. The British, alarmed by
7623-481: The bow, one on both broadsides, and one in the stern, all above water. The torpedo tubes were supplied with a total of 13 rounds. Following her conversion into a training ship, most of her armament was removed. The ship only carried sixteen 8.8 cm L/30 guns, and in 1915, twelve of these were removed. During her reconstruction into an armored cruiser, the iron armor was cut away and replaced with stronger steel armor. The conning tower received armor protection during
7744-451: The chief of the Imperial Navy, and organized the fleet for coastal defense. Through the early 1870s, König Wilhelm and the other armored frigates operated intermittently, alternating between periods of training activity and stints in reserve. Typically, the ships were commissioned for summer training cycles before being laid up over the winter, with one or two ironclads kept in commission but with reduced crews to serve as guard ships . For
7865-433: The commanders of the two ships, along with Lieutenant Clausa, the first officer aboard Grosser Kurfürst , to investigate the sinking. The damage to König Wilhelm necessitated a lengthy period of repairs from 1878 to 1882. The work was carried out at the Imperial Dockyard in Wilhelmshaven, and also included reboilering and replacement of the ship's ram. Her 21 cm guns were replaced with 24 cm guns, providing
7986-576: The corvette, allowing manufacture by yards unused to warship construction. The first frigates of the River class (1941) were essentially two sets of corvette machinery in one larger hull, armed with the latest Hedgehog anti-submarine weapon. The frigate possessed less offensive firepower and speed than a destroyer , including an escort destroyer , but such qualities were not required for anti-submarine warfare. Submarines were slow while submerged, and ASDIC sets did not operate effectively at speeds of over 20 knots (23 mph ; 37 km/h ). Rather,
8107-423: The cruise, König Wilhelm ran aground on a mud bank off the Frisian coast . Deutschland and Friedrich der Grosse quickly pulled the ship free with minimal damage. The ships then proceeded to Scotland via Oslo and Bergen . The division returned to Kiel at the end of May to replenish its stocks of coal and provisions for the summer exercises. During the 1894 maneuvers, von Diederich's II Division acted as
8228-584: The end of World War II (see German Type XXI submarine ) greatly reduced the margin of speed superiority of frigate over submarine. The frigate could no longer be slow and powered by mercantile machinery and consequently postwar frigates, such as the Whitby class , were faster. Such ships carry improved sonar equipment, such as the variable depth sonar or towed array , and specialised weapons such as torpedoes , forward-throwing weapons such as Limbo and missile-carried anti-submarine torpedoes such as ASROC or Ikara . The Royal Navy's original Type 22 frigate
8349-456: The firepower, measured in weight of metal (the combined weight of all projectiles fired in one broadside), of these vessels. The disadvantages of the carronade were that it had a much shorter range and was less accurate than a long gun. The British quickly saw the advantages of the new weapon and soon employed it on a wide scale. The US Navy also copied the design soon after its appearance. The French and other nations eventually adopted variations of
8470-424: The flag of Admiral Otto von Diederichs , and was based in Wilhelmshaven. On 20 February 1894, a special ceremony was held on board the ship to commemorate the 25th anniversary of her commissioning. Kaiser Wilhelm II attended the ceremony, as did Ludwig von Henk, who had by that time retired as a Vizeadmiral . In April 1894, II Division conducted a training cruise to prepare for the annual summer maneuvers. During
8591-441: The fleet, went on commerce-raiding missions and patrols, and conveyed messages and dignitaries. Usually, frigates would fight in small numbers or singly against other frigates. They would avoid contact with ships-of-the-line; even in the midst of a fleet engagement it was bad etiquette for a ship of the line to fire on an enemy frigate which had not fired first. Frigates were involved in fleet battles, often as "repeating frigates". In
8712-691: The following year. The Kingdom of Prussia had embarked on a program to acquire sea-going ironclad warships , and after having placed orders for two such vessels in British and French shipyards in 1865, opted to add Fatih to the Prussian Navy when the opportunity arose. The small Prussian fleet had been unable to defeat the Danish naval blockade in the Second Schleswig War of 1863–1864, and sought to strengthen its fleet with ironclads to prevent future blockades. On entering service,
8833-539: The frigate was an austere and weatherly vessel suitable for mass-construction and fitted with the latest innovations in anti-submarine warfare. As the frigate was intended purely for convoy duties, and not to deploy with the fleet, it had limited range and speed. It was not until the Royal Navy's Bay class of 1944 that a British design classified as a "frigate" was produced for fleet use, although it still suffered from limited speed. These anti-aircraft frigates, built on incomplete Loch-class frigate hulls, were similar to
8954-402: The helicopter is equipped with sensors such as sonobuoys , wire-mounted dipping sonar and magnetic anomaly detectors to identify possible threats, and torpedoes or depth-charges to attack them. With their onboard radar helicopters can also be used to reconnoitre over-the-horizon targets and, if equipped with anti-ship missiles such as Penguin or Sea Skua , to attack them. The helicopter
9075-429: The iron. The outer layer was reduced to 152 mm (6 in) in the stern but did not extend to the bow. The inner layer was 127 mm (5 in) thick in both the bow and stern, and the teak backing was 90 mm (3.5 in) for both ends of the ship. The main battery was protected with 150 mm (5.9 in) thick plating and capped on either end with 150 mm thick transverse bulkheads . König Wilhelm
9196-410: The largest of which were two-decker "great frigates" of the third rate . Carrying 60 guns, these vessels were as big and capable as "great ships" of the time; however, most other frigates at the time were used as " cruisers ": independent fast ships. The term "frigate" implied a long hull -design, which relates directly to speed (see hull speed ) and which also, in turn, helped the development of
9317-493: The late 1890s by Maxime Laubeuf on French submarine Narval . In addition to tailoring the flow of water around the submarine (also known as hydrodynamic bypass ), this outer skin serves as a mounting point for anechoic tiles , which are designed specifically to absorb sound rather than reflect it, helping to hide the vessel from sonar detection. Leonardo da Vinci proposed the double-hulled ship design to protect against ramming and underwater damage from reefs or wreckage. Even if
9438-450: The line and clear from the smoke and disorder of battle, could be more easily seen by the other ships of the fleet. If damage or loss of masts prevented the flagship from making clear conventional signals, the repeating frigates could interpret them and hoist their own in the correct manner, passing on the commander's instructions clearly. For officers in the Royal Navy, a frigate was a desirable posting. Frigates often saw action, which meant
9559-407: The line, and after a series of losses at the outbreak of the War of 1812 , Royal Navy fighting instructions ordered British frigates (usually rated at 38 guns or less) to never engage the large American frigates at any less than a 2:1 advantage. USS Constitution , preserved as a museum ship by the US Navy, is the oldest commissioned warship afloat, and is a surviving example of a frigate from
9680-413: The main occupied areas of the ship remain intact. In low-energy collisions to the sides of the vessel, double hulls also prevent flooding beyond the penetrated compartment. In high-energy collisions, however, the distance to the inner hull is not sufficient and the inner compartment is penetrated as well. A double bottom or hull also conveniently forms a stiff and strong girder or beam structure with
9801-499: The new German frigates exceed the former class of destroyers. The future German F125-class frigates are the largest class of frigates worldwide with a displacement of more than 7,200 tons. The same was done in the Spanish Navy , which went ahead with the deployment of the first Aegis frigates, the Álvaro de Bazán -class frigates. The Myanmar Navy is producing modern frigates with a reduced radar cross section known as
9922-433: The newly commissioned turret ironclad Grosser Kurfürst . The two ships, along with Preussen , had left Wilhelmshaven on the 29th. König Wilhelm and Preussen steamed in a line, with Grosser Kurfürst off to starboard. On the morning of the 31st, the three ships encountered a pair of sailing vessels off Folkestone . Grosser Kurfürst turned to port to avoid the boats while König Wilhelm sought to pass
10043-723: The prospect of these powerful heavy frigates, responded by rasée-ing three of their smaller 64-gun battleships, including Indefatigable , which went on to have a very successful career as a frigate. At this time the British also built a few 24-pounder-armed large frigates, the most successful of which was HMS Endymion (1,277 tons). In 1797, three of the United States Navy 's first six major ships were rated as 44-gun frigates, which operationally carried fifty-six to sixty 24-pounder long guns and 32-pounder or 42-pounder carronades on two decks; they were exceptionally powerful. These ships were so large, at around 1,500 tons, and well-armed that they were often regarded as equal to ships of
10164-422: The quarterdeck and forecastle). This move may reflect the naval conditions at the time, with both France and Spain as enemies the usual British preponderance in ship numbers was no longer the case and there was pressure on the British to produce cruisers of individually greater force. In reply, the first French 18-pounder frigates were laid down in 1781. The 18-pounder frigate eventually became the standard frigate of
10285-441: The quarterdeck and forecastle. Technically, 'rated ships' with fewer than 28 guns could not be classed as frigates but as " post ships "; however, in common parlance most post ships were often described as "frigates", the same casual misuse of the term being extended to smaller two-decked ships that were too small to stand in the line of battle. A total of fifty-nine French sailing frigates were built between 1777 and 1790, with
10406-406: The refit as well. The sides were 50 to 100 mm (2.0 to 3.9 in) thick sloped plates, with a 30 mm (1.2 in) thick roof. The ship was laid down in 1865 and the Prussians purchased her on 6 February 1867, initially renaming her Wilhelm I . They changed her name again to König Wilhelm on 14 December, and she was launched on 25 April 1868. After completing fitting-out , she
10527-486: The same strategic role. The phrase "armoured frigate" remained in use for some time to denote a sail-equipped, broadside-firing type of ironclad. The first such ship was the revolutionary Marine Nationale wooden-hulled Gloire , protected by 12 cm-thick (4.7 in) armour plates. The British response was HMS Warrior of the Warrior-class ironclads, launched in 1860. With her iron hull, steam engines propelling
10648-446: The second quarter of the 18th century. The French-built Médée of 1740 is often regarded as the first example of this type. These ships were square-rigged and carried all their main guns on a single continuous upper deck. The lower deck, known as the "gun deck", now carried no armament, and functioned as a "berth deck" where the crew lived, and was in fact placed below the waterline of the new frigates. The typical earlier cruiser had
10769-523: The shallow waters around the Netherlands, and the ability to carry sufficient supplies to maintain a blockade. The third task required heavy armament, sufficient to stand up to the Spanish fleet. The first of the larger battle-capable frigates were built around 1600 at Hoorn in Holland . By the later stages of the Eighty Years' War the Dutch had switched entirely from the heavier ships still used by
10890-482: The ship rig was removed, and new fighting masts were installed in place of the old masts. The ship's crew was dramatically increased, to 38 officers and 1,120 enlisted men. Work lasted through 1896, and the ship was returned to the fleet in her new guise on 25 January 1897. On 26 June, she represented Germany at the Fleet Review for Queen Victoria 's Diamond Jubilee . She served with the fleet until 1904, when she
11011-418: The ship to return to Germany. On the voyage back to Germany, she collided with the British smack Tom off Norderney . Tom lost her bowsprit, topmast and mizzen mast. She was escorted in to Great Yarmouth by the smack Glance . In the aftermath of the collision with Grosser Kurfürst , the German navy held a court martial for Rear Admiral Batsch, the squadron commander, and Captains Monts and Kuehne,
11132-473: The ship to sink rapidly, in the span of about eight minutes. Out of a crew of 500 men, 269 died in the accident. König Wilhelm was also badly damaged in the collision, with severe flooding forward. König Wilhelm ' s captain initially planned on beaching the ship to prevent it from sinking, but determined that the ship's pumps could hold the flooding to an acceptable level. The ship made for Portsmouth , where temporary repairs could be effected to allow
11253-522: The ship was stricken from the naval register and broken up for scrap in Rönnebeck . Frigate A frigate ( / ˈ f r ɪ ɡ ɪ t / ) is a type of warship . In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuverability, intended to be used in scouting, escort and patrol roles. The term
11374-483: The ship was the largest and most powerful vessel in the Prussian fleet, and served as its flagship. Indeed, König Wilhelm remained the largest German vessel until 1891. This was in part due to the fact that Germany laid down only one small ironclad between 1876 and 1888; the four Brandenburg -class battleships, launched in 1891 and 1892, were the first ships to surpass König Wilhelm in size. König Wilhelm
11495-595: The ship with a uniform gun battery. Torpedo nets were fitted to the ship from 1885 to 1897. König Wilhelm returned to service in 1887 to participate in the ceremonies marking the beginning of construction of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal , which was to link the Kiel with the North Sea . She remained in commission for the summer training exercises, serving with I Division of the fleet. The ship participated in
11616-456: The ship. It drove a four-bladed screw propeller that was 7 m (23 ft) in diameter. J Penn & Sons of Greenwich built eight tank boilers for the ship. These were divided into two boiler rooms with twenty fireboxes in each, supplied steam to the engine at 2 standard atmospheres (200 kPa ). Each boiler room was vented into its own funnel . The propulsion system was rated at 8,000 metric horsepower (7,900 ihp ) and
11737-492: The smaller "frigates are thus usually used as escort vessels to protect sea lines of communication or as an auxiliary component of a strike group". The largest and powerful destroyers are often classified as cruisers, such as the Ticonderoga -class cruisers , due to their extra armament and facilities to serve as fleet flagships. The Royal Navy Type 61 ( Salisbury class) were "air direction" frigates equipped to track aircraft. To this end they had reduced armament compared to
11858-432: The smoke and confusion of battle, signals made by the fleet commander, whose flagship might be in the thick of the fighting, might be missed by the other ships of the fleet. Frigates were therefore stationed to windward or leeward of the main line of battle , and had to maintain a clear line of sight to the commander's flagship. Signals from the flagship were then repeated by the frigates, which themselves standing out of
11979-474: The success of the American 44s in three ways. They built a class of conventional 40-gun, 24-pounder armed frigates on the lines of Endymion . They cut down three old 74-gun Ships-of-the-Line into rasées , producing frigates with a 32-pounder main armament, supplemented by 42-pounder carronades. These had an armament that far exceeded the power of the American ships. Finally, Leander and Newcastle , 1,500-ton spar-decked frigates (with an enclosed waist, giving
12100-480: The term for ships that would formerly have been called destroyers, as well as for frigates. The rank " frigate captain " derives from the name of this type of ship. The term "frigate" (Italian: fregata ; Dutch: fregat ; Spanish/Catalan/Portuguese/Sicilian: fragata ; French: frégate ) originated in the Mediterranean in the late 15th century, referring to a lighter galley -type warship with oars, sails and
12221-572: The traditional sailing frigate were built with steam engines and screw propellers . These " screw frigates ", built first of wood and later of iron , continued to perform the traditional role of the frigate until late in the 19th century. From 1859, armour was added to ships based on existing frigate and ship of the line designs. The additional weight of the armour on these first ironclad warships meant that they could have only one gun deck, and they were technically frigates, even though they were more powerful than existing ships-of-the-line and occupied
12342-511: The turret ship Arminius , which had been stationed in Kiel . Despite the great French naval superiority, the French had conducted insufficient pre-war planning for an assault on the Prussian naval installations, and concluded that it would only be possible with Danish assistance, which was not forthcoming. The four ships, under the command of Vizeadmiral (Vice Admiral) Eduard von Jachmann , made an offensive sortie in early August 1870 out to
12463-509: The two boats, but there was not enough distance between her and Grosser Kurfürst . She therefore turned hard to port to avoid Grosser Kurfürst , but the action was not taken quickly enough, and König Wilhelm found herself pointed directly at Grosser Kurfürst . König Wilhelm ' s ram bow tore a hole in Grosser Kurfürst . A failure to adequately seal the watertight bulkheads aboard Grosser Kurfürst caused
12584-494: The two hull plating layers as upper and lower plates for a composite beam. This greatly strengthens the hull in secondary hull bending and strength , and to some degree in primary hull bending and strength . Double hulls can also: Double hulls' ability to prevent or reduce oil spills led to double hulls being standardized for other types of ships including oil tankers by the International Convention for
12705-418: The two hulls is sometimes used for storage of ballast water. Double hulls are a more extensive safety measure than double bottoms , which have two hull layers only in the bottom of the ship but not the sides. In low-energy collisions, double hulls can prevent flooding beyond the penetrated compartment. In high-energy collisions, however, the distance to the inner hull is not sufficient and the inner compartment
12826-444: The type to their own needs, setting the standard for other frigates as the leading naval power. The first British frigates carried 28 guns including an upper deck battery of twenty-four 9-pounder guns (the remaining four smaller guns were carried on the quarterdeck ) but soon developed into fifth-rate ships of 32 or 36 guns including an upper deck battery of twenty-six 12-pounder guns, with the remaining six or ten smaller guns carried on
12947-505: The upper deck). In 1778 the Carron Iron Company of Scotland produced a naval gun which would revolutionise the armament of smaller naval vessels, including the frigate. The carronade was a large calibre, short-barrelled naval cannon which was light, quick to reload and needed a smaller crew than a conventional long gun. Due to its lightness it could be mounted on the forecastle and quarterdeck of frigates. It greatly increased
13068-478: The war, as were the remaining 24 smaller Castle-class corvettes. The frigate was introduced to remedy some of the shortcomings inherent in the Flower-class corvette design: limited armament, a hull form not suited to open-ocean work, a single shaft which limited speed and maneuverability, and a lack of range. The frigate was designed and built to the same mercantile construction standards ( scantlings ) as
13189-591: The weapon in succeeding decades. The typical heavy frigate had a main armament of 18-pounder long guns, plus 32-pounder carronades mounted on its upper decks. The first 'super-heavy frigates', armed with 24-pounder long guns, were built by the naval architect F H Chapman for the Swedish navy in 1782. Because of a shortage of ships-of-the-line, the Swedes wanted these frigates, the Bellona class, to be able to stand in
13310-461: Was commissioned less than a year later, on 20 February 1869. The ship's first commander was Kapitän zur See Ludwig von Henk . Shortly after entering service, she joined the ironclads Friedrich Carl and Kronprinz for training exercises in August and September. In May 1870, König Wilhelm , Kronprinz , and Friedrich Carl were joined by the ironclad ram Prinz Adalbert for
13431-439: Was 108.6 meters (356 ft 4 in) long at the waterline and 112.2 m (368 ft 1 in) long overall . She had a beam of 18.3 m (60 ft) and a draft of 8.56 m (28 ft 1 in) forward and 8.12 m (26 ft 8 in) aft. The ship was designed to displace 9,757 metric tons (9,603 long tons) at a normal loading, and up to 10,761 t (10,591 long tons) at full load . The ship's hull
13552-495: Was 5,900 m (19,400 ft). The 21 cm guns were on the upper deck. Two were in the half-round towers near the stern, and two others were mounted near the bow as chase guns. As built, the ship was protected by wrought iron plating mounted over teak backing. Protection at the waterline was thickest amidships , with an outer layer of iron armor 305 mm (12 in) thick, an inner layer of 178 mm (7 in) thick iron, and 250 mm (9.8 in) of teak behind
13673-483: Was applied loosely to ships varying greatly in design. In the second quarter of the 18th century, what is now generally regarded as the 'true frigate' was developed in France. This type of vessel was characterised by possessing only one armed deck, with an unarmed deck below it used for berthing the crew. Late in the 19th century (British and French prototypes were constructed in 1858), a type of powerful ironclad warships
13794-487: Was built to a design created by the British naval architect Edward Reed , and at the time it was regarded in the press to be the most powerful vessel in the world. Some 1,800 metric tons (1,800 long tons ) larger than the contemporary British ironclad HMS Hercules , she also carried a larger gun battery. But owing to the Ottoman inability to pay for the vessel, the builder placed the still-incomplete vessel for sale
13915-403: Was constructed with transverse and longitudinal iron frames. It contained eleven watertight compartments and a double bottom that ran for 70 percent of the length of the vessel. König Wilhelm was noted by the German navy as having had "satisfactory sea-keeping qualities"; the ship was responsive to commands from the helm and had a moderate turning radius. Steering was controlled with
14036-476: Was developed, and because they had a single gun deck , the term 'frigate' was used to describe them. Later developments in ironclad ships rendered the 'frigate' designation obsolete and the term fell out of favour. During the Second World War , the name 'frigate' was reintroduced to describe a seagoing escort ship that was intermediate in size between a corvette and a destroyer . After World War II,
14157-452: Was placed out of active service and used as a floating barracks and training ship, a role she held through World War I . In 1921, the ship was ultimately broken up for scrap, after a career spanning 52 years and three German states. The ship had originally been ordered by the Ottoman Empire under the name Fatih from the Thames Ironworks shipyard in London, England in 1865. The vessel
14278-514: Was readopted during the Second World War by the British Royal Navy to describe an anti-submarine escort vessel that was larger than a corvette (based on a mercantile design), while smaller than a destroyer . The vessels were originally to be termed "twin screw corvettes" until the Royal Canadian Navy suggested to the British re-introducing the term "frigate" for the significantly enlarged vessels. Equal in size and capability to
14399-435: Was reconstructed into an armored cruiser in 1895–1896 and rearmed with twenty-two 24 cm L/20 guns, a single 15 cm (5.9 in) L/30 gun with 109 rounds mounted in the stern, and eighteen 8.8 cm (3.5 in) quick-firing guns on the upper deck, nine on each broadside. The 15 cm gun had a range of 8,900 m (29,200 ft). Five 35 cm (14 in) torpedo tubes were also installed; two were placed in
14520-681: Was removed from active duty. Starting on 3 May 1904, she became a harbor ship. She was then used as barracks ship and training vessel for naval cadets, based in Kiel, starting on 1 October 1907. Two years later, König Wilhelm was moved to the Naval Academy at Mürwik , where she continued in these duties. Starting in 1910, the old corvette Charlotte served as a support vessel for the ship. The light cruiser Medusa replaced Charlotte as König Wilhelm ' s auxiliary vessel in 1917. König Wilhelm served through World War I , until 1921, after Germany's defeat. On 4 January 1921,
14641-412: Was the fifth ironclad ordered by the Prussian Navy, after Arminius , Prinz Adalbert , Friedrich Carl , and Kronprinz . She was built as an armored frigate , armed with a main battery of sixteen 24 cm (9.4 in) and five 21 cm (8.3 in) guns; several smaller guns and torpedo tubes were added later in her career. The ship was for a time the largest and most powerful warship in
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