High Seas Fleet
High Seas Fleet was from 1907 the name of the active home fleet of the German Imperial Navy.
Until the end of the 19th century it was common practice to keep fleets only in the summer months active while in the winter most of the ships were launched. After activation in the spring it took great effort to make the ships and crews operational. To this end, the warships of the Imperial Navy were contracted each year from 1873 to exercise or maneuver squadrons and placed under a Fleet Command from 1891. In 1903, the fleet exercise in active battle fleet, renamed in 1907 in High Seas Fleet. Inserts and scuttling of the High Seas Fleet during the First World War are not the subject of this article.
The training squadron from 1873 to 1885
As of 1873, the major warships of the Imperial Navy were contracted annually to an association that undertook joint maneuvers. The so-called " training squadron " was, however, only in the summer months.
From the maneuver squadrons to maneuver fleet 1886-1892
In 1886, the squadron designation exercise was abolished. The formed this year for the summer months association led instead the term maneuver squadron. It consisted of two divisions, the first division with the battleship Baden and the flagship of the Second Division to the School squadron. In the autumn of 1887, the squadron was still by the Torpedobootsflottille as III. Division and the Division IV Panzerfahrzeugflottille as reinforced. 1888 led the Squadron Commander for the first time the service name " at the same time head of the fleet maneuvers ". The actual maneuver squadron again formed the first division, the School squadron the Second Division. 1889 was again a "practice Squadron " set up. This made next to the First Division, the maneuver squadron, now the second division of the fleet maneuvers ( the School squadron was disbanded ). That was also in 1890 and 1891 that.
The ( Autumn ) Exercise fleet 1892-1903
1892 for the first time the name "Autumn fleet exercise " for the contracted for the autumn maneuvers active and reserve units was needed. A year later the name maneuver fleet was gone, and the whole squadron had the title Autumn Exercise fleet again. The term was shortened to 1896-1902 " fleet exercise " until 1903 and again referred to, and for the last time as autumn - practice fleet.
Active Battle Fleet 1903-1907
1903 autumn exercise fleet was created by AKO on August 4, 1903, the "active battle fleet " instead. After the 2nd Fleet Act, the active battle fleet should be formed from the First and Second Squadron, along with a spare battle fleet from the III. and IV Squadron. From the active battle fleet, all units were to be kept all year in service. The statement ( AKO dated 26 September 1903) was:
The First Squadron consisted of the battleships of the Kaiser and the Wittelsbach - class since 1901 /02. For the first time in addition to the flagship of the First Squadron existed a fleet flagship. On 29 June 1903, the formation of a Squadron II was decreed by Cabinet Order with the installation, but could not commence until 1904/ 05 after completion of reconstruction of the Brandenburg class. It was initially materially weak and only reached in 1907/08 with the ships of the line of Braunschweig and Germany - class at its full strength. Only then the demand of the Emperor was met by two active squadrons.
The High Seas Fleet 1907-1919
On February 16, 1907, the active battle fleet was renamed " High Seas Fleet ". This was done at the suggestion of Tirpitz, after his conviction, the term " active battle fleet " unintentionally had an aggressive connotation and so should not be interpreted. Started in 1908 the High Seas Fleet to extend their exercises into the Atlantic. Was the conversion of the First Squadron on large ships of the line of Nassau- class between autumn 1909 and spring 1912. An amendment to the Act fleet in the summer of 1912 began the formation of the active III. Squadron. She was completed in autumn 1914. From 1909 took submarines in the maneuvers of the High Seas Fleet in part, from 1913 naval aviation.
Dislozierungstabellen
1873
Squadron flagship SMS Hertha ( KAdm. Henk ) SMS Arcona, SMS Vineta, SMS Ariadne, gunboat SMS Nautilus.
1886
Squadron flagship SMS Baden, I. Division ( Vice Admiral of Wickede ) flagship SMS Baden, Saxony SMS, SMS Württemberg, Oldenburg SMS, SMS Zieten ( Aviso ), Division II school = squadron ( Commodore Stenzel ) flagship SMS stone, SMS Moltke, SMS Prinz Adalbert, Sophie SMS, SMS Hansa, III. Division = Torpedobootsflottille (KK Tirpitz ).
1889
Fleet flagship SMS Baden, I. = Squadron Squadron maneuvers ( Vice Admiral of Wickede ) flagship SMS Baden, Saxony SMS, SMS Oldenburg, SMS Patrol, SMS Irene, Squadron II = Practice Squadron ( KAdm. Hollmann ) flagship SMS Kaiser, Germany SMS, SMS Prussia, SMS Zieten.
1896
Fleet flagship ( Adm Knorr ) SMS Blücher, I. Squadron ( Vice Admiral Thomsen ) flagship SMS Elector Friedrich Wilhelm, SMS Wissembourg, Wörth SMS, SMS Zieten, II Squadron ( Rear Admiral Barandon ) flagship SMS Baden, Württemberg SMS, SMS Oldenburg, SMS Greif,
1903
Fleet flagship SMS Kaiser Wilhelm II, Tender SMS Grille, I. squadron ( Admiral von Koester ) flagship SMS Kaiser Wilhelm II, SMS Kaiser Friedrich III. , SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, SMS Kaiser Barbarossa ( until 14:12. ), Then SMS Mecklenburg, SMS Kaiser Karl the Great, Zahringen SMS, SMS Wittelsbach ', SMS Wettin, II Squadron ( Vice Admiral Fritze ) flagship SMS Hildebrand, SMS Frithjof, Odin SMS, SMS Beowulf, reconnaissance ships ( Rear Admiral Gustav Schmidt) flagship SMS Prinz Heinrich, SMS Victoria Louise ( until 12:12. ), then: SMS Friedrich Carl, SMS Amazone, SMS Ariadne, Frauenlobstraße SMS, SMS Niobe, SMS Medusa, Arcona.
1909
Fleet flagship SMS Germany, I. Squadron ( VAdm. Holtzendorff, Rear Admiral Grapow ) flagship SMS Hannover, SMS Silesia, Mecklenburg SMS, SMS Zahringen, flagship SMS Wittelsbach, SMS Kaiser Karl the Great, SMS Kaiser Barbarossa, SMS Wettin, Squadron II ( Vice Admiral. Schröder, Rear Admiral. Guhler ) flagship SMS Prussia, SMS Schleswig -Holstein, SMS Hessen, SMS Alsace, flagship SMS Braunschweig, SMS Pommern, SMS Lothringen, reconnaissance group ( Vice Admiral of Heeringen, Rear Admiral Jacobsen ) flagship SMS Yorck, SMS Gneisenau, SMS Gdansk, SMS Königsberg, flagship SMS Roon, SMS Berlin, Lübeck SMS, SMS Stettin
1913
Fleet flagship SMS Friedrich der Grosse, I. Squadron ( VAdm. of Lans, Rear Admiral Schaumann ) flagship SMS Ostfriesland, SMS Thüringen and SMS Helgoland, SMS Oldenburg, flagship SMS Posen, SMS Rheinland, SMS Nassau, SMS Westfalen, Squadron II ( VAdm.. Scheer, Rear Admiral Souchon ) flagship SMS Prussia, Pomerania SMS, SMS Hessen, SMS Lothringen, flagship SMS Hannover, SMS Schlesien, SMS Schleswig -Holstein, Germany SMS, V. Division ( Vice Admiral Schmidt) flagship SMS Kaiser and SMS Braunschweig, later: SMS König Albert, SMS Alsace, later: SMS Kaiserin, reconnaissance group ( Vice Admiral Bachmann ) flagship SMS Moltke, SMS Goeben (later - > Mediterranean Division ), SMS Von der Tann, SMS Yorck, later: SMS Seydlitz, the flagship SMS Coln, SMS Strasbourg, SMS Stettin, Kolberg SMS, SMS Dresden, SMS Mainz, SMS Breslau (later - > Mediterranean Division ), SMS Stralsund.
1914
Fleet flagship SMS Friedrich der Grosse, I. Squadron ( VAdm. of Lans, Rear Admiral Gädeke ) flagship SMS Ostfriesland, SMS Helgoland, Thüringen SMS, SMS Oldenburg, flagship SMS Posen, SMS Nassau, Westphalia SMS, SMS Rheinland, Squadron II ( VAdm. Scheer, Rear Admiral. Mauve ) flagship SMS Prussia, Silesia SMS, SMS Hessen, SMS Lothringen, flagship SMS Hannover, SMS Schleswig -Holstein, Pomerania SMS, SMS Germany, III. Squadron ( KAdm. spark, Rear Admiral Schaumann ) flagship SMS Prinz Regent Luitpold, SMS Kaiser and SMS Kaiserin, SMS König Albert, SMS König, SMS Great Elector, SMS Markgraf, SMS Kronprinz, IV Squadron ( Vice Admiral Schmidt, Rear Admiral Albert's ) flagship SMS Wittelsbach, Wettin SMS, SMS Schwaben, SMS Mecklenburg, Brunswick flagship SMS, SMS Alsace, SMS Zahringen, V. Squadron ( Vice Admiral Grapow, concentration camps Bega ) flagship SMS Kaiser Wilhelm II, SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, SMS Kaiser Barbarossa, SMS Kaiser Friedrich III. ; Flagship SMS Kaiser Karl the Great, SMS Wörth, SMS Brandenburg, VI. Squadron ( KAdm. Eckermann, Rear Admiral Behring ) flagship SMS Hildebrand, SMS Heimdall, Hagen SMS, SMS Frithjof; Flagship SMS Aegir, Odin SMS, SMS Beowulf, Siegfried SMS. Scouting Group ( KAdm. Hipper, Rear Admiral. Tapken ) flagship SMS Seydlitz, SMS Derfflinger flagship, SMS Moltke and SMS Blücher, SMS Von der Tann, Scouting Group II ( Rear Admiral Maass ) flagship SMS Coln, SMS Mainz, SMS Stralsund, SMS Kolberg SMS Rostock; SMS Strasbourg, SMS Graudenz, III. Reconnaissance group ( Rear Admiral of Rebeur - Paschwitz ) flagship SMS Roon, Yorck SMS, SMS Prinz Adalbert, SMS Prinz Heinrich, Scouting Division IV ( Kpt.zS von Restorff ) flagship SMS Munich, Danzig SMS, SMS Stuttgart, SMS Hela, SMS Frauenlobstraße, V. reconnaissance group ( KAdm. Jasper ) flagship SMS Hansa, SMS Vineta, SMS Victoria Louise, SMS Hertha.