SMS Bussard
The SMS Bussard was a light cruiser of the Imperial Navy.
Technology
The cruisers ( IV.Classe ) Buzzards class were transverse bulkhead - steel structures, in addition to Yellow- pine planks up to the upper deck, after conversion only to the intermediate deck, provided with Muntzmetallbeschlag against fouling. The stem was made of steel, wood and a bronze Rammdorn, the stern of steel and wood.
The SMS Bussard was initially rigged as Barquentine, ( ≈ 850 m ). The sail area was later reduced to a topsail schooner ( ≈ 600 m ), the mainmast was removed and the mizzen was a triangular sail only without gaff rigging.
The artillery was to, projecting over the side, platforms ( called swallows nests ) set up to increase the Bestreichungswinkel of the guns. However, this had the unpleasant property to embark in heavy seas in the waves, which led to severe shocks and drive loss. Therefore the Geschützunterbauten were moved farther to the inside so that they finished now flush with the vessel wall In a 1899-1900 carried out reconstruction.
History
Planning and construction
With the economic expansion of the German Empire with the year 1871, it became necessary to permanently deploy warships of the Imperial Navy in the German colonies to protect them. The gunboats were due to the limited space of the team rooms and low seaworthiness unsuitable for this purpose. Their armament was considered too weak.
Rather, the units should have a large displacement and obtain a drive which made it possible to monitor them great maritime security. The units should continue to have appropriate sails to save on long journeys coal.
It was first implemented in the two units of the swallow - class from which the set at Kiel August 1888 new C -Class was the buzzard. The launch took place at the Imperial Shipyard in Gdansk on 23 January 1890.
Use
After the subsequent test drive and putting on 7 October 1890, the buzzard was used most of the time in the German colonies. So she was ordered to an overhaul in Auckland in May 1892 after Stephansort in the protected area of Kaiser Wilhelm Land in New Guinea and took after their arrival, the Government Commissioner Frederick Rose with parts of the local police force in order to go on a punitive expedition against Papuans. They had slain in the summer of 1891 in Hatzfeldthaven three German missionaries and indigenous workers.
From July 1900 to August 1901, the buzzard came with the Boxer Rebellion and the Hausa - insurgency used.
Whereabouts
The decommissioning took place on October 25, 1912 and in 1913 the ship was wrecked.