150m Series Warburg: The 150 m Series Warburg is a German naval ship. It was built and launched in 1907 at the Schichau shipyard in Elsfleth, Germany. The Series Warburg has the distinction of being the longest-lived sailing warship still afloat anywhere in the world, at 121 years as of 2018.
This article discusses its history and how it became one of Europe’s largest warships during World War I while continuing to serve until 1945 as a training ship for naval cadets.
The Warburg was launched on 10 September 1907, and commissioned on 11 August 1908. At the time of her completion she was the largest auxiliary sailing vessel in the world. Her first commander was Kapitänleutnant (later Fregattenkapitän) (later Captain) Carl Oskar Bernhardi.
She was originally designed as an improved version of the Navy’s to be homeported at Kiel, but was instead sent to Elsfleth, so that the naval station could expand.
The ship was made of steel in the characteristic German design style, with the breadth — and therefore displacement — being slightly more than the length. Her handling characteristics were also more responsive than a traditional sail-driven vessel. The forecastle also supported a main armament in a single turret. She had a crew of 33, which was the largest of any German auxiliary ship at the time, and was equipped with two large propellors.
She initially carried no armament due to a lack of funding, but she was equipped with three AA guns in 1914. This was increased to eight guns in 1915, and four additional guns were added in 1916. The gun turrets were mounted on a platform over the forecastle, so that the recoil from shooting would not affect stability.
She was initially assigned to the II Scouting Group of the High Seas Fleet, but was able to make several long trips to Kiel, so that she could be employed as a depot ship. She was also used for the voyage of Admiral Reinhard Scheer and his staff from Kiel to command of the High Seas Fleet, in what would later become known as Operation Albion.
In May 1915, the ship was the first to enter Kiel, after the German attack on Yarmouth. Later that year, in November, she brought Adolf von Trotha and his staff home to Kiel from Asia.
On 11 June 1916, a 6th Flotilla crew boarded the ship for gunnery training. An explosion of one of her propellors killed 10 and injured 14 members of crew. After repair she was assigned as a target ship for U-boats. On 6 August 1917, the ship was assigned to the 5th Training Flotilla.
On 9 January 1918, the ship was renamed “Dania” and used as a training ship for naval cadets. She served in this capacity for nearly 20 years, until retired on 30 June 1935. She was sold to H. Schuldt in Hamburg in December of that year, and later scrapped during 1936.
“Note: The ship’s title changed a number of times over the ship’s lifetime, including Hansa Warburg (1907–1916), Dania (1918–1939) and Geier (1947–1950).”
Kapitän zur See Carl Oskar Bernhardi was commander of the ship from 1908 until 1917. In addition to his naval career he had a long civilian career as a diplomat and ambassador with the German Foreign Office in Istanbul, Constantinople and Paris.
