List of ships of the Imperial German Navy explained

The list of ships of the Imperial German Navy includes all ships commissioned into service with the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) of Germany, covering the period from 1871, the creation of the German Empire, through to the end of the Empire in 1918.

Capital ships

Ironclad warships

See main article: List of ironclad warships of Germany.

Arminius class
- , 1864
Prinz Adalbert class (1,560 tons, 5 x 36pdr guns)
- , 1865
Kronprinz
- , 1867
Friedrich Carl class
- , 1867
König Wilhelm class, (9,750 tons, 33 x 72pdr guns)
- , 1868
Hansa class
- , 1872
(6,800 tons)
- , 1873
- , 1874
- , 1875
(7,319 tons, 8 x 26 cm guns)
- , 1875
- , 1875
(7,800 tons, 6 x 26 cm guns)
- , 1877
- , 1878
- , 1878
- , 1880
Oldenburg class (5,250 tons, 8 x 24 cm guns)
- , 1884

Coastal defense ships

See main article: List of coastal defense ships of Germany.

(3,700 tons, 3 x 24 cm guns)
- , 1889
- , 1890
- , 1892
- , 1892
- , 1892
- , 1893
(4,250 tons, 3 x 24 cm guns)
- , 1894
- , 1895

Battleships

See main article: List of battleships of Germany.

Pre-Dreadnoughts

(10,500 tons, 6 x 28 cm guns)
- , 1891
- , 1891
- , 1891
- , 1892
(11,600 tons, 4 x 24 cm guns)
- , 1896
- , 1897
- , 1899
- , 1899
- , 1900
(12,000 tons, 4 x 24 cm guns)
- , 1900
- , 1900
- , 1901
- , 1901
- , 1901
(13,000 tons, 4 x 28 cm guns)
- , 1901
- , 1903
- , 1903
- , 1903
- , 1904
(13,000 tons, 4 x 28 cm guns)
- , 1904
- , 1905
- , 1905
- , 1906
- , 1906

DreadnoughtsMain dreadnought classes

(19,000 tons, 12 x 28 cm guns)
- , 1908
- , 1908
- , 1908
- , 1908
(23,000 tons, 12 x 30.5 cm guns)
- , 1909
- , 1909
- , 1909
- , 1910
(25,000 tons, 10 x 30.5 cm guns)
- , 1911
- , 1911
- , 1911
- , 1911
- , 1912
(26,000 tons, 10 x 30.5 cm guns)
- , 1913
- , 1913
- , 1913
- , 1914
(29,000–32,000 tons, 8 x 38 cm guns)
- , 1915
- , 1915
- , not completed
- , not completed
(43,800–48,700 tons, 8 x 42 cm guns)
- None built

Battlecruisers

See main article: List of battlecruisers of Germany.

Von der Tann class (19,400 tons, 8 x 28 cm guns)
- , 1909
(23,000 tons, 10 x 28 cm guns)
- , 1910
- , 1911
Seydlitz class (25,000 tons, 10 x 28 cm guns)
- , 1912
(27,000 tons, 8 x 30.5 cm guns)
- , 1913
- , 1913
- , 1915
(35,000 tons, 8 x 35 cm guns)
- SMS Mackensen not completed
- SMS Graf Spee not completed
- SMS Prinz Eitel Friedrich not completed
- SMS Fürst Bismarck, not completed
(38,000 tons 8 x 38 cm guns)
- SMS Ersatz Yorck not completed
- SMS Ersatz Gneisenau ordered but construction not started
- SMS Ersatz Scharnhorst ordered but construction not started

Cruisers

Protected cruisers

See main article: List of protected cruisers of Germany.

(5,000 tons, 14 x 15 cm guns, 4 x 15 cm guns)
- - - - Kaiserin Augusta class (6,000 tons, 4 x 15 cm guns)
- , 1892
(5,700 tons, 2 x 21 cm guns, 8 x 15 cm guns)
- , 1897
- , 1897
- , 1897
- , 1897
- , 1898

Armored cruisers

See main article: List of armored cruisers of Germany.

Fürst Bismarck class (10,700 tons, 4 x 24 cm guns, 12 x 15 cm guns)
- , 1897
Prinz Heinrich class (9,000 tons, 2 x 24 cm guns)
- , 1900
(9,000 tons, 4 x 21 cm guns)
- , 1901
- , 1901
(10,000 tons, 4 x 21 cm guns)
- , 1903
- , 1904
(11,600 tons, 8 x 21 cm guns)
- , 1906
- , 1906
Blücher class (15,800 tons, 12 x 21 cm guns)
- , 1908

Unprotected cruisers

See main article: List of unprotected cruisers of Germany.

(1,359 tons, 8 x 10.5 cm guns)
- , 1887
- , 1888
(1,650 tons, 8 x 10.5 cm guns)
- , 1890
- , 1891
- , 1892
- , 1892
- , 1892
- , 1894
Gefion class (3,700 tons, 10 x 10.5 cm guns)
- , 1893

Light cruisers

See main article: List of light cruisers of Germany.

(2,700 tons, 10 x 10.5 cm guns)
- , 1898
  - - - , 1902
(3,300 tons 10 x 10.5 cm guns, 2 x 15 cm guns)
- , 1903
- , 1903
- , 1903
- , 1904
- , 1904
- , 1905
- , 1905
(1905) (3,400 tons 10 x 10.5 cm guns)
- , 1905
- , 1907
- , 1906
- , 1906
(3,700 tons 10 x 10.5 cm guns)
- , 1907
- , 1908
(4,400 tons 12 x 10.5 cm guns, 6 x 15 cm guns)
- , 1908
- , 1909
- , 1909
- , 1909
(4,500 tons 12 x 10.5 cm guns, 7 x 15 cm guns)
- , 1911
- , 1911
- , 1911
- , 1911
(4,900 tons 12 x 10.5 cm guns)
- , 1912
- , 1912
(4,900 tons 12 x 10.5 cm guns, 7 x 15 cm guns)
- , 1913
- , 1914
(4,400 tons 8 x 15 cm guns)
- , 1914
- , 1914
(5,000 tons 8 x 15 cm guns)
- , 1915
- , 1915
(1915) (5,400 tons 8 x 15 cm guns)
- , 1915
- , 1915
- , 1915
- , 1916
(5,600 tons 8 x 15 cm guns)
- , 1916
- , 1917

Minelaying cruisers

(2,000 tons, 8 x 8.8 cm guns)
- , 1907
- , 1907
(4,400 tons, 4 x 15 cm guns)
- , 1915
- , 1915

Aircraft carriers

I class (12,585 tons, 23 - 29 aircraft)
- , 1915 passenger ship Ausonia and under conversion as naval vessel 1918, not completed and scrapped 1922

Auxiliary minelayers

-2 × 37mm guns
-4 × 88mm guns, 2 × 50mm guns

Auxiliary warship

SMS Graf von Goetzen, 1915 1,575 t [1 × 10.5 cm (4 in) gun; 1 × 8.8 cm (3 in) gun;2 × 37 mm revolver guns]

Avisos

See main article: List of avisos of Germany.

Zieten class (1,152 tons, 6 x 5 cm guns)
- , 1876
(1,486 tons, 6 x 8.8 cm guns)
- , 1882
- , 1882
Greif class (2,266 tons, 2 x 10.5 cm guns, 8 x 8.8 cm guns)
- , 1886
(1,499 tons, 3 x 10.5 cm guns, 4 x 8.8 cm guns)
- , 1887
- , 1888
(1,078 tons, 4 x 8.8 cm guns)
- , 1890
- , 1892
Hela class (2,000 tons, 4 x 8.8 cm guns)
- , 1895

Gunboats

- - - - (786 tons, 2 x 15 cm guns; 2 x 12 cm guns)
- , 1871
- , 1871
(1,163 tons, 1 x 30.5 cm gun, 2 x 8.7 cm guns)
- , 1876
- , 1876
- , 1876
- , 1877
- , 1877
- , 1878
- , 1878
- , 1879
- , 1880
- , 1880
- , 1881
(1,050 tons, 2 x 10.5 cm guns, 4 x 8.8 cm guns)
- , 1898
- , 1898
- , 1899
- , 1899
- , 1901
- , 1903

Corvettes

See main article: List of screw corvettes of Germany.

- - - - (3,386 tonnes, 16 x 15 cm L/22 guns)

Torpedo-boats and destroyers

See main article: German ocean-going torpedo boats of World War I.

In the Imperial German Navy, there was no clear distinction between torpedo boats and torpedo boat destroyers, which were all numbered in the same series, the number being preceded by a letter that represented the building contractor. A new numbering series began in 1911; hence years of construction are appended in brackets below, to distinguish the two series.

S90 class (1898–1907)
- - - SMS S91
- SMS S92
- SMS S93
- SMS S94
- SMS S95
- SMS S96
- SMS S97
- SMS S98
- SMS S99
- SMS S100
- SMS S101
- SMS S102
- SMS S103
- SMS S104
- SMS S105
- SMS S106
- SMS S107

- SMS G108
- SMS G109
- SMS G110
- SMS G111
- SMS G112
  - - SMS S114
    - SMS S116
- SMS S117
- SMS S118
  - - SMS S120
- SMS S121
- SMS S122
- SMS S123
- SMS S124
- SMS S125
- SMS S126
- SMS S127
- SMS S128
- SMS S129
- SMS S130
- SMS S131
- SMS G132
- SMS G133
- SMS G134
- SMS G135
- SMS G136

- SMS G137
S138 class (1906–11)
- SMS G138
- SMS G139
- SMS G140
- SMS G141
- SMS G142
- SMS G143
- SMS G144
- SMS G145
- SMS G146
- SMS G147
- SMS G148
- SMS G149
- SMS V150
- SMS V151
- SMS V152
- SMS V153
- SMS V154
- SMS V155
- SMS V156
- SMS V157
- SMS V158
- SMS V159
- SMS V160
- SMS V161
- SMS V162
- SMS V163
- SMS V164
- SMS S165
- SMS S166
- SMS S167
- SMS S168
- SMS G169
- SMS G170
- SMS G171
- SMS G172
- SMS G173
- SMS G174
- SMS G175
- SMS S176
- SMS S177
- SMS S178
- SMS S179
- SMS V180
- SMS V181
- SMS V182
- SMS V183
- SMS V184
- SMS V185
  - - - SMS G192
- SMS G193
  - - SMS G195
    - SMS G197
V1 class (1911–13)
- - - SMS V2
- SMS V3
  - - SMS V5
- SMS V6
  - - SMS G8
- SMS G9
- SMS G10
- SMS G11
- SMS G12
- SMS S13
- SMS S14
- SMS S15
- SMS S16
- SMS S17
- SMS S18
- SMS S19
- SMS S20
- SMS S21
- SMS S22
- SMS S23
- SMS S24
V25 class (1913–15)
- - - SMS V26
    - SMS V28
- SMS V29
- SMS V30
  - - - SMS V43
- SMS V44
  - - - SMS S49
    - SMS S51
- SMS S52
- SMS S53
- SMS S54
- SMS S55
- SMS S56
- SMS S57
- SMS S58
- SMS S59
- SMS S60
- SMS S61
- SMS S62
- SMS S63
- SMS S64
- SMS S65
- SMS S66
- SMS V67
- SMS V68
- SMS V69
- SMS V70
- SMS V71
- SMS V72
- SMS V73
- SMS V74
- SMS V75
- SMS V76
- SMS V77
- SMS V78
- SMS V79
- SMS V80
- SMS V81
- SMS V82
- SMS V83
- SMS V84
  - - SMS G86
- SMS G87
- SMS G88
- SMS G89
- SMS G90
- SMS G91
- SMS G92
- SMS G93
- SMS G94
- SMS G95
B97 class
- SMS B97
- SMS B98
- SMS V99
- SMS V100
- SMS B109
- SMS B110
- SMS B111
- SMS B112
G101 class
- SMS G101
- SMS G102
- SMS G103
- SMS G104
V105 class
- - - - S113 class
    - SMS S114
- SMS S115
  - - SMS V117
- SMS V118
- SMS V119
- SMS V120
- SMS V121
- SMS B122
- SMS B123
- SMS B124
G96 class (1915–16)
- - - SMS V125
- SMS V126
- SMS V127
- SMS V128
- SMS V129
- SMS V130
- SMS V140
- SMS V141
- SMS V142
- SMS V143
- SMS V144
- SMS S131
- SMS S132
- SMS S133
- SMS S134
- SMS S135
- SMS S136
- SMS S137
- SMS S138
- SMS S139
- SMS H145
- SMS H146
- SMS H147
- SMS G148
- SMS G149
- SMS G150
- SMS WW151
- SMS S152
- SMS S153
- SMS S154
- SMS S155
- SMS S156
- SMS S157
- SMS V158
- SMS V159
- SMS V160
- SMS V161
- SMS V162
- SMS V163
- SMS V164
- SMS V165
- SMS H166
- SMS H167
- SMS H168
- SMS H169
V170 class (1918)
- SMS V170
- SMS V171
- SMS V172
- SMS V173
- SMS V174
- SMS V175
- SMS V176
- SMS V177
- SMS V203
- SMS V204
- SMS V205
- SMS V206
- SMS V207
- SMS V208
- SMS V209
- SMS V210
- SMS S178
- SMS S179
- SMS S180
- SMS S181
- SMS S182
- SMS S183
- SMS S184
- SMS S185
- SMS S211
- SMS S212
- SMS S213
- SMS S214
- SMS S215
- SMS S216
- SMS S217
- SMS S218
- SMS S219
- SMS S220
- SMS S221
- SMS S222
- SMS S223
- SMS H186
- SMS H187
- SMS H188
- SMS H189
- SMS H190
- SMS H191
- SMS H192
- SMS H193
- SMS H194
- SMS H195
- SMS H196
- SMS H197
- SMS H198
- SMS H199
- SMS H200
- SMS H201
- SMS H202