The S90 class of torpedo boats was a group of large torpedo boats built for the German Imperial Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) in the early 20th century. They were Hochsee-Torpedoboot ("High seas torpedo boat") built to varying designs by Schichau at Elbing (36 vessels) and Germaniawerft at Kiel (12 vessels). German torpedo boats were designated by shipbuilder, with the first letter of their designation reflecting their builder.[1]
These 48 vessels were built to ten different designs over the period 1898 to 1907. Thus they varied in dimensions, and they gradually increased in size as more vessels were built. The boats were 62.7to long at the waterline and 63to long overall. They had beam (nautical) of 7to and a draft of 2.03to.[2] The hull for each boat was divided into eleven watertight compartments, though after, a twelfth compartment was added. They had a crew of two officers and fifty-five enlisted men, though some of the boats had larger crews; had four more sailors, while G132 had twelve more men, and had a crew of three officers and 78 enlisted. When serving as half-flotilla flagships, the boats would have a flotilla leader's staff of four officers and eleven enlisted men in addition to the standard crew. The vessels carried a yawl and a dinghy apiece.[3]
The S90-class boats were propelled by a pair of vertical, 3-cylinder triple expansion steam engines that drove a pair of three-bladed screw propellers. Steam was provided by three coal-fired water-tube boilers. Two boats, and, were fitted with Parsons steam turbines instead of the older reciprocating engines; G137 also received an additional boiler. The reciprocating engine-powered boats were rated at 27kn30kn from 5900ihp7000ihp. Meanwhile, S125 and G137 were rated at 6600shp and, and 10800shp and, respectively. The boats had storage capacity for 93MT168MT of coal. As a result, cruising radius varied significantly, from 830to at . Each vessel was equipped with one or two 4to 110-Volt generators for electrical power. Steering was controlled with a pair of rudders, one at the stern and the other in the bow.[4]
Most of the ships of the class were armed with a main battery of three 5cm (02inches) SK L/40[5] guns in single pivot mounts. They were supplied with a total of 252 shells that weighed 1.750NaN0. The guns had a muzzle velocity of 656m/s and a maximum range of 6200yd at their highest elevation of 20 degrees. G132,,, and were equipped with four 5.20NaN0 SK L/55 guns in single gun mounts. These guns fired a similar 1.75 kg shell at a muzzle velocity of 850m/s. The guns could elevate up to 20 degrees, at a maximum range of 7100m (23,300feet). was equipped with two of the 5.2 cm guns and one 8.81NaN1 gun, while had three 5.2 cm guns and one 8.8 cm gun. The 8.8 cm gun fired a shell weighing 7kg (15lb) at a muzzle velocity of 690m/s. The gun could be elevated to 25 degrees, for a maximum range of 8790m (28,840feet). Many of the boats were rearmed throughout their time in service, trading their 5 cm or 5.2 cm guns for the more powerful 8.8 cm guns. All ships of the class carried three 451NaN1 deck-mounted single torpedo tubes with five torpedoes.[3] [6]
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| Boat[8] | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | width=30% | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 July 1899 | 24 October 1899 | Scuttled 17 October 1914 | |||
| 25 September 1899 | 24 April 1900 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 26 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 15 May 1900 | 27 June 1900 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 26 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 24 March 1900 | 14 July 1900 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 26 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 23 April 1900 | 27 July 1900 | Stricken 26 October 1920; sold 13 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 20 February 1900 | 29 August 1900 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 13 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 31 January 1900 | 27 September 1900 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 26 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 16 December 1899 | 28 May 1900 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 26 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 28 July 1900 | 4 November 1900 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 26 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 4 September 1900 | 13 December 1900 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 26 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 13 November 1900 | 18 April 1901 | Sunk in collision in the Baltic with ferry Preussen on 15 October 1915 | |||
| 22 December 1900 | 30 May 1901 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 13 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 18 April 1901 | 18 July 1901 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 13 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 15 May 1901 | 17 September 1901 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 26 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 22 June 1901 | 7 October 1901 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 26 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 7 August 1901 | 17 November 1901 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 26 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 7 September 1901 | 9 December 1901 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 26 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 17 October 1901 | 27 January 1902 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 13 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 7 September 1901 | 26 March 1902 | Stricken 22 March 1921; broken up at Hamburg | |||
| 9 November 1901 | 19 June 1902 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 13 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 9 September 1902 | 21 January 1903 | Stricken 22 March 1921; broken up at Hamburg | |||
| 2 April 1902 | 21 July 1902 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 13 June 1921 for scrap | |||
| 19 June 1902 | 6 September 1902 | Stricken 22 March 1920; sold 13 June 1921 for scrap | |||
| 9 August 1902 | 16 October 1902 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 8 June 1921 for scrap | |||
| 9 August 1902 | 25 October 1902 | Stricken 9 November 1920; sold 7 July 1921 for scrap | |||
| 10 September 1902 | 22 February 1903 | Sunk by gunfire from HMS Undaunted and four destroyers in the Battle off Texel on 17 October 1914 | |||
| 14 October 1902 | 28 March 1903 | Sunk by torpedo from HM submarine E.9 in North Sea on 6 October 1914 | |||
| 4 February 1903 | 21 May 1903 | Sunk by gunfire from HMS Undaunted and four destroyers in the Battle off Texel on 17 October 1914 | |||
| 21 March 1903 | 9 July 1903 | Sunk by gunfire from HMS Undaunted and four destroyers in the Battle off Texel on 17 October 1914 | |||
| 8 July 1903 | 6 September 1903 | Sunk by gunfire from HMS Undaunted and four destroyers in the Battle off Texel on 17 October 1914 | |||
| 10 February 1904 | 7 May 1904 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 28 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 3 March 1904 | 17 June 1904 | Stricken 22 March 1920; sold 13 June 1921 for scrap | |||
| 23 April 1904 | 5 August 1904 | Sunk by mine in the North Sea on 5 October 1918 | |||
| 25 June 1904 | 23 August 1904 | Sunk by mine in the North Sea on 1 May 1916 | |||
| 3 August 1904 | 8 October 1904 | Sunk in the Baltic by collision with Danish ss Anglodane on 30 November 1914 | |||
| 19 May 1904 | 4 April 1905 | Stricken 26 October 1920; sold 13 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 26 November 1904 | 30 April 1905 | Stricken[9] 22 March 1920; sold 13 June 1921 for scrap | |||
| 12 January 1905 | 7 June 1905 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 28 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 25 February 1905 | 8 July 1905 | Stricken 22 March 1920; sold 13 June 1921 for scrap | |||
| 4 March 1905 | 10 August 1905 | Wrecked in the North Sea on 5 November 1915 | |||
| 27 April 1905 | 17 September 1905 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 28 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 25 May 1905 | 6 October 1905 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 28 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 12 May 1906 | 22 August 1906 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 28 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 30 June 1906 | 10 December 1906 | Stricken 22 March 1921; sold 28 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 23 July 1906 | 6 March 1907 | Stricken 9 November 1920; sold 13 May 1921 for scrap | |||
| 7 September 1906 | 24 January 1907 | Stricken 25 May 1921; 10 October 1921 for scrap | |||
| 25 August 1906 | 16 March 1907 | Stricken 21 July 1921; 20 August 1921 for scrap | |||
| 24 January 1907 | 24 July 1907 | Stricken 22 March 1921, sold 28 May 1921 for scrap | |||
Most of the ships served into World War I. S90 sank the on 17 October 1914, and was scuttled at Tsingtao later that day. Four of these boats took part in the Battle off Texel on the exact same day, in which a British light cruiser and four destroyers destroyed the Seventh Half-Flotilla consisting of S119, S115, S117 and S118.