View source for SMS Mücke

{{Short description|German ironclad gunboat}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |infobox caption= |italic title=}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=File:SMS Mucke NH 88641.jpg
|Ship image size=300px
|Ship caption=''Mücke'' sometime in the 1880s to 1897
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[German Empire]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|German Empire|naval}}
|Ship name=''Mücke''
|Ship namesake=[[Mosquito]]
|Ship builder=[[AG Weser]], [[Bremen]]
|Ship laid down=1876
|Ship launched=5 May 1877
|Ship commissioned=25 February 1878
|Ship decommissioned=24 September 1900
|Ship struck=18 March 1911
|Ship fate=[[ship breaking|Broken up]], 1921
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Gunboat]]
|Ship displacement=
*Design: {{cvt|1098|t|LT|lk=on}}
*[[Full load]]: {{cvt|1163|t|LT|lk=on}}
|Ship length={{cvt|46.4|m|ftin}}
|Ship beam={{cvt|10.6|m|ftin}}
|Ship draft={{cvt|3.2|to|3.4|m|ftin}}
|Ship propulsion=
*2 × [[double-expansion steam engine]]s
*2 × [[screw propeller]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|11|kn|lk=on}}
|Ship power=
*4 × [[fire-tube boiler]]s
*{{convert|800|PS|ihp|lk=on|abbr=on}}
|Ship range=
|Ship complement=
*3 officers
*73–85 enlisted
|Ship armament=1 × [[30.5 cm MRK L/22|{{cvt|30.5|cm|0}} MRK L/22 gun]]
|Ship armor=
* [[belt armor|Belt]]: {{cvt|102|to|203|mm|0}}
* [[Barbette]]: {{cvt|203|mm|0}}
* [[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{cvt|44|mm}}
}}
|}
'''SMS ''Mücke''''' was an [[ironclad warship|ironclad]] [[gunboat]] of the {{sclass|Wespe|gunboat|4}} built for the German {{lang|de|[[Kaiserliche Marine]]}} (Imperial Navy) in the 1870s. The ships, which were armed with a single [[30.5 cm MRK L/22|{{cvt|30.5|cm|0}} MRK L/22 gun]], were intended to serve as part of a coastal defense fleet.
==Design==
{{main|Wespe-class gunboat}}
[[File:SMS Wespe plan and profile.png|thumb|left|Plan and profile of the {{sclass|Wespe|gunboat|4}} in their original configuration]]
Development of the {{sclass|Wespe|gunboat|4}} of [[ironclad warship|ironclad]] [[gunboat]]s began in the 1850s, after the first ironclads were introduced during the [[Crimean War]]. Through the 1860s, the [[Federal Convention (German Confederation)|Federal Convention]] examined various proposals, which included plans to build at least eight vessels, to as many as eighteen armored warships. The decision was finalized based on the fleet plan conceived by General [[Albrecht von Stosch]], the new Chief of the {{lang|de|[[Kaiserliche Admiralität]]}} (Imperial Admiralty), in the early 1870s. He envisioned a fleet oriented on defense of Germany's [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] and [[North Sea]] coasts, which would be led by the ironclad [[corvette]]s of the {{sclass|Sachsen|ironclad|4}}. These were to be supported by larger numbers of small, armored gunboats, which became the ''Wespe'' class.{{sfn|Sondhaus|pp=113–114}}{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 8|p=69}}
''Mücke'' was {{convert|46.4|m|ftin|sp=us}} [[long overall]], with a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|10.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}} and a [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{convert|3.2|to|3.4|m|abbr=on}}. She [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|1098|t|LT|lk=on|sp=us}} as designed and {{cvt|1163|t|LT}} at [[full load]]. The ship's crew consisted of 3&nbsp;officers and 73 to 85&nbsp;enlisted men. She was powered by a pair of [[double-expansion steam engine]]s that drove a pair of 4-bladed [[screw propeller]]s, with steam provided by four coal-fired cylindrical [[fire-tube boiler]]s, which gave her a top speed of {{convert|11|kn|lk=in}} at {{convert|800|PS|ihp|lk=on}}. At a cruising speed of {{convert|7|kn}}, she could steam for {{convert|700|nmi|lk=in}}.{{sfn|Gröner|pp=137–138}}
The ship was armed with one [[30.5 cm MRK L/22|{{cvt|30.5|cm|0}} MRK L/22 gun]] in a [[barbette]] mount that had a limited arc of traverse. In practice, the gun was aimed by turning the ship in the direction of fire. The ''Wespe''s were intended to [[ship grounding|beach]] themselves on the [[sandbar]]s along the German coastline to serve as semi-mobile [[coastal artillery]] batteries. The armored barbette was protected by {{cvt|203|mm|0}} of [[wrought iron]], backed with {{cvt|210|mm}} of [[teak]]. The ship was fitted with a [[waterline]] [[armor belt]] that was {{cvt|102|to|203|mm|0}} thick, with the thickest section protecting the propulsion machinery spaces and ammunition [[magazine (artillery)|magazine]]. The belt was backed with 210&nbsp;mm of teak. An armor deck that consisted of two layers of {{cvt|22|mm}} of iron on {{cvt|28|mm}} of teak provided additional protection against enemy fire.{{sfn|Gröner|pp=137–138}}{{sfn|Lyon|p=261}}
==Service history==
[[File:SMS Wespe (1876) line color.png|thumb|left|Profile drawing of the {{sclass|Wespe|gunboat|4}} as they appeared {{c.}} 1900]]
The [[keel]] for ''Mücke'' was [[keel laying|laid down]] at the [[AG Weser]] shipyard in [[Bremen]] in 1876, and she was [[ship launching|launched]] on 5 May 1877. She was named after the German word for [[mosquito]]. Work on the ship proceeded more slowly than her [[sister ship]]s, and she was briefly [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] into active service on 25 February 1878 for [[sea trials]]. She saw no further activity for the next eight years, and in that time, she was refitted with an additional {{cvt|8.7|cm}} L/24 [[built-up gun]]s, a pair of {{cvt|37|mm}} [[Hotchkiss revolver cannon]], and two {{cvt|35|cm}} [[torpedo tube]]s in her [[bow (watercraft)|bow]], both of which were below the waterline. Despite her lengthy period of inactivity early in her career, ''Mücke'' would be the most active member of her class.{{sfn|Gröner|pp=137–138}}{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 6|p=121}}
''Mücke'' commissioned for her first period of service with the fleet on 1 May 1885. She initially conducted individual training exercises, beginning in mid-June. For the fall fleet maneuvers, she served as the [[flagship]] of a [[division (naval)|division]] of gunboats that included her sisters {{SMS|Viper|1876|2}}, {{SMS|Wespe|1876|2}}, and {{SMS|Salamander|1880|2}}. The ships took part in combined fleet training maneuvers, which saw the gunboats defend the mouth of [[Jade Bight]] against a simulated attack by the main units of the German fleet. Following the end of the maneuvers on 7 September, ''Mücke'' was assigned to the Reserve Division of the North Sea, serving as its flagship. At that time, {{lang|de|[[Kapitänleutnant]]}} (Captain Lieutenant) [[Richard Hornung (admiral)|Richard Hornung]] served as the ship's commander.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 6|p=121}}
For the 1886 training year, an Armored Gunboat Flotilla was created on 11 May; ''Mücke'' again served as the flagship for the unit, which also included ''Viper'', ''Salamander'', and their sister {{SMS|Camaeleon||2}}. The ships conducted training exercises until 9 June, when the unit was disbanded. ''Mücke'' thereafter served in the Training Fleet for the annual maneuvers, which were carried out in July and August. The ship trained individually from May to early August 1887, after which she joined the Training Fleet as in previous years. The fleet maneuvers, which lasted from 3 to 14 September, consisted of another simulated attack on Jade Bight, along with [[blockade]] operations in the area. ''Mücke'' thereafter returned to the Reserve Division for the winter months. In April 1888, now-{{lang|de|[[Korvettenkapitän]]}} (KK—Corvette Captain) Hornung was replaced by KK [[Alfred Herz]]. The ship's activities that year mirrored that of previous years, with the exception that the annual fleet maneuvers were held in the mouth of the [[Weser]] river.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 6|p=121}}
In January 1889, KK [[Oscar von Schuckmann]] took command of the ship. That year's training program followed a similar pattern, as did 1890's. In October 1890, KK [[August Gruner]] relieved Schuckmann. {{lang|de|[[Leutnant zur See]]}} (Lieutenant at Sea) [[Max Wilken]] briefly captained the ship in August and September 1891. ''Mücke'' was decommissioned on 24 September, the first time she left active service since 1885. She was then taken to the {{lang|de|[[Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven|Kaiserliche Werft]]}} in [[Wilhelmshaven]] for a refit and modernization that included the installation of an armored [[conning tower]]. The ship returned to active service on 23 April 1895; she sailed from Wilhelmshaven on 29 April, bound for the Baltic Sea, passing through [[Frederikshavn]] and [[Rixhöft]] on the way to [[Danzig]]. There, she replaced her sister {{SMS|Crocodill|1879|2}} as the flagship of the Armored Gunboat Reserve Division that was stationed there. The unit also included ''Crocodill'', {{SMS|Natter|1880|2}}, and {{SMS|Scorpion|1877|2}}, but during this period, only ''Mücke'' and ''Natter'' were kept in commission. The two ships trained together that year and in 1896, primarily in the Baltic, but also occasionally in the North Sea. In September 1896, KK [[Adolf Paschen]] became the captain of ''Mücke''.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 6|pp=121–122}}
''Mücke'' was assigned to the Reserve Division on 3 August 1897, serving as its flagship. As part of that unit, she participated in the fleet maneuvers from mid-August into September. These included another simulated attack on the Jade, in which ''Mücke'' reprised her role in the defending squadron. The following year, ''Mücke'' and ''Natter'' joined the Maneuver Fleet for another mock attack, this time on Wilhelmshaven directly. ''Mücke'' was then decommissioned on 1 October in Danzig. Following the deployment of the four {{sclass|Brandenburg|battleship|1}}s to China in response to the [[Boxer Uprising]] in 1900, ''Mücke'' was reactivated due to the shortage of warships in home waters. She remained in commission only until 24 September, however, and she saw no further active service. After more than a decade in reserve, during which time she was used in [[hull (watercraft)|hull]] leakage experiments, she was struck from the [[naval register]] on 18 March 1911. She was then used as a [[training ship]] for [[fire room|boiler room]] crews, a role she filled through the end of [[World War I]] in 1918. She was sold on 25 June 1921 to [[ship breaker]]s and was scrapped later that year in [[Wewelsfleth]].{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 6|p=122}}{{sfn|Gröner|p=138}}
==Notes==
{{reflist|20em}}
==References==
* {{cite book
| last = Gröner
| first = Erich
| year = 1990
| title = German Warships: 1815–1945
| volume = I: Major Surface Vessels
| publisher = Naval Institute Press
| location = Annapolis
| isbn = 978-0-87021-790-6
| ref = {{sfnRef|Gröner}}
}}
* {{cite book
| last1 = Hildebrand
| first1 = Hans H.
| last2 = Röhr
| first2 = Albert
| last3 = Steinmetz
| first3 = Hans-Otto
| year = 1993
| title = Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe: Biographien – ein Spiegel der Marinegeschichte von 1815 bis zur Gegenwart
| trans-title=The German Warships: Biographies − A Reflection of Naval History from 1815 to the Present
| volume = 6
| publisher = Mundus Verlag
| location = Ratingen
| isbn = 3-7822-0237-6
| language = de
| ref = {{sfnRef|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 6}}
|name-list-style=amp
}}
* {{cite book
| last1 = Hildebrand
| first1 = Hans H.
| last2 = Röhr
| first2 = Albert
| last3 = Steinmetz
| first3 = Hans-Otto
| year = 1993
| title = Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe: Biographien – ein Spiegel der Marinegeschichte von 1815 bis zur Gegenwart
| trans-title=The German Warships: Biographies − A Reflection of Naval History from 1815 to the Present
| volume = 8
| language = de
| publisher = Mundus Verlag
| location = Ratingen
|name-list-style=amp
| ref = {{sfnRef|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 8}}
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Lyon
| first = David
| chapter = Germany
| pages = 240–265
| editor1-last = Gardiner
| editor1-first = Robert
| editor2-last = Chesneau
| editor2-first = Roger
| editor3-last = Kolesnik
| editor3-first = Eugene M.
| year = 1979
| title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905
| publisher = Conway Maritime Press
| location = Greenwich
| isbn = 978-0-85177-133-5
|name-list-style=amp
| url-access = registration
| url = https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2
| ref = {{sfnref|Lyon}}
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Sondhaus
| first = Lawrence
| year = 1997
| title = Preparing for Weltpolitik: German Sea Power Before the Tirpitz Era
| publisher = Naval Institute Press
| location = Annapolis
| isbn = 978-1-55750-745-7
| ref = {{sfnRef|Sondhaus}}
}}
{{Wespe-class gunboat}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mücke}}
[[Category:Wespe-class gunboats]]
[[Category:1877 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bremen (state)]]