HMS Alcantara (left) and SMS Greif (right) dueling at close range during the
action of 29 February 1916.
| |
History | |
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Germany | |
Name | Greif |
Builder | Neptun Werft, Rostock [1] |
Launched | 1914 [1] |
Acquired | 1915 [1] |
Commissioned | 23 January 1916 [1] |
Fate | Sunk 29 February 1916 |
General characteristics | |
Displacement | 9,900 tons normal [1] |
Length | 131.7 m (432 ft) [1] |
Beam | 16.4 m (54 ft) [1] |
Draught | 7.5 m (25 ft) [1] |
Propulsion | Two coal-fired boilers, one 3,000 shaft horsepower (12 MW) 3-cylinder triple expansion reciprocating steam engine driving one propeller [1] |
Speed | 13 knots (24.1 km/h) [1] |
Range | 35,000 nautical miles (65,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) [1] |
Complement | 10 officers & 297 men [2] |
Armament | Four 15 cm (5.9 in) SK L/40 guns (4 × 1) with 600 rounds ammunition, one 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/40 rapid-fire gun with 200 rounds ammunition, and two 50 cm (20 in) torpedo tubes with 12 torpedoes [3] |
SMS Greif was a German cargo steamship that was converted into a merchant raider for the Imperial German Navy. [1]
Built as Guben, she was a 4,962 GRT steel- hulled ship owned by the German-Australian Line (DADG), Hamburg. [1] She was converted for naval service at Kaiserliche Werft Kiel in 1915 and commissioned as Greif on 23 January 1916. [1]
Greif sailed from the Elbe port of Cuxhaven on 27 February 1916 [4] under the command of Fregattenkapitän Rudolf Tietze (born 13 September 1874, previously was commander of the battleship SMS Wörth). [5] The Royal Navy had learned of Greif's sailing and was waiting in the North Sea. [6]
Greif was disguised as the Norwegian Rena bound for Tønsberg, Norway, when intercepted by the 15,620 GRT armed merchant cruiser Alcantara on the morning of 29 February 1916. [4] Alcantara closed to 2,000 yards (1,800 m) and slowed to lower a boarding cutter when Greif hoisted the German battle ensign, increased speed, and opened fire. [4] Alcantara returned fire with her six 6-inch (152 mm) guns and two 3-pounders. [4] Range was never more than 3,000 yards (2,700 m). [4]
Alcantara was hit by a torpedo amidships on her port side, and one of Alcantara's shells exploded the ready ammunition for Greif's after gun. [4] Both ships lost speed. [4] Greif's crew abandoned ship 40 minutes after opening fire. [4] Alcantara sank first. [4] The C-class light cruiser Comus and M-class destroyer Munster then arrived to sink the stationary Greif [4] and rescue 120 German survivors. [2] An estimated 187 Germans perished along with 72 Britons.
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