SMS G40
Large Torpedo Boat of the Imperial German Navy
History
German Empire
Ordered 1914 Peacetime order
Builder Germaniawerft , Kiel , Germany
Launched 27 February 1915
Commissioned 16 September 1915
Fate
Interned at Scapa Flow 22 November 1918
Scuttled at Scapa Flow 21 June 1919
General characteristics
Displacement 1,051 tonnes
Length 79.5 meters
Beam 8.33 m
Draft 3.74 m (fwd); 3.45 meters (aft)
Speed 34.5 knots (63.9 km/h)
Range
1,100 nautical miles at 20 knots
(2,040 km at 37 km/h)
Complement 83 officers and sailors
Armament
SMS G40 was a 1913 Type Large Torpedo Boat (Großes Torpedoboot ) of the Imperial German Navy (Deutschen Kaiserliche Marine ) during World War I , and the 16th ship of her class.
Construction
Built by Germaniawerft in Kiel , Germany , she was launched in February 1915.
Service
G40 was assigned to the First Torpedo Boat Flotilla of the High Seas Fleet of the German Imperial Navy. When she participated in the Battle of Jutland she was assigned to escort the battlecruiser SMS Lützow . In this action, Lützow was severely damaged such that she was unable to return to German waters. She assisted SMS G37 , SMS G38 and SMS V45 in the evacuation of survivors. Naval gunfire from pursuing British vessels subsequently damaged G40' s engines and she had to be towed back to German waters.
After the end of hostilities, G40 was interned at Scapa Flow and scuttled. She was salvaged for scrap by Ernest Cox in 1925.
References
[1] Technical specs of the Großes Torpedoboot 1913 class
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1919
Shipwrecks
1 Jan: HMY Iolaire
21 Jan: UC-40
30 Jan: Nimrod
7 Feb: HMS Erin's Isle
8 Feb: U-16
10 Feb: UC-91
18 Feb: Mirabeau
20 Feb: UC-71
22 Feb: U-21
7 Mar: HNoMS Thor
6 Apr: SMS Vulkan
15 Apr: U-118
17 Apr: USS Freehold
26 April: Narval , Kit , Kashalot
27 Apr: USS Courtney , USS Otis W. Douglas
28 Apr: USS Gypsum Queen , USS James
April (unknown date): Borets za Svobodu
4 May: HMS Cupar
5 May: SMS Leipzig
2 Jun: Rucumilla
9 Jun: HMS L55
16 Jun: HMS Kinross
18 Jun: Oleg
21 Jun: Scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow – SMS Bayern , SMS Bremse , SMS Brummer , SMS Cöln , SMS Dresden , SMS Derfflinger , SMS Emden , SMS Friedrich der Grosse , SMS G38 , SMS G39 , SMS G40 , SMS Hindenburg , SMS Grosser Kurfürst , SMS Kaiser , SMS Kaiserin , SMS Karlsruhe , SMS König , SMS König Albert , SMS Kronprinz Wilhelm , SMS Markgraf , SMS Moltke , SMS Prinzregent Luitpold , SMS S32 , SMS S36 , SMS S50 , SMS Seydlitz , SMS V45 , SMS V46 , SMS Von der Tann , SMS G102
28 Jun: Duchess of Richmond
Jun (unknown date): Erinpura
27 Jul: USS May
30 Jul: USS G-2
13 Aug: Basilicata
18 Aug: Dvina
1 Sep: HMS Vittoria
4 Sep: HMS Verulam
8 Sep: Valbanera
9 Sep: USS St. Sebastian , USS SP-471
10 Sep: USS Coco , USS Katherine K. , USS Patrol No. 1 , USS Sea Hawk
11 Sep: USS Helena I
16 Sep: HMS M25 , HMS M27 , West Arvada
29 Sep: ML-18 , ML-62 , ML-191 , Ossifrage
30 Sep: August Helmerich
3 Oct: Frank O'Connor
7 Oct: Sizergh Castle
9 Oct: Daram
17 Oct: SMS Kaiser Franz Joseph I
18 Oct: HMS H41
21 Oct Gavriil
31 Oct: Fazilka
13 Nov: Council Bluffs
22 Nov: Myron
24 Nov: Poltava
12 Dec: USS Kerwood
18 Dec: Cufic
Unknown date: UB-14
Other incidents