Built as a battleship for the German Navy on the yard of A.G. Vulcan, Stettin. She was one of the Deutschland class battleships.
April 1904 laid down.
02 Dec. 1905 launched under the name POMMERN.
Displacement 12,982 tons design, maximum 13,993 tons. Dim. 125.9 x 22.2 x 8.2m. (draught).
Powered by 3 sets of 3 cylinder vertical triple expansion steam engines, manufactured by Vulkan, designed hp 16,000 hp. speed 18 knots. Three screws, steam supplied by 12 coal fired Thornycroft coal bunkers, normal 836 tons, maximum 1693 tons. Action radius 4,800 miles against a 12 knots speed. Could also carry 200 tons oil in double bottom.
Armament 4 – 28 cm Q.F. guns in two double turrets, one fore one aft. 14 – 17cm Q.F. guns, 20 – 88mm Q.F. guns, 6 – 45cm torpedo tubes all submerged.
06 August 1907 completed.
Crew 740.
Building cost about £1,200,000.
The ships of this class were overgunned, special the secondary guns fire to heavy a projectile for man handling.
The POMMERN was lost during the Battle of Jutland.
She was in the 2nd Battle Squadron under Capt Bolken of the German High Seas Fleet, which consisted of six pre-dreadnought battleships, during the Battle of Jutland.
The ships of this squadron did not play an important part in the battle.
On the morning of 06 June 1916 at about 1.45 a.m., the line of battleships was sighted by HMS Faulknor under command of Capt. A.J.B. Stirling, leading the 12th destroyer Flotilla.
The battleships turned away six points and were lost to view by the British for about ten minutes, but she re-appeared on the port bow of the British line, which immediately attacked with torpedoes, altogether eight were fired. There was a loud explosion and one battleship disappeared. Afterwards she proved to be the POMMERN, which sank with all her complement of 71 officers and 769 men.
She was the only battleship on either side sunk at Jutland.
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Source: Dictionary of Disasters at Sea during the age of steam by Charles Hocking. Jane’s Fighting Ships 1914. http://www.geocities.com/heartland/1185/deutschl.html