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Coast Defense Battleship SMS Beowulf
Scale: 1/250
Skill Level: difficult
Size (LxWxH): 310x60x130 mm (12x2x5 inch)
This coast defense battleship with the unusual nickname “Cavy” was designed for the defense of estuaries.
Our model of SMS Beowulf offers some amazing details which are particularly fun to build. Of course there is the interesting shaped hull. The designer Markus Wiekowski managed to develop this without any viewable cuts. It is certainly recommended to take some time to bring these parts into form. But also the torpedo net bearings offer space for creativity. The superstructure is refreshingly diversified and a lot of details are waiting to be discovered.
The model highlights:
- elegant lines
- turnable gun turrets
- filigree decorations for bow and stern in gold
- torpedo net bearing
| Product type | Papermodel |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | HMV Hamburger Modellbaubogen Verlag |
| Scale | 1/250 |
| Designer | Markus Wiekowski |
| Difficulty | difficult |
| Sheet size | DIN A4 |
| Sheets | 8 |
| Parts | 854 |
| Length | 310 mm (12.2 inch) |
| Width | 60 mm (2.36 inch) |
| Height | 130 mm (5.12 inch) |
| Bauanleitung | German |
Technical data:
- launched: 8/11/1890 as number 100 at A.G. Weser, Bremen
- commissioning: 1/4/1892
- length: 79 m
- width: 14,90 m
- armament: 3 cannons 24 cm, 8 autocannons 8.8 cm, 2 machine guns, 4 torpedo tubes 35 cm
- class: ironclad 4th class, Siegfried class
- sister ships: Frithjof, Hagen, Hildebrand, Heimdal and Siegfried
- crew: 276-307 seamen
Beowulf was launched on 8/11/1890 at A.G. Weser in Bremen. She and her fiver sister ships were part of the group of ironclads of the 4th class. Because of their bell-shaped hull sides they were nicknamed guinea pigs in the navy. All six ships were mainly used for the defence of estuaries. But the intention was to be able to use them at sea as well. Beowulf was commissioned in April 1892.
The sea trials were interrupted by the parade of the fleet on 7/6/1892 for tsar Alexander III who visited Beowulf together with emperor Wilhelm II. After the sea trials this ship was in service in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea and also took part in several oversea journeys.
In 1900 Beowulf went to the shipyard Kaiserliche Werft in Danzig and was entirely modified. She was literally cut in half and in order to increase the capacity of the boilers and coal bunkers she was stretched substantially. During these works she also got a second funnel and was modernised completely. She was recommissioned in July 1902.
At the beginning of World War I Beowulf was commissioned to border protection. During the war she took part in various operations. In 1916 she was used as target ship for submarines and in 1917 she was even in service as an ice-breaker due to the lack of other ships suitable for this task.
Beowulf survived the rest of the war without any major damage and was taken off the list war ships on 17/6/1919. In 1921 the hull was finally scraped in Danzig.
A very beautiful original model from the shipyard itself is today on exhibition in the maritime museum in Bremerhaven.
Our model shows Beowulf in the time from 1/4/1892 till 29/3/1895 and was designed based on the plan in 1/100 scale from Dipl.-Ing. Wolfgang Bohlayer and various pictures and drawings.
