SMS Ostfriesland
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| Career | Missing image Kaiserliche_Kriegsflagge.png KLM ensign 
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| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | October 1908 |
| Launched: | September 1909 |
| Commissioned SMS: | May 1911 |
| Commissioned USS: | 7 April 1920 |
| Decommissioned: | 20 September 1920 |
| Fate: | sunk as bombing target 21 July 1921 |
| Stricken: | |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 24,500 tons |
| Length: | 546 ft (166 m) |
| Beam: | 93.3 ft (28.4 m) |
| Draft: | 29.5 ft (9.0 m) |
| Propulsion: | 3 shaft Vertical Triple Expansion, 28,000 ihp (21 MW) |
| Speed: | 21 knots (39 km/h) |
| Range: | |
| Complement: | 1150 officers and men |
| Armament: | 12 x 12 in (305 mm) guns, 14 x 150 mm (5.9 in) guns, 6 x 500 mm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes |
SMS Ostfriesland was a Dreadnought-type battleship of the Helgoland class. Surviving the First World War, she was sunk in an American experiment to prove the effectivness of airpower against ships.
History
She was named after the German province bordering the Netherlands and the North Sea. Her keel was laid down in 1908 at Wilhelmshaven. She was launched in September 1909, and commissioned in the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial German Navy) in May 1911.
At the outbreak of the First World War, she was squadron flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron under Vice-Admiral Schmidt. She took part in the Scarborough Raid of 16 December 1914 led by Rear Admiral Hipper.
In 1916 she was present at the Battle of Jutland, firing 11 12in rounds. She was undamaged by British gunfire but struck a mine on the June 1 on the journey back from the battle, with 1 killed and 10 injured. Repairs were completed on the 26 July 1916 following repairs at Wilhelmshaven.
Ostfriesland was surrendered to the Allies following World War I. At Rosyth in Scotland she was handed over to the United States Navy as "Ship H" on April 7, 1920 under the command of Captain J.F. Hellweg. Under the terms of the surrender of the ship it was to be destroyed by the 24 July 1921.
Though in need of repairs, the ship managed to sail to New York where she was decommissioned September 20 1920. She was examined extensively in dry dock at the New York Navy Yard returning to sea on the 4 January 1921.
At the urging of Billy Mitchell who wanted to demonstrate the power of aircraft over ships, Ostfriesland and several other ex-US (including the USS Alabama) and ex-German warships, became targets for the demonstration. The smaller vessels were dispatched before the main prize the Ostfriesland was attacked.
On the first day there were attacks by smaller bombers. Some flooding occurred and overnight Naval engineers counterflooded some compartments to level the ship, albeit lower in the water. On the second day larger bombers made attacks. Although the tests were supposed to be carefully controlled and monitored Mitchell overrode the plans and ensured that his heaviest bombers from Langley Field in Virginia, attacked. The effect of some very heavy bombs in the water around the Ostfriesland caused further flooding until she sank on July 21 1921, about 60 miles off the Virginia Capes.