SMS Ariadne (1871)
Screw corvette of the Prussian and German Imperial Navy
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Key Takeaways
- SMS Ariadne was a steam corvette of the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy).
- Ordered as part of a naval expansion program after the Austro-Prussian War, Ariadne was laid down in September 1868, launched in July 1871, and was commissioned in November 1872.
- Ariadne went on four major overseas cruises during her career.
- During the second, from late 1877 to late 1879, Ariadne operated off South America and the central Pacific Ocean.
- After returning to Germany in 1885, Ariadne was reassigned as a training ship for apprentice seamen, a role she performed for the next five years.
SMS Ariadne was a steam corvette of the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy). She was the lead ship of the Ariadne class, which included two other ships, Luise and Freya. Ordered as part of a naval expansion program after the Austro-Prussian War, Ariadne was laid down in September 1868, launched in July 1871, and was commissioned in November 1872. Ariadne was a small vessel, armed with a battery of just eight guns.
Ariadne went on four major overseas cruises during her career. The first, from late 1874 to late 1876, saw the ship visit Chinese waters where she protected German shipping from pirate attacks. During the second, from late 1877 to late 1879, Ariadne operated off South America and the central Pacific Ocean. In 1880–1881, the ship went to South American waters to protect German interests during the War of the Pacific between Peru, Chile, and Bolivia, and in 1884–1885, she operated off West Africa, where she negotiated the acquisition of a protectorate in what is now Guinea.
After returning to Germany in 1885, Ariadne was reassigned as a training ship for apprentice seamen, a role she performed for the next five years. During this period, she went on training cruises to the Caribbean Sea, conducted training in the Baltic Sea, and participated in fleet exercises in German waters. She was decommissioned in September 1890, stricken from the naval register in April 1891, and sold to ship breakers in October.
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