| rdfs:comment | - The four Brandenburg-class pre-dreadnought battleships were Germany's first ocean-going battleships. They were also the first German warship, of any type, to be fitted with wireless communications. The class comprised Brandenburg, Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm, Weissenburg, and Wörth. All were laid down in 1890 and completed by 1893, except for Weissenburg, which was completed in 1894. The lead ship, Brandenburg, was built at the cost of 9.3 million Marks and Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm cost 11.23 million Marks. The British Royal Navy derisively referred to the ships as the "whalers."
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| abstract | - The four Brandenburg-class pre-dreadnought battleships were Germany's first ocean-going battleships. They were also the first German warship, of any type, to be fitted with wireless communications. The class comprised Brandenburg, Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm, Weissenburg, and Wörth. All were laid down in 1890 and completed by 1893, except for Weissenburg, which was completed in 1894. The lead ship, Brandenburg, was built at the cost of 9.3 million Marks and Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm cost 11.23 million Marks. The British Royal Navy derisively referred to the ships as the "whalers." Brandenburg and her three sisters served in a wide range of roles. In 1900, the four ships were deployed to China during the Boxer Rebellion, after which they were substantially modernized. In 1910, two of the ships, Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm and Weissenburg, were sold to the Ottoman Navy. Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm was sunk in 1915 by a British submarine while Weissenburg survived the war, only to be broken up in 1938. Brandenburg and Wörth saw limited service during World War I as coastal defense ships before they were withdrawn for auxiliary duties. Both ships were sold for scrapping in May 1919.
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