Description
SMS Hessen was the third of five pre-dreadnought
battleships of the Braunschweig class. She was laid down in 1902, was launched
in September 1903, and was commissioned into the German Kaiserliche Marine
(Imperial Navy) in September 1905. Named after the state of Hesse, the ship was
armed with a battery of four 28 cm (11 in) guns and had a top speed of 18 knots
(33 km/h; 21 mph).
Hessen’s armament consisted of a main battery of four 28 cm SK L/40 guns in twin-gun turrets, one fore and one aft of the central superstructure. Her secondary armament consisted of fourteen 17 cm (6.7 inch) SK L/40 guns and eighteen 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/35 quick-firing guns. The armament suite was rounded out with six 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, all mounted in the hull below the waterline. One tube was in the bow, two were on each broadside, and the final tube was in the stern. Hessen was protected with Krupp armor. Her armored belt was 110 to 250 millimeters (4.3 to 9.8 in) thick; the heavier armor in the central citadel protected her magazines and propulsion machinery, with thinner plating at either end of the hull. Her deck was 40 mm (1.6 in) thick. The main battery turrets had 250 mm of armor plating.
Made of a. 900 Sterling Silver case, this German-made Junghans Pocket Watch is in EXCELLENT functioning condition, and is featured on both page 140 and 141 of Dr. Konrad Knirim’s, “Military Timepieces” book. Though the crystal shows some light scratches, the dial and hands are in near MINT condition, with NO damage or corrosion! Note that because I use a camera flash, the scratches show up more pronounced than they actually are in person. The manufacture name is clearly marked on the face, and was manufactured in 1926. Being in used condition, the case does show some signs of wear (scratches, marks, patina), but it is in otherwise VERY NICE condition for its age. The reverse features a gorgeous crest of the Duke of Hessen, along with the following inscription: