The
Bayern class was a
class of four
super-dreadnought battleships built by the
German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy). The class comprised
Bayern,
Baden,
Sachsen, and
Württemberg. Construction started on the ships shortly before
World War I;
Baden was laid down in 1913,
Bayern and
Sachsen followed in 1914, and
Württemberg, the final ship, was laid down in 1915. Only
Baden and
Bayern were completed, due to shipbuilding priorities changing as the war dragged on. It was determined that
U-boats were more valuable to the war effort, and so work on new battleships was slowed and ultimately stopped altogether. As a result,
Bayern and
Baden were the last German battleships completed by the Kaiserliche Marine.
Bayern and
Baden were commissioned into the fleet in July 1916 and March 1917, respectively. This was too late for either ship to take part in the
Battle of Jutland on 31 May and 1 June 1916.
Bayern was assigned to the naval force that drove the
Imperial Russian Navy from the
Gulf of Riga during
Operation Albionin October 1917, though the ship was severely damaged from a
mine and had to be withdrawn to
Kiel for repairs.
Baden replaced
Friedrich der Grosse as the
flagship of the
High Seas Fleet, but saw no combat.
Both
Bayern and
Baden were interned in
Scapa Flow following the
Armistice in November 1918. Rear Admiral
Ludwig von Reuter, the commander of the interned German fleet,
ordered his ships be sunk on 21 June 1919;
Bayern was successfully scuttled, though British guards managed to beach
Baden to prevent her from sinking. The ship was eventually expended as a gunnery target in 1921.
Sachsen and
Württemberg, both at various stages of completion when the war ended, were broken up for scrap metal.
Bayern was raised in 1934 and broken up the following year.