SMS G42 was a German V 25‑class large torpedo boat (Großes Torpedoboot) of the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) that served during World War I. She was the eighteenth vessel of her class and was built by the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel.
Design and specifications
- Displacement: 960 t (normal), 1,147 t (deep load)
- Length: 83.0 m overall (272 ft 4 in)
- Beam: 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)
- Draft: 3.4 m (11 ft)
- Propulsion: Three oil‑fired water‑tube boilers feeding two AEG‑Vulcan steam turbines, rated at 24,000 PS (24,000 shp; 18,000 kW) and driving two shafts.
- Speed: 33.5 kn (62 km/h; 38.6 mph)
- Range: 1,950 nmi at 17 kn.
- Armament (as built): three 8.8 cm SK L/45 guns, six 50 cm torpedo tubes (two single forward, two twin mounts aft) and up to 24 naval mines. In 1916 the 8.8 cm guns were replaced by three 10.5 cm SK L/45 guns.
- Complement: 87 officers and enlisted men.
Construction
Ordered in 1914, G42 was laid down in February 1915, launched on 20 May 1915, and commissioned into service on 10 November 1915. The “G” in her hull number indicated construction at the Germaniawerft yard.
Operational history
During the war G42 served with the Third Torpedo Boat Flotilla, Sixth Half‑Flotilla of the High Seas Fleet. She participated in the Battle of Jutland (31 May–1 June 1916), where she engaged British destroyers and attempted to tow the damaged German destroyer V 48. Later she operated from Zeebrugge as part of German naval forces in the Flanders coast, taking part in raids on the English Channel and the Dover Barrage.
On the night of 20 April 1917, during the Second Battle of Dover Strait, G42 was rammed by the British destroyer HMS Broke. The two vessels became locked together, leading to close‑quarters fighting. HMS Broke eventually broke free, and G42 sank as a result of the collision and subsequent damage.
Fate
SMS G42 was sunk on 21 April 1917 after being rammed by HMS Broke in the English Channel. All crew members were lost.
Legacy
G42 is remembered as an example of the aggressive torpedo‑boat tactics employed by the German Navy during World War I and as a participant in one of the few direct naval engagements in the English Channel during the conflict.