SMS Hertha (1897)

SMS Hertha was a protected cruiser of the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine). She was the lead ship of her class, which included three other vessels: SMS Freya, SMS Vineta, and SMS Victoria Louise. Hertha was named after the Germanic goddess of fertility, Hertha.

Hertha was laid down in 1896 at the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin, launched in 1897, and commissioned into the German fleet in 1898. She was armed with two 21 cm (8.3 in) guns and eight 15 cm (5.9 in) guns, along with a number of smaller weapons. Her primary role was overseas deployment, showing the flag and protecting German interests abroad.

Throughout her career, Hertha served in various capacities, including deployments to East Asia, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Americas. She participated in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900-1901.

In the years leading up to World War I, Hertha was largely relegated to training duties. By the outbreak of the war in 1914, she was considered obsolete and was used as a training ship and a barracks ship. She was decommissioned in 1919, after the end of the war, and subsequently scrapped.