View source for SMS G42

{{Short description|G41-class large torpedo boat of the Imperial German Navy and sunk in 1917}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
 | Ship image = File:Showing the destroyer HMS Broke ramming a German destroyer in the English Channel on 20 April 1917..jpg
 | Ship caption = SMS ''G42'' (left) being rammed by {{HMS|Broke|1914|6}} in the English Channel on 20 April 1917
}}
{{Infobox ship career
 | Hide header =  
|Ship country=[[German Empire]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|German Empire|naval}}
 | Ship name =  
 | Ship namesake =  
 | Ship ordered =  1914 Peacetime order
 | Ship builder =  [[Germaniawerft]], [[Kiel]], [[Germany]]
 | Ship laid down =  
 | Ship launched =  20 May 1915
 | Ship commissioned =  10 November 1915
 | Ship decommissioned =  
 | Ship in service =  
 | Ship out of service =  
 | Ship struck =  
 | Ship reinstated =  
 | Ship honours =  
 | Ship fate =  Sunk by {{HMS|Broke|1914|6}}, 21 April 1917 
 | Ship notes =  
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
 | Hide header =  
 | Header caption =  
 | Ship class = [[V25-class torpedo boat]]
 | Ship displacement =  {{convert|1147|t|LT|abbr=on}} deep load
 | Ship length = {{convert|83.0|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long [[length overall|oa]]
 | Ship beam =  {{convert|8.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
 | Ship draft = {{convert|3.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
 | Ship propulsion =*3 [[water tube boiler]]s
*[[Steam turbine]]s, 2 Shafts
*{{convert|24000|PS|shp kW|abbr=on}} 
 | Ship sail plan =  
 | Ship speed =  {{convert|33.5|kn|abbr=on}}
 | Ship range =  {{convert|1950|nmi|abbr=on}} ay 
 | Ship complement =  87 officers and sailors
 | Ship sensors =  
 | Ship EW =  
 | Ship armament =*3 × [[8.8 cm SK L/45 naval gun|{{convert|8.8|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} SK L/45]] guns
*6 × {{convert|500|mm|in|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s
*24 [[Naval mine|mine]]s
 | Ship notes =  
}}
|}

'''SMS ''G42''''' was a 1913 Type [[Large Torpedo Boat]] (''Großes Torpedoboot'') of the [[Imperial German Navy]] (''Kaiserliche Marine'') during [[World War I]], and the 18th ship of her class.

==Construction==

Built by [[Germaniawerft]] in [[Kiel]], she was laid down in February 1915,{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 20 May 1915 and commissioned on 10 November 1915.<ref name="Grov2 p54">Gröner 1983, p. 54.</ref> The "G" in ''G42'' refers to the shipyard at which she was constructed.<ref name="conway06 p164">Gardiner and Gray 1985, p. 164.</ref>

''G42'' was {{convert|83.0|m|ftin}} long [[length overall|overall]] and {{convert|82.2|m|ftin}} [[length between perpendiculars|between perpendiculars]], with a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|8.4|m|ftin}} and a [[draft (ship)|draft]] of {{convert|3.4|m|ftin}}.<ref name="conways06 p168">Gardiner and Gray 1985, p. 168.</ref> [[Displacement (ship)|Displacement]] was {{convert|960|t|LT}} normal and {{convert|1147|t|LT}} deep load.<ref name="Grov2 p53">Gröner 1983, p. 53.</ref> Three oil-fired [[water-tube boiler]]s fed steam to 2 sets of AEG-Vulcan [[steam turbine]]s rated at {{convert|24000|PS|shp kW}}, giving a speed of {{convert|33.5|kn}}. {{convert|326|t|LT}} of fuel oil was carried, giving a range of {{convert|1950|nmi}} at {{convert|17|kn}}.<ref name="conways06 p168"/>

Armament originally consisted of three [[8.8 cm SK L/45 naval gun]]s in single mounts, together with six 50&nbsp;cm (19.7&nbsp;in) [[torpedo tube]]s with two fixed single tubes forward and 2 twin mounts aft. Up to 24 [[Naval mine|mine]]s could be carried. In 1916 the 8.8&nbsp;cm guns were replaced by three [[10.5 cm SK L/45 naval gun]]s.<ref name="conways06 p168"/><ref name="Grov2 p53"/> The ship had a complement of 87 officers and men.<ref name="conways06 p168"/>

==Service==

''G42'' was a member of the Third Torpedo Boat Flotilla, Sixth Half-Flotilla of the [[High Seas Fleet]] at the [[Battle of Jutland]].<ref name="Camp p25">Campbell 1998, p. 25.</ref> The 3rd Flotilla launched an unsuccessful torpedo attack against British Battlecruisers at about 18:37, and after turning away, exchanged fire with the crippled British destroyer {{HMS|Shark|1912|6}}. The British destroyer managed to immobilize the German destroyer {{Ship|SMS|V48||2}} in this exchange before being sunk by a German torpedo. ''G42'' attempted to take ''V48'' under tow, but heavy shellfire from the battleships {{HMS|Colossus|1910|2}} and {{HMS|Collingwood|1908|2}} aborted the attempt, driving off ''G42''. While ''G42'' was not hit by British shells, near-misses caused [[Condenser (heat transfer)|condenser]] leaks.<ref name="Camp p161-2,205">Campbell 1998, pp. 161–162, 205.</ref> ''G42'' then joined the destroyer screen for the damaged {{Ship|SMS|Lützow||2}}, making smoke to help screen the battlecruiser.<ref name="Camp p209">Campbell 1998, p. 209.</ref>

On 23 October 1916, the Third and Ninth Torpedo Boat Flotillas left Germany for [[Zeebrugge]] in Belgium in order to reinforce the German naval forces based in [[Flanders]], and to assist German [[U-boat]]s in their attacks on Allied shipping. ''G42'' remained part of the Sixth Half-Flotilla of the Third Flotilla.<ref name="navopv4 p52">Newbolt 1928, p. 52.</ref> The Sixth Half-Flotilla took part in a [[Battle of Dover Strait (1916)|large scale raid]] into the English Channel on the night of 26/27 October 1916, hoping to attack the drifters watching the anti-submarine nets of the Dover Barrage, and to sink Allied shipping in the Channel. The Sixth Half Flotilla sank the British destroyer {{HMS|Flirt|1897|2}}, which had stopped to rescue survivors of a [[Naval drifter|drifter]] that had been hit in an earlier attack, before returning to base.<ref name="navopv4 p55-7,1">Newbolt 1928, pp. 55–57, 61.</ref> The Third Torpedo Boat Flotilla returned to Germany in November that year.<ref name="navopv4 p66">Newbolt 1928, p. 66.</ref>

The Third Flotilla returned to Zeebrugge on 24 March 1917,<ref name="Kar p122">Karau 2014, p. 122.</ref> and together with the other torpedo boat Flotillas based in Flanders, took part in unsuccessful sorties into the English Channel on 10, 13 and 18 April.<ref name="Kar p124">Karau 2014, p. 124.</ref>  The Germans tried again on the night of 20/21 April 1917, in the [[Battle of Dover Strait (1917)|Battle of Dover Strait]], splitting their force into three groups. One, ''Gruppe Gautier'', consisting of ''G42'', {{SMS|G85||2}}, {{SMS|S53||2}}, {{SMS|V71||2}}, {{SMS|V73||2}} and {{SMS|V81||2}} was to attack the Dover Barrage and attack Dover, while the second, ''Gruppe Albrecht'', also consisting of six torpedo boats, was to attack the Barrage and Calais, while the third force of three torpedo boats, ''Gruppe Zander'' was tasked with attacking shipping in [[The Downs (ship anchorage)|The Downs]].<ref name="Kar p124"/><ref name="navop4 p372-3">Newbolt 1928, pp. 372–373.</ref> At about 23:30 hr on 20 April ''Gruppe Gautier'' encountered the trawler ''Sabreur'' and attacked with gunfire, scoring two hits. While the Germans believed that they had sunk the trawler, ''Sabreur'' managed to escape. ''Gruppe Gautier'' then shelled Dover and was fired on in response by British coastal artillery. It then moved off down the Channel to attack the Dover Barrage, but encountered the British Flotilla Leaders {{HMS|Broke|1914|2}} and {{HMS|Swift|1907|2}}. ''G42'', commanded by [[Bernd von Arnim]], was rammed by ''Broke''. Both ships were heavily damaged in the collision, and were entangled together for a short time. While the ships were entangled, close-quarters battle broke out between the two crews until ''Broke'' disengaged. ''G42'' sank with 36 sailors killed in action. ''G85'', torpedoed by ''Swift'', was also sunk in this action.<ref name="navop4 p374-8">Newbolt 1928, pp. 374–378.</ref><ref name="Kar p125">Karau 2015, p. 125.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=G-42 [+1917]|work=Wreck Site|accessdate=21 December 2015|url=http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?4993}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

*{{cite book|last=Campbell|first=John|title=Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting|year=1998|location=London|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|isbn=0-85177-750-3}}
*{{cite book|editor-last1=Gardiner|editor-first1=Robert|editor-last2=Gray|editor-first2=Randal|title=Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|year=1985|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=0-85177-245-5}}
*{{cite book|last=Gröner|first=Erich|title=Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815–1945: Band 2: Torpedoboote, Zerstörer, Schnelleboote, Minensuchboote, Minenräumboote|year=1983|publisher=Bernard & Graefe Verlag|location=Koblenz, Germany|isbn=3-7637-4801-6}} 
*{{cite book|last=Karau|first=Mark K.|title=The Naval Flank of the Western Front: The German MarineKorps Flandern 1914–1918|year=2014|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-84832-231-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Newbolt|first=Henry|title=History of the Great War: Naval Operations: Vol. IV|year=1928|publisher=Longmans Green|location=London| url=https://archive.org/details/navaloperations04corb |oclc=220475138}}

==External links==
* [http://www.german-navy.de/hochseeflotte/ships/torpedoboats/gtb1913/tech.html ''Technical specs of the Großes Torpedoboot 1913 class'']

{{Großes Torpedoboot 1913-class torpedo boats}}
{{April 1917 shipwrecks}}

{{coord missing|English Channel}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:G42}}
[[Category:Torpedo boats of the Imperial German Navy]]
[[Category:1915 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Kiel]]
[[Category:World War I torpedo boats of Germany]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1917]]
[[Category:World War I shipwrecks in the North Sea]]