SMS Panther (1885)
SMS Panther was a torpedo cruiser (Torpedoschiff) of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. She and her sister ship, Leopard were part of a program to build up Austria-Hungary's fleet of torpedo craft in the 1880s.
Design
The Navy Commander (Marinekommandant) of the Austro-Hungarian fleet, Vice Admiral Maximilian Daublebsky von Sterneck, outlined in a memorandum of 8 September 1884 the requirements for a cruiser equipped with a reinforced ram bow for ramming as well as torpedoes for attacks on larger warships. Such vessels would also be small and fast enough to undertake patrol and reconnaissance duties. They were originally classified as "torpedo ships" (Torpedoschiff) - equivalent of a torpedo cruiser in other navies. In 1903 they were reclassified as 3rd class cruisers, then in 1909 as small cruisers (Kleine Kreuzer).
When funds for two ships were approved by the Austro-Hungarian Reichsrat, bids were solicited from British builders. The order went to the firm of W.G. Armstrong at Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne and its chief designer, William Henry White (afterwards the British Director of Naval Construction from 1885 to 1902).
SMS Panther
SMS Panther was one of six Iltis-class gunboats of the Kaiserliche Marine and, like its sister ships, served in Germany's overseas colonies. The ship was launched on 1 April 1901 in the Kaiserliche Werft, Danzig. It had a crew of 9 officers and 121 men.
Design
Panther was 66.9 meters (219 ft) long overall and had a beam of 9.7 m (32 ft) and a draft of 3.54 m (11.6 ft) forward. She displaced 1,193 metric tons (1,174 long tons; 1,315 short tons) at full load. Her propulsion system consisted of a pair of vertical triple-expansion steam engines each driving a single screw propeller, with steam supplied by four coal-fired Thornycroft boilers. Panther could steam at a top speed of 13.7 knots (25.4 km/h; 15.8 mph) at 1,344 indicated horsepower (1,002 kW). The ship had a cruising radius of about 3,400 nautical miles (6,300 km; 3,900 mi) at a speed of 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph). She had a crew of between 9 officers and 121 enlisted men.Panther was armed with a main battery of two 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/40 guns, with 482 rounds of ammunition. She also carried six machine guns.
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