The Kaiser class was a class of five dreadnought battleships that were built in Germany prior to World War I and served in the (Imperial Navy) during the war. They were the third class of German dreadnoughts, and the first to feature turbine engines and superfiring turrets. The five ships were , , , , and . As was usual for German battleships of the period, the Kaiser class mounted main guns that were smaller than those of their British rivals: , compared to the guns of the British . All five ships saw action in the North Sea during the war; they served together as VI Division of III Battle Squadron. Four were present during the Battle of Jutland; König Albert was in dock at the time. Of the four ships that took part in the battle, only Kaiser was damaged, being struck by two heavy-caliber shells. The ships also took part in Operation Albion in the Baltic Sea; during the operation they were reorganized as IV Battle Squadron, under the command of Vice Admiral Wilhelm Souchon. At the end of the war, all five ships were interned at the British naval base in Scapa Flow. On 21 June 1919, they were scuttled to prevent their seizure by the Royal Navy. The ships were subsequently raised and broken up for scrap between 1929 and 1937. Design The Kaiser-class ships were ordered under the same Second Naval Law as the preceding Helgoland-class battleships. The law provided that the life expectancy of capital ships was to be reduced from 25 to 20 years, a measure designed to necessitate construction of newer battleships. This meant the six s, the two s, as well as the four s would have to be replaced. The five Kaisers were to replace the remaining three Siegfried-class ships: , , and , as well as the two Odin-class ships: and . General characteristics The ships of the Kaiser class were long at the waterline, and long overall. The ships had a beam of , a draft of forward and aft. They displaced as designed and up to at full load. The ships had a double bottom for 88 percent of the length of the hull and 17 watertight compartments. The ships had a crew of 41 officers and 1,043 seamen. While serving as squadron flagship, the ships had an additional 14 officers and 80 men, and as