SMS Koenig was the first of four Koenig-class dreadnought battleships of the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. Koenig (Eng: "King") was named in honor of King William II of Wurttemberg. Laid down in October 1911, the ship was launched on March 1st, 1913. Final construction on Koenig was completed shortly after the outbreak of World War I; she was commissioned into the High Seas Fleet on August 9th, 1914.

Along with her three sister ships, Grosser Kurfurst, Markgraf, and Kronprinz, Konig took part in most of the fleet actions during the war. As the leading ship in the German line on May 31st, 1916, in the Battle of Jutland, Koenig was heavily engaged by several British battleships and suffered ten large-caliber shell hits. In October 1917, she forced the Russian pre-dreadnought battleship Slava to scuttle herself in the Battle of Moon Sound, which followed Germany's successful Operation Albion.

Koenig was interned, along with the majority of the High Seas Fleet, at Scapa Flow in November 1918 following the Armistice. On June 21st, 1919, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter gave the order to scuttle the fleet, including Koenig, while the British guard ships were out of the harbor on exercises. Unlike most of the scuttled ships, Koenig was never raised for scrapping; the wreck is still on the bottom of the bay.

Shown here is a 1:1250 scale replica of the famed German Kaiserliche Marine Koenig class battleship, SMS Koenig. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Length: 9-inches

Release Date: October 2019