Battleship SMS Markgraf. This amazing 1:100 scale model is the work of Waldemar Ott. It has been in the collection since the early 1990s and is on display on deck 5 of the museum.
The battleship SMS „Markgraf“ of the Imperial German Navy took part in some of the most important sea battles of the First World War. It was built by A.G. Weser, Bremen, from 1911 to 1913 and entered service shortly after the start of the war in 1914. „Markgraf“ was the third ship of the four units of the „König“ class. These battleships had also been built as a result of the „Naval Laws“ formulated by Admiral Tirpitz and were competitors to the corresponding British buildings; thus, they were also part of the German-British naval arms race prior to the First World War. Her career was largely uneventful until the end of May 1916. Then, as a ship of the German High Seas Fleet, the „Markgraf“ met the British Grand Fleet in the Battle of Jutland. It was the largest naval battle the world had ever seen. However, nothing changed in the strategic status quo; „Markgraf“ received five heavy hits and had to go to the dockyard. After repairs were completed, she conducted reconnaissance and training patrols in the North and Baltic Seas. The Baltic Sea was also where her next important mission took place: „Operation Albion“. This was the code name for the attack on islands in the Bay of Riga, which was still under Russian control in October 1917. The operation was successful, but the „Markgraf“ hit several mines on her way back to the North Sea and had to transfer to Wilhelmshaven for repairs. There, on Jade roadstead, she remained until October 1918. When the war was almost lost, crews on the battleships of the High Seas Fleet, which was concentrating in Kiel for a final deployment, began to mutiny. The crew of the „Markgraf“ was among the mutineers. After the end of the war, the German High Seas Fleet was interned in Scapa Flow. On June 21, 1919, a remnant crew scuttled the ship when it became clear that the fleet was to be seized by the Allies. The wreck of the „Markgraf“ was never scrapped. It changed hands several times and finally sold on eBay in 2019 for £25,500.
This amazing 1:100 scale model is the work of Waldemar Ott. It has been in the collection since the early 1990s and is on display on deck 5 of the museum.