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((Use shortened footnotes|date=October 2022))
((Short description|Battleship of the Imperial German Navy))
((for|the earlier ironclad|SMS Oldenburg (1884)))
((featured article))
{| ((Infobox ship begin))
((Infobox ship image
| Ship image   = File:SMS Helgoland illustration.jpg
| Ship image size=300px
| Ship caption = Recognition drawing of a ((lang|de|Helgoland))-class battleship
))
((Infobox ship career
| Hide header =
| Ship country = [[German Empire]]
| Ship flag = ((shipboxflag|German Empire|naval))
| Ship name = ((lang|de|Oldenburg))
| Ship namesake =  [[Duchy of Oldenburg]]((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|p=46))
| Ship builder = [[Schichau-Werke]], [[Danzig]]
| Ship laid down = 1 March 1909
| Ship launched = 30 June 1910
| Ship commissioned = 1 May 1912
| Ship struck = 5 November 1919
| Ship fate = Ceded to Japan, 1920. Broken up for scrap, 1921
))
((Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header =
| Header caption =
| Ship class = ((sclass|Helgoland|battleship))
| Ship displacement =
* [[Normal displacement|Normal]]: ((cvt|22808|t|LT|lk=on))
* [[full-load displacement|Full load]]: ((cvt|24700|t|LT))
| Ship length = ((convert|167.20|m|ftin|abbr=on))
| Ship beam =  ((convert|28.50|m|ftin|abbr=on))
| Ship draft = ((convert|8.94|m|ftin|abbr=on))
| Ship propulsion = 
*3 × [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s
*3 × screw [[propeller]]s
| Ship power=
*15 × [[water-tube boiler]]s
* ((cvt|28000|PS|ihp|lk=on)) 
| Ship speed = ((convert|20.8|kn|lk=in))
| Ship range = ((convert|5500|nmi|-1|lk=in)) at ((convert|10|kn))
| Ship complement =
* 42 officers
* 1027 enlisted 
| Ship armament =
* 12 × [[30.5 cm SK L/50 gun|((cvt|30.5|cm|0)) guns]]
* 14 × [[15 cm SK L/45|((cvt|15|cm|in)) guns]]
* 14 × [[8.8 cm SK L/45 naval gun|((cvt|8.8|cm|in)) guns]]
* 6 × ((cvt|50|cm|in)) [[torpedo tube]]s
| Ship armor =
* [[Belt armor|Belt]]: ((cvt|300|mm|1))
* [[gun turret|Turrets]]: ((cvt|300|mm|1))
* [[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: ((cvt|63.5|mm|in|1))
| Ship notes =
))
|}

'''SMS ((lang|de|Oldenburg))'''((efn|"SMS" stands for "((lang|de|[[Seiner Majestät Schiff]]))" ("His Majesty's Ship").)) was the fourth vessel of the ((sclass|Helgoland|battleship|4)) of [[dreadnought battleship]]s of the [[Imperial German Navy]]. ((lang|de|Oldenburg))(('))s [[keel laying|keel was laid]] in March 1909 at the [[Schichau-Werke]] dockyard in [[Danzig]]. She was [[ship launching|launched]] on 30 June 1910 and was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] into the fleet on 1 May 1912. The ship was equipped with twelve ((cvt|30.5|cm|0)) guns in six twin [[gun turret|turrets]], and had a top speed of ((convert|21.2|kn)). ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) was assigned to [[I Battle Squadron]] of the [[High Seas Fleet]] for the majority of her career, including [[World War I]].

Along with her three sister ships, ((SMS|Helgoland|1909|2)), ((SMS|Ostfriesland||2)), and ((SMS|Thüringen||2)), ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) participated in all of the major fleet operations of World War I in the [[North Sea]] against the British [[Grand Fleet]], including the [[Battle of Jutland]] on 31 May and 1 June 1916, the largest naval battle of the war. The ship also saw action in the [[Baltic Sea]] against the [[Imperial Russian Navy]]. She was present during the unsuccessful [[Battle of the Gulf of Riga|first incursion into the Gulf of Riga]] in August 1915, though she saw no combat during the operation.

After the German collapse in November 1918, most of the High Seas Fleet was interned [[scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow|and then scuttled]] in [[Scapa Flow]] during the peace negotiations. The four ((lang|de|Helgoland))-class ships were allowed to remain in Germany but eventually ceded to the victorious [[Allies of World War I|Allied powers]] as [[war reparations]]; ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) was given to Japan, which sold the vessel to a British [[ship breaking]] firm in 1920. She was broken up for scrap in [[Dordrecht]] in 1921.

== Design ==
((main|Helgoland-class battleship))
[[File:Helgoland linedrawing.png|thumb|left|Plan and profile drawing of the ((lang|de|Helgoland)) class]]

The ship was ((convert|167.2|m|ftin|abbr=on)) long, had a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of ((convert|28.5|m|ftin|abbr=on)) and a [[draft (ship)|draft]] of ((convert|8.94|m|ftin|abbr=on)), and [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] ((convert|24700|MT|LT|-1|lk=on)) at [[full load]]. She was powered by three [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s and fifteen [[water-tube boiler]]s. The engines were rated at ((convert|28000|PS|ihp kW|lk=on|0)) and were capable of producing a top speed of ((convert|20.8|kn)). ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) stored up to ((convert|3200|t|LT|sp=us)) of coal, allowing her to steam for ((convert|5500|nmi|lk=in)) at a speed of ((convert|10|kn)). After 1915 the boilers were modified to burn oil, which would be sprayed on the coal to increase its burn rate;((efn|Because of the wartime situation, Germany had limited access to high quality coal, but was able to acquire lower-grade coal for its ships. The higher quality coal was generally reserved for the smaller craft, whose crews were less able to clean the boilers at the increased rate demanded by the low-quality coal. As a result, German capital ships were often supplied with poor coal, in the knowledge that their larger crews were better able to perform the increased maintenance. After 1915, the practice of spraying oil onto the low-quality coal was introduced, in order to increase the burn rate.((sfn|Philbin|p=56)))) the ship could carry up to ((convert|197|t|LT|sp=us)). ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) had a crew of 42&nbsp;officers and 1,027&nbsp;enlisted men.((sfn|Gröner|p=24))

((lang|de|Oldenburg)) was armed with a [[main battery]] of twelve [[30.5 cm SK L/50 gun|((cvt|30.5|cm|0)) SK L/50]]((efn| In Imperial German Navy gun nomenclature, "SK" (((lang|de|Schnelladekanone))) denotes that the gun is quick firing, while the L/50 denotes the length of the gun. In this case, the L/50 gun is 50 [[Caliber (artillery)|calibers]], meaning that the gun is 50 times as long as its diameter.((sfn|Grießmer|p=177)))) guns in six twin [[gun turret]]s, with one turret fore, one aft, and two on each flank of the ship.((sfn|Campbell & Sieche|p=146)) The ship's [[secondary armament|secondary battery]] consisted of fourteen [[15 cm SK L/45|((cvt|15|cm)) SK L/45 guns]], all of which were mounted in [[casemate]]s in the side of the upper deck. For defense against [[torpedo boat]]s, she carried fourteen [[8.8 cm SK L/45 naval gun|((cvt|8.8|cm)) SK L/45]] guns.((sfn|Gröner|p=24)) After 1914, two of the 8.8&nbsp;cm guns were removed and replaced by 8.8&nbsp;cm anti-aircraft guns; later, an additional two 8.8&nbsp;cm guns were replaced with anti-aircraft guns. This brought the total number of  8.8&nbsp;cm SK L/45 guns to ten, and the number of 8.8&nbsp;cm anti-aircraft guns to four.((sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz|p=193)) ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) was also armed with six ((cvt|50|cm|1)) submerged [[torpedo tube]]s; one was in the [[bow (ship)|bow]], one in the [[stern]], and two on each [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]].((sfn|Gröner|p=25))

Her main [[belt armor|armored belt]] was ((cvt|300|mm|1)) thick in the central [[armored citadel|citadel]], and was composed of [[Krupp cemented armour|Krupp cemented armor]] (KCA). Her main battery gun turrets were protected by the same thickness of KCA on the sides and faces, as well as the [[barbette]]s that supported the turrets. ((lang|de|Oldenburg))(('))s deck was ((convert|63.5|mm|abbr=on|1)) thick.((sfn|Gröner|p=24))

== Service history ==
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 134-B2656, Linienschiff Oldenburg, Kaiser Wilhelm II..jpg|thumb|Kaiser [[Wilhelm II]] touring the ship circa 1912–1914|alt=Men in military uniforms walk down stairs on a large warship as dozens of sailors look on and salute.]]
((lang|de|Oldenburg)) was ordered by the German Imperial Navy (((lang|de|Kaiserliche Marine))) under the provisional name ((lang|de|Ersatz Frithjof)),((efn|German warships were ordered under provisional names. For new additions to the fleet, they were given a single letter; for those ships intended to replace older or lost vessels, they were ordered as "Ersatz (name of the ship to be replaced)".)) as a replacement for the old [[coastal defense ship]] ((SMS|Frithjof||2)). The contract for the ship was awarded to the [[Schichau-Werke]] shipyard in [[Danzig]] under construction number 828.((sfn|Gröner|p=24)) Her three [[Helgoland-class battleship|sisters]] had been ordered for 1908, but because of budget constraints, ((lang|de|Oldenburg))(('s)) order was delayed to 1909. Admiral [[Alfred von Tirpitz]], the State Secretary of the Navy, gave the contract to Schichau before the 1909 budget had been approved, and the shipbuilder began stockpiling materials to build the ship. This gave the impression that Germany was building more battleships than publicly admitted, which prompted a naval scare in Britain. The British public demanded "we want eight [new battleships] and we won't wait", and in the span of a year eight new battleships had been laid down in Britain, a major escalation in the [[Anglo-German naval arms race|international naval arms race]].((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|p=46)) Work began on 1 March 1909 with the [[keel laying|laying of her keel]], and the ship was [[ship launching|launched]] a little more than a year later on 30 June 1910.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|p=36)) Duchess [[Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg|Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg]] christened her, and [[Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg|Friedrich August]], the Grand Duke of Oldenburg, gave the speech.((sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz|p=194)) After launching, the incomplete ship was transferred to [[Kiel]] for [[fitting-out]], including completion of the superstructure and the installation of armament, until August 1911.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|p=46)) Named for the [[Duchy of Oldenburg]] in northern Germany, the ship was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] into the High Seas Fleet on 1 May 1912, just over three years after work commenced.((sfn|Gröner|p=25))

After her commissioning on 1 May 1912, ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) conducted [[sea trial]]s in the Baltic. On 17 July, she was assigned to [[I Battle Squadron]] of the [[High Seas Fleet]], alongside her sisters.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|p=46)) After individual ship training exercises, she joined I Squadron maneuvers and then fleet maneuvers in November.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|pp=43, 46)) The annual summer cruise in July and August, which typically went to Norway, was interrupted by the [[Agadir Crisis]]. As a result, the cruise only went into the Baltic, in order to keep the fleet closer to Germany.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|p=8)) ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) and the rest of the fleet then fell into a pattern of individual ship, squadron, and full fleet exercises over the next two years of peace-time training.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|p=44, 46))

The annual summer cruise to Norway began on 14 July 1914,((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|p=11)) despite the rising international tensions following the [[assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria]].((sfn|Massie|p=12))((efn|The primary reason the cruise was not canceled was to give the appearance of normalcy in Germany. Chancellor [[Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg]] repeatedly denied requests by Admiral [[Friedrich von Ingenohl]], the fleet commander, and Kaiser [[Wilhelm II]] to bring the fleet back to Germany early. The Kaiser eventually overrode Bethmann Hollweg after he learned of the July Ultimatum.((sfn|Massie|pp=12–14)))) During the last peacetime cruise of the Imperial Navy, the fleet conducted drills in the [[Skagerrak]] before proceeding to the Norwegian fjords on 25 July. The following day the fleet began to steam back to Germany due to Austria-Hungary's [[July Ultimatum|ultimatum to Serbia]]. On 27 July, the entire fleet assembled off [[Skudenes|Cape Skudenes]] before returning to port, where they remained at a heightened state of readiness.((sfn|Staff (Volume 2)|p=14)) War between Austria-Hungary and Serbia broke out on the 28th, and in the span of a week all of the major European powers had joined the conflict.((sfn|Heyman|p=xix)) By 29 July ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) and the rest of I Squadron were back in Wilhelmshaven.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|pp=11, 46))

=== World War I ===
[[File:Scheer's illustration of I SG disposition 16 Dec. 1916 en.SVG|thumb|left|The High Seas Fleet's disposition on the morning of 16 December 1914, during the [[raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby]]|alt=Map showing the locations of the British and German fleets; the German light cruisers pass between the British battleship and battlecruiser forces while the German battlecruisers steam to the northeast. The German battleships lie to the east of the other ships.]]

((lang|de|Oldenburg)) was present during the first sortie by German fleet into the North Sea, which took place on 2–3 November 1914. No British forces were encountered during the operation. A second operation followed on 15–16 December.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|pp=43, 46)) This sortie was the initiation of a strategy adopted by Admiral [[Friedrich von Ingenohl]], the commander of the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Ingenohl intended to use the [[battlecruiser]]s of ((lang|de|[[Counter admiral|Konteradmiral]])) (Rear Admiral) [[Franz von Hipper]]'s [[I Scouting Group]] to raid British coastal towns in order to lure out portions of the Grand Fleet where they could be destroyed by the High Seas Fleet.((sfn|Herwig|pp=149–150)) Early on 15 December the fleet left port to [[raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby|raid the towns of Scarborough, Hartlepool, and Whitby]]. That evening, the German battle fleet of eight pre-dreadnoughts and twelve dreadnoughts, including ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) and her three [[sister ship|sisters]], came to within ((convert|10|nmi|abbr=on)) of an isolated squadron of six British battleships. Skirmishes between the rival [[destroyer]] screens in the darkness convinced Ingenohl that he was faced with the entire [[Grand Fleet]], so Ingenohl broke off the engagement and turned the battle fleet back toward Germany, under orders from [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]] to avoid risking the fleet unnecessarily.((sfn|Tarrant|pp=31–33))

The [[Battle of Dogger Bank (1915)|Battle of Dogger Bank]], in which Vice Admiral [[David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty|David Beatty's]] [[1st Battlecruiser Squadron (United Kingdom)|1st]] and [[2nd Battlecruiser Squadron (United Kingdom)|2nd Battlecruiser Squadrons]] ambushed the I Scouting Group battlecruisers, occurred on 24 January 1915.((sfn|Tarrant|p=38)) ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) and the rest of I Squadron were sortied to reinforce the outnumbered German battlecruisers; I Squadron left port at 12:33&nbsp;[[Central European Time|CET]],((efn|The Germans were on Central European Time, which is one hour ahead of [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]], the time zone commonly used in British works.)) along with the [[pre-dreadnought]]s of II Squadron. They were too late, however, and they failed to locate any British forces. By 19:05, the fleet had returned to the [[Schillig Roads]] outside Wilhelmshaven.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|pp=43, 46)) In the meantime, the [[armored cruiser]] ((SMS|Blücher||2)) had been overwhelmed by concentrated British fire and sunk, while the battlecruiser ((SMS|Seydlitz||2)) was severely damaged by an ammunition fire. As a result, Kaiser Wilhelm II removed Ingenohl from his post and replaced him with Admiral [[Hugo von Pohl]] on 2 February.((sfn|Tarrant|p=43))

From 22 February to 13 March 1915, I Squadron was in the Baltic for unit training. Following their return to the North Sea, the ships participated in a series of uneventful fleet sorties on 29–30 March, 17–18 April, 21–22 April, 17–18 May, and 29–30 May. The fleet was largely inactive until 4 August, when I Squadron returned to the Baltic for another round of training maneuvers. From there, the squadron was attached to the naval force that attempted to sweep the [[Gulf of Riga]] of Russian naval forces in August 1915.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|pp=43, 46)) The assault force included the eight I Squadron battleships, the battlecruisers ((SMS|Von der Tann||2)), ((SMS|Moltke||2)), and ((lang|de|Seydlitz)), several [[light cruiser]]s, 32 destroyers and 13 [[Minesweeper (ship)|minesweepers]]. The plan called for channels in Russian minefields to be swept so that the Russian naval presence, which included the [[pre-dreadnought battleship]] ((ship|Russian battleship|Slava||2)), could be eliminated. The Germans would then lay minefields of their own to prevent Russian ships from returning to the Gulf.((sfn|Halpern|p=196)) ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) and the majority of the other big ships of the High Seas Fleet remained outside the Gulf for the entirety of [[Battle of the Gulf of Riga|the operation]], to prevent possible intervention by the Russian fleet outside the Gulf. The dreadnoughts ((SMS|Nassau||2)) and ((SMS|Posen||2)) were detached on 16 August to escort the minesweepers and to destroy ((lang|ru|Slava)), though they failed to sink the old battleship. After three days, the Russian minefields had been cleared, and the flotilla entered the Gulf on 19 August, but reports of Allied submarines in the area prompted a German withdrawal from the Gulf the following day.((sfn|Halpern|pp=197–198)) By 26 August, I Squadron had returned to Wilhelmshaven.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|pp=43, 46))

On 23–24 October, the High Seas Fleet undertook its last major offensive operation under the command of Admiral Pohl, though it ended without contact with British forces.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|pp=43, 46)) Weakened by [[hepatic cancer]] and unable to carry out his duties, he was replaced by Vice Admiral [[Reinhard Scheer]] in January.((sfn|Herwig|p=161)) Scheer proposed a more aggressive policy designed to force a confrontation with the British Grand Fleet; he received approval from the Kaiser in February.((sfn|Tarrant|p=50)) Scheer's first operation was a sweep into the North Sea on 5–7 March, followed by two more on 21–22 March and 25–26 March.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|pp=43, 46)) During his next operation, ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) supported [[Bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft|a raid on the English coast]] on 24 April 1916 conducted by the German battlecruiser force. The battlecruisers left the [[Jade Estuary]] at 10:55 and the rest of the High Seas Fleet followed at 13:40. The battlecruiser ((lang|de|Seydlitz)) struck a mine while en route to the target, and had to withdraw.((sfn|Tarrant|p=53)) The other battlecruisers bombarded the town of Lowestoft unopposed, but during the approach to Yarmouth, they encountered the British cruisers of the [[Harwich Force]]. A short gun duel ensued before the Harwich Force withdrew. Reports of British submarines in the area prompted the retreat of I&nbsp;Scouting Group. At this point, Scheer, who had been warned of the sortie of the Grand Fleet from its base in Scapa Flow, also withdrew to safer German waters.((sfn|Tarrant|p=54))

==== Battle of Jutland ====
((main|Battle of Jutland))
[[File:Map of the Battle of Jutland, 1916.svg|thumb|350px|Maps showing the maneuvers of the British (blue) and German (red) fleets on 31 May&nbsp;– 1 June 1916|alt=The British fleet sailed from northern Britain to the east while the Germans sailed from Germany in the south; the opposing fleets met off the Danish coast]]

((lang|de|Oldenburg)) was present during the fleet operation that resulted in the battle of [[Jutland]] which took place on 31 May and 1 June 1916. The German fleet again sought to draw out and isolate a portion of the Grand Fleet and destroy it before the main British fleet could retaliate. During the operation, ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) was the fourth ship in I Division of I Squadron and the twelfth ship in the line, directly astern of her sister ship ((lang|de|Helgoland)) and ahead of ((lang|de|Posen)). At the center of the German line was I Squadron, behind the eight ((sclass|König|battleship|5))- and ((sclass|Kaiser|battleship|2))s of III Squadron. The six elderly pre-dreadnoughts of III and IV Divisions, [[II Battle Squadron]], formed the rear of the formation.((sfn|Tarrant|p=286))

Shortly before 16:00, the battlecruisers of I Scouting Group encountered the British 1st Battlecruiser Squadron under the command of David Beatty. The opposing ships began an artillery duel that saw the destruction of ((HMS|Indefatigable|1909|2)), shortly after 17:00,((sfn|Tarrant|pp=94–95)) and ((HMS|Queen Mary||2)), less than half an hour later.((sfn|Tarrant|pp=100–101)) By this time, the German battlecruisers were steaming south to draw the British ships toward the main body of the High Seas Fleet. At 17:30, the crew of the leading German battleship, ((lang|de|König)), spotted both I&nbsp;Scouting Group and the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron approaching. The German battlecruisers were steaming to starboard, while the British ships steamed to port. At 17:45, Scheer ordered a [[Boxing the compass|two-point]] turn to port to bring his ships closer to the British battlecruisers, and a minute later, the order to open fire was given.((sfn|Tarrant|p=110))((efn|The compass can be divided into 32 points, each corresponding to 11.25 degrees. A two-point turn to port would alter the ships' course by 22.5 degrees.))

At first, ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) was too far away to effectively engage any British ships.((sfn|Campbell|p=54)) Shortly before 18:30, the German line came across the British destroyers ((HMS|Nestor|1915|2)) and ((HMS|Nomad||2)), which had been disabled earlier in the engagement. Naval historian John Campbell states that "((lang|de|Thüringen)) and ((lang|de|Helgoland)), and possibly ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) and ((lang|de|Posen)), fired turret guns", as well as secondary weapons, at ''Nestor''. The ship was destroyed by several large explosions and sank at 18:35; most of her crew was rescued by German torpedo boats.((sfn|Campbell|p=101)) Shortly after 19:15, the British dreadnought ((HMS|Warspite|03|2)) came into range; she was the first major warship ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) could engage. She fired her 30.5&nbsp;cm guns briefly during the 180-degree turn ordered by Scheer to disengage from the British fleet. ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) claimed to have straddled ''Warspite'' once, though her gunners had difficulty discerning the British battleship in the growing haze.((sfn|Campbell|pp=154–155))

At around 23:30, the German fleet reorganized into the night cruising formation. ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) was now the fifth ship, stationed toward the front of the 24-ship line.((sfn|Campbell|p=275)) At around 01:10, the German line encountered the six destroyers of the British 4th Destroyer Flotilla. ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) fired on several of the destroyers at close range, including ((HMS|Fortune|1913|2)) and ((HMS|Porpoise|1913|2)). ''Fortune'' scored a single hit on ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) with her 4-inch guns. The shell struck a forward searchlight above the bridge and caused serious casualties. The officer responsible for directing the 8.8&nbsp;cm guns was killed, along with three other officers on the bridge. The helmsman was incapacitated and the ship's commander, Captain Höpfner, was wounded. ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) was briefly steaming unsteered, and was in danger of ramming ((lang|de|Posen)) and ((lang|de|Helgoland)) until Captain Höpfner managed to reach the wheel and take control of the ship.((sfn|Campbell|pp=288–289)) ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) and several other battleships then took ((HMS|Ardent|1913|2)) under fire; the destroyer was reduced to a flaming wreck. In the darkness, ''Fortune'' and ''Ardent'' were sunk and the remaining four ships were scattered.((sfn|Campbell|pp=289–291))((sfn|Tarrant|pp=225–226))

Despite the ferocity of the night fighting, the High Seas Fleet punched through the British destroyer forces and reached [[Horns Reef]] by 4:00 on 1&nbsp;June.((sfn|Tarrant|pp=246–247)) A few hours later, the fleet arrived in the Jade; ((lang|de|Thüringen)), ((lang|de|Helgoland)), ((lang|de|Nassau)), and ((SMS|Westfalen||2)) took up defensive positions in the outer [[roadstead]] and ((SMS|Kaiser|1911|2)), ((SMS|Kaiserin||2)), ((SMS|Prinzregent Luitpold||2)), and ((SMS|Kronprinz||2)) anchored just outside the entrance locks to Wilhelmshaven. ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) and the other seven remaining dreadnoughts entered port, where those that were still in fighting condition restocked ammunition and fuel.((sfn|Tarrant|p=263)) In the course of the battle, ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) fired fifty-three 30.5&nbsp;cm, eighty-eight 15&nbsp;cm, and thirty 8.8&nbsp;cm shells.((sfn|Tarrant|p=292)) The hit from ''Fortune'' was the only damage the ship incurred from enemy action,((sfn|Tarrant|p=296)) though a misfire occurred in the Number 4 port-side 15&nbsp;cm gun.((sfn|Campbell|p=303)) In total, ((lang|de|Oldenburg))(('))s crew suffered eight men killed and fourteen wounded.((sfn|Tarrant|p=298))

==== Subsequent operations ====
After Jutland, ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) was assigned to guard duties in the [[German Bight]]. The damage incurred at Jutland was quickly repaired in [[Wilhelmshaven]] from 30 June to 15 July.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|p=47)) On 18 August, Admiral Scheer attempted a repeat of the 31 May operation. ((lang|de|Moltke)) and ((lang|de|Von der Tann)), the two serviceable German battlecruisers, were supported by three dreadnoughts in a mission to bombard the coastal town of [[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]] in an attempt to draw out and destroy Beatty's battlecruisers. The rest of the fleet, including ((lang|de|Oldenburg)), would trail behind and provide cover.((sfn|Massie|p=682)) On the approach to the English coast during the [[action of 19 August 1916]], Scheer turned north and aborted the bombardment after receiving a false report from a [[zeppelin]] about a British unit in the area.((sfn|Staff (Volume 2)|p=15)) By 14:35, Scheer had been warned of the Grand Fleet's approach and so turned his forces around and retreated to German ports.((sfn|Massie|p=683))

On 25–26 September, ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) and the rest of I Squadron covered an advance conducted by the II ((lang|de|Führer der Torpedoboote)) (Leader of Torpedo Boats) to the [[Terschelling]] Bank. Scheer conducted another fleet operation on 18–20 October in the direction of the Dogger Bank, though again they failed to find British forces.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|pp=43, 47)) For the majority of 1917, ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) was assigned to guard duty in the German Bight. During [[Operation Albion]], the amphibious assault on the Russian-held islands in the Gulf of Riga, ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) and her three sisters were moved to the [[Danish straits]] to block any possible British attempt to intervene. On 28 October the four ships arrived in [[Bay of Puck|Putzig Wiek]], and from there steamed to [[Kuressaare|Arensburg]] on 29 October. On 2 November the operation was completed and ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) and her sisters began the voyage back to the North Sea. A final abortive fleet sortie took place on 23–24 April 1918.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|pp=43, 47)) Scheer had intended to intercept a British convoy to Norway and destroy the escorting battleships.((sfn|Massie|p=748)) During the operation, the battlecruiser ((lang|de|Moltke)) suffered mechanical problems and had to be towed back to port.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|p=47)) ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) took the ship in tow, and the main body of the fleet turned back to Germany while Hipper searched in vain for the convoy. German intelligence had incorrectly placed the date for the scheduled convoy on 24 April, and after several hours of fruitless steaming, Hipper turned for port as well.((sfn|Massie|p=748)) By 18:37, the fleet was outside the Jade and ((lang|de|Moltke)) had been repaired enough to allow her to enter port under her own power.((sfn|Massie|pp=748–749))

=== Fate ===
((Main|Kiel mutiny))

((lang|de|Oldenburg)) and her three sisters were to have taken part in a [[Naval order of 24 October 1918|final fleet action]] at the end of October 1918, days before the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|Armistice]] was to take effect. The bulk of the High Seas Fleet was to have sortied from their base in Wilhelmshaven to engage the British Grand Fleet. Scheer—by now the [[Grand Admiral]] (((lang|de|Großadmiral))) of the fleet—intended to inflict as much damage as possible on the British navy to improve Germany's bargaining position, despite the expected casualties. But many of the war-weary sailors felt that the operation would disrupt the peace process and prolong the war.((sfn|Tarrant|pp=280–281)) On the morning of 29 October 1918, the order was given to sail from Wilhelmshaven the following day. Starting on the night of 29 October, sailors on ((lang|de|Thüringen)) and then on several other battleships [[Wilhelmshaven mutiny|mutinied]].((sfn|Tarrant|pp=281–282)) The unrest ultimately forced Hipper and Scheer to cancel the operation.((sfn|Tarrant|p=282)) Informed of the situation, the Kaiser stated "I no longer have a navy".((sfn|Herwig|p=252))

Following the capitulation of Germany in November 1918, the most modern capital ships of the High Seas Fleet, under the command of Rear Admiral [[Ludwig von Reuter]], were interned in the British naval base in [[Scapa Flow]],((sfn|Tarrant|p=282)) but ((lang|de|Oldenburg)), commanded by [[Hermann Bauer]], and the rest of I Squadron remained in Germany.((sfn|Staff (Volume 1)|p=47))((sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz|p=193)) On the morning of 21 June 1919, the British fleet left Scapa Flow to conduct training maneuvers, and in their absence Reuter ordered the crews to [[scuttling|scuttle]] the ten battleships and five battlecruisers interned at Scapa Flow.((sfn|Herwig|p=256)) ((lang|de|Oldenburg)) was stricken from the naval register on 5 November 1919 and placed out of commission.((sfn|Gröner|p=25)) The fate of the eight remaining German battleships was determined in the [[Treaty of Versailles]], which stated that the ships were to be disarmed and surrendered to the governments of the principal Allied powers.((r|Article 185)) She was surrendered to Japan as "''M''" on 13 May 1920. The Japanese Navy had no need for the ship; she was sold to a British ship-breaking firm in June 1920 and broken up for scrap the following year in [[Dordrecht]].((sfn|Gröner|p=25))

== Notes ==

===Footnotes===

((notes
| notes =
))

===Citations===

((reflist
| colwidth = 20em
| refs =

<ref name="Article 185">
[[s:Treaty of Versailles/Part V#Article 185|Treaty of Versailles]] Section II: Naval Clauses, Article 185.
</ref>

))

== References ==
* ((cite book
  | last = Campbell
  | first = John
  | year = 1998
  | title = Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting
  | publisher = Conway Maritime Press
  | location = London
  | isbn = 978-1-55821-759-1
  | ref = ((sfnRef|Campbell))
  ))
* ((cite book
  | last1 = Campbell
  | first1 = N. J. M.
  | last2 = Sieche
  | first2 = Erwin
  | chapter = Germany
  | pages = 134–189
  | editor1-last = Gardiner
  | editor1-first = Robert
  | editor2-last = Gray
  | editor2-first = Randal
  | year = 1986
  | title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921
  | publisher = Conway Maritime Press
  | location = London
  | isbn = 978-0-85177-245-5
  | name-list-style=amp
  | ref =((sfnRef|Campbell & Sieche))
  | url=https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_z3o0
  ))
* ((cite book
  | last = Grießmer
  | first = Axel
  | year = 1999
  | language = de
  | title = Die Linienschiffe der Kaiserlichen Marine: 1906–1918; Konstruktionen zwischen Rüstungskonkurrenz und Flottengesetz
  | trans-title = The Battleships of the Imperial Navy: 1906–1918; Constructions between Arms Competition and Fleet Laws
  | publisher = Bernard & Graefe Verlag
  | location = Bonn
  | isbn = 978-3-7637-5985-9
  | ref =((sfnRef|Grießmer))
  ))
* ((cite book
  | last = Gröner
  | first = Erich
  | author-link=Erich Gröner
  | year = 1990
  | title = German Warships: 1815–1945
  | volume = I: Major Surface Vessels
  | publisher = Naval Institute Press
  | location = Annapolis
  | isbn = 978-0-87021-790-6
  | ref = ((sfnRef|Gröner))
  ))
* ((cite book
  | last = Halpern
  | first = Paul G.
  | year = 1995
  | title = A Naval History of World War I
  | publisher = Naval Institute Press
  | location = Annapolis
  | isbn = 978-1-55750-352-7
  | ref = ((sfnRef|Halpern))
  ))
* ((cite book
  | last = Herwig
  | first = Holger
  | year = 1998
  | orig-year = 1980
  | title = "Luxury" Fleet: The Imperial German Navy 1888–1918
  | publisher = Humanity Books
  | location = Amherst
  | isbn = 978-1-57392-286-9
  | ref = ((sfnRef|Herwig))
  ))
* ((cite book
  | last = Heyman
  | first = Neil M.
  | year = 1997
  | title = World War I
  | publisher = Greenwood Publishing Group
  | location = Westport
  | isbn = 978-0-313-29880-6
  | ref = ((sfnRef|Heyman))
  | url-access = registration
  | url = https://archive.org/details/worldwari00heym
  ))
* ((cite book
  | last1 = Hildebrand
  | first1 = Hans H.
  | last2 = Röhr
  | first2 = Albert
  | last3 = Steinmetz
  | first3 = Hans-Otto
  | year = 1993
  | title = Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe: Biographien – ein Spiegel der Marinegeschichte von 1815 bis zur Gegenwart
  | trans-title=The German Warships: Biographies − A Reflection of Naval History from 1815 to the Present
  | volume = 7
  | publisher = Mundus Verlag
  | location = Ratingen
  | isbn = 978-3-7822-0267-1
  | ref = ((sfnRef|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz))
  |name-list-style=amp
  | language = de
  ))
* ((cite book
  | last = Massie
  | first = Robert K.
  | author-link = Robert K. Massie
  | year = 2003
  | title = Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea
  | publisher = Ballantine Books
  | location = New York
  | isbn = 978-0-345-40878-5
  | ref = ((sfnRef|Massie))
  | title-link = Castles of Steel
 ))
* ((cite book
  | last = Philbin
  | first = Tobias R. III
  | year = 1982
  | title = Admiral Hipper: The Inconvenient Hero
  | publisher = John Benjamins Publishing Company
  | isbn = 978-90-6032-200-0
  | ref = ((sfnRef|Philbin))
  ))
* ((cite book
  | last = Staff
  | first = Gary
  | year = 2010
  | title = German Battleships: 1914–1918
  | volume = 1: Deutschland, Nassau and Helgoland Classes
  | publisher = Osprey Books
  | location = Oxford
  | isbn = 978-1-84603-467-1
  | ref = ((sfnRef|Staff (Volume 1)))
  ))
* ((cite book
  | last = Staff
  | first = Gary
  | year = 2010
  | title = German Battleships: 1914–1918
  | volume = 2: Kaiser, König And Bayern Classes
  | publisher = Osprey Books
  | location = Oxford
  | isbn = 978-1-84603-468-8
  | ref = ((sfnRef|Staff (Volume 2)))
  ))
* ((cite book
  | last = Tarrant
  | first = V. E.
  | year = 2001
  | orig-year = 1995
  | title = Jutland: The German Perspective
  | publisher = Cassell Military Paperbacks
  | location = London
  | isbn = 978-0-304-35848-9
  | ref = ((sfnRef|Tarrant))
  ))

==Further reading==
* ((cite book
  | last1 = Dodson
  | first1 = Aidan
  | last2 = Cant
  | first2 = Serena
  | title = Spoils of War: The Fate of Enemy Fleets after the Two World Wars
  | year = 2020
  | publisher = Seaforth Publishing
  | location = Barnsley
  | isbn = 978-1-5267-4198-1
  ))

((Helgoland class battleship))

((DEFAULTSORT:Oldenburg (1910)))
[[Category:Helgoland-class battleships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Danzig]]
[[Category:1910 ships]]
[[Category:World War I battleships of Germany]]
[[Category:Ships built by Schichau]]

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