The Helgoland class battleship was the second class of German dreadnought battleships. The class comprised four ships: Helgoland, the lead ship; Oldenburg; Ostfriesland; and Thüringen. The design was a significant improvement over the previous Nassau-class ships; they had a larger main batttery—30.5 cm (12.0 in) main guns instead of the 28 cm (11 in) weapons mounted on the earlier vessels—and an improved propulsion system. The Helgolands were easily distinguished from the preceding Nassaus by the three funnels that were closely arranged, compared to the two larger funnels of the previous class. The ships retained the unusual hexagonal main battery layout of the Nassau-class. The ships served as a unit in the I Division, I Battle Squadron alongside the Nassau-class ships in the II Division of the I Battle Squadron. They saw combat during World War I, including the Battle of Jutland in the North Sea and the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic. All four survived the war, but were not taken as part of the German fleet that was interned at Scapa Flow. When the German ships at Scapa Flow were scuttled, the four Helgolands were ceded as war reparations to the victorious Allied powers in the sunken ships' stead. Ostfreisland was taken by the US Navy and expended as a target during Billy Mitchell's air power demonstration in July 1921. Helgoland and Oldenburg were allotted to Britain and Japan respectively, and broken up in 1921. Thüringen was delivered to France in 1920, and was used as a target ship for the French navy. The ship was eventually broken up between 1923 and 1933.

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1147:

Reconquista: Forces under King Afonso I of Portugal captured Lisbon from the Moors after a four-month siege in what would be one of their only successes during the Second Crusade. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Lisbon

1854:

Charge of the Light Brigade: Lord Cardigan led his cavalry to disaster in the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge_of_the_Light_Brigade

1922:

The Third Dáil adopted the Constitution of the Irish Free State, based on the requirements of the Anglo-Irish Treaty establishing the first independent Irish state to be recognised by the British. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_Irish_Free_State

1924:

The Zinoviev Letter, later found to be a forgery, was published in the Daily Mail, helping to ensure the British Labour Party's defeat in the UK general election four days later. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinoviev_Letter

1971:

The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, replacing the Republic of China with the People's Republic of China as China's representative at the United Nations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_and_the_United_Nations

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

abigeat (n): (archaic) Theft of cattle in herds http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/abigeat

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I would prefer to remain in prison for another 20 years than bargain my beliefs for freedom. --Samir Geagea http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samir_Geagea