Brummer class cruiser
Encyclopedia
The Brummer class were a group of two light mine-laying
cruiser
s built for the Imperial German Navy in World War I. When the war broke out the Germans had only two older mine-laying cruisers: and . Although most German cruisers were fitted for mine-laying, a need for fast specialized ships existed. The Imperial Russian Navy
had ordered a set of steam turbines for the Navarin from the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin. This machinery was confiscated on the outbreak of war and used for these ships. Both vessels were built by AG Vulcan.
The two ships laid a series of minefields during their career, though their most significant success came in October 1917, when they attacked a British convoy to Norway. They sank two escorting destroyer
s and nine of the twelve merchant ships from the convoy. They escaped back to Germany without damage. The two ships were interned at Scapa Flow
after the end of the war, and were subsequently scuttled by their crews
on 21 June 1919. Brummer was sunk in deep water and was never raised, but Bremse was brought up in 1929 and broken up for scrap in 1932–1933.
s for the Russian Navy for use in their new battlecruiser
Navarin
, then under construction in Russia. After the outbreak of World War I
in August 1914, which saw Germany and Russia on opposing sides, the German government seized the turbines. At that time, the Kaiserliche Marine
possessed only two cruisers equipped for mine-laying
operations, the cruisers and . The Kaiserliche Marine ordered AG Vulcan to split Navarins propulsion system in half and to design a pair of cruiser hulls around the engines. The ships were to be fast mine-layers, capable of mining an area under cover of darkness and quickly returning to port before they could be intercepted. They were designed to resemble the British Arethusa class cruisers
to aid in their ability to operate off the British coast.
Design work on the ships was completed quickly in 1914. Brummer was laid down at the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin in early 1915. Work proceeded quickly, and the ship was launched on 11 December 1915. After the completion of fitting-out
work, the ship was commissioned into the High Seas Fleet on 2 April 1916. Bremse followed her sister the same year at AG Vulcan. She was launched on 11 March 1916 and completed in less than four months; the ship was commissioned into the fleet on 1 July 1916. During construction, the shape of their bow and its resemblance to British cruisers was covered by sheet metal.
of 13.2 m (43.3 ft) and a draft
of 6 m (19.7 ft) forward and 5.88 m (19.3 ft) aft. The ships had a designed displacement of 4385 metric tons (4,315.7 LT), and at full combat load, they displaced 5856 MT (5,763.5 LT). Their hulls
were built with longitudinal steel frames. The hulls were divided into twenty-one watertight compartments and incorporated a double bottom
that extended for forty-four percent of the length of the keel
. Brummer differed slightly, as she had a row of porthole
s amidships that her sister Bremse did not have.
Brummer and Bremse were fitted with masts similar to the British Arethusa class cruisers, and similarly to the British ships, the masts could be lowered and stored on the superstructure
deck. Their bow was also modeled on the Arethusa class ships to further disguise the vessels. The ships had a complement of 16 officers and 293 enlisted men. They carried several smaller vessels, including one picket boat, one barge, and two dinghies
. The German Navy regarded the ships as excellent sea boats, having gentle motion. The ships were highly maneuverable and had a tight turning radius, and only lost slight speed in a head sea. In hard turns, they lost up to sixty percent speed. They were very crank, however.
. The turbines drove a pair of three-bladed screws, which were 3.2 m (10.5 ft) in diameter. The engines were rated at 33000 shp for a top speed of 28 knots (15.2 m/s). On trials, Brummer reached 42797 shp while Bremse made 47748 shp; they averaged a top speed of 30.2 kn (16.4 m/s) with a light load. The ships were capable of speeds up to 34 kn (18.5 m/s), though only in short bursts.
Coal storage was 300 MT (295.3 LT) as designed, though up to 600 MT (590.5 LT) could be carried. Fuel oil was initially 500 MT (492.1 LT), and could be similarly increased to 1000 MT (984.2 LT). At a cruising speed of 12 kn (6.5 m/s), the ships could steam for 5800 nautical miles (10,741.6 km). At a higher speed of 25 kn (13.6 m/s), the range fell considerably, to 1200 nmi (2,222.4 km). Electrical power was provided by two turbo generators and one diesel
generator. Steering was controlled by a single, large rudder.
. One was placed forward on the forecastle
, a second was located between the first and second funnel and two were arranged in a superfiring pair
aft. These guns fired a 45.3 kilograms (99.9 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity
of 840 m/s. The guns had a maximum elevation of 30 degrees, which allowed them to engage targets out to 17600 m (57,742.8 ft). They were supplied with 600 rounds of ammunition, for 150 shells per gun. Brummer and Bremse also carried two 8.8 cm (3.5 in) L/45 anti-aircraft guns mounted on the centerline astern of the funnels. These guns fired a 10 kg (22 lb) shells at a muzzle velocity of 750 metre per second. The ships were also equipped with a pair of 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tube
s with four torpedoes in a swivel mount amidships. Designed as mine-layers, they carried up to 450 mines
, depending on the type. Two rails ran down the main deck to the stern to allow the mines to be dropped behind the ship.
The Brummer-class cruisers' armor was fabricated from Krupp cemented steel. The ships were protected by a waterline armored belt that was 40 mm (1.6 in) thick amidships; the bow and stern were not armored. The deck was covered with 15 mm (0.590551181102362 in) thick armor plate. Gun shields 50 mm (2 in) thick protected the 15 cm gun battery crews. The conning tower
had 100 mm (3.9 in) thick sides and a 20 mm (0.78740157480315 in) thick roof. Atop the conning tower was the bridge, which included a splinter-proof chart house. All three funnels were equipped with a steel glacis for splinter protection.
, including on a sortie into the North Sea in October 1916. The ships laid a minefield off Norderney
in January 1917 and guarded minesweepers between March and May that year. In October 1917, Admiral Reinhard Scheer
sent the two ships to attack a British convoy to Norway to divert forces protecting convoys in the Atlantic. Scheer chose Brummer and Bremse because of their high speed and large radius of action. Shortly after dawn on 17 October, the two cruisers attacked the convoy, which consisted of twelve merchant ships, two destroyer
s, and two armed trawler
s. The German ships quickly sank the escorting destroyers and nine of the twelve cargo vessels. The British Admiralty
was not informed of the attack until Brummer and Bremse were safely steaming back to Germany.
Along with the most modern units of the High Seas Fleet, Brummer and Bremse were included in the ships specified for internment Scapa Flow
by the victorious Allied powers
. The ships steamed out of Germany on 21 November 1918 in single file, commanded by Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter
. Reuter believed that the British intended to seize the German ships on 21 June 1919, and so he ordered the ships to be sunk at the next opportunity. On the morning of 21 June, the British fleet left Scapa Flow to conduct training maneuvers, and at 11:20 Reuter transmitted the order to scuttle his ships
. Brummer sank at 13:05; she was never raised for scrapping and remains on the bottom of Scapa Flow. Bremse sank at 14:30 and was ultimately raised on 27 November 1929 and broken up for scrap in 1932–1933 in Lyness
.
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s built for the Imperial German Navy in World War I. When the war broke out the Germans had only two older mine-laying cruisers: and . Although most German cruisers were fitted for mine-laying, a need for fast specialized ships existed. The Imperial Russian Navy
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
had ordered a set of steam turbines for the Navarin from the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin. This machinery was confiscated on the outbreak of war and used for these ships. Both vessels were built by AG Vulcan.
The two ships laid a series of minefields during their career, though their most significant success came in October 1917, when they attacked a British convoy to Norway. They sank two escorting destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s and nine of the twelve merchant ships from the convoy. They escaped back to Germany without damage. The two ships were interned at Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
after the end of the war, and were subsequently scuttled by their crews
Scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow
The scuttling of the German fleet took place at the Royal Navy's base at Scapa Flow, in Scotland, after the end of the First World War. The High Seas Fleet had been interned there under the terms of the Armistice whilst negotiations took place over the fate of the ships...
on 21 June 1919. Brummer was sunk in deep water and was never raised, but Bremse was brought up in 1929 and broken up for scrap in 1932–1933.
Design and construction
In 1914, AG Vulcan in Stettin was building two sets of high-powered steam turbineSteam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
s for the Russian Navy for use in their new battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
Navarin
Borodino class battlecruiser
The Borodino class battlecruisers were a group of four battlecruisers ordered by the Imperial Russian Navy before World War I. Also referred to as the Izmail class, they were laid down in December 1912All dates used in this article are New Style . at Saint Petersburg for service with the Baltic...
, then under construction in Russia. After the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in August 1914, which saw Germany and Russia on opposing sides, the German government seized the turbines. At that time, the Kaiserliche Marine
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
possessed only two cruisers equipped for mine-laying
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
operations, the cruisers and . The Kaiserliche Marine ordered AG Vulcan to split Navarins propulsion system in half and to design a pair of cruiser hulls around the engines. The ships were to be fast mine-layers, capable of mining an area under cover of darkness and quickly returning to port before they could be intercepted. They were designed to resemble the British Arethusa class cruisers
Arethusa class cruiser (1913)
The Arethusa-class cruisers were a class of eight oil-fired light cruisers of the Royal Navy all ordered in September 1912, primarily for service in the North Sea. They had three funnels with the middle one somewhat larger in diameter than the others. All served in World War I...
to aid in their ability to operate off the British coast.
Design work on the ships was completed quickly in 1914. Brummer was laid down at the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin in early 1915. Work proceeded quickly, and the ship was launched on 11 December 1915. After the completion of fitting-out
Fitting-out
Fitting-out, or "outfitting”, is the process in modern shipbuilding that follows the float-out of a vessel and precedes sea trials. It is the period when all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and readied for delivery to her owners...
work, the ship was commissioned into the High Seas Fleet on 2 April 1916. Bremse followed her sister the same year at AG Vulcan. She was launched on 11 March 1916 and completed in less than four months; the ship was commissioned into the fleet on 1 July 1916. During construction, the shape of their bow and its resemblance to British cruisers was covered by sheet metal.
General characteristics
Brummer and Bremse were 135 metres (442.9 ft) long at the waterline and 140.4 m (460.6 ft) long overall. They had a beamBeam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of 13.2 m (43.3 ft) and a draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
of 6 m (19.7 ft) forward and 5.88 m (19.3 ft) aft. The ships had a designed displacement of 4385 metric tons (4,315.7 LT), and at full combat load, they displaced 5856 MT (5,763.5 LT). Their hulls
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
were built with longitudinal steel frames. The hulls were divided into twenty-one watertight compartments and incorporated a double bottom
Double bottom
A double bottom is a ship hull design and construction method where the bottom of the ship has two complete layers of watertight hull surface: one outer layer forming the normal hull of the ship, and a second inner hull which is somewhat higher in the ship, perhaps a few feet, which forms a...
that extended for forty-four percent of the length of the keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
. Brummer differed slightly, as she had a row of porthole
Porthole
A porthole is a generally circular, window used on the hull of ships to admit light and air. Porthole is actually an abbreviated term for "port hole window"...
s amidships that her sister Bremse did not have.
Brummer and Bremse were fitted with masts similar to the British Arethusa class cruisers, and similarly to the British ships, the masts could be lowered and stored on the superstructure
Superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships...
deck. Their bow was also modeled on the Arethusa class ships to further disguise the vessels. The ships had a complement of 16 officers and 293 enlisted men. They carried several smaller vessels, including one picket boat, one barge, and two dinghies
Dinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel. It is a loanword from either Bengali or Urdu. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor,...
. The German Navy regarded the ships as excellent sea boats, having gentle motion. The ships were highly maneuverable and had a tight turning radius, and only lost slight speed in a head sea. In hard turns, they lost up to sixty percent speed. They were very crank, however.
Machinery
The two ships' propulsion systems consisted of two turbines powered by two coal-fired Marine Doppelkessel double-ended boilers and four oil-fired Öl-Marine double-ended boilersWater-tube boiler
A water tube boiler is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which heats water in the steam-generating tubes...
. The turbines drove a pair of three-bladed screws, which were 3.2 m (10.5 ft) in diameter. The engines were rated at 33000 shp for a top speed of 28 knots (15.2 m/s). On trials, Brummer reached 42797 shp while Bremse made 47748 shp; they averaged a top speed of 30.2 kn (16.4 m/s) with a light load. The ships were capable of speeds up to 34 kn (18.5 m/s), though only in short bursts.
Coal storage was 300 MT (295.3 LT) as designed, though up to 600 MT (590.5 LT) could be carried. Fuel oil was initially 500 MT (492.1 LT), and could be similarly increased to 1000 MT (984.2 LT). At a cruising speed of 12 kn (6.5 m/s), the ships could steam for 5800 nautical miles (10,741.6 km). At a higher speed of 25 kn (13.6 m/s), the range fell considerably, to 1200 nmi (2,222.4 km). Electrical power was provided by two turbo generators and one diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
generator. Steering was controlled by a single, large rudder.
Armament and armor
The ships were armed with four 15 cm SK L/45 guns in single pedestal mounts; all four were placed on the centerline so all four guns could fire on the broadsideBroadside
A broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare.-Age of Sail:...
. One was placed forward on the forecastle
Forecastle
Forecastle refers to the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters...
, a second was located between the first and second funnel and two were arranged in a superfiring pair
Superfire
The idea of superfire is to locate two turrets in a row, one behind the other, but with the second turret located above the one in front so that the second turret could fire over the first...
aft. These guns fired a 45.3 kilograms (99.9 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from approximately to in black powder muskets , to more than in modern rifles with high-performance cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger, all the way to for tank guns...
of 840 m/s. The guns had a maximum elevation of 30 degrees, which allowed them to engage targets out to 17600 m (57,742.8 ft). They were supplied with 600 rounds of ammunition, for 150 shells per gun. Brummer and Bremse also carried two 8.8 cm (3.5 in) L/45 anti-aircraft guns mounted on the centerline astern of the funnels. These guns fired a 10 kg (22 lb) shells at a muzzle velocity of 750 metre per second. The ships were also equipped with a pair of 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s with four torpedoes in a swivel mount amidships. Designed as mine-layers, they carried up to 450 mines
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
, depending on the type. Two rails ran down the main deck to the stern to allow the mines to be dropped behind the ship.
The Brummer-class cruisers' armor was fabricated from Krupp cemented steel. The ships were protected by a waterline armored belt that was 40 mm (1.6 in) thick amidships; the bow and stern were not armored. The deck was covered with 15 mm (0.590551181102362 in) thick armor plate. Gun shields 50 mm (2 in) thick protected the 15 cm gun battery crews. The conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
had 100 mm (3.9 in) thick sides and a 20 mm (0.78740157480315 in) thick roof. Atop the conning tower was the bridge, which included a splinter-proof chart house. All three funnels were equipped with a steel glacis for splinter protection.
Service
After their commissioning, Brummer and Bremse served with the High Seas FleetHigh Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet was the battle fleet of the German Empire and saw action during World War I. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet was renamed as the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was the architect of the fleet; he envisioned a force powerful enough to...
, including on a sortie into the North Sea in October 1916. The ships laid a minefield off Norderney
Norderney
Norderney is one of the seven populated East Frisian Islands off the North Sea coast of Germany. It is also a municipality in the district of Aurich in Lower Saxony....
in January 1917 and guarded minesweepers between March and May that year. In October 1917, Admiral Reinhard Scheer
Reinhard Scheer
Reinhard Scheer was an Admiral in the German Kaiserliche Marine. Scheer joined the navy in 1879 as an officer cadet; he progressed through the ranks, commanding cruisers and battleships, as well as major staff positions on land. At the outbreak of World War I, Scheer was the commander of the II...
sent the two ships to attack a British convoy to Norway to divert forces protecting convoys in the Atlantic. Scheer chose Brummer and Bremse because of their high speed and large radius of action. Shortly after dawn on 17 October, the two cruisers attacked the convoy, which consisted of twelve merchant ships, two destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s, and two armed trawler
Naval trawler
A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...
s. The German ships quickly sank the escorting destroyers and nine of the twelve cargo vessels. The British Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
was not informed of the attack until Brummer and Bremse were safely steaming back to Germany.
Along with the most modern units of the High Seas Fleet, Brummer and Bremse were included in the ships specified for internment Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
by the victorious Allied powers
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
. The ships steamed out of Germany on 21 November 1918 in single file, commanded by Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter
Ludwig von Reuter
Ludwig von Reuter was a German admiral during World War I, who commanded the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet when it was interned at Scapa Flow at the end of the war. On 21 June 1919 he ordered the scuttling of the fleet to prevent the British from seizing the ships.-Early life:Reuter was...
. Reuter believed that the British intended to seize the German ships on 21 June 1919, and so he ordered the ships to be sunk at the next opportunity. On the morning of 21 June, the British fleet left Scapa Flow to conduct training maneuvers, and at 11:20 Reuter transmitted the order to scuttle his ships
Scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow
The scuttling of the German fleet took place at the Royal Navy's base at Scapa Flow, in Scotland, after the end of the First World War. The High Seas Fleet had been interned there under the terms of the Armistice whilst negotiations took place over the fate of the ships...
. Brummer sank at 13:05; she was never raised for scrapping and remains on the bottom of Scapa Flow. Bremse sank at 14:30 and was ultimately raised on 27 November 1929 and broken up for scrap in 1932–1933 in Lyness
Lyness
Lyness is a village on the east coast of the island of Hoy, Orkney.During the 1920's Lyness was briefly the headquarters of the metal salvage firm of Cox and Danks's raising of the German High Seas Fleet, scuttled by the Germans on June 21st 1919 during the Armistice.During the Second World War it...
.