Magdeburg class light cruiser
Encyclopedia
The Magdeburg class of light cruiser
s was a group of four ships built for the German
Imperial Navy
before World War I. The ships were all laid down in 1910, and completed by the end of 1912. One ship of the class, Breslau
, is famous for escaping through the Mediterranean at the start of the First World War, before being transferred to Turkish service.
s normally, and 4,915 tonnes at a full load.
The ships had different power plants; Magdeburg and Stralsund had 3 shaft Bergmann turbines, which delivered 25,000 shp and a top speed of 27 knots (52.9 km/h). Breslau had 4 shaft AEG-Vulcan turbines, which also produced 25000 shp and a top speed of 27 knots (52.9 km/h), while Strassburg had 2 shaft Navy turbines, which also delivered the same horsepower and speed.
, led a short service life. The ship ran aground near the Odensholm lighthouse in the Baltic Sea
on 26 August 1914. Efforts to refloat the ship failed; the Russian cruisers Bogatyr and Pallada
arrived and destroyed the ship with gunfire.
Breslau
was assigned to the Mediterranean Division at the start of World War I. On 4 August, the ship bombarded Bona
, three days later, the ship indecisively engaged the British light cruiser HMS Gloucester. On 16 August, the ship was sold to the Ottoman Empire
, but retained her German crew. The ship operated in the Black Sea
, participating in several raids and battles with the Russian fleet. On 20 January 1918, Breslau attempted to raid British naval forces near the Dardanelles
; she sank two British monitors, but was sunk after she struck 5 mines
.
Straßburg was assigned to the II Scouting Group at the start of World War I. On 28 August 1914, she took part in the Battle of Heligoland Bight, and was moderately damaged. After the end of the war, the ship was ceded to Italy, and sunk by air attack during World War II.
Stralsund
was also assigned to the II Scouting Group, alongside her sistership Strassburg. She participated in the Battle of Dogger Bank
on 24 January 1915, as part of the support for Admiral Hipper's
battlecruiser
s in the I Scouting Group. After the war, Stralsund was ceded to France as war reparations, and sold for scrap in 1933.
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
s was a group of four ships built for the German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
Imperial Navy
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...
before World War I. The ships were all laid down in 1910, and completed by the end of 1912. One ship of the class, Breslau
SMS Breslau
SMS Breslau was a Magdeburg-class light cruiser of the German Kaiserliche Marine , built in the early 1910s. Following her commissioning, Breslau and the battlecruiser were assigned to the Mittelmeerdivision in response to the Balkan Wars...
, is famous for escaping through the Mediterranean at the start of the First World War, before being transferred to Turkish service.
Dimensions and machinery
The ships of the class were 130 m at the waterline, and 130.5 m overall. The ships had a beam of 14 m, a draught of 5.48 m, and displaced 4,362 tonneTonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s normally, and 4,915 tonnes at a full load.
The ships had different power plants; Magdeburg and Stralsund had 3 shaft Bergmann turbines, which delivered 25,000 shp and a top speed of 27 knots (52.9 km/h). Breslau had 4 shaft AEG-Vulcan turbines, which also produced 25000 shp and a top speed of 27 knots (52.9 km/h), while Strassburg had 2 shaft Navy turbines, which also delivered the same horsepower and speed.
Armament
The ships of the class were all originally armed with twelve 105mm (4.1 in) guns in single mounts, along with two 500mm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes, and 120 mines. In 1915, Stralsund was rearmed with seven 150mm (5.9 in) guns and two 88mm (3.4 in) anti-aircraft guns, with Strassburg receiving the same rearmament in 1916. Breslau, by that time in Ottoman service as the Midilli, was re-equipped with two 150 mm guns in 1916, and by 1917, had a full armament of eight 150 mm guns.Service history
The lead ship of the class, MagdeburgSMS Magdeburg
Seiner Majestät Schiff Magdeburg was a light cruiser of the German Imperial Navy. The first of her class, she was built as part of the 1908 German naval program. Her class was notable for being the first to introduce a new hull form and replace the bow ram with a cruiser bow shape...
, led a short service life. The ship ran aground near the Odensholm lighthouse in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
on 26 August 1914. Efforts to refloat the ship failed; the Russian cruisers Bogatyr and Pallada
Russian cruiser Pallada (1911)
Pallada was the last of the four armored cruisers built for the Imperial Russian Navy in the late 1900s. She was assigned to the Baltic Fleet during World War I where she captured codebooks from the German cruiser that had run aground during the first month of the war...
arrived and destroyed the ship with gunfire.
SMS Breslau
SMS Breslau was a Magdeburg-class light cruiser of the German Kaiserliche Marine , built in the early 1910s. Following her commissioning, Breslau and the battlecruiser were assigned to the Mittelmeerdivision in response to the Balkan Wars...
was assigned to the Mediterranean Division at the start of World War I. On 4 August, the ship bombarded Bona
Bona
- Places :* The former name of Annaba, a city in northeastern Algeria* Bona, Sweden, a town in Östergötland County, Sweden- Persons :* Bona of Pisa - Places :* The former name of Annaba, a city in northeastern Algeria* Bona, Sweden, a town in Östergötland County, Sweden- Persons :* Bona of Pisa -...
, three days later, the ship indecisively engaged the British light cruiser HMS Gloucester. On 16 August, the ship was sold to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, but retained her German crew. The ship operated in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
, participating in several raids and battles with the Russian fleet. On 20 January 1918, Breslau attempted to raid British naval forces near the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
; she sank two British monitors, but was sunk after she struck 5 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...
.
Straßburg was assigned to the II Scouting Group at the start of World War I. On 28 August 1914, she took part in the Battle of Heligoland Bight, and was moderately damaged. After the end of the war, the ship was ceded to Italy, and sunk by air attack during World War II.
Stralsund
SMS Stralsund
SMS Stralsund was a Magdeburg class light cruiser of the German Kaiserliche Marine.-Service history:Stralsund was assigned to the II Scouting Group, alongside her sistership Strassburg, at the start of World War I. She participated in the Battle of Dogger Bank on 24 January 1915, as part of the...
was also assigned to the II Scouting Group, alongside her sistership Strassburg. She participated in the Battle of Dogger Bank
Battle of Dogger Bank (1915)
The Battle of Dogger Bank was a naval battle fought near the Dogger Bank in the North Sea on 24 January 1915, during the First World War, between squadrons of the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet....
on 24 January 1915, as part of the support for Admiral Hipper's
Franz von Hipper
Franz Ritter von Hipper was an admiral in the German Imperial Navy . Franz von Hipper joined the German Navy in 1881 as an officer cadet. He commanded several torpedo boat units and served as watch officer aboard several warships, as well as Kaiser Wilhelm II's yacht Hohenzollern...
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...
s in the I Scouting Group. After the war, Stralsund was ceded to France as war reparations, and sold for scrap in 1933.