Pillau class light cruiser
Encyclopedia
The Pillau class of light cruiser
s was a pair of ships built in Germany just before the start of World War I
. The ships were initially ordered for the Russian Navy, but after the outbreak of war, Germany confiscated the ships before they were transferred to Russia. The ships were similar in design to other German light cruisers, except that they lacked an armored belt. They were the first German light cruisers to be equipped with 150mm (5.9 in) guns.
s at a normal load, and 5,252 tonnes with a full load. The ships were propelled by 2 shaft Navy turbines, which delivered 30,000 shp and a top speed of 27.5 knots.
. The ships were had an armored deck that ranged in thickness from .5 inches to 3 inches.
served in the II Scouting Group, and took part in the battles in the Gulf of Riga
, off Jutland
, and the Heligoland Bight
. She survived the war, and was taken by Italy as war reparations. She was renamed Bari, and sunk in 1943.
Elbing
was also assigned to the II Scouting Group in 1916, and took part in the raid on Yarmouth in April of that year. The following month, she fought at the Battle of Jutland, where she received moderate damage from British destroyer
s. In the confused night action, she accidentally collided with the battleship Posen
. Unable to control the flooding caused by the collision, Elbing was abandoned and scuttled by her crew in the early morning hours.
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 pair of ships built in Germany just before the start 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...
. The ships were initially ordered for the Russian Navy, but after the outbreak of war, Germany confiscated the ships before they were transferred to Russia. The ships were similar in design to other German light cruisers, except that they lacked an armored belt. They were the first German light cruisers to be equipped with 150mm (5.9 in) guns.
Dimensions and machinery
The Pillau class ships were 134.3 m long at the waterline, and 135.3 m in length overall. The ships had a beam of 13.6 m, a draught of 5.64 m, and displaceed 4,390 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 at a normal load, and 5,252 tonnes with a full load. The ships were propelled by 2 shaft Navy turbines, which delivered 30,000 shp and a top speed of 27.5 knots.
Armament and armor
The ships were armed with eight 150mm (5.9 in) guns in single mounts along both sides of the ship. They also carried two 88mm (3.4 in) guns, two 500mm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes, and 120 minesNaval 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...
. The ships were had an armored deck that ranged in thickness from .5 inches to 3 inches.
Service history
The two ships of the Pillau class had eventful careers during the First World War. PillauSMS Pillau
SMS Pillau was a German light cruiser in World War I. She and her sistership SMS Elbing were originally ordered from German shipyards by the Russian Navy, but were confiscated at the outbreak of war and taken over by the German Navy...
served in the II Scouting Group, and took part in the battles in the Gulf of Riga
Battle of the Gulf of Riga
The Battle of the Gulf of Riga was a World War I naval operation of the German High Seas Fleet against the Russian Baltic Fleet in the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea in August 1915...
, off Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
, and the Heligoland Bight
Second Battle of Heligoland Bight
The Second Battle of Heligoland Bight was a naval engagement during the First World War. On 17 November 1917, German minesweepers clearing a path through the British minefield in the Heligoland Bight near the coast of Germany were intercepted by two British light cruisers, and , performing...
. She survived the war, and was taken by Italy as war reparations. She was renamed Bari, and sunk in 1943.
Elbing
SMS Elbing
The SMS Elbing was a German Pillau class light cruiser, named after the East Prussian city of Elbing. Intended for the Russian navy under the name Admiral Newelski , the ship was built at F. Schichau-Werft in Danzig in 1913-1914...
was also assigned to the II Scouting Group in 1916, and took part in the raid on Yarmouth in April of that year. The following month, she fought at the Battle of Jutland, where she received moderate damage from British 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. In the confused night action, she accidentally collided with the battleship Posen
SMS Posen
SMS Posen "SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" was one of four battleships in the , the first dreadnoughts built for the German Imperial Navy...
. Unable to control the flooding caused by the collision, Elbing was abandoned and scuttled by her crew in the early morning hours.