SMS Medusa was a light cruiser

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...

 of the Gazelle class

Gazelle class cruiser

The Gazelle class was a group of ten light cruisers built for the German Imperial Navy at the turn of the 20th century. Three were lost during the First World War; the remainder were removed from the front lines after the Battle of Jutland...

 in 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...

. She was named after Medusa

Medusa

In Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone...

 in ancient Greek mythology.

She remained in service after the First World War, becoming the Reichsmarine

Reichsmarine

The Reichsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Weimar Republic and first two years of Nazi Germany. It was the naval branch of the Reichswehr, existing from 1918 to 1935...

's flagship in 1920. In 1924 she was decommissioned and in 1929 struck from the naval list. However, she was taken back into service by the Kriegsmarine

Kriegsmarine

The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...

 in August 1940 for use as a floating anti-aircraft battery (though she now no longer had her own propulsion). She was severely damaged, with 41 wounded and 22 dead, in a low-flying attack on 19 April 1945. She was then towed to the Wiesbadenbrücke in Wilhelmshaven

Wilhelmshaven

Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...

and, due to the British offensive into the area, blown up there on 3 May 1945. Her wreck was raised in clearance operations in 1948 and scrapped by 1950.