Germany (1902-04) SMS Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin, Lübeck, München, Leipzig, Dantzig The Bremen class: More than just improved Gazelles After the satisfactory deign of the Gazelle class (IV class, 11 ships 1898-1902) it was decided to repeat the type with many improvements: Larger to house a better powerplant, faster, better armed, and better armored. They were … Read more
German Empire (1913-14) Battlecruisers S.M.S. Derfflinger, Lützow, Hindenburg The last German Battlecruisers, Derfflinger, Lützow and eventually Hindenburg, were all operational during WWI. They were the pinnacle of this development in continental Europe, innovating in two ways: 30 cm main guns all in centerline turrets, and a flush-deck hull, among others. As the Seydlitz and Moltke … Read more
German Empire (1912) Battlecruiser The “shell magnet” Derived from battlecruisers of the Moltke class, Seydlitz differed in many respects, with a three-stepped revised hull but same artillery arrangement and revised protection compared to the Moltke class, traduced in three thousand tons more in displacement. Still, she was more powerful and faster. Probably the most modern … Read more
German Hochseeflotte Battlecruiser (1908-1919) SMS Von der Tann, first German Battlecruiser SMS Von der Tann was built in response to the british HMS Invincible, and although still armed with 28 cm guns, on paper inferior to the British Vickers Armstrong 12-in guns, SMS Von der Tann nevertheless was a larger and faster ship, significantly better-armored. … Read more
German Empire (1901): SMS Roon, Yorck The Roon class were follow-up armored cruisers of the Prinz Adalbert-class, built for the Kaiserliche Marine. Although quite similar in general appearance, they still incorporated incremental improvements, notably for the powerplant, reflected in their fourth funnel. Still, they had a relatively light armament and thin protection compared to the … Read more
German Empire (1901): Prinz Adalbert, Friedrich Carl Standard Armored Cruiser – The Prinz Adalbert class: After Fürst Bismarck (1897), the first German armoured cruiser, Prinz Heinrich (1900) setup the standard for future armored cruisers, and its design was found so successful it was just upgaded on three successive classes until the arrival of the Dreadnought: … Read more
Germany (1907-1927): SMS Kolberg, Mainz, Cöln, Augsburg The Kolberg class is a class of light cruisers built for the Kaiserliche Marine shortly before the early 1910s. Four ships, SMS Kolberg, Mainz, Cöln, and Augsburg, were designed by the shipyards Schichau-Werke, AG Vulcan, Germaniawerft and Kaiserliche Werft from the cities of Danzig, Stettin and Kiel. Design … Read more
German Empire (1900), Armoured Cruiser 1902-1920 Setting up a standard- The Prinz Heinrich: The SMS Prinz Heinrich (“Prince henry”) was a single German armored cruiser (called “heavy cruiser” in German nomenclature), built in 1898-1901 for the Kaiserliche Marine. She was named in honor of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s younger brother. She was the second German armoured … Read more
Königsberg, Nürnberg, Stuttgart, Stettin The Königsberg class were a continuation of the 1902 Bremen class, inaugurating the “cities” serie, followed by the Dresden and Kolberg class, all relatively similar. Gradual improvements were made, and the four ships participated in WWI with various fortunes, also reflecting the German far-flung colonial Empire of the time: SMS Königsberg … Read more
German Empire (1897) Heavy cruiser The Kaiser’s first heavy cruiser: The Fürst Bismarck (“Prince Bismarck”) named after the Chancellor and statesman which unified Germany in 1870, was also the name of the first “Großer Kreuzer, 2nd Klasse”, the first German heavy cruiser. Why “heavy” and not “armoured cruiser” ? Previous denominations of German cruisers had … Read more
