SMS Karlsruhe (1916)

Ship data
Construction designation:	Replacement Niobe
Ship type	Small cruiser
Ship class	Königsberg class
Keel laying :	May 4, 1915
Launching ( ship christening ):	January 31, 1916
Commissioning:	November 15, 1916
Builder:	Imperial shipyard in Kiel construction number: 41
Crew:	475 men
Building-costs:	k. A.
Fate:	Sunk in Scapa Flow on June 21, 1919
Sister ship
SMS Koenigsberg	SMS Emden SMS Nuremberg
Technical specifications
Displacement :	Construction: 5,440 t Maximum: 7,125 t
Length:	KWL : 145.8 m over all: 151.4 m
Width:	14.3 m
Draft :	6.3 m
Machinery:	10 coal-fired boilers and 2 oil-fired double-ended boilers 2 sets of steam turbines
Power:	55,700 hp
Number of screws:	2 three-leaf Ø 3.5 m
Shaft speed:	355 / min
Top speed:	27.5 kn
Driving range:	4,850 nm at 12 kn
Fuel supply:	Max. 1,340 tons of coal and 500 tons of oil
Armament
Rapid fire cannons 15 cm L / 45	8th
Anti-aircraft guns 8.8 cm:	2
Torpedo tubes Ø 50 cm	4th
Mine capacity	200
Commanders
Frigate Captain Johann Tietgenns	November 1916 - November 1918
Captain Egon Ruville	Internment Commander

The SMS Karlsruhe was a small cruiser of the former Imperial Navy and was used in the First World War.

technology

drive

In contrast to the three sister ships that had turbine systems that were identical to those of the Graudenz class , two sets of marine turbines were installed on the Karlsruhe , the high-pressure stages of which acted on the propeller shafts via gear drives.

history

Construction and launch

The ship was launched as the second ship of the second Königsberg class, built from 1915 onwards, on January 31, 1916 without any special celebrations. The small cruiser Karlsruhe was put into service on November 15, 1916, under the command of the frigate captain Tietgenn. After his testing, he was assigned to the 2nd reconnaissance group of the deep sea fleet.

The task

The main task of the Second Reconnaissance Group in 1917/1918 was to secure the mine search and clearing units on the mine-free routes in the outer mine belt of the German Bight. The roads led through the British mine belt, which encircled the German Bight and continuously shifted out into the North Sea through newly laid barriers. These mine-free routes were of great importance for the operations of the fleet as well as for the departure and arrival of the submarines .

In the autumn of 1917, the 2nd reconnaissance group took part with the Karlsruhe , under the leadership of Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter , in the operations for the conquest of the Baltic Islands. After completing its tasks, the Karlsruhe escorted a group of the transport fleet back to the Danzig Bay . Subsequently, the parts of the deep-sea fleet sent to the Baltic Sea moved back to the North Sea . Until the end of the war, Karlsruhe was involved in securing the German Bight. On August 18, 1918, Emperor Wilhelm II and the Grand Duke of Baden embarked on the Baden to inspect the fortifications of Heligoland in association with Hindenburg , Karlsruhe and several torpedo boats.

After the armistice conditions , the ships of the deep sea fleet , including the Karlsruhe , had to be disarmed (disarmed) handed over to the Entente.

The downfall

On November 19, 1918, Karlsruhe left Wilhelmshaven for the last time. She set course for Rosyth on the Firth of Forth with 73 other ships of the Imperial High Seas Fleet . All ships were disarmed there. Then they continued to Scapa Flow , a spacious bay in the south of the Orkney Islands , where the ships anchored. The Karlsruhe anchored north of Cava . Shortly before the signing of the Versailles Treaty , the danger of a forcible occupation of the German warships became increasingly evident. Therefore Rear Admiral von Reuter ordered all interned warships to be prepared for scuttling. When on June 21, 1919 at 11:00 a.m. with the previously agreed flag signal the order was given to scuttling, a total of 5 battle cruisers, 11 battleships, 8 small cruisers and 50 torpedo boats sank in the course of the day. The British were able to set the remaining ships aground. The small cruiser Karlsruhe sank as one of the last ships around 3:50 p.m. Like six other ships, it could not be lifted and is still lying at the bottom of Scapa Flow today. One of his six-inch guns was recovered. It is now on display at the Scapa Flow Visitor Center .

literature

• Klaus Lehmann: Karlsruhe, one city - five ships. From the imperial small cruiser Karlsruhe (I) to the frigate Karlsruhe (V) of the German Navy. A picture chronicle since 1912. Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt 2005, ISBN 3-8334-2299-8 .

Coordinates: 58 ° 53 '26.9 "  N , 3 ° 11' 25.5"  W.