SMS Pillau
 As Bari in Venice
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SMS Pillau was a light cruiser of the German Imperial Navy in the First World War . The Pillau was the type ship of the Pillau class named after her . From 1920 to 1943 the ship was in service as Bari in the Italian Regia Marina .
construction
Like her sister ship Elbing was it for the Imperial Russian Navy in the Schichau works in Gdansk on keel was laid and there under the name Muravev Amurskij been launched . After the outbreak of war, the unfinished ship was confiscated as enemy property and taken over into the German Imperial Navy. It was completed in December 1914 and named after the East Prussian port city of Pillau .
technology
The Pillau was 135 meters long and 15.6 meters wide, had a draft of 5.64 meters and a maximum water displacement of 5,252 tons. Its two turbines allowed a top speed of 27.5 knots. Russian 13 cm guns were originally intended as armament for the Pillau and Elbing . Instead, they were equipped with 15 cm guns. Up to this point in time, all German small cruisers still had 10.5 cm guns.
Calls
The Pillau was assigned to the II Reconnaissance Group in March 1915. She took part in naval advances, mine operations and the trade war in the North Sea. In the summer of 1915 she was briefed in the Baltic Sea.
Battle of the Skagerrak
In the Battle of the Skagerrak (May 31 and June 1, 1916) the Pillau continued to belong to the II Reconnaissance Group, which was commanded by Rear Admiral Friedrich Boedicker . On the evening of May 31, 1916, this group encountered British battleships. The Pillau received a 30.5 cm hit on the forward funnel shell and in the starboard valve shaft. Four men fell and 23 were wounded. But in contrast to the small cruiser Wiesbaden , the Pillau could still run at maximum speed. When marching back the following day, the ship had to provide assistance to the severely damaged battle cruiser Seydlitz .
In 1917 the Pillau did its job as in previous years. In July there was first unrest among the crew on board . On October 29, the Pillau moved to the Baltic Sea to take part in the occupation of the Baltic Islands . A short time later the ship was back in service in the North Sea.
Sea battle near Heligoland
On November 17th, German minesweepers tried to clear up an enemy minefield . The second reconnaissance group, now commanded by Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter , provided cover here. When British warships appeared, there was a second sea battle at Heligoland . The Pillau was hit and had three casualties. Until the end of the war, the ship was used for similar purposes.
Whereabouts
After the end of the war, the Pillau lay idle in Wilhelmshaven. She was decommissioned on March 31, 1919. On November 5, she was struck from the fleet list in order to be handed over to the victorious powers as ship U. On July 20, 1920 she ran to Cherbourg and from there to Italy, where the cruiser was assigned to the Italian Navy under the name Bari . In October 1940, the Bari was assigned to the Forza Navale Speciale in Taranto , which was to carry out the planned but then canceled landing on Corfu when the Italian attack on Greece was imminent . On June 28, 1943, she was hit by bombs in a US air raid off Livorno and sank. In 1944 the wreck was blown up when the German troops withdrew.
Commanders
| December 1914 to January 1915 | Frigate captain / sea captain Leberecht von Klitzing |
| January 1915 to April 1917 | Frigate captain / sea captain Konrad Mommsen |
| April 1917 to June 1918 | Frigate Captain Gerhard von Gaudecker |
| June to July 1918 | Sea captain Gustav Luppe |
| July 2 to August 12, 1918 | Sea captain Adolf Pfeiffer |
| September to October 1918 | Frigate Captain Gerhard von Gaudecker |
| October 1918 | Sea captain Kurt Frank |
| October to December 1918 | Frigate Captain Gerhard von Gaudecker |
| December 1918 to March 1919 | Corvette Captain Paul Cleve |
| March 1919 | Corvette Captain Walter Hoffert |
Known crew members
- Bernhard Rogge (1899–1982), was from 1957 to 1962 as Rear Admiral in command of Defense Area I.