List of battlecruisers of Germany

Last updated

Seydlitz leads Moltke, Hindenburg, Derfflinger and Von der Tann into internment in Scapa Flow German battlecruisers steaming to Scapa.jpg
Seydlitz leads Moltke, Hindenburg, Derfflinger and Von der Tann into internment in Scapa Flow

The Kaiserliche Marine , the navy of the German Empire, built a series of battlecruisers in the first half of the 20th century. The battlecruiser type was an outgrowth of older armored cruiser designs; they were intended to scout for the main battle fleet and attack the reconnaissance forces of opposing fleets. Kaiser Wilhelm II insisted that the new battlecruisers be able to fight in the line of battle with battleships to counter Germany's numerical inferiority compared to the British Royal Navy.

Contents

SMS Von der Tann was the first German battlecruiser, built in 1908–1910. The Kaiserliche Marine eventually built four more battlecruisers before the start of the First World War to serve with the High Seas Fleet, and another two were completed during the conflict. A further seven were planned, including four of the Mackensen and three of the Ersatz Yorck-class ships. Two of the Mackensens—the name ship and Graf Spee—were launched but never completed, and the other two were in earlier stages of work when they were canceled towards the end of the war. Serious work never began on the three Ersatz Yorck-class ships.

Six of the seven battlecruisers completed before or during World War I saw relatively heavy combat, primarily in the North Sea. All of the ships, with the exception of Goeben, which had been assigned to the German Mediterranean Division, were assigned to the I Scouting Group under the command of Admiral Franz von Hipper. The unit conducted several raids of the English coast between 1914 and 1916, which culminated in the Battle of Jutland during 31 May – 1 June 1916, in which they were expected to draw parts of the British fleet onto the German battleship line. The German flagship Lützow was scuttled by her crew, on the way back to port, and the other ships were heavily damaged. For their own part, during the battle Von der Tann sank her counterpart HMS Indefatigable,Seydlitz sank Queen Mary, and Derfflinger and Lützow together destroyed Invincible. The four remaining battlecruisers—Von der Tann, Moltke, Seydlitz, and Derfflinger saw little further activity in 1917 and 1918, during which time they were reinforced by Hindenburg. The ships were interned with the bulk of the German fleet at the British naval base at Scapa Flow following the end of the war in November 1918. There, they were scuttled by their crews in 1919 to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Allied Powers. Goeben was transferred to the Ottoman Navy at the outbreak of hostilities, and operated against the Russian Black Sea Fleet for the majority of the war. She was heavily damaged by British naval mines near the end of the war, but was repaired and went on to serve the Turkish Navy until the 1950s; she was eventually broken up for scrap in the 1970s.

The eventual successor to the Kaiserliche Marine, the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany, considered building three O-class battlecruisers before World War II as part of the Plan Z buildup of the navy. The outbreak of war in 1939 caused the plans to be shelved, and none of these ships were built. [lower-alpha 1]

Key
Main gunsThe number and type of the main battery guns
Displacement Ship displacement at full combat load
PropulsionNumber of shafts, type of propulsion system, and top speed generated
ServiceThe dates work began and finished on the ship and its ultimate fate
Laid downThe date the keel began to be assembled
CommissionedThe date the ship was Commissioned

Kaiserliche Marine

SMS Von der Tann

Von der Tann SMS von der Tann LOC 16927u.jpg
Von der Tann

SMS Von der Tann was the first German battlecruiser, ordered in 1907. She was designed in response to the British Invincible-class battlecruisers, construction on which had begun the previous year. As the first of a new type, the design process for Von der Tann was highly controversial. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the State Secretary for the Imperial German Navy, wanted the ship to follow the British example, incorporating large guns, relatively light armor, and high speed. Kaiser Wilhelm II, along with other senior navy officers instead argued that, owing to Germany's numerical inferiority, the new ships should have armor strong enough to permit their use in the battle line. The ships would therefore sacrifice the caliber of their main batteries to offset the greater weight of heavier armor protection. A significant increase in speed compared to earlier armored cruisers was obtained by replacing old triple-expansion steam engines with more powerful steam turbines; Von der Tann was the first large German warship to be fitted with turbine propulsion. [1] [2]

Upon entering service, Von der Tann joined the fleet's main reconnaissance unit, I Scouting Group. The ship was present for most of the German fleet operations during World War I, including several raids of the English coast between 1914 and 1916. [3] At the Battle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916, Von der Tann was the last ship in the German battlecruiser squadron. She engaged HMS Indefatigable and, after 15 minutes of firing, Von der Tann scored a hit with one of her 28 cm shells that caused a magazine explosion, destroying Indefatigable. Von der Tann was herself badly damaged in the course of the action, and had at one point had all four of her turrets disabled, [4] but was repaired after the battle and returned to service. She saw no further action, however, as the Germans turned to the U-boat campaign against British merchant shipping after Jutland. At the end of the war, Von der Tann was interned in Scapa Flow and eventually scuttled with the rest of the fleet. She was raised in 1930 and broken up for scrap between 1931 and 1934. [3]

Summary of the Von der Tann class
ShipArmament [5] Displacement [6] Propulsion [5] Service [5] [7]
Laid downCommissionedFate
SMS Von der Tann 8 × 28 cm (11 in) SK L/45 guns 21,300  t (21,000 long tons )4 screws, Parsons steam turbines, 27.75 knots (51.39 km/h; 31.93 mph)21 March 19081 September 1910Scuttled at Scapa Flow on 21 June 1919, wreck raised 1930s and scrapped, 1931–1934

Moltke class

Goeben in port Bundesarchiv Bild 134-D0004, Grosser Kreuzer Goeben.jpg
Goeben in port

Moltke and Goeben, improvements over the preceding Von der Tann, were ordered in 1908 and 1909, respectively. While their design was not as contentious as with the Von der Tann, there were still disagreements between Tirpitz and elements of the German naval administration over whether the main battery guns should be increased in number or caliber. Tirpitz and the Construction Office favored the increase to ten guns, while the General Office preferred repeating Von der Tann but with eight 30.5 cm (12 in) guns, to mirror the development from the contemporary Nassau and Helgoland classes of dreadnought battleships. It was eventually decided that ten 28 cm guns would be mounted, though new, longer-barreled versions were adopted. The longer barrels increased muzzle velocity, which in turn offered improved armor penetration. In addition to the increased main battery, the two Moltke-class ships were slightly larger and better armored than Von der Tann. [8] [9]

Moltke joined Von der Tann in the battlecruiser squadron upon her commissioning, and saw action against the British in the North Sea, including the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915, in addition to the coastal raids carried out in the first two years of the war. The ship also saw significant duty in the Baltic Sea against the Russian navy; in 1915 she was present at the Battle of the Gulf of Riga, where she was torpedoed by a British submarine, and in 1917, she returned to the Baltic as the flagship of the invasion force that conducted Operation Albion. Moltke was also interned in Scapa Flow at the end of the war and scuttled in 1919. Goeben, on the other hand, was assigned to the Mediterranean in 1912 to serve as the flagship of the Mediterranean Division. At the outbreak of war in 1914, Goeben and the light cruiser Breslau evaded the British fleet and escaped to Constantinople, where they were transferred to the Ottoman Navy, though they remained under German command and with their original crews. The ship primarily operated in the Black Sea against the Russians, seeing combat at the Battle of Cape Sarych and the actions of 10 May 1915 and 8 January 1916. She attacked British forces outside the Dardanelles in 1918 and struck three mines. The ship continued in Turkish service until 1973 when she was sold for scrapping. [10]

Summary of the Moltke class
ShipArmament [5] Displacement [5] Propulsion [5] Service [11] [12]
Laid downCommissionedFate
SMS Moltke 10 × 28 cm SK L/50 guns 25,400 t (25,000 long tons)4 screws, Parsons steam turbines, 28.4 kn (52.6 km/h; 32.7 mph)7 December 190830 August 1911Scuttled at Scapa Flow on 21 June 1919, wreck raised 1927 and scrapped
SMS Goeben 4 screws, Parsons steam turbines, 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph)28 August 19092 July 1912Transferred to the Ottoman Empire on 16 August 1914, scrapped in 1973

SMS Seydlitz

Seydlitz steaming to Scapa Flow Seydlitz steams to Scapa.jpg
Seydlitz steaming to Scapa Flow

Seydlitz represented an incremental improvement over the Moltke class; the limited nature of the improvements was in large part dictated by the Reichstag (Imperial Diet), which rejected the possibility of any increase in cost for the next battlecruiser. Improvements to the Moltke design were secured only through pressure Tirpitz was able to place on steel suppliers and the ship's builder for discounts, which provided the necessary budgetary room to alter the design. Tirpitz still pressed for a British-style battlecruiser with light armor and larger guns, but his views were again rejected. Seydlitz was slightly larger than the two previous ships, carried slightly thicker belt armor, and had a taller forecastle to improve seakeeping in bad weather. Seydlitz mounted the same ten 28 cm guns as in the Moltke class in the same arrangement. [13]

Upon commissioning into the fleet, Seydlitz became the flagship of Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper, the commander of I Scouting Group. The ship took part in most of the major fleet operations during the war. At the Battle of Dogger Bank, Seydlitz was hit in her after turrets by two or three 34.4 cm (13.5 in) shells from HMS Lion; the shells burned out the turrets and nearly destroyed the ship. By April 1916, she had been replaced as Hipper's flagship by the new battlecruiser Lützow. [14] At Jutland, Seydlitz and Derfflinger inflicted fatal damage on the British battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary early in the action. Seydlitz was badly mauled in later parts of the battle, receiving 21 large-caliber hits, suffering more than 150 casualties, and taking in over 5,300 t (5,200 long tons; 5,800 short tons) of water. Despite the immense damage, Seydlitz was able to make the trip back to Wilhelmshaven, where she was repaired. [15] [16] As with Von der Tann and Moltke, Seydlitz was interned and eventually scuttled in Scapa Flow. [17]

Summary of the Seydlitz class
ShipArmament [18] Displacement [12] Propulsion [18] Service [18] [19]
Laid downCommissionedFate
SMS Seydlitz 10 × 28 cm SK L/50 guns28,550 t (28,100 long tons)4 screws, Parsons steam turbines, 28.1 kn (52.0 km/h; 32.3 mph)4 February 191122 May 1913Scuttled at Scapa Flow on 21 June 1919, wreck raised 1928 and scrapped

Derfflinger class

Hindenburg (center) and Derfflinger (left background) in Scapa Flow Hindenburg scapa.jpg
Hindenburg (center) and Derfflinger (left background) in Scapa Flow

The three Derfflinger-class ships were the last battlecruisers completed for the German navy. The ships' primary armament was radically modified compared to the older ships. The number of guns was reduced to eight, but their diameter was increased to 30.5 cm (12 in). They were also placed in two superfiring pairs, fore and aft of the main superstructure. [20] The first unit, the name ship, was completed shortly after the outbreak of World War I. Lützow followed in August 1915, and Hindenburg joined the fleet in May 1917. [21] Derfflinger was involved in most of the fleet actions during the war. At Jutland she fired on Queen Mary and contributed to her destruction, along with Seydlitz. Derfflinger and Lützow later concentrated their fire on Invincible and destroyed her. However, during the battle, Lützow was severely damaged by at least 24 heavy-caliber shells and was unable to make it back to Germany. She was scuttled early the following morning. Hindenburg's career was much less eventful; she was completed so late in the war that she saw no significant action against the British fleet. She and Derfflinger were interned and scuttled in Scapa Flow with the rest of the fleet. [22]

Summary of the Derfflinger class
ShipArmament [23] Displacement [18] Propulsion [24] Service [21] [23]
Laid downCommissionedFate
SMS Derfflinger 8 × 30.5 cm (12 in) SK L/50 guns 31,200 t (30,700 long tons)4 screws, Parsons steam turbines, 26.5 kn (49.1 km/h; 30.5 mph)30 March 19121 September 1914Scuttled in Scapa Flow on 21 June 1919, wreck raised 1939, broken up after 1946
SMS Lützow 4 screws, Parsons steam turbines, 26.4 kn (48.9 km/h; 30.4 mph)May 19128 August 1915Scuttled after severe damage at the Battle of Jutland, 1 June 1916
SMS Hindenburg 31,500 t (31,000 long tons)4 screws, Parsons steam turbines, 26.6 kn (49.3 km/h; 30.6 mph)1 October 191310 May 1917Scuttled in Scapa Flow on 21 June 1919, wreck raised 1930, scrapped 1930–1932

Mackensen class

Plan and profile drawing of the Macksensen design Mackensen class battlecruisers scetch.svg
Plan and profile drawing of the Macksensen design

Following the realization in February 1915 that the war would not be won quickly, the Navy department decided to replace the six armored cruisers that had been lost thus far. [25] The ships were improved versions of the Derfflinger class; the primary alterations being the adoption of the 35 cm (13.8 in) gun for the main battery, along with a full-length forecastle deck. Four ships were ordered and laid down, but only two of them, Mackensen and Graf Spee, were launched. [26] None of the ships were completed, as work had been diverted to U-boat construction. [27] All four ships were broken up in Germany between 1921 and 1924. [26]

Summary of the Mackensen class
ShipArmament [28] Displacement [28] Propulsion [28] Service [28]
Laid downCommissionedFate
SMS Mackensen8 × 35 cm (13.8 in) SK L/45 guns35,300 t (34,700 long tons)4 screws, Parsons steam turbines, 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph)30 January 1915 [29] —Broken up, 1922
SMS Graf Spee30 November 1915 [30] Broken up, 1921–1922
SMS Prinz Eitel Friedrich1915Broken up, 1921
SMS Fürst BismarckBroken up, 1922

Ersatz Yorck class

Line-drawing of Ersatz Yorck SMS Ersatz Yorck line color-aaa3.png
Line-drawing of Ersatz Yorck

The three ships of the Ersatz Yorck class were originally ordered as Mackensen-class ships, but the design was modified in January 1917 to increase the armament to eight 38 cm (15 in) guns. The Ersatz Yorcks were otherwise similar to the Mackensens, with the exception of the funnels. The Ersatz Yorck-class ships were modified to trunk the two smoke uptakes of the previous design into one large funnel. Only the lead ship was laid down, and work did not proceed far; only about 1,000 metric tons of steel had been assembled by the time work ceased. [31] Work on the ship was only carried out to keep shipyard workers occupied. [32] The other two ships were assigned to shipyards, but work never began. [31]

Summary of the Ersatz Yorck class
ShipArmament [33] Displacement [33] Propulsion [33] Service [33] [34]
Laid downCommissionedFate
Ersatz Yorck8 × 38 cm (15 in) SK L/45 guns 38,000 t (37,400 long tons)4 screws, Parsons steam turbines, 27.3 kn (50.6 km/h; 31.4 mph)July 1916 [32] —Broken up on the slipway
Ersatz Gneisenau—
Ersatz Scharnhorst

Kriegsmarine

O class

Line-drawing of the O class OclassCruiser2Dmap4-eBigFlagalt.jpg
Line-drawing of the O class

The O-class battlecruisers were designed in 1937 to supplement the P-class cruisers then planned for the new German fleet. The three ships were armed with six 38 cm guns in three twin turrets, similar to the arrangement of the main battery of the Scharnhorst-class battleships. They were intended for use as long-range commerce raiders, with the goal of forcing Great Britain to disperse its battleships as convoy escorts. The ships were never laid down due to the outbreak of World War II in September 1939. [35]

Summary of the O class
ShipArmament [36] Displacement [36] Propulsion [36] Service [36]
Laid downCommissionedFate
O6 × 38 cm SK C/34 guns 35,400 long tons (36,000 t) [lower-alpha 2] 3 screws, 8 × diesel engines, 1 × steam turbine, 35 kn (65 km/h; 40 mph)——Canceled after the outbreak of World War II
P
Q

Footnotes

Notes

  1. ↑ The two Scharnhorst-class warships have been referred to as battlecruisers, especially in British works. The Kriegsmarine classified them as battleships, and a significant majority of scholarly works refer to them as such; hence, they are not included in this list.
  2. ↑ Figures here are reversed intentionally; following the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty in 1922, the use of long tons to calculate ship displacement was standardized.

Citations

  1. ↑ Staff 2006, pp. 3–5.
  2. ↑ Dodson, pp. 77–80.
  3. 1 2 Staff 2006, pp. 9–11.
  4. ↑ Tarrant, pp. 97–102, 119.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gröner, p. 54.
  6. ↑ Gröner, p. 53.
  7. ↑ Staff 2006, p. 5.
  8. ↑ Staff 2006, pp. 11–12.
  9. ↑ Dodson, pp. 82–83.
  10. ↑ Staff 2006, pp. 16–20.
  11. ↑ Staff 2006, p. 12.
  12. 1 2 Gröner, p. 55.
  13. ↑ Staff 2006, pp. 20–21.
  14. ↑ Staff 2006, pp. 23–24.
  15. ↑ Tarrant, pp. 100–101, 113, 118–119, 126, 137, 296, 298.
  16. ↑ Staff 2006, p. 33.
  17. ↑ Herwig, p. 256.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Gröner, p. 56.
  19. ↑ Staff 2006, p. 21.
  20. ↑ Staff 2006, p. 34.
  21. 1 2 Staff 2006, p. 35.
  22. ↑ Hore, p. 73.
  23. 1 2 Gröner, p. 57.
  24. ↑ Sturton, p. 37.
  25. ↑ Herwig, p. 200.
  26. 1 2 Campbell & Sieche, p. 155.
  27. ↑ Weir, p. 179.
  28. 1 2 3 4 Gröner, p. 58.
  29. ↑ Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 6, p. 31.
  30. ↑ Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 3, p. 238.
  31. 1 2 Campbell & Sieche, p. 156.
  32. 1 2 Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 6, p. 32.
  33. 1 2 3 4 Gröner, p. 59.
  34. ↑ Staff 2014, p. 324.
  35. ↑ Sturton, p. 49.
  36. 1 2 3 4 Gröner, p. 68.

Related Research Articles

SMS <i>Lützow</i> Battlecruiser of the German Imperial Navy

SMS Lützow was the second Derfflinger-class battlecruiser built by the German Kaiserliche Marine before World War I. Ordered as a replacement for the old protected cruiser Kaiserin Augusta, Lützow was launched on 29 November 1913, but not completed until 1916. Lützow was a sister ship to Derfflinger from which she differed slightly in that she was armed with an additional pair of 15 cm (5.9 inch) secondary guns and had an additional watertight compartment in her hull. She was named in honor of the Prussian general Ludwig Adolf Wilhelm von Lützow who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.

<i>Mackensen</i>-class battlecruiser Class of German battlecruisers

The Mackensen class was the last class of battlecruisers to be built by Germany in World War I. The design initially called for seven ships, but three of them were redesigned as the Ersatz Yorck class. Of the four ships of the Mackensen class, Mackensen, Graf Spee, and Prinz Eitel Friedrich were launched, and Fürst Bismarck was not—but none were completed, after wartime shipbuilding priorities were redirected towards U-boats—and the ships were broken up in the early 1920s. The lead ship of the class was named for August von Mackensen, a prominent military commander during the war. In response to the Mackensen-class ships, the British Royal Navy laid down the Admiral-class battlecruisers, all but one of which would eventually be cancelled; the sole survivor, HMS Hood, was completed after the end of the war.

SMS <i>Seydlitz</i> Battlecruiser of the German Imperial Navy

SMS Seydlitz was a battlecruiser of the German Kaiserliche Marine, built in Hamburg. She was ordered in 1910 and commissioned in May 1913, the fourth battlecruiser built for the High Seas Fleet. She was named after Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz, a Prussian general during the reign of King Frederick the Great and the Seven Years' War. Seydlitz represented the culmination of the first generation of German battlecruisers, which had started with the Von der Tann in 1906 and continued with the pair of Moltke-class battlecruisers ordered in 1907 and 1908. Seydlitz featured several incremental improvements over the preceding designs, including a redesigned propulsion system and an improved armor layout. The ship was also significantly larger than her predecessors—at 24,988 metric tons, she was approximately 3,000 metric tons heavier than the Moltke-class ships.

SMS <i>Derfflinger</i> Battlecruiser of the German Imperial Navy

SMS Derfflinger was a battlecruiser of the German Kaiserliche Marine built in the early 1910s during the Anglo-German naval arms race. She was the lead ship of her class of three ships; her sister ships were Lützow and Hindenburg. The Derfflinger-class battlecruisers were larger and featured significant improvements over the previous German battlecruisers, carrying larger guns in a more efficient superfiring arrangement. Derfflinger was armed with a main battery of eight 30.5 cm (12 in) guns, compared to the 28 cm (11 in) guns of earlier battlecruisers. She had a top speed of 26.5 knots and carried heavy protection, including a 30-centimeter (11.8 in) thick armored belt.

SMS <i>Blücher</i> Armored cruiser of the German Imperial Navy

SMS Blücher was the last armored cruiser built by the German Empire. She was designed to match what German intelligence incorrectly believed to be the specifications of the British Invincible-class battlecruisers. Blücher was larger than preceding armored cruisers and carried more heavy guns, but was unable to match the size and armament of the battlecruisers which replaced armored cruisers in the British Royal Navy and German Imperial Navy. The ship was named after the Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher, the commander of Prussian forces at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

SMS <i>Hindenburg</i> Battlecruiser of the German Imperial Navy

SMS Hindenburg was a battlecruiser of the German Kaiserliche Marine, the third ship of the Derfflinger class, built to a slightly modified design. She carried the same battery of eight 30.5 cm (12 in) guns, but in improved turrets that allowed them to fire further. The ship was also slightly larger and faster than her two sister ships. She was named in honor of Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, the victor of the Battle of Tannenberg and the Battle of the Masurian Lakes, as well as Supreme Commander of the German armies from 1916. The ship was the last capital ship of any type built for the German navy during World War I.

SMS <i>Moltke</i> Battlecruiser of the German Imperial Navy

SMS Moltke was the lead ship of the Moltke-class battlecruisers of the German Imperial Navy, named after the 19th-century German Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke. Commissioned on 30 September 1911, the ship was the second battlecruiser of the Imperial Navy. Moltke, along with her sister ship Goeben, was an enlarged version of the previous German battlecruiser design, Von der Tann, with increased armor protection and two more main guns in an additional turret. Compared to her British rivals—the Indefatigable class—Moltke and her sister Goeben were significantly larger and better armored.

SMS <i>Von der Tann</i> Battlecruiser of the German Imperial Navy

SMS Von der Tann was the first battlecruiser built for the German Kaiserliche Marine, as well as Germany's first major turbine-powered warship. At the time of her construction, Von der Tann was the fastest dreadnought-type warship afloat, capable of reaching speeds in excess of 27 knots. She was designed in response to the British Invincible class. While the German design had slightly lighter guns—28 cm (11 in), compared to the 30.5 cm (12 in) Mark X mounted on the British ships—Von der Tann was faster and significantly better-armored. She set the precedent of German battlecruisers carrying much heavier armor than their British equivalents, albeit at the cost of smaller guns.

<i>Helgoland</i>-class battleship Battleship class of the German Imperial Navy

The Helgoland class was the second class of dreadnought battleships to be built for the German Kaiserliche Marine. Constructed from 1908 to 1912, the class comprised four ships: Helgoland, the lead ship; Oldenburg; Ostfriesland; and Thüringen. The design was a significant improvement over the previous Nassau-class ships; they had a larger main battery—30.5 cm (12 in) main guns instead of the 28 cm (11 in) weapons mounted on the earlier vessels—and an improved propulsion system. The Helgolands were easily distinguished from the preceding Nassaus by the three funnels that were closely arranged, compared to the two larger funnels of the previous class. The ships retained the hexagonal main battery layout of the Nassau class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Gulf of Riga</span> World War I naval operation

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. The operation's objective was to destroy the Russian naval forces in the Gulf in preparation for landing German troops to facilitate the fall of Riga in the later stages of the Central Powers' offensive on the Eastern Front in 1915. The German fleet, however, failed to achieve its objective and was forced to return to its bases; Riga remained in Russian hands until it fell to the German Army on 1 September 1917.

<i>Derfflinger</i>-class battlecruiser Battlecruiser class of the German Imperial Navy

The Derfflinger class was a class of three battlecruisers of the Imperial German Navy. The ships were ordered for the 1912–13 Naval Building Program of the German Imperial Navy as a reply to the Royal Navy's two new Lion-class battlecruisers that had been launched a few years earlier. The preceding Moltke class and the incrementally improved Seydlitz represented the end of the evolution of Germany's first generation of battlecruisers. The Derfflinger class had considerable improvements, including a larger primary armament, all of which was mounted on the centerline. The ships were also larger than the preceding classes. The Derfflinger class used a similar propulsion system, and as a result of the increased displacement were slightly slower.

<i>Moltke</i>-class battlecruiser Class of battlecruisers of the German Imperial Navy

The Moltke class was a class of two "all-big-gun" battlecruisers of the German Imperial Navy built between 1909–1911. Named SMS Moltke and SMS Goeben, they were similar to the previous battlecruiser Von der Tann, but the newer design featured several incremental improvements. The Moltkes were slightly larger, faster, and better armored, and had an additional pair of 28 cm (11 in) guns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Scouting Group</span> Military unit

The I Scouting Group was a special reconnaissance unit within the German Kaiserliche Marine. The unit was famously commanded by Admiral Franz von Hipper during World War I. The I Scouting Group was one of the most active formations in the High Seas Fleet during the war; the unit took part in every major fleet operation in the North Sea, including the battles of Dogger Bank and Jutland. The unit also saw limited action in the Baltic Sea, including the Battle of the Gulf of Riga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franz von Hipper</span> German admiral (1863–1932)

Franz Ritter von Hipper was an admiral in the German Imperial Navy. Franz von Hipper joined the German Navy in 1881 as an officer cadet. He commanded several torpedo boat units and served as watch officer aboard several warships, as well as Kaiser Wilhelm II's yacht SMY Hohenzollern. Hipper commanded several cruisers in the reconnaissance forces before being appointed commander of the I Scouting Group in October 1913.

SMS <i>Markgraf</i> Battleship of the German Imperial Navy

SMS Markgraf was the third dreadnought battleship of the four-ship König class. She served in the Imperial German Navy during World War I. The battleship was laid down in November 1911 and launched on 4 June 1913. She was formally commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 1 October 1914, just over two months after the outbreak of war in Europe. Markgraf was armed with ten 30.5-centimeter (12 in) guns in five twin turrets and could steam at a top speed of 21 knots. Markgraf was named in honor of the royal family of Baden. The name Markgraf is a rank of German nobility and is equivalent to the English Margrave, or Marquess.

SMS <i>König Albert</i> Battleship of the German Imperial Navy

SMS König Albert was the fourth vessel of the Kaiser class of dreadnought battleships of the Imperial German Navy. König Albert's keel was laid on 17 July 1910 at the Schichau-Werke dockyard in Danzig. She was launched on 27 April 1912 and was commissioned into the fleet on 31 July 1913. The ship was equipped with ten 30.5-centimeter (12 in) guns in five twin turrets, and had a top speed of 22.1 knots. König Albert was assigned to III Battle Squadron and later IV Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet for the majority of her career, including World War I.

SMS <i>Ostfriesland</i> Battleship of the German Imperial Navy

SMS Ostfriesland was the second vessel of the Helgoland class of dreadnought battleships of the Imperial German Navy. Named for the region of East Frisia, Ostfriesland's keel was laid in October 1908 at the Kaiserliche Werft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven. She was launched on 30 September 1909 and was commissioned into the fleet on 1 August 1911. The ship was equipped with twelve 30.5 cm (12 in) guns in six twin turrets, and had a top speed of 21.2 knots. Ostfriesland was assigned to the I Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet for the majority of her career, including World War I.

SMS <i>Thüringen</i> Battleship of the German Imperial Navy

SMS Thüringen was the third vessel of the Helgoland class of dreadnought battleships of the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy}. Thüringen's keel was laid in November 1908 at the AG Weser dockyard in Bremen. She was launched on 27 November 1909 and commissioned into the fleet on 1 July 1911. The ship was equipped with twelve 30.5 cm guns in six twin turrets, and had a top speed of 21 knots. Thüringen was assigned to I Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet for the majority of her career, including World War I.

References

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.