SMS Karlsruhe (1915)

SMS "Karlsruhe" was a light cruiser of the "Königsberg class", built for the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was named after the earlier "Karlsruhe", which had sunk in November 1914, from an accidental explosion.

Design

Dimensions and machinery

"Karlsruhe" was 145.8 m at the waterline and 151.4 m overall. She had a beam of 14.2 m, a draught of 6.14 m, and displaced 5,440 tons with a normal load, and 7,125 tons carrying a full load. The ship was propelled by 2 shaft Navy turbines that produced 31,000 shp and a top speed of 27.5 knots

Armor

"Karlsruhe" had the same armor layout as the preceding "Wiesbaden" class cruisers, comprised of an armored belt that was 2.5 inches thick at its strongest point, and tapered to .5 inches towards the bow and stern. The deck had between 1 and 2.5 inches of armor protection.

Armament

"Karlsruhe" also had the same armament scheme as the previous class. The primary armament consisted of eight 150mm (5.9 inch) guns in single turrets, along with two 88mm (3.4 inch) guns also in single mounts. The ship was also armed with four 500mm (19.7 inch) torpedo tubes, as well as 200 mines.

ervice history

Upon commissioning, "Karlsruhe" served in the II Scouting Group alongside her sisters "Königsberg" and "Nürnberg". The ship was interned at Scapa Flow at the end of the war. The ship was the only one of the class that managed to scuttle along with the rest of the High Seas Fleet. "Nürnberg" and "Emden" were both beached by British sailors before they sank; "Königsberg" had been ceded to France, and wasn't present at Scapa Flow.

External links

* [http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/cruisers/sms-konigsberg-ii.html World War I Naval Combat]