 Danzig shortly after entering service | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | Danzig |
| Laid down | 1904 |
| Launched | 23 September 1905 |
| Commissioned | 1 December 1907 |
| Stricken | 5 November 1919 |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1922–1923 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Bremen-classlight cruiser |
| Displacement | |
| Length | Length overall: 111.1 meters (365 ft) |
| Beam | 13.3 m (43.6 ft) |
| Draft | 5.68 m (18.6 ft) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 22knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
| Range | 4,690 nmi (8,690 km; 5,400 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
| Armor |
|
SMSDanzig[a] was alight cruiser of theImperial German Navy. Named for the city ofDanzig (nowGdańsk, Poland), she was the seventh and last ship of theBremen class. She was begun by theImperial Dockyard in her namesake city in 1904, launched on 23 September 1905 and commissioned on 1 December 1907. Armed with a main battery of ten 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns and two 45 cm (18 in)torpedo tubes,Danzig was capable of a top speed of 22knots (41 km/h; 25 mph).
Danzig spent the first ten years of her career in the reconnaissance forces of theHigh Seas Fleet. The ship saw extensive service during theFirst World War; she was present at theBattle of Heligoland Bight in August 1914, but did not engage British warships. She also saw action in theBaltic Sea against Russian forces, and was badly damaged by a Russianmine in November 1915.Danzig was also involved inOperation Albion, the seizure of the islands at the entrance of theGulf of Riga, in September 1917. She was thereafter withdrawn from service, and surrendered to Britain after the end of the war as awar prize.Danzig was dismantled for scrap starting in 1921.
The German1898 Naval Law called for the replacement of the fleet's older cruising vessels—steam corvettes,unprotected cruisers, andavisos—with modernlight cruisers. The first tranche of vessels to fulfill this requirement, theGazelle class, were designed to serve both as fleet scouts and as station ships inGermany's colonial empire. They provided the basis for subsequent designs, beginning with theBremen class that was designed in 1901–1903. The principle improvements consisted of a largerhull that allowed for an additional pair of boilers and a higher top speed.[1][2]
Danzig was 111.1 meters (365 ft)long overall and had abeam of 13.3 m (44 ft) and adraft of 5.68 m (18.6 ft) forward. Shedisplaced 3,278metric tons (3,226long tons) as designed and up to 3,783 t (3,723 long tons) atfull load. The ship had a minimalsuperstructure, which consisted of a small conning tower andbridge structure. Her hull had a raisedforecastle andquarterdeck, along with a pronouncedram bow. She was fitted with two polemasts. She had a crew of 14 officers and 274–287 enlisted men.[3]
Her propulsion system consisted of twotriple-expansion steam engines driving a pair ofscrew propellers. Steam was provided by ten coal-fired Marine-typewater-tube boilers, which were vented through threefunnels locatedamidships. Her propulsion system was rated at 10,000metric horsepower (9,900 ihp) for a top speed of 22knots (41 km/h; 25 mph).Danzig carried up to 860 t (850 long tons) of coal, which gave her a range of 4,690nautical miles (8,690 km; 5,400 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).[3]
The ship was armed with amain battery of ten10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/40 guns in single mounts. Two were placed side by side forward on the forecastle; six were located on thebroadside, three on either side; and two were placed side by side aft. The guns could engage targets out to 12,200 m (13,300 yd). They were supplied with 1,500 rounds of ammunition, for 150 shells per gun. For defense againsttorpedo boats, she carried ten3.7 cm (1.5 in) Maxim guns in individual mounts. She was also equipped with two 45 cm (17.7 in)torpedo tubes with fivetorpedoes. They were submerged in the hull on the broadside.Danzig was also fitted to carry fiftynaval mines.[3][4]
The ship was protected by a curved armoreddeck that was up to 80 mm (3.1 in) thick; it sloped down at the sides to provide a measure of protection against enemy fire. Theconning tower had 100 mm (3.9 in) thick sides, and the guns were protected by 50 mm (2 in) thickgun shields.[5]
Danzig was ordered under the contract nameErsatzAlexandrine,[b] and waslaid down at theKaiserliche Werft (Imperial Shipyard) inDanzig on 12 July 1904. She waslaunched on 23 September 1905, and at the ceremony, she was christened byHeinrich Otto Ehlers, theBürgermeister of the ship's namesake city. After completingfitting-out work, she wascommissioned to beginsea trials on 1 December 1907. These were carried out with a temporary crew, and lasted until 6 April 1908. The ship then took most of the crew from the light cruiserArcona, whose place she took inI Scouting Group, the reconnaissance force of theHigh Seas Fleet.[7][8] She and the rest of I Scouting Group embarked on a voyage into the central Atlantic in July and August. The cruise was made in company with the battleship squadrons of the High Seas Fleet.Prince Heinrich had pressed for such a cruise the previous year, arguing that it would prepare the fleet for overseas operations and would break up the monotony of training in German waters, though tensions with Britain over the developingAnglo-German naval arms race were high. The fleet departed Kiel on 17 July, passed through theKaiser Wilhelm Canal to the North Sea, and continued to the Atlantic. The fleet returned to Germany on 13 August. The autumn maneuvers followed from 27 August to 12 September.[9] That year,Danzig was awarded the Kaiser'sSchießpreis (Shooting Prize) for excellent shooting for the light cruisers of I Scouting Group.[10]
In February 1909, I Scouting Group went on another training cruise in the Atlantic. The cruisers joined the High Seas Fleet for another Atlantic cruise in July and August. On the way back to Germany, the fleet stopped inSpithead, Britain, where it was received by theRoyal Navy.[11]Danzig won theSchießpreis again that year.[10]Danzig was detached from I Scouting Group on 5 June 1910 and she was assigned to the naval artillery inspectorate, based inSonderburg. In June, the ship came under the command ofKorvettenkapitän (Corvette Captain)Hans Pfundheller. During this period, the torpedo boatS32 served asDanzig'stender.S32 accidentally collided with the torpedo boatS76 in theKieler Förde on the night of 16–17 August, andDanzig came to their aid, picking up both of their crews.Danzig attempted to takeS76 under tow, but her line failed and other vessels came to the torpedo boat's aid. The ships were unable to saveS32 before she sank.Danzig was drydocked in her namesake city later that year for modifications and an extensive overhaul.[12]
After returning to service in early 1911,Danzig joined thearmored cruiserPrinz Adalbert for shooting practice held off theFaroe Islands in March. She joined the Training and Experimental Ships Unit on 2 April for exercises conducted in the northernNorth Sea, in the vicinity of the60th parallel; during the maneuvers, the ships operated out ofÅlesund, Norway.Danzig was present for thenaval review held forKaiser Wilhelm II on 5 September in theBay of Kiel. Her annual overhaul lasted from 22 October to 2 December. In 1912,Danzig was recommissioned for service with the newly formedII Scouting Group, with the armored cruiserBlücher as itsflagship.Danzig was drydocked for another overhaul in mid-December. The year 1913 sawDanzig assigned to what was now the Training Squadron, and the annual training routine culminated in large scale fleet maneuvers with the rest of the High Seas Fleet in August and September. She remained in the unit through early 1914, and she participated in training exercises in March and April. In late July, as tensions between theCentral Powers (which included Germany) and theTriple Entente over theAssassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and ensuingJuly Crisis,Danzig was assigned to guard the Bay of Kiel against a possible Russian attack.[10]
Following the outbreak ofWorld War I on 28 July,Danzig was assigned toIII Scouting Group on 1 August, which was given the task of patrolling theGerman Bight. The unit was renumbered asIV Scouting Group on 25 August. The next day,Danzig and her sisterMünchen were temporarily sent to theBaltic Sea to assist in efforts to recover the light cruiserMagdeburg that day.Danzig was moored inBrunsbüttel with her sister-shipMünchen, having passed back through the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal on the way back to join IV Scouting Group on the morning of 28 August 1914, when the British attacked the German patrol line in theHeligoland Bight.[10] During the ensuingBattle of Heligoland Bight,Danzig andMünchen were recalled and ordered to steam to the mouth of theElbe and wait for further orders.Danzig reached the stricken cruiserAriadne shortly before 15:00 and lowered boats to rescue survivors.KonteradmiralFranz von Hipper, the commander of I Scouting Group, issued an order for all cruisers to regroup on the approachingbattlecruisersVon der Tann andMoltke, butFregattenkapitän Reiß,Danzig's commander, refused, replying that he was "Rescuing people fromAriadne."[13]Danzig rescued some 170 survivors from the ship.[10]
Danzig, still part of IV Scouting Group, took part in the fleet advance on 3–4 November 1914 in support of theraid on Yarmouth by the battlecruisers of I Scouting Group. The Germans hoped to surprise detached elements of the numerically superior BritishGrand Fleet or lure them to be ambushed by the High Seas Fleet, but they failed to do either. She was also present as part of the screen of the High Seas Fleet during the operation on 15–16 December to cover the battlecruisers'raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby. She saw no combat during the action; after reports that other cruisers in the fleet screen had encountered British warships on the morning of 16 December, Ingenohl broke off and withdrew to port.[14][15]Danzig next took part in the fleet advance on 24 January 1915 to support I Scouting Group after it had been ambushed by the British1st and2nd Battlecruiser Squadrons during theBattle of Dogger Bank, though she again saw no action, as the battle had ended before the High Seas Fleet arrived late in the afternoon. Two further fleet advances followed on 29–30 March and 18–22 April, both of which ended without result.[14][16]
On 7 May 1915, IV Scouting Group, which by then consisted ofDanzig,München,Stettin, andStuttgart, and twenty-one torpedo boats was sent into the Baltic Sea to support a major operation against Russian positions atLibau. The operation was commanded by Rear Admiral Hopman, the commander of the reconnaissance forces in the Baltic. IV Scouting Group was tasked with screening to the north to prevent any Russian naval forces from moving out of the Gulf of Finland undetected, while several armored cruisers and other warships bombarded the port. The Russians did attempt to intervene with a force of four cruisers:Admiral Makarov,Bayan,Oleg, andBogatyr. The Russian ships briefly engagedMünchen, but both sides were unsure of the others' strength, and so both disengaged. Shortly after the bombardment, Libau was captured by the advancing German army. On 8 May,Danzig joined the oldpre-dreadnought battleships ofIV Battle Squadron on a reconnaissance towardGotland; the operation lasted until 10 May, but encountered no Russian forces.Danzig and the rest of IV Scouting Group were thereafter recalled to the High Seas Fleet.[17] After rejoining the High Seas Fleet,Danzig joined the escort for a minelaying operation near theDogger Bank, and at 09:18, she struck a British mine on herstarboard side and was seriously damaged. Unable to steam under her own power,Danzig was taken under tow by her sisterBerlin at 11:15 back toHelgoland, withMünchen and seven torpedo boats escorting her. There, thetugboatBoreas took over the tow and broughtDanzig to theAG Weser shipyard inBremen for repairs. The damage to the ship was so severe that most of her crew was sent to man the cruiserFrauenlob on 1 June.[18]
Danzig returned to active service on 13 November and ten days later, she was assigned to the naval forces in the Baltic. The next day, she took on a load of eighty mines at Kiel to carry them to Libau. While cruising off the southern tip of Gotland on 25 November, the ship ran into a Russian minefield and struck a mine at 01:58. The mine explosion tore off the ship'srudder, bent one of her propeller shafts, and holed the aft twowatertight compartments, flooding them with water.Berlin was again sent to takeDanzig under tow, which was effected at 10:30. A torpedo boat guided the ships back to port, initially toNeufahrwassar, which they reached on 26 November.Danzig was then brought to theKaiserliche Werft in Danzig for repairs. The initial inspection provided an estimate of six months worth of repairs, soDanzig's crew was again reduced on 16 December so the men could be employed aboard other vessels, and again most of them went toFrauenlob.Danzig received temporary repairs at Danzig to allow her to be towed to Bremen, where permanent work would be carried out. The transfer was made on 27 January 1916, and she remained in drydock there until 12 July. After a brief working up period,Danzig rejoined IV Scouting Group on 4 August, which was still assigned to patrol duties in the German Bight. She was present with the fleet screen for theoperation of 18–20 August, along with another such sweep into the North Sea toward the Dogger Bank in October. On 1 December,Danzig was transferred to II Scouting Group, though on 10 January 1917 she briefly joined IV Scouting Group to cover a minelaying operation between Helgoland andNorderney to strengthen an existing minefield. In May,KKPrinz Adalbert, the son of Wilhelm II, took command of the cruiser. On 11 June,Danzig was sent to the Baltic to serve as atarget ship for other cruisers, torpedo boats, andU-boats.[19][20]
In early September 1917, following the German conquest of the Russian port ofRiga, the German navy decided to eliminate the Russian naval forces that still held theGulf of Riga inOperation Albion. TheAdmiralstab (the Navy High Command) planned the operation to seize the Baltic island ofÖsel, and specifically the Russian gun batteries on theSworbe Peninsula. On 18 September, the order was issued for a joint operation with the army to capture Ösel andMoon Islands; the primary naval component was to comprise the flagship,Moltke, along withIII and IV Battle Squadrons of the High Seas Fleet. The invasion force amounted to approximately 24,600 officers and enlisted men.[21]Danzig had by this time been transferred back to II Scouting Group, which was tasked with screening for the invasion force.Danzig's only significant action during the operation came on the 19th, when she andKönigsberg andNürnberg were sent to intercept two Russian torpedo boats reported to be in the area. The Germans could not locate the vessels, and broke off the operation.[22]
Danzig was withdrawn from front line service in late 1917, and the navy planned to convert her into aseaplane tender along the lines ofStuttgart. The project came to nothing and the ship was instead allocated to the materialreserve. She spent the following several months serving as a target ship for the U-boat school.Danzig was decommissioned on 25 March 1918 in her namesake city and Prinz Adalbert left the ship. She survived the end of the war, but she was not retained by the postwarReichsmarine owing to the damage she had sustained in the two minings. She was instead stricken from thenaval register on 5 November 1919. The ship was surrendered to the United Kingdom as thewar prizeR on 15 September 1920 to replace ships that had beenscuttled at Scapa Flow.[23][24] On 17 February 1921, she was sold to George Clarkson and broken up for scrap inWhitby between 1921 and 1928.[25]
