Bremen-class light cruisers

DG_Alpha

Post subject: Re: Bremen-class light cruisers

Posted: November 22nd, 2014, 5:07 pm

Posts: 762
Joined: January 1st, 2012, 7:01 pm
Location: Germany

Thanks to everyone, now let's conclude Lübeck

After ending up in the reserve fleet in 1911, SMS Lübeck was reactivated with the outbreak of World War I. Lübeck was assigned to coastal protection in the Baltic, where she participated in the defence of Memel, with her sailor fighting on land. In 1915, with the Golice-Tarnow-Offensive, Lübeck, together with Thetis first bombarded Libau in a diversionary attack and a few days later supported the German Army when they took the city for good. For the attack on May 7th, the Imperial Navy had assembled the armored cruisers Prinz Heinrich, Roon, Prinz Adalbert, the battleship Beowulf, the light cruisers Lübeck, Augsburg, Thetis, several destroyers and torpedo boats as well as the entire IV. Scouting Group for cover.

During the Gotland Raid, Lübeck, Augsburg, Roon and seven destroyers had escorted the minelayer Albatross on a minelaying operation. On the way back, the German flotilla had split up and Albatross, Augburg and three destroyers were caught by a superior Russian squadron consisting of the cruisers Admiral Makarov, Bayan, Oleg and Bogatyr. Upon contact, Roon and Lübeck came for help, while Augsburg and Albatross ran for neutral Swedish waters. The ligt cruisers escaped, but the minelayer ran aground. Roon and Lübeck briefly engaged the Russian armored cruiser Rurik, which had come to reinforce, and Lübeck managed to score eight hits while taking none. Meanwhile, the German reinforcements consisting of Prinz Adalbert and Prinz Heinrich were intercepted by the British submarine HMS E9, which managed to hit, but not sink, Prinz Adalbert.

During the rest of 1915, Lübeck was attacked twice by submarines, once by the Russian Gepard and once by the British E8, but managed to evade the torpedo spread each time. Transferring from Libau to Kiel in January of 1916, Lübeck hit a mine at the height of Cape Rixhöft (Cape Rozewie) on January 13th, damaging rudder and screws and causing the foremast to crash on the bridge. Two men were killed and five others, including the Captain, were injured. The torepdo boat V189 and afterwards the tug Weichsel tugged the cruiser to Danzig, where she was decommissioned on January 28th. After reviewing the damage, it was decided to reactivate the cruiser and refit her.

After being tugged to Stettin for said refit, which was probably the most extensive of all of the Bremen-class cruisers: Four 105mm cannons fore and aft were replaced with two 150mm cannons, the casemates were removed, all remaining guns were now on platforms (and the new L/45 model). Torpedo tubes were moved on deckBow, funnels, mast and superstructure were replaced by modern designs, making her appearance very similar to the new Brummer-class minelaying cruisers, a result that was intentional. Lübeck now even had the capacity to carry 50 mines.

First trials were conducted on December 15th/16th 1916, but due to the lack of personnel, she remained in reserve. In March 1917, Lübeck returned to active duty as U-boat training- and target-ship only to be retired a year later on March 8th, 1918. Her crew was required to man the new cruiser-carrier, the recently rebuild Stuttgart.

After the war the cruiser was handed over to the British as a war prize. She was stricken on November 5th, 1919, ceded to the British as ship “P” on September 3rd, 1920 but scrapped in Germany in 1922/1923.

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