SMS Pillau
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 SMS Pillau |
|
| Career (German Empire) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Pillau |
| Namesake: | City of Pillau |
| Builder: | Schichau, Danzig |
| Laid down: | 1913 |
| Commissioned: | December 1914 |
| Fate: | Ceded to Italy, sunk in 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Pillau class light cruiser |
| Displacement: | 4,390 tonnes normal 5,252 tonnes full load |
| Length: | 135.3 m (444 ft) |
| Beam: | 13.6 m (45 ft) |
| Draught: | 5.64 m (18.5 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 2 shaft Navy turbines, 30,000 shp |
| Speed: | 27.5 knots (50.9 km/h) |
| Complement: | 442 |
| Armament: | 8 x 15 cm (5.9 in) SKL/ 45cal (8 x 1), 2 x 8.8 cm (3.5 in) (2 x 1), 2 x 50 cm (20 in) TT, 120 mines |
| Armor: | Deck 3 in (76 mm) - .5 in (13 mm) |
SMS Pillau was a German light cruiser in World War I. She and her sistership SMS Elbing were originally ordered from German shipyards by the Russian Navy, but were confiscated at the outbreak of war and taken over by the German Navy. Pillau was laid down as Muraviev Amurskyy (named after the eponymous count) at the Schichau-Werft in Danzig in 1913 and completed in December 1914.
[edit] Design
135 meters long and 15.6 meters wide, she had a draught of 5.64 meters and a displacement of 5,252 tons at full load. Two turbines gave her a top speed of 27.5 knots. Intended to be fitted with Russian 13 cm guns, she was eventually equipped with 8 15 cm German guns; Pillau and Elbing were the first German light cruisers with 15 cm armament.
[edit] Service history
Pillau was assigned to the II Scouting Group in 1915. She served in the Baltic and North Seas and took part in the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in August 1915. Pillau also participated in the Battle of Jutland on 31 May–1 June 1916. After the end of the battle, Pillau was dispatched to escort the severely damaged Seydlitz back to Germany. Seydlitz's navigation systems had failed, and needed Pillau to guide her back to German waters. [1] Her last action of the First World War, Pillau took part in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight. She was ceded to Italy after the end of the war. Pillau was renamed Bari, and served in the Regia Marina until she was sunk in 1943.
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