SMS Arcona in 1929 |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: | Kaiserliche Marine |
| Preceded by: | Hela class |
| Succeeded by: | Bremen class |
| Planned: | 10 |
| Completed: | 10 |
| Lost: | 6 |
| Scrapped: | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 2,916 tons, 3,033 tons full load |
| Length: | 105.1 m (345 ft) |
| Beam: | 12.2 m (40 ft) |
| Draught: | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: |
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| Complement: | 249 |
| Armament: |
10 × 105 mm (4.1 in) SK L/40 guns |
| Armour: | Deck: 50 mm (2.0 in) |
The Gazelle class was a group of ten light cruisers built for the German Imperial Navy at the turn of the 20th century. Three were lost during the First World War; the remainder were removed from the front lines after the Battle of Jutland. Half the ships remained in service with the denuded Reichsmarine following the Treaty of Versailles (1919), with two ships surviving until the end of the Second World War, when they were scuttled.
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The Gazelle class followed the Bussard, Gefion and Hela types and set the "basic pattern" for Imperial Navy light cruisers of the First World War. Designed between 1895–1896, the Gazelles were meant to balance the dueling roles of overseas cruiser (exemplified by the Bussards) and fleet scout.[1] According to one historian, "[t]he light cruisers of the Gazelle-class established a trend for future ships of this general design...[they] carried little or no armor, the chief asset being speed."[2]
The Gazelles were 104.4 metres (343 ft) at the waterline and 105 metres (344 ft) overall with a beam of 12.2 metres (40 ft). The ships drew 5.19 metres (17.0 ft) of water and had a displacement of 2,643 tonnes, 2,963 tonnes full load. All ten ships were equipped with 2-shaft triple expansion engines, rated at 6,000 ihp (4,500 kW) for the Gazelle herself and 8,000 ihp (6,000 kW) for all subsequent ships.[3]
The ships had 25 mm (1.0 in) armour on the decks and 50 mm (2.0 in) gun shields protecting the primary armament.[3]
The ships mounted a main battery of ten 105 millimetres (4.1 in) guns in single turrets plus three 450 mm (18 in) torpedo tubes.[3]
The Gazelles, already showing their age, played a secondary role in the German fleet during the First World War. The Gazelle and Undine patrolled the Baltic Sea; the Gazelle struck a mine in early 1915 and was never returned to service, while the Undine was torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine HMS E19 in 1915. The Frauenlob served with 4th Scouting Group of the High Seas Fleet and went down at the Battle of Jutland in 1916. The remaining members of the class were assigned to coast defence, in which one was lost: the Ariadne, sunk in the Battle of Heligoland Bight (1914). All surviving ships were withdrawn from active service by 1917.[1][3]
After the First World War the remainder of the Gazelle class joined the Reichsmarine but remained in secondary roles. The Niobe was sold to Yugoslavia in 1925; she would later be captured by the Italians during the Second World War, then by Nazi Germany in 1943, when she was finally sunk by British motor torpedo boats. The Medusa and Arcona were pressed into service during the Second World War and scuttled in 1945. The remainder of the class was scrapped during the 1920s save the Amazone, which lingered until 1954.[1][3]
| Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMS Gazelle | Germaniawerft, Kiel | 1897 | 1898 | 1900 | Struck 1920 |
| SMS Niobe | AG Weser, Bremen | 1898 | 1899 | 1900 | Sunk 1943 |
| SMS Nymphe | Germaniawerft, Kiel | 1898 | 1899 | 1900 | Struck 1932 |
| SMS Thetis | Kaiserliche Werft Danzig | 1899 | 1900 | 1901 | Struck 1930 |
| SMS Ariadne | AG Weser, Bremen | 1899 | 1900 | 1901 | Sunk 1914 |
| SMS Amazone | Germaniawerft, Kiel | 1899 | 1900 | 1901 | Scrapped 1954 |
| SMS Medusa | AG Weser, Bremen | 1900 | 1900 | 1901 | Scuttled 1945 |
| SMS Frauenlob | AG Weser, Bremen | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | Sunk 1916 |
| SMS Arcona | AG Weser, Bremen | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | Scuttled 1945 |
| SMS Undine | Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, Kiel | 1901 | 1902 | 1904 | Sunk 1915 |
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