Dresden-class cruiser

The 1898 Naval Law authorized the construction of thirty new light cruisers; the program began with the {{sclass|Gazelle|cruiser|4}}, which was developed into the {{sclass|Bremen|cruiser|5}} and {{sclass|Königsberg|cruiser|4||1905}}es, both of which incorporated incremental improvements over the course of construction. The two ships of the {{lang|de|Dresden}} class were ordered in the 1905–1906 construction program. Their design represented an incremental improvement over the earlier {{lang|de|Königsberg}} class. They carried the same main battery of {{convert|10.5|cm|abbr=on}} guns on a slightly greater displacement with an additional boiler for the propulsion system to increase engine power. Like the {{lang|de|Königsberg}}s, one ship—{{lang|de|Dresden}}—was fitted with a steam turbine engine to compare its performance with the traditional triple-expansion engine in an otherwise-identical sister ship. All subsequent designs of German cruisers utilized turbine propulsion systems.{{sfn|Campbell & Sieche|pp=157—163}}{{sfn|Herwig|p=42}}{{sfn|Nottelmann|pp=108–114}}

File:Dresden class cruiser diagrams Janes 1914.jpg 1914]]

The two {{lang|de|Dresden}}-class cruisers were {{convert|117.90|m|ftin|sp=us}} long at the waterline and {{convert|118.30|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long overall. They had a beam of {{convert|13.50|m|ftin|abbr=on}} and a draft of {{convert|5.53|m|ftin|abbr=on}} forward. They displaced {{convert|3664|t|LT|sp=us|lk=on}} as designed and up to {{convert|4268|t|LT+ST|sp=us|abbr=on}} at full load. Their hulls were constructed with transverse and longitudinal steel frames. The hulls contained thirteen watertight compartments and had a double bottom that extended for 47 percent of the length of the keel.{{sfn|Gröner|p=105}}

The ships were good sea boats, but they were crank and rolled up to twenty degrees. They were also very wet at high speeds and suffered from a slight weather helm. Nevertheless, the ships turned tightly and were very maneuverable. In a hard turn, their speed fell up to 35 percent. They had a transverse metacentric height of {{convert|.59|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. {{lang|de|Dresden}} and {{lang|de|Emden}} had a crew of 18 officers and 343 enlisted men. They carried a number of smaller boats, including one picket boat, one barge, one cutter, two yawls, and two dinghies.{{sfn|Gröner|p=105}}

{{lang|de|Dresden}}{{'}}s propulsion system consisted of two sets of Parsons steam turbines, designed to give {{convert|15000|shp|lk=in}}. {{lang|de|Emden}}, instead, was equipped with two triple expansion engines rated at {{convert|13500|ihp|lk=in}}. Both ships had a top speed of {{convert|24|kn|lk=in}}. In both vessels, the engines were powered by twelve coal-fired Marine-type water-tube boilers. Both ships carried up to {{convert|860|MT|LT}} of coal, though their ranges were slightly different, owing to their different propulsion systems. {{lang|de|Dresden}} could steam for {{convert|3600|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|14|kn}}, while {{lang|de|Emden}} had a range of {{convert|3760|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|12|kn}}. Electrical power was supplied by three turbo generators that provided a total of 125 kilowatts at 110 volts.{{sfn|Gröner|p=105}}

File:Emden-gun-3.jpg]]

The ships were armed with ten 10.5 cm SK L/40 naval gun in single pedestal mounts. Two were placed side by side forward on the forecastle, six were located amidships, three on either side, and two were side by side aft. The guns had a maximum elevation of 30 degrees, which allowed them to engage targets out to {{convert|12700|m|yd|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Campbell & Sieche|pp=140, 157}} They were supplied with 1,500 rounds of ammunition, for 150 shells per gun. The ships were also equipped with eight 5.2 cm SK L/55 naval gun guns with 4,000 rounds of ammunition. Both ships were also equipped with a pair of {{cvt|45|cm|1}} torpedo tubes with five torpedoes submerged in the hull on the broadside.{{sfn|Gröner|p=105}}

The ships were protected by an armored deck that was up to {{convert|80|mm|abbr=on}} thick amidships with {{cvt|50|mm|0}} thick sloping armor on the sides. The deck was reduced to {{convert|30|mm|abbr=on}} further aft and then again to {{convert|20|mm|abbr=on}} toward the stern. The conning tower had {{convert|100|mm|abbr=on}} thick sides, and the guns were protected by 50 mm thick shields.{{sfn|Gröner|p=105}}

Image:SMS Dresden before scuttling.jpg

{{main|SMS Dresden (1907)}}

{{lang|de|Dresden}} spent most of her career on foreign stations. After her commissioning, she visited the United States in 1909 as part of Germany's delegation to the Hudson–Fulton Celebration.{{sfn|Levine & Panetta|p=51}} She returned to North American waters in late 1913, when she was stationed off the Mexican coast to protect German nationals during the Mexican Revolution.{{sfn|Lenz|p=183}} Following the rebels' victory the following year, {{lang|de|Dresden}} evacuated the former dictator Victoriano Huerta to Jamaica, where the British had granted him asylum. In need of repairs, the cruiser was scheduled to return to Germany in July 1914, but the outbreak of World War I prevented this from taking place.{{sfn|Delgado|pp=169–170}} Instead, {{lang|de|Dresden}} operated as a commerce raider in South American waters in the Atlantic in the first months of the war before moving to the Pacific Ocean in September and thereafter joining Maximilian von Spee's East Asia Squadron.{{sfn|Halpern|pp=79–80}}

{{lang|de|Dresden}} participated in two major battles with the East Asia Squadron. The first, the Battle of Coronel, took place in November, and {{lang|de|Dresden}} engaged the British cruiser {{HMS|Glasgow|1909|6}}.{{sfn|Staff|pp=34–35}} The second, the Battle of the Falkland Islands, followed in December, where British battlecruisers annihilated the German squadron; {{lang|de|Dresden}} was the only vessel to escape.{{sfn|Staff|p=73}} She eluded her British pursuers for several more months, until she put into Más a Tierra in March 1915. Her engines were worn out and she had almost no coal left for her boilers; the ship's captain contacted the local Chilean authorities to have his vessel interned for the duration of the conflict. There, she was trapped by British cruisers, including her old opponent Glasgow; the British violated Chilean neutrality and opened fire on the ship.{{sfn|Mueller|pp=16–17}} The Germans scuttled {{lang|de|Dresden}} and the majority of the crew escaped to be interned in Chile for the duration of the war.{{sfn|Delgado|pp=168–169}}{{sfn|Mueller|pp=19–20}} The wreck remains in the harbor and was first surveyed in 2002.{{sfn|Delgado|p=175}}

File:SMS Emden SLV AllanGreen.jpg

{{main|SMS Emden (1908)}}

Following her commissioning into the fleet, {{lang|de|Emden}} was assigned to the East Asia Squadron. In 1913, {{lang|de|Korvettenkapitän}} (Corvette Captain) Karl von Müller became the ship's commander. At the outbreak of war, {{lang|de|Emden}} was the only major German warship in Qingdao, the main German naval base in Asia. Müller immediately began to operate as a commerce raider, and captured one ship, the Russian steamer Ryazan. {{lang|de|Emden}} was thereafter ordered to rendezvous with the rest of Spee's cruisers. She remained with the East Asia Squadron for only a few days, as Müller convinced Spee to detach {{lang|de|Emden}} as an independent raider in the Indian Ocean.{{sfn|Forstmeier|pp=2–4, 6}}

After arriving in the Indian Ocean in September, {{lang|de|Emden}} captured several British merchantmen along the sea lanes from India to Aden. On 22 September, the ship bombarded Madras, before resuming the hunt for merchant ships. She captured several more vessels, and then raided the port of Penang. There, {{lang|de|Emden}} caught the Russian protected cruiser {{ship|Russian cruiser|Zhemchug||2}} in the harbor and quickly destroyed her. As {{lang|de|Emden}} was departing, she encountered and sank the French destroyer {{ship|French destroyer|Mousquet||2}}. {{lang|de|Emden}} thereafter proceeded to the Cocos Islands, where Müller intended to destroy a wireless station. The Australian cruiser {{HMAS|Sydney|1912|6}} reacted to British wireless signals warning of the Germans' presence. After a fierce gunnery duel, Sydney caused serious damage to {{lang|de|Emden}} and forced her to beach on North Keeling island. Most of her surviving crew, including Müller, were thereafter taken into captivity.{{sfn|Forstmeier|pp=10–19}} The wreck was eventually broken up in situ in the early 1950s by a Japanese salvage company, though parts of the ship remain scattered around the area.{{sfn|Mücke|p=96}}

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{{Dresden class light cruiser}}

{{WWI German ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dresden}}

Category:Cruiser classes

Category:World War I cruisers of Germany