German, Cruiser 1908

CRUISERS 1908

E MD E N The more famous member of a class of two protected cruisers, both of which were to be effective, albeit briefly, during the first months of the First World War before being sunk by British cruisers.

THE DRESDEN CLASS
SMS Dresden and her sister-ship the Emden were follow-ons from the Konigsberg class of the previous year, with the some armour (on deck, conning tower and gunshields only) and the same mix of 10.5cm (4.1 in) and 5.2cm (2in) guns, but with more powerful machinery - Dresden had turbines, Emden, vertical triple-expansion reciprocating engines. SMS Emden was constructed as the Ersatz ('replacement for') Pfeil at Danzig Naval Dockyard. Laid down in 1906, she was launched on 26 May 1908 and commissioned on 10 July 1909
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WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT
The ships were rather ineffectually armed, with nothing heavier than 10.5cm (4.1 in) guns. These were adequate to deal with merchant ships, but decidedly deficient when it came to protecting themselves against other warships. The main armament consisted of ten such units, pedestal-mounted behind gun screens on deck (two forward and two aft) and in sponsons on the broadside. Eight 5.2cm (2in) guns complemented them, and two 45cm (17.7in) torpedo tubes were also fitted.

TECHNICAL DATA
Type: Protected cruiser
Machinery: 2-shaft vertical triple-expansion engines giving 13,500ihp
Dimensions (overall): Length, 117.9m (386.8ft); beam, 13.5m (44.3ft)
Displacement: 3665t standard; 4270t deep load
Draught 5.5m (181t) full load
Complement: 361
Speed: 24 knots (44.4km/h)

THE EMDEN'S CAREER
SMS Emden served most of her life in the Far East. The outbreak of war found her in China, and she immediately put to sea and commenced a raiding cruise which was to go down in history. Entering the Indian Ocean on 28 August, she proceeded to account for 23 British merchantmen with an estimated value, at contemporary standards, of 5m. She bombarded the oil storage installation at the port of Madras, destroying 1.65 million litres of fuel. She also sank a Russian cruiser and French destroyer. On 9 November she had the misfortune to run into the much more powerful British cruiser HMAS Sydney in the Cocos Islands, and was soon shelled into submission, running onto the reef of North Keeling Island before being abandoned.