The cruiser "Karlsruhe". Perished undefeated
Translation of the article "Unbesigt gesunken" published in the German magazine "Schiff Classic" N8/2024.
Author: Christian Jentsch (corvette captain)
Translation: Slug_BDMP
During World War I, the cruiser Karlsruhe (SMS Karlsruhe) captured or sank enemy ships with a total displacement of 76609 gross tons, making it the second most successful raider, second only to the Emden. But then came November 4, 1914…
A graceful warship with four distinctive smokestacks glides effortlessly across the azure waters of a tropical sea - a beautiful picture, worthy of a marine artist's brush. But in reality, this is a war - the First World War. Numerous ships fleets The Entente is hunting for this ship because it disrupts maritime traffic. And it is not the famous Emden, but the light cruiser Karlsruhe. It remained undefeated until its bitter end. How did this happen?
New type of ships
In 1910, the Imperial Navy Office, based at Berlin's Leipziger Platz, decided to build a new class of light cruisers. They had to hurry, because Germany was in a naval arms race with Great Britain. Therefore, the naval leadership and shipbuilders decided that the new ship should be a development of the successful Magdeburg-class cruisers. The reinforcements had to enter service as quickly as possible, so the design changes were not very large. The new ships were provisionally given the names "Ersatz Seeadler" and "Ersatz Geyer" - they were to replace these old cruisers according to the naval law.
The newcomers were later named "Karlsruhe" and "Rostock".
Their armament and armour protection were generally consistent with their predecessor, the Magdeburg. To increase speed, the hull had to be lengthened, which meant an increase in displacement.
"Karlsruhe" was laid down under the serial number 181 at the "Germania" shipyard in Kiel in 1911. On November 11, 1912, the hull was launched, and on January 15, 1914, after some delay, the new cruiser was accepted into the Kriegsmarine.
"Karlsruhe" under construction
The author was unable to find any photographs of the launch of the Karlsruhe itself, so we present to the readers a photo of the launch of its sister ship, the Rostock, which took place just one day later, on November 12, 1912. Howaldswerke, Kiel.
The full displacement of the Karlsruhe was 6191 tons. The 142-meter hull was divided into 15 compartments separated by watertight bulkheads. The bottom was double over 45 percent of the length.
Two three-bladed propellers were driven by two steam turbines. The steam for them was generated by twelve coal-fired and two oil-fired water-tube boilers. Oil heating was a novelty in the German navy at the time. Oil boilers had significant advantages: they could develop full power for a longer period of time and required fewer service personnel. The problem was that oil was not widely used as a fuel at the time, which made it difficult to supply ships at sea and at bases.
The power plant showed its best side. During the tests, it was able to develop 28251 kW instead of the planned 26000. The twin ships could reach a speed of 28,5 knots, surpassing most British cruisers in this parameter. Electricity was generated by a turbogenerator. Smoke from the boilers was discharged through four smoke stacks, which became a kind of calling card of the cruisers of this series.
The armament of the Karlsruhe corresponded to that of its predecessor, the Magdeburg. The main caliber consisted of twelve 105 mm guns installed in single-gun mounts with a shield. Two were located in the bow of the ship, two at the stern and four on each side in the middle of the ship. Their firing range at a maximum barrel elevation angle of 30 degrees was 12,7 km. The cruisers were also armed with two 500 mm torpedo tubes installed on each side in the underwater part of the ship. The ammunition stock consisted of 1800 artillery rounds, 10 torpedoes and up to 120 sea mines. The armament can be assessed as sufficient for reconnaissance missions. However, it seems weak for waging an autonomous cruiser war against the British fleet.
The armor protection scheme repeated the previous type. An extended, although rather narrow armor belt of 60 mm nickel armor, in the bow it had a thickness of 18 mm, in the stern it was absent, the horizontal section of the armor deck had a thickness of 20 mm nickel armor, the slopes had a thickness of 40 mm. A 40 mm bow beam passed slightly behind the beginning of the main belt. The stern end was protected by a 40 mm deck and 60 mm slopes. The conning tower had walls of 100 mm Krupp armor, and a steel 20 mm roof made of nickel armor. The main caliber guns were protected by shields 50 mm thick. The rangefinder was covered by 30 mm armor.
The crew consisted of 355 enlisted men and 18 officers.
The sister ships, Karlsruhe and Rostock, were considered very successful ships in the imperial navy.
Cruiser "Karlsruhe"
In the Caribbean Sea
The first commander of the Karlsruhe was Frigate Captain Fritz Ludecke. Under his command, the cruiser underwent sea trials and was commissioned, but after that Ludecke had to return to his previous position as commander of the light cruiser Dresden, which was at the East American Station at the beginning of 1914 and was to be replaced by the Karlsruhe there.
Frigate captain Fritz Lüdecke (1873-1931) was the first commander of the Karlsruhe.
The newest cruiser was awaiting a very important and interesting mission: it was to take part in the ceremonial opening of the Panama Canal, and then head to San Francisco to represent Germany at the World Exhibition. A dream come true for the crew!
Ludecke prepared the ship for the Atlantic crossing and foreign service.
The cruiser Karlsruhe passes through the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal, which connects the Baltic and North Seas.
Having left Kiel in mid-June, the cruiser, having passed the Azores, arrived at the Virgin Islands for bunkering. There, news of the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife reached her. Ludecke received a telegram to meet the Dresden as soon as possible and carry out a change of commanders.
Light cruiser Dresden. New York, 1909.
The tension in the air was felt even on the other side of the Atlantic. The rendezvous of the two cruisers was scheduled for July 26 at the Port-au-Prince roadstead. Karlsruhe arrived a day before the appointed time and waited for Dresden. It arrived exactly on time, on the 27th. At the same time, a change of commanders took place: Lüdecke transferred to Dresden, and frigate captain Erich Köhler boarded Karlsruhe. It was planned that Dresden would return home, but the outbreak of war determined a different fate for it.
On July 27, the Karlsruhe set course for Havana. Upon arrival there, Köhler received a coded message. It stated that due to the military threat, the cruiser should be put on full combat alert. By this time, diplomatic relations between Austria-Hungary and Serbia had already been severed. Many European countries were intensively preparing for war.
The commander's further actions followed the logic of war. When going out to sea, Kohler declared Mexico as his target, which was not true. On July 30, the last day of peace, the cruiser went out to sea and headed southeast, to Florida. The radio broadcasts brought more and more news about the upcoming war.
The commander had to prepare the ship as best as possible, and most importantly, its crew for future battles. Therefore, the waiting time was spent on combat training and target practice. After all, in the event of war, the German sailors would have been confronted by the British 4th Cruiser Squadron of Rear Admiral Christopher Cradock.
Combat mission: cruiser warfare
The naval attaché in Washington informed Köhler that the steamship Kronprinz Wilhelm was to be converted into an auxiliary cruiser. For this purpose, the Karlsruhe had a supply of guns, ammunition, etc. weapons.
On August 4, a message was received about the declaration of war by France and Britain. Now the cruiser had to do what it was created for - capture and destroy enemy ships. Commander Köhler had the right to choose the method of further actions himself. His main concern was how to avoid Cradock's squadron and how to replenish fuel supplies, because Germany did not have its own naval bases in this region.
The British managed to intercept radio messages exchanged between Karlsruhe and Kronprinz Wilhelm, and they learned its approximate location. The cruiser and the steamer met on the morning of August 6. The warship moored to the high side of the huge steamer. Two 88-mm cannons, two machine guns, thirty-six Mauser 98 rifles and ammunition for them were transferred to it. The newly-minted auxiliary cruiser received a new commander - Karlsruhe's navigator, Lieutenant Commander Paul Thierfelder, and two reserve officers from the Prinz transferred to Karlsruhe. Some coal was also transferred to the cruiser.
Around 10:15, during these operations, the lookouts spotted a warship. Köhler assumed it was the armoured cruiser HMS Berwick from Cradock's 4th Squadron. What the German commander did not know was that Cradock, based on radio intercepts, had set a trap - two more British armoured cruisers were nearby. The German ships quickly dispersed in different directions - to the northwest and northeast. The British cruiser, the Suffolk, chose to pursue the Karlsruhe and called for support from the light cruiser Bristol.
Having identified the enemy, Köhler soberly assessed its capabilities and developed a speed of 22 knots in order to maintain a safe distance from the pursuer and, at the same time, not to waste too much precious coal. At approximately 19:50, the silhouette of the Bristol appeared on the left side, approaching the German. Although the British was inferior in speed to the newest German cruiser, it was significantly more heavily armed: it had 152-mm guns with a greater firing range and greater destructive power of shells.
Köhler ordered a turn to port and increased speed to 26 knots. But this was not enough. The British opened fire from a distance of 6,4 km. Karlsruhe turned to the southeast and returned fire from her port guns. By 20:30, when the fire ceased, 80 shells had been fired. Two hits were achieved. The British failed to hit even once. Artillery The officer, Oberleutnant von der Borne, was disappointed with the shooting results, but drew appropriate conclusions and made changes to the gunnery training program.
Map showing the actions of the cruiser Karlsruhe from 30 August to 25 October 1914. The actions of British ships are shown in red.
From the book by Erich Roeder "Cruiser Warfare in Distant Seas". Vol. 2, Berlin, 1923.
The biggest problem was the increased coal consumption during the escape. At night, in order to save money, the speed was reduced. The next morning, the signalmen were tensely peering into the horizon, hoping not to see enemy ships. The next day, the coal supply was only 112 tons, with an hourly consumption of 5,6 tons. The situation was desperate. Coal was needed immediately. Initially, the Karlsruhe's target was the Danish colony of St. Thomas, but it was still too far away. The nearest port was San Juan in Puerto Rico, where the cruiser arrived on the morning of August 6, with only 20 tons of coal on board.
Above: Loading coal on board the cruiser Karlsruhe in the port of San Juan on August 9, 1914. At that time, 550 tons were taken on board.
Below is the cruiser's commander, Erich Köhler (1873–1914).
The US authorities declared that due to its neutral status the German ship could only remain in port for 24 hours and could only take on enough coal to reach the nearest friendly port. This could not help the Germans in any way, since it did not change the tactical situation at all, and the location of the ship was guaranteed to become known to the British.
Fortunately, the German merchant steamer Odenwald was in the port. It transferred 550 tons of coal to the cruiser. Its crew also took an active part in the loading. 15 reservists also transferred to the cruiser. It also became known that the collier Patagonia, belonging to the German East American Station, was nearby. Köhler set a place and time for a rendezvous.
Already in the evening of August 9, the cruiser left San Juan and headed for Curacao, where it arrived on August 12, with a supply of 150 tons of coal. The Dutch commodore told Kohler that, given the unclear situation in Europe, he needed time to coordinate his actions with his government. Two Dutch ships took aim at the Germans. But, fortunately, there was a coal warehouse in the port belonging to Austria-Hungary. Before midday, the German ship took 1200 tons of coal from it. At the same time, a meeting took place with the collier "Stadt Schleswig", which was sent to the agreed point in the ocean for subsequent replenishment of fuel supplies.
In the evening, the Karlsruhe set out to sea and headed for the east coast of America with the aim of searching for British and French merchant ships. But she was unsuccessful.
The cruiser war has begun.
On August 18 at 8:30, the Karlsruhe met the Patagonia to load coal. At 16:30, the signalmen noticed smoke on the horizon, the source of which was approaching. It turned out to be the steamship Bowes Castle, which, seeing the cruiser's superiority in speed, did not even try to escape. The frigate captain sent a prize crew to the ship, which searched it and interrogated the captain. In accordance with the prize law, 36 members of the steamer's crew were transferred to the Patagonia, and it was scuttled by blowing up the kingstones with explosive charges.
Thus began the successful cruiser war of frigate captain Köhler and his crew.
By October 26, 1914 alone, the Karlsruhe had captured 17 ships. At the same time, Köhler strictly adhered to the rules of naval warfare. None of the crews of the captured or sunken ships died due to the fault of the German cruiser's crew. The frigate captain kept some of the ships with him, thus forming a small "retinue". He collected prisoners on them, who were sent from time to time with these ships to South American ports, where the prisoners surrendered to the local authorities.
Of particular importance in cruising was the supply of fuel. Therefore, the cruiser kept the colliers "Strathroy", "Indrani" and "Farn" with 6000 tons of coal on board. Frigatenkapitän Köhler, by his own authority, enrolled these ships in the Kaiser's fleet under the designations KD1, KD2 and KD3 (KD - Kolendampfer, steamship-coaler). German crews were assigned to them. The Chinese sailors serving on the ships remained on board and continued to work under the command of the Germans, and the Europeans were transferred to the "suite" ships.
By October 13, there were 398 prisoners on board the Krefeld, including 205 Englishmen and 107 Chinese. To avoid wasting food on them, Köhler sent the ship to Tenerife.
But coal was not the only problem; after all, it could be found on any ship in the Atlantic. But to achieve high speed, the Karlsruhe needed oil. And that was much harder to find.
When the cruiser captured the transport Condor on October 11, the prize crew found 150 tons of lubricating oil diluted with kerosene on it. Captain Köhler decided to take this mixture on board and try it as fuel for oil boilers. More than 1400 barrels of lubricating oil were unloaded from the Condor, after which, on October 14, the ship was sunk. In the following days, tests of the oil-kerosene mixture as fuel were carried out, the results of which were considered satisfactory. The cruiser almost managed to reach its maximum speed.
By this time, the entire deck of the ship was already littered with sacks of coal. Only the gun platforms remained free - this was necessary for a possible battle. The phenomenon of corrosion of metal parts began to appear, which forced the crew to intensively engage in repair and preventive maintenance of equipment.
For this purpose, on September 25, the Karlsruhe went to a region of the central Atlantic far from sea routes and lay down to drift. Both turbines, one after the other, were dismantled and serviced. At the same time, one of the power plants was in a state of readiness to immediately start moving.
In addition, the hull was checked and repaired, rust was cleaned and painted. All this took two days. Now cruising could continue.
Particularly valuable booty were the Marconi radios used by many merchant ships as well as the British Navy. The captured radios were installed on the Karlsruhe. This reduced the risk of giving away one's location by going on the air.
The cruisers of Cradock's squadron repeatedly passed in close proximity to the German ship, but it remained unnoticed.
Catastrophe
On the evening of November 4, all was quiet. The Karlsruhe was about 300 miles east of Trinidad. Music was playing on the forecastle for the resting sailors. The men were exhausted by the intense work by this time, and such quiet moments allowed them to relax.
The commander was on the bridge with the officer of the watch. The officers off duty gathered for dinner in the wardroom.
Around 18:30, the crews of the escort ships Indrani and Rio Negro saw a powerful explosion in the bow of the Karlsruhe. The explosion was so strong that even people on other ships were deafened. The bridge, foremast, command cabin and first funnel were torn from their places and thrown into the sea. The bow was torn off and quickly disappeared under the water, while the rest of the ship, listing to the left side, remained afloat for some time. This was enough time for the 123 surviving crew members to move to the escort ships. Around 18:57, the Karlsruhe, still undefeated, sank completely. Together with it, 261 people from its crew met their death in the waters of the Atlantic.
The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined. According to one version, the oil-kerosene mixture used to heat the steam boilers in the forward boiler room exploded. The power and destructive force of the explosion, noted by eyewitnesses, speaks against this version. The detonation of ammunition seems more likely. In tropical heat, cordite decomposes. This has repeatedly led to explosions on warships of other countries, often leading to their destruction.
A combination of both factors is also possible. The boiler explosion led to the detonation of the gun ammunition and torpedoes. Only an examination of the remains of the ship can give a definitive answer.
Among the survivors was the cruiser's senior officer, Lieutenant Commander Studt, who took command of the remaining crew and the escort vessels. He decided to return home on the Rio Negro, after first sinking the Indrani.
Thus began a new odyssey, made difficult by the fact that the Rio Negro had no charts of the North Atlantic, nor warm clothing for the survivors of the Karlsruhe, who were dressed only in tropical uniforms. Nevertheless, the German sailors managed to maneuver around the British Isles via Iceland and, taking advantage of a storm, slip through the British naval blockade into the North Sea. This says a lot about Studt's abilities.
Return to the Rio Negro
"Rio Negro", belonged to the Hamburg-South American Shipping Company. Here is already "City of Palermo", 1921
A major problem was the lack of warm clothing on board, which was necessary in the cold northern European waters. They had to improvise, sewing clothes from woolen blankets and tarpaulins. And those off duty could warm themselves in the boiler rooms. To ensure secrecy, Stund ordered radio silence, so that even the German Admiralty knew nothing about the cruiser's fate. With the situation in the European theater of war deteriorating, the Admiralty sent a radiogram to Köhler on November 27 with an order to return to Germany. Even after the German command learned of the fate of the Karlsruhe, it continued to keep the fact of its death a secret. Thanks to this, the British continued to search for the German cruiser until March 1915.
The return route of the Rio Negro with the remaining crew of the Karlsruhe to Germany.
From the book by Erich Roeder "Cruiser Warfare in Distant Seas". Vol. 2, Berlin, 1923.
The steamship Rio Negro with the remaining crew of the Karlsruhe arrived in neutral Norway on November 29, and then in Kiel on December 6, 1914. Two days later, in the Battle of the Falkland Islands, the British destroyed the German cruiser squadron. And four days after the loss of the Karlsruhe, the Emden also perished in battle. These events put an end to the cruiser war of the German fleet in distant naval theaters.
The cruiser Karlsruhe, under the command of frigate captain Köhler, captured or sank enemy ships with a total displacement of 76609 gross tons, second only to the Emden in this parameter. At the same time, Karlsruhe could never compare with it in fame and popularity.
For the British fleet, Karlsruhe, even after its destruction, continued to remain a ghostly threat and for some time attracted significant British forces.
The cruiser Emden was the most successful German cruiser of World War I.
Postcards depicting the exploits of the Karlsruhe were published in thousands of copies.
Six generations of ships named "Karlruhe"
Since then, the German navy, under all regimes, had a ship named "Karlsruhe". Already in 1916, a cruiser of the "Königsberg II" type with the same name entered service in the Kaiser's fleet. It carried out patrol missions in the North Sea, participated in Operation Albion in the Baltic in 1917, and in June 1919 was sunk along with other German ships at Scapa Flow. In 1927, Captain Köhler's widow smashed a bottle of champagne on the stem of the "Karlsruhe III", which entered service with the Reichsmarine in 1929. The Königsberg III class cruiser served as a training cruiser, participated in the international maritime control mission to ensure non-intervention in the Spanish Civil War, and was lost in 1940 during Operation Weser Exercise, being sunk by the British submarine Truant.
The cruiser Karlsruhe III, which entered service with the Reichsmarine in 1929.
The fourth was the frigate of the "Köln" class (F 120), which bore this name in the Bundesmarine from 1962 to 1983, after which it was sold to Turkey, where it served, already under a different name, until 1994. The name "Karlsruhe" was inherited in 1984 by the frigate F 122 of the "Bremen II" class. From 1993 to 2016, it took part in the international operations "Southern Cross", "Active Endeavour", "Enduring Freedom", "UNIFIL" and "Atalanta". In 2017, it was excluded from the fleet.
Frigate F 122 "Karlsruhe". Wilhelmshaven, 1989
On May 7, 2024, the Braunschweig-class corvette K 130 was launched. To date, this is the sixth ship to bear the name Karlsruhe. It is expected to enter service soon and will carry the coat of arms of the German city across the seas and oceans.
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