sms sms light cruiser ordered navy admiral shipyard danzig following outbreak world war ship confiscated august launched november sms sister ship lead ship class ship commissioned high_seas_fleet september armed main battery guns speed mph participated major operations career bombardment occurred april briefly engaged month later took scored hit engagement heavily engaged confused fighting night june shortly midnight accidentally rammed battleship tore hole ship hull flooding disabled ship engines electrical generators rendering power german torpedo boat took crew hour later remaining men scuttled ship escaped ship cutter later picked dutch steamer design ordered imperial_russian_navy admiral shipyard danzig laid german_navy august renamed launched november fitting work commenced commissioned high_seas_fleet september ship meters long overall beam draft forward displaced long tons short tons combat load propulsion system consisted sets marine steam turbines driving meter propellers designed shaft horsepower powered coal fired yarrow water tube boilers oil fired yarrow boilers gave ship speed knots mph carried tonnes long tons coal additional tonnes long tons oil gave range approximately nautical miles knots mph standard crew officers enlisted men expanded wartime ship armed guns single pedestal mounts placed forward forecastle located amidships aft carried anti aircraft guns replaced pair anti aircraft guns equipped pair torpedo tubes mounted deck carry mines conning tower thick sides deck covered thick armor plate service history commissioning assigned typically operated alongside battlecruisers major operation bombardment april approach spotted squadron light cruisers eighteen destroyers approaching german formation south rear admiral german commander initially ordered battlecruisers continue bombardment light cruisers concentrated engage british german light forces clashed firing long range battlecruisers arrived scene prompting british squadron retreat high speed light cruiser destroyer damaged broke engagement receiving reports submarines area battle jutland admiral fleet commander planned lure portion british fleet away bases destroy entire high seas fleet remained attached operation squadron left jade bound waters main body fleet followed hour half later spotted danish steamer detached pair torpedo boats investigate steamer british cruisers simultaneously steaming inspect steamer spotting german torpedo boats opened fire shortly turned support destroyers opening fire quickly scored hit battle shell failed explode british turned north 1st battlecruiser squadron firing long range joined frankfurt cruisers cease fire british drawn range minutes later cruisers engaged seaplane launched seaplane tender failed score hits aircraft forced engine broke forced land cruisers returned stations ahead german battlecruisers rest encountered cruiser opened fire scored hits ship sides cruisers rear admiral hood battlecruisers intervened flagship hms invincible scored hit exploded engine room disabled ship frankfurt fired torpedo british battlecruisers missed briefly engaged battlecruisers long range hit lost port engine leaks boiler limited speed mph hours battlecruisers ordered station ahead german line night cruising formation having problems boiler unable speed necessary reach line fell hamburg spotted british cruiser destroyers british recognition signal closed yards turning opening fire hit seven times set fire forcing british turn away fired torpedoes hamburg passed underneath failed explode engagement going 2nd arrived engaged hit destroyed wireless station killed men wounded shortly midnight german fleet ran british rear destroyer screen time steaming port german line hamburg dreadnought ship german line opened fire followed quickly cruisers battleships nassau british destroyers launched torpedo attack forced cruisers turn starboard avoid pointed cruisers directly german line attempted steam nassau captain wasn aware movement late avoid collision turned hard starboard collided starboard quarter cruiser waterline flooded starboard engine room initially took list eighteen degrees allowed water spread port engine room engines shut steam began pipes disabled electric generators caused ship lose electrical power water spread ship engine compartments list reduced ship completely danger sinking torpedo boat came alongside took officers men crew commander small group officers men remained board rigged improvised sail attempt bring ship closer shore british destroyers spotted south order ship given lowered ship cutter water set steaming port rescued surgeon destroyer dutch met cutter took men holland course fired rounds ammunition single torpedo crew killed wounded
SMS Elbing