sms sms lead ship class armored cruisers imperial_german_navy ship authorized second naval law built kiel cost million marks ship named von prussian general politician displaced tonnes long tons short tons armed main battery guns speed knots mph ship participated actions world war including raid acted scout high_seas_fleet saw duty baltic_sea including battle july russian cruisers shore bombardment missions training barracks ship kiel end war intended convert ship seaplane tender plan eventually abandoned ship struck naval register scrapped construction ordered provisional built kiel construction number keel laid launched june fitting work lengthy completed april commissioned imperial_german_navy day cost displaced long tons short tons built long tons short tons fully loaded length beam draft forward powered vertical triple expansion engines developed total indicated horsepower yielded maximum speed knots mph trials carried long tons short tons coal enabled maximum range nautical miles cruising speed knots mph armed guns arranged twin gun turrets end superstructure secondary armament consisted guns fourteen guns underwater torpedo tubes bow stern beams service history laid august kiel dockyard launched june inspector general patron ship ship completed april cost marks april light cruiser bremen sailed united_states participate commemorating anniversary arrival colonists chesapeake_bay april addition german delegation international fleet consisted warships great_britain japan austria-hungary france italy nations serving flagship rear admiral high_seas_fleet sister ship replaced flagship september new battlecruiser decommissioned recommissioned years later outbreak world war start hostilities serving flagship november participated operation bombard bombardment month later december participated bombardment armored cruiser assigned van high_seas_fleet providing distant cover rear admiral battlecruisers conducting bombardment operation attached destroyers encountered british screening forces came contact unity gunfire exchanged ships turned away following reports british destroyers hamburg admiral ordered high_seas_fleet turn port head germany point destroyers rearguard high_seas_fleet time joined light cruisers hamburg encountered commander jones destroyers jones point hamburg detached sink signaled light cruisers ordered abandon pursuit retreat rest high_seas_fleet received word location attempt intercept german cruisers detached hunt german ships battlecruisers followed distance aware german battlecruisers decided break pursuit turn german battlecruisers operations baltic admiral decided armored cruisers slow lacked thick armor unsuitable service north_sea april operated baltic_sea participating bombardment missions british submarine spotted ships route recently captured german army fired torpedoes german flotilla passed closely astern missed targets july participated battle russian cruisers shores sweden light cruiser destroyers escorting cruiser attacked russian cruisers armored cruisers admiral light cruisers escaped destroyers covered retreat severely damaged forced seek refuge neutral swedish waters light cruiser sortied relieve german destroyers arriving scene engaged opened fire shortly russian cruiser destroyer arrived reinforce russian flotilla following artillery duel hit times german ships forced retreat august shelled russian positions russian destroyers anchored german cruisers caught surprise damaged later service fog war led instances royal_navy vessels february mistakenly reported having captured british cruiser north_atlantic ship mistakenly reported taken flagship screening force main body high_seas_fleet mistake appeared historical works published shortly world war later works corrected november disarmed converted training accommodation ship stationed kiel served capacity german_navy previously experimented seaplane carriers including conversion old light cruiser early service fleet carry aircraft deemed insufficient fleet support result plans drawn convert seaplane carrier capacity aircraft ship main battery removed replaced guns anti aircraft guns large hangar installed aft main superstructure plan come fruition primarily german_navy relied aerial reconnaissance struck naval register november scrapped following year
SMS Roon