Service history SMS Königsberg (1905)

pre-war photo of königsberg

königsberg ordered under contract name ersatz meteor , laid down @ imperial dockyard in kiel on 12 january 1905. launched on 12 december 1905, when oberbürgermeister of königsberg, siegfried körte, christened ship, after fitting-out work commenced. commissioned high seas fleet sea trials on 6 april 1907. trials interrupted @ beginning of june when tasked escorting kaiser wilhelm ii s yacht hohenzollern during 3 sailing regattas including kiel week. 2 ships cruised north sea , stopped @ nordkapp, 3 6 august, wilhelm ii met czar nicholas ii of russia. after returning germany, königsberg resumed sea trials, lasted 9 august 9 september. visited namesake city 21 23 september , later assigned fleet scouting forces replace cruiser medusa on 5 november. @ time, königsberg again used escort wilhelm ii s yacht, time in company new armored cruiser scharnhorst , dispatch boat sleipner on visit britain. ships stopped in portsmouth , thames, , visited queen wilhelmina of netherlands.

on 17 december, königsberg tasked goodwill visit, time escorting kaiser s brother, prince heinrich, , delegation of naval officers malmö, sweden meet king oscar ii. visit lasted until 20 december. königsberg participated in normal peacetime routine of individual , squadron training 1908 without incident. year ended major training cruise, first in baltic , north sea , later atlantic, ended in december. ship went drydock on winter of 1908–09 periodic maintenance, emerging service again in february 1909. typical training routine followed next 2 years, interrupted collision new cruiser dresden on 16 february 1910 in kiel bay, , 2 trips escorting kaiser in 1910; first helgoland on 9–13 march , second britain 8 27 may. collision dresden caused significant damage both ships, though no 1 on either vessel injured. both ships repaired in kiel. dresden won kaiser s schießpreis (shooting prize) excellent gunnery in reconnaissance force during period. december 1909 september 1910, fregattenkapitän (frigate captain) adolf von trotha served ship s commander.

from 8 march 22 may 1911, königsberg cruised in mediterranean sea wilhelm ii aboard hohenzollern. on 10 june, königsberg replaced in reconnaissance force new cruiser kolberg; königsberg transferred danzig, placed out of service on 14 june modernization work. on 22 january 1913, ship recommissioned service fleet, replace cruiser mainz being modernized. service lasted until 19 june, when königsberg again placed in reserve in kiel. during period of active service, assigned training squadron 1 18 april. in 1914, high command decided send königsberg german east africa, replace current station ship, old unprotected cruiser geier.

sms königsberg @ bagamoyo, june 1914

on 1 april 1914, fregattenkapitän max looff took command of ship. königsberg left kiel on 25 april, stopped in wilhelmshaven, , left 3 days later two-year deployment german east africa. steamed mediterranean sea , stopped in spanish , italian ports before entering suez canal. after passing through canal, stopped briefly in aden before arriving in dar es salaam, capital of german east africa, on 5 june. 2 days later, schutztruppe (protection force) celebrated 25th anniversary in colony; deputy commander of schutztruppe presented looff model of cruiser schwalbe, had been longest serving warship unit. königsberg surveyed harbor @ bagamoyo later in year. african colonial subjects considered ship quite impressive, particularly 3 funnels, assumed signify warship more powerful 1 2 funnels. ship acquired nickname manowari na bomba tatu, or man of war 3 pipes .

as tensions in europe rose in aftermath of assassination of archduke franz ferdinand of austria, looff decided abandon normal peacetime training schedule , returned dar es salaam on 24 july replenish coal , other stores. made efforts organize coast watcher network report enemy ships , protect german shipping in area. on 27 july, looff received message admiralstab (admiralty staff) informing him of worsening political situation in europe. concurrently, cruisers of british cape squadron, hms astraea, hyacinth, , pegasus, arrived intention of bottling königsberg @ colony s capital dar es salaam. looff got ship ready sail , left port on afternoon of 31 july 1914, 3 slower british ships shadowing him. looff used rain squall , ship s superior speed break contact british pursuers following day. königsberg steamed off aden until 5 august, when word of outbreak of hostilities between britain , germany belatedly reached ship.

world war i

at outbreak of world war i, königsberg ordered attack british commerce around entrance red sea. lack of coal hampered looff s efforts; british prevented collier koenig leaving dar es salaam , purchased coal in portuguese east africa deny königsberg. looff radioed german steamer zieten warn against using suez canal, have been confiscated. königsberg chased after german freighter goldenfels, officers mistook ship british cruiser , refused stop. königsberg forced fire warning shot across bow of goldenfels force ship stop looff warn captain of state of war.

on 6 august, königsberg found british ship off coast of oman, freighter city of winchester. prize crew took ship along königsberg, , 2 vessels met zieten 4 days later in khuriya muriya islands, coal city of winchester transferred königsberg. freighter thereafter sunk. british crew taken aboard zieten, departed following day , stopped in mozambique. meanwhile, steamer somali, under command of korvettenkapitän (corvette captain) zimmer, had left dar es salaam cargo of 1,200 t (1,200 long tons; 1,300 short tons) of coal on night of 3–4 august resupply königsberg; 2 ships met ten days later. time looff rendezvoused somali, ship down mere 14 t (14 long tons; 15 short tons) of coal. somali transferred 850 t (840 long tons; 940 short tons) of coal cruiser, permitted sweep madagascar. no british or french ships found, however, , königsberg met somali again on 23 august , took on coal 4 days of cruising.

in meantime, british warships bombarded dar es salaam , destroyed german wireless station there. time, königsberg s engines required thorough overhaul, , looff needed find secluded area work completed. settled on rufiji delta, had been surveyed survey ship möwe. on 3 september 1914 @ high tide, königsberg passed on bar @ mouth of rufiji , made way river. coast watchers stationed @ mouth of river , telegraph lines run ensure germans not surprised british ships searching them. zimmer, sending small coastal steamers resupply königsberg, observed british cruiser—pegasus—patrolling coast 2 weeks. deduced ship have coal @ zanzibar on sundays, , looff decided attack ship in port before began overhaul. considered action justified, since britain had rejected german proposal keep central africa neutral according congo act of 1885.

one of königsberg s guns emplaced in delta

on 19 september, königsberg left rufiji , arrived off zanzibar following morning. opened fire @ range of 7,000 meters (23,000 ft) @ 05:10, starting battle of zanzibar; within 45 minutes, pegasus caught fire, rolled on port, , sank. crewmen aboard pegasus had raised white flag, not seen aboard königsberg due heavy smoke. pegasus s crew suffered 38 dead , 55 wounded, while königsberg undamaged , had no casualties. after sinking pegasus, königsberg bombarded wireless station , dumped barrels filled sand harbor entrance simulate mines. while leaving harbor, königsberg spotted picket ship helmut , sank 3 shells.

the cruiser returned rufiji river work begin on overhauling engines; parts need transported overland shipyard in dar es salaam rebuilt. while moored in town of salale, ship heavily camouflaged , defensive arrangements erected. these included positioning soldiers , field guns defend approaches cruiser , establishing network of coast watchers , telegraph lines watch hostile ships. improvised minefield laid in delta keep british ships entering river.

concerned threat königsberg posed troop transports india, british reinforced flotilla tasked tracking down elusive german raider, , placed ships under command of captain sidney r. drury-lowe. sinking of pegasus convinced british königsberg must still in german east africa. on 19 october, cruiser chatham found german east africa line ship präsident @ lindi. boarding party searched ship , discovered documents indicating had supplied königsberg coal in rufiji previous month. on 30 october, cruiser dartmouth located königsberg , somali in delta. cruisers chatham, dartmouth, , weymouth blockaded rufiji delta ensure königsberg not escape.

battle of rufiji delta


the battered königsberg after scuttled

on 3 november, british began bombardment in attempt destroy or neutralize königsberg , somali. königsberg protected thick mangrove swamps, concealed ship , offered degree of cover british shellfire, while british ships remained outside river. collier, newbridge, converted blockship sunk in main channel of delta prevent königsberg s escape. despite heavy german fire both sides of river, british sank newbridge across 1 of delta mouths on 10 november, though german raider still put sea via other channels. looff decided move ship further upriver, make more difficult british destroy her. in doing so, ship occupy disproportionate number of british vessels otherwise have been employed elsewhere. in course of campaign, british reinforced squadron blockading rufiji additional cruisers, including pyramus , australian hmas pioneer.

a civilian pilot, denis cutler of durban, south africa, commissioned royal marines , persuaded make private curtiss seaplane available british empire. royal navy requisitioned passenger ship kinfauns castle serve makeshift tender cutler s aircraft. on first attempt locate cruiser, cutler, did not have compass, got lost , forced land on desert island. on second flight, located königsberg, , third flight royal navy observer confirmed observations. aircraft s radiator damaged on flight , grounded until replacement parts brought mombasa. pair of royal naval air service sopwiths brought intention of scouting , bombing ship. fell apart in tropical conditions. trio of short seaplanes fared little better, though disabled conditions.

also in november, british sought use 12-inch (305 mm) guns of old battleship goliath sink cruiser. attempt unsuccessful, once again because shallow waters prevented battleship getting within range. in december, oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) paul von lettow-vorbeck requested many crew members ship possible east africa campaign against british; total of 220 men left aboard keep ship in fighting condition. not enough, however, permit ship go sea. königsberg moved further river on 18 december. on 23 december, british used pair of shallow-draft ships sail delta. hit somali once before german defensive fire forced them retreat.

aerial photo of königsberg after scuttling; note removal of guns

in meantime, conditions deteriorating on königsberg. there shortages of coal, ammunition, food, , medical supplies. although safe british, crew ravaged malaria , other tropical ailments. cut off outside world, morale of sailors fell. however, situation marginally improved scheme resupply ship , give fighting chance return home. captured british merchant ship, rubens, renamed kronborg. given danish flag, papers, , crew of german sailors selected ability speak danish. packed coal, field guns, ammunition, small arms, , various supplies. freighter approached east africa, königsberg prepared sortie meet ship , attempt break out , return germany. instead, königsberg trapped in river 2 cruisers , several smaller vessels. hyacinth intercepted kronborg approached, , chased manza bay. trapped ship forced aground , set on fire, germans salvaged of cargo , put use later in east africa campaign.

finally, in april 1915, british admiralty agreed plan submitted drury-lowe previous november, envisioned attacking german cruiser shallow-draft monitors, capable of navigating rufiji river. 2 of warships, mersey , severn, armed pair of 6 in (152 mm) guns each, brought britain. königsberg had in meantime been moved third time, further upriver. on 6 july 1915, 2 monitors crossed outer sandbar , steamed river, despite heavy fire german positions on river banks. stopped @ point thought 10,000 yd (9,100 m) königsberg, in range of own guns farther smaller german guns reply. aircraft used spot fall of shot. monitors navigation faulty, however, , after opening fire, found within range of königsberg s guns. hit mersey twice in engagement; 1 shell disabled forward 6-inch gun, , holed ship below waterline. königsberg hit 4 times in return, 1 shell striking beneath waterline , causing flooding. in span of 3 hours, königsberg forced both british ships withdraw.

königsberg gun in field (1916)

they returned again on 11 july, after having repaired damage sustained in first attempt. 2 monitors conducted five-hour bombardment. königsberg opened fire @ 12:12, 4 guns, 3 guns remained in action after 12:42, 2 guns after 12:44, , 1 gun after 12:53. 2 monitors did not respond until 12:31, once had been anchored firing positions, , scored several serious hits caused major fire @ ship s stern , inflicted heavy casualties. 13:40, königsberg had run low on ammunition , gun crews had suffered heavy casualties, , looff ordered crew abandon ship , drop breech blocks guns overboard disable them. 2 torpedo warheads detonated in ship s bow scuttle her; ship rolled on starboard , sank upper deck flags still flying. nineteen men had been killed in battle, forty-five wounded, including looff.

later day, crew returned haul down ship s flag , gave 3 cheers kaiser. guns , other usable equipment salvaged wreck starting following day. guns converted field artillery pieces , coastal guns; ship s crew, went on see service in east african land campaign under lettow-vorbeck. ten guns repaired in dar es salaam on next 2 months; 1 mounted on converted ferry götzen of inland lake tanganyika fleet. surviving sailors, organized königsberg-abteilung (königsberg-detachment), surrendered on 26 november 1917 , interned in british egypt. in 1919, after war, men took part in parade through brandenburg gate in berlin celebrate service , of ship.

königsberg bow shield, on display @ bundeswehr military history museum, dresden

in 1924, john ingle, former captain of pegasus, tasked clearing wrecks harbor in dar es salaam. @ time, bought salvage rights königsberg price of £200; sent divers extract non-ferrous scrap metal wreck , in turn sold rights. salvage work continued 1930s, , 1940s hull had rolled on starboard side. late 1965, salvage work continued, in 1966 wreck collapsed , sank riverbed. 3 of ship s 10.5 cm guns preserved, 1 in pretoria, south africa, 1 in jinja, uganda, , 1 in mombasa, along gun pegasus.

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