World of Warships – German Cruiser SMS Karlsruhe

Although not my favorite, it took me a while to learn to like the Karl. I almost didn’t make it this round. Surely between that last torpedo strike and the looming battleship nearby, I didn’t expect to survive.

The Karlsruhe class were a pair of light cruisers consisting of the lead ship, and the SMS Rostock. They were both commissioned in early 1914 for the Imperial German Navy, or Kaiserliche Marine. The main armament was almost identical to the preceding Magdeburg Class cruisers.

Shortly after being commissioned, the Karlsruhe was ordered to the Caribbean Sea for active duty. The ship arrived mere days before the outbreak of World War I and were soon discovered by the British Royal Navy. Luckily the ships top speed, nearing 29 knots, allowed easy escape from the British task force.

The ship operated for a short time off the coast of Brazil where she sank or captured several ships. At one point the captain made plans to attack and interrupt shipping between the islands of Trinidad and Barbados. While on route for this operation the ship suffered an internal explosion which ripped the hull apart. The cause of the blast is unknown.

The surviving crew took charge of an ocean liner, the Rio Negro, and returned to Germany, sneaking past the British blockade. The destruction of the ship was never reported and the British continued to search for it until 1915. The name “Karlsruhe” was later given to one of the Königsberg Class Cruisers.