SMS Bremen SMS " Bremen " ( " His Majesty ' s Ship " Bremen " " ) was the lead ship of the seven - vessel , built by the Imperial German Navy . She was built by the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen , her namesake city . She was laid down in 1902 , launched in July 1903 , and commissioned into the High Seas Fleet in May 1904 . Armed with a main battery of ten guns and two torpedo tube s , " Bremen " was capable of a top speed of . " Bremen " served on the East American Station for the majority of her career , including the ten years before the outbreak of World War I . She returned to German in 1914 before the start of the war . At the onset of hostilities , she was attached to the fleet in the Baltic tasked with containing the Russians . In August 1915 , she participated in the Battle of the Gulf of Riga , but did not see significant action during the battle . Four months later , on 17 December , she struck two Russian naval mine s and sank , with the loss of 250 of her crew . Construction . " Bremen " was ordered under the contract name " L " and was laid down at the AG Weser shipyard in the ship ' s namesake city in 1902 and launched on 9 July 1903 , after which fitting - out work commenced . She was commissioned into the High Seas Fleet on 19 May 1904 . The ship was long overall and had a beam of and a draft of forward . She displaced at full combat load . Her propulsion system consisted of two triple - expansion engine s , designed to give for a top speed of . The engines were powered by ten coal - fired Marine - type water - tube boilers . " Bremen " carried up to of coal , which gave her a range of at . She had a crew of 14 officers and 274 – 287 enlisted men . The ship was armed with ten 10 . 5 cm SK L / 40 guns in single mounts . Two were placed side by side forward on the forecastle , six were located amidships , three on either side , and two were placed side by side aft . The guns could engage targets out to . They were supplied with 1 , 500 rounds of ammunition , for 150 shells per gun . She was also equipped with two torpedo tube s with five torpedo es . They were submerged in the hull on the broadside . The ship was protected by an armored deck that was up to thick . The conning tower had thick sides , and the guns were protected by thick shields . Service history . After her commissioning , " Bremen " served on the East American station , and she frequently visited the United States . In April 1907 , she and the armored cruiser sailed to the United States to participate in a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the arrival of colonists in Chesapeake Bay on 26 April . In addition to the German delegation , the international fleet consisted of warships from Great Britain , Japan , Austria - Hungary , France , Italy , and several other nations . Wilhelm Canaris , the future admiral and head of the " Abwehr " during World War II , served aboard the ship starting on 2 November 1907 , his first assignment after graduating from the naval academy . " Bremen " conducted a tour of South America in late 1908 , beginning in September with a call on Buenos Aires , followed by a stop in Rio de Janiero in Brazil . The tour lasted through February 1909 , and included stops in Costa Rica , Panama , Guatemala , and the Dutch Antilles . In March , " Bremen " returned to the northern Atlantic and visited American ports for the next three months . In September – October 1909 , " Bremen " , joined the protected cruiser s and , and the light cruiser , which had traveled to the United States to represent Germany during the Hudson - Fulton Celebration . In early 1912 , " Bremen " was assigned to a goodwill cruise to the United States , along with the battlecruiser and the light cruiser . On 11 May 1912 the ships left Kiel and arrived off Hampton Roads , Virginia , on 30 May . There , they met the US Atlantic Fleet and were greeted by then - President William Howard Taft aboard the presidential yacht . After touring the East Coast for two weeks , they returned to Kiel on 24 June . " Bremen " remained abroad until 1914 , when she returned to Germany . After the outbreak of World War I in July 1914 , she was assigned to the fleet in the Baltic Sea . While there , she participated in the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in August 1915 . She was assigned to the second attack on the Gulf , which took place on 16 August . She and the cruisers , , and escorted the dreadnought s and while they attempted to force their way into the Gulf . The German flotilla penetrated the Russian defenses by 19 August and steamed into the Gulf , but withdrew shortly thereafter due to the threat of Allied submarine s and mines . On 17 December 1915 , " Bremen " and the torpedo boat ran into a Russian minefield ; " Bremen " struck a pair of mines off Windau and sank , as did " V191 " . The majority of " Bremen " s crew died in the sinking , with 250 men killed .