List of armored cruisers of Germany In the late 19th century , the German Imperial Navy ( " Kaiserliche Marine " ) experimented with a variety of cruiser types , including small aviso s and larger protected cruisers . Due to budget constraints , the navy was unable to build cruisers designed solely for fleet service or for overseas duties . As a result , the naval construction department attempted to design vessels that could fulfill both roles . The protected cruisers , the first of which were the two vessels , were laid down starting in 1886 . The protected cruisers evolved into more powerful vessels , culminating in , Germany ' s first armored cruiser . " Fürst Bismarck " was laid down in 1896 , a decade after the first German protected cruiser . " Fürst Bismarck " proved to be " ideally suited " to overseas duties and formed the basis for subsequent armored cruiser designs . followed in 1898 and incorporated several alterations , including a reduced primary armament , a thinner but more comprehensive armor system , and a higher top speed . The two vessels , laid down in 1900 and 1901 , were designed with incremental improvements over " Prinz Heinrich " . and , two sister ships laid down in 1902 and 1903 , respectively , were similar to the two " Prinz Adalbert " - class cruisers and incorporated only minor improvements . The two armored cruisers , laid down in 1904 and 1905 , were marked improvements over the previous designs ; they carried a much heavier armament and were more than faster than the earlier vessels . The last German armored cruiser , , bridged the development of larger , more powerful battlecruiser s . The ship was significantly larger , better armed , and faster than the " Scharnhorst " class , though she remained inferior to the new s then being built by the British Royal Navy . German armored cruisers followed the pattern set by the corresponding battleships ; as compared to foreign equivalents , German warships mounted smaller main battery guns , but a heavier secondary battery . This armament has been compared unfavorably against their British and other counterparts . Naval historian David Lyon remarked that the armored cruisers built by Germany were the " worst designed and least battle - worthy ships " in the navy . Conversely , the German battlecruisers , into which the armored cruiser evolved , were very highly regarded ; naval historian John Campbell stated that was " a considerably better fighting ship than any of the 6 British 12 in gun battlecruisers . " SMS " Fürst Bismarck " . " Fürst Bismarck " was the first armored cruiser constructed for the Imperial Navy . The ship was the only member of its class , and was designed primarily to serve in Germany ' s colonial fleet . The design for " Fürst Bismarck " was an improvement over the previous protected cruiser — " Fürst Bismarck " was significantly larger and better armed than her predecessors . She was equipped with four guns mounted in twin gun turret s fore and aft , and with twelve casemate d guns as secondary armament . " Fürst Bismarck " was fitted with Krupp armor ; the ship ' s main armor belt was up to thick over the vessel ' s machinery spaces , and the deck was armored to a thickness of . Assigned to the German East Asia Squadron , " Fürst Bismarck " assisted in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion before being replaced in 1909 by . Modernized upon arriving in Germany , she acted in a coast - defense role early in World War I , but was soon relegated to service as a stationary training ship . Following the war , " Fürst Bismarck " was scrapped in 1919 – 1920 . SMS " Prinz Heinrich " . SMS " Prinz Heinrich " was built at the Imperial Dockyard in Kiel . She was laid down in 1898 and completed in March 1902 at a cost of 16 , 588 , 000 Marks . " Prinz Heinrich " s design was a modification of " Fürst Bismarck " , and traded a smaller main battery for higher speed and more comprehensive armor protection . The ship set a precedent for subsequent German armored cruisers by concentrating her secondary armament amidships , as opposed to " Fürst Bismarck " , which spread the secondary armament along the length of the ship . " Prinz Heinrich " served with the German fleet for the majority of her career . After the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 , the ship participated in an operation against the British coast in December 1914 , after which she was transferred to the Baltic Sea . Here , she operated against the Russian navy and was involved in the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in August 1915 , where she damaged a Russian destroyer . In 1916 , the ship was withdrawn from active duty and was used in several secondary roles in Kiel , including acting as a floating office for naval staff . " Prinz Heinrich " was ultimately sold in 1920 and broken up for scrap later that year . " Prinz Adalbert " class . The " Prinz Adalbert " class comprised two ships , and . " Friedrich Carl " was commissioned first , on 12 December 1903 , and " Prinz Adalbert " followed on 12 January 1904 . They were an improvement on the design of the previous armored cruiser , " Prinz Heinrich " . Their armor belts were the same thickness but were more extensive than that of their predecessor . The two ships were armed with four main guns in twin gun turrets , as opposed to the two single gun turrets of " Prinz Heinrich " . Both ships saw extensive service with the German Navy ; " Prinz Adalbert " was used as a gunnery training ship for the her entire peacetime career , while " Friedrich Carl " served with the fleet until 1909 , when she was withdrawn to act as a torpedo training vessel . At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 , both vessels were mobilized and assigned to the cruiser squadron in the Baltic . " Friedrich Carl " was sunk by Russian naval mines off Memel in November 1914 , though most of her crew was safely evacuated . " Prinz Adalbert " was torpedoed twice by British submarines operating in the Baltic ; the first , on 1 July 1915 , caused serious damage that was ultimately repaired . The second , on 23 October 1915 , caused a catastrophic explosion in the ship ' s ammunition magazines that destroyed the vessel . Six hundred and seventy - two men were killed , the greatest single loss of life for the German Navy in the Baltic during the war . " Roon " class . The " Roon " class comprised and , which closely resembled the earlier " Prinz Adalbert " - class ships , but incorporated incremental improvements . The ships were easily distinguished from their predecessors by the addition of a fourth funnel . Like all of the armored cruisers built by Germany , they were intended to serve as station ships in Germany ' s overseas possessions . The ships displaced up to and were armed with a main battery of four guns . Their top speed was . The two ships served with the High Seas Fleet in the reconnaissance squadrons after they joined the fleet in 1905 – 1906 . At the outbreak of World War I in 1914 , the ships served alongside the more powerful battlecruiser s of the I Scouting Group . While returning to port after a raid of the English coast on 3 – 4 November 1914 , " Yorck " struck German mines and sank with heavy loss of life . " Roon " was disarmed in 1916 and intended to be converted into a seaplane carrier , though this was never carried out . The ship was eventually broken up for scrap in 1921 . " Scharnhorst " class . The " Scharnhorst " class was the last traditional class of armored cruisers built by the Imperial Navy . The class comprised two ships , and . They were larger than the " Roon " class that preceded them ; the extra size was used primarily to increase the main armament of 21 cm ( 8 . 2 inch ) guns from four to eight . The ships were the first German cruisers to equal their British counterparts . Built for overseas service , " Scharnhorst " and " Gneisenau " were assigned to the East Asia Squadron in 1909 and 1910 , respectively . Both ships had brief careers ; shortly before the outbreak of World War I , the ships departed the German colony at Tsingtao . On 1 November 1914 , the ships destroyed a British force at the Battle of Coronel and inflicted upon the Royal Navy its first defeat since the Battle of Plattsburgh in 1814 . The East Asia Squadron , including both " Scharnhorst " - class ships , was subsequently annihilated at the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8 December . SMS " Blücher " . SMS " Blücher " was the last armored cruiser to be built by the Imperial Navy . She was designed to match what German intelligence incorrectly believed to be the specifications of the British s . " Blücher " was larger than preceding armored cruisers and carried more heavy guns , but was unable to match the size and armament of the battlecruiser s which replaced armored cruisers in the British and German navies . Her primary armament of twelve guns was greatly inferior to the eight guns of the British battlecruisers . The ship initially served as a gunnery training ship , but joined the I Scouting Group after the outbreak of World War I . She took part in the operation to bombard Yarmouth and the raid on Scarborough , Hartlepool and Whitby in 1914 . At the Battle of Dogger Bank on 24 January 1915 , " Blücher " was slowed significantly after being hit by gunfire from the British battlecruiser squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Sir David Beatty . Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper , the commander of the German squadron , decided to abandon " Blücher " to the pursuing enemy ships in order to save his more valuable battlecruisers . Under heavy fire from the British ships , she was sunk with heavy loss of life . References . Footnotes Citations Bibliography