List of protected cruisers of Germany The German Imperial Navy ( ) built a series of protected cruiser s in the 1880s and 1890s , starting with the two ships of the . The Navy only completed two additional classes of protected cruisers , comprising six more ships : the unique , and the five ships . The type was then superseded by the armored cruiser at the turn of the century , beginning with . Because of limited budgets in the pre - Tirpitz era , the German Navy attempted to build vessels that could serve as overseas cruisers and scouts for the fleet , though the ships were not satisfactory . The protected cruiser designs generally copied developments in foreign navies . The " Victoria Louise " design resembled contemporary German battleships , which favored smaller - caliber main guns and more secondary guns than on their foreign counterparts . Most of the German protected cruisers served on overseas stations throughout their careers , primarily in the East Asia Squadron in the 1890s and 1900s . participated in the seizure of the Kiautschou Bay concession in November 1897 , which was used as the primary base for the East Asia Squadron . " Kaiserin Augusta " , , and assisted in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900 , and saw action during the Venezuela Crisis of 1902 – 1903 , where she bombarded several Venezuelan fortresses . , " Prinzess Wilhelm " , and " Kaiserin Augusta " were relegated to secondary duties in the 1910s , while the " Victoria Louise " class was used to train naval cadets in the 1900s . All eight ships were broken up for scrap in the early 1920s . " Irene " class . The " Irene " class was the first protected cruiser design built by the German Imperial Navy . Built between 1886 and 1889 at the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin and the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel , the class comprised two ships , and . As built , the ships were armed with a main battery of fourteen breech - loading guns , of which four were L / 30 models and ten shorter L / 22 guns . They had a top speed of . They were modernized in 1899 – 1905 , and their armament was upgraded with new , quick - firing guns . Both ships served in the East Asia station with the East Asia Squadron ; " Prinzess Wilhelm " played a major role in the seizure of the Kiautschou Bay concession in November 1897 , under command of Admiral Otto von Diederichs . The two ships were sent to safeguard German interests in the Philippines after the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish – American War . There , " Irene " s presence caused tensions with the American squadron occupying the islands . Both ships returned to Germany at the turn of the century , and remained in European waters until 1914 , when they were removed from active service . They were reduced to secondary roles — " Irene " was used as a submarine tender and " Prinzess Wilhelm " was hulked — and continued to serve until the early 1920s , when they were sold for scrap . " Kaiserin Augusta " . " Kaiserin Augusta " was a unique protected cruiser built for the German Navy in the early 1890s . She was laid down at the Germaniawerft shipyard in 1890 , launched in January 1892 , and completed in November of that year . " Kaiserin Augusta " was designed to serve both as a fleet scout and a colonial cruiser due to budgetary limitations . As built , the ship was armed with a main battery of four 15 cm K L / 30 and eight 10 cm SK L / 35 gun s , though by 1896 they were replaced with twelve newer 15 cm SKL / 35 gun s . She was the first ship in the German Navy to feature a three - shaft propeller arrangement . The ship had significant stability problems , shipped excessive quantities of water in a head sea , and maneuvered poorly . " Kaiserin Augusta " served on foreign stations between 1897 and 1902 , primarily in the East Asia Squadron under the command of Admiral Otto von Diederichs . While in Chinese waters in 1900 , the ship ' s crew assisted in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion . She returned to Germany in 1902 for an extensive overhaul that lasted until 1907 , after which she went into reserve . Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914 , " Kaiserin Augusta " was mobilized to serve as a gunnery training ship . She served in this role throughout the war ; the ship was ultimately sold for scrapping in October 1919 and broken up the following year . " Victoria Louise " class . The " Victoria Louise " class was the last class of protected cruisers built for the German Navy . The class design introduced the combined clipper and ram bow and the blocky sides that typified later German armored cruiser s . The class comprised five vessels : the lead ship , , , , and . The ships were laid down in 1895 and 1896 , launched in 1897 and 1898 , and commissioned into the fleet over the following year . Problems with the Niclausse boiler s installed on " Vineta " prompted the Navy to standardize boiler types in future warships ; from then on , only Schulz - Thornycroft or Marine type boilers would be used . All five ships were armed with a main battery of two 21 cm SK L / 40 gun s and eight 15 cm SK L / 40 gun s . The ships of the class served in various units in the German fleet , including on the America Station , in the East Asia Squadron , and with the home fleet . " Hertha " and " Hansa " participated in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900 , and " Vineta " was involved in the Venezuela Crisis of 1902 – 1903 . All five ships were modernized between 1905 and 1911 , after which they served as training ships for naval cadets . They were mobilized into the 5th Scouting Group at the outbreak of World War I , but were quickly withdrawn from front - line service . They served in various secondary roles for the rest of the war . Afterward , " Victoria Louise " was converted into a merchant ship , but was broken up in 1923 . The other four ships were scrapped in 1920 and 1921 . Notes . Footnotes Citations