SMS Pillau
Encyclopedia
SMS Pillau was a German light cruiser
in World War I
. She and her sistership SMS Elbing
were originally ordered from German shipyards by the Russian Navy
, but were confiscated at the outbreak of war and taken over by the German Navy
. Pillau was laid down as Muraviev Amurskyy (named after the eponymous count
) at the Schichau-Werft in Danzig
in 1913 and completed in December 1914.
in August 1915. Pillau also participated in the Battle of Jutland
on 31 May–1 June 1916. After the end of the battle, Pillau was dispatched to escort the severely damaged Seydlitz
back to Germany. Seydlitz's navigation systems had failed, and needed Pillau to guide her back to German waters. Her last action of the First World War, Pillau took part in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight
.
Pillau was ceded to Italy after the end of the war, renamed Bari and served in the Regia Marina
until she was sunk in 1943. In 1933/34, Bari was refitted for colonial service and converted to oil-firing.
Her wartime career was in support of landings at Corfu
(1940) and Bastia
(1942) and anti-partisan bombardments off the Montenegrin
coast in 1942. In 1943, she was slated for conversion to an anti-aircraft ship but the plans were incomplete when she was sunk by bombing, in Livorno
, awaiting conversion. At the Italian armistice, she was further damaged to render her useless to the German occupiers, and the wreck was scrapped postwar.
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. She and her sistership SMS Elbing
SMS Elbing
The SMS Elbing was a German Pillau class light cruiser, named after the East Prussian city of Elbing. Intended for the Russian navy under the name Admiral Newelski , the ship was built at F. Schichau-Werft in Danzig in 1913-1914...
were originally ordered from German shipyards by the Russian Navy
Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky
Nikolay Nikolayevich Muravyov-Amursky was a Russian statesman and diplomat, who played a major role in the expansion of the Russian Empire into the Amur River basin and to the shores of the Sea of Japan.-Surname spelling:The surname Muravyov has also been transcribed as Muravyev or Murav'ev.-Early...
, but were confiscated at the outbreak of war and taken over by the German Navy
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
. Pillau was laid down as Muraviev Amurskyy (named after the eponymous count
Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky
Nikolay Nikolayevich Muravyov-Amursky was a Russian statesman and diplomat, who played a major role in the expansion of the Russian Empire into the Amur River basin and to the shores of the Sea of Japan.-Surname spelling:The surname Muravyov has also been transcribed as Muravyev or Murav'ev.-Early...
) at the Schichau-Werft in Danzig
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
in 1913 and completed in December 1914.
Design
The ship was intended to be fitted with Russian 13 cm guns, but she was eventually equipped with eight 15 cm German guns; Pillau and Elbing were the first German light cruisers with 15 cm armament.Service history
Pillau was assigned to the II Scouting Group in 1915. She served in the Baltic and North Seas and took part in the Battle of the Gulf of RigaBattle of the Gulf of Riga
The Battle of the Gulf of Riga was a World War I naval operation of the German High Seas Fleet against the Russian Baltic Fleet in the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea in August 1915...
in August 1915. Pillau also participated in the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
on 31 May–1 June 1916. After the end of the battle, Pillau was dispatched to escort the severely damaged Seydlitz
SMS Seydlitz
SMS Seydlitz"SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" in German. was a 25,000-metric ton battlecruiserAdmiral Alfred von Tirpitz referred to the ship as a large cruiser in his annual budgets in an attempt to reduce opposition from the Reichstag; the ship was not referred...
back to Germany. Seydlitz's navigation systems had failed, and needed Pillau to guide her back to German waters. Her last action of the First World War, Pillau took part in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight
Second Battle of Heligoland Bight
The Second Battle of Heligoland Bight was a naval engagement during the First World War. On 17 November 1917, German minesweepers clearing a path through the British minefield in the Heligoland Bight near the coast of Germany were intercepted by two British light cruisers, and , performing...
.
Pillau was ceded to Italy after the end of the war, renamed Bari and served in the Regia Marina
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
until she was sunk in 1943. In 1933/34, Bari was refitted for colonial service and converted to oil-firing.
Her wartime career was in support of landings at Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
(1940) and Bastia
Bastia
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
(1942) and anti-partisan bombardments off the Montenegrin
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
coast in 1942. In 1943, she was slated for conversion to an anti-aircraft ship but the plans were incomplete when she was sunk by bombing, in Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
, awaiting conversion. At the Italian armistice, she was further damaged to render her useless to the German occupiers, and the wreck was scrapped postwar.