Battle of Rufiji Delta

Battle of the Rufiji Delta
Part of the First World War
Wreck of Königsberg
Date October 1914 – 11 July 1915 Location Rufiji Delta, German East Africa (now Tanzania) Result British victory
Belligerents
German Empire	United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Cdr. Max Looff	Cpt. Drury-Lowe
Strength
1 light cruiser 1 supply ship 1 captured freighter (ex-British)	1 pre-dreadnought battleship 4 cruisers 2 monitors various smaller craft 1 ship sunk as blockship 1 civilian and 9 naval aircraft
Casualties and losses
1 light cruiser sunk 33 dead, mostly due to disease supply ship sunk captured freighter sunk	1 civilian and 5 naval aircraft, mostly through attrition

The Battle of the Rufiji Delta was fought in German East Africa (modern Tanzania) from October 1914 – July 1915 during the First World War, between the German light cruiser SMS Königsberg, and a powerful group of British warships. The battle was a series of attempts to sink the blockaded German cruiser that eventually resulted in the destruction of Königsberg.

In 1914, the most powerful German ship in the Indian Ocean was the light cruiser Königsberg. After an engine failure following her sinking of the British protected cruiser HMS Pegasus, Königsberg—along with her supply ship Somali—sought refuge in the delta of the Rufiji River in order to hide while her damaged machinery was transported overland to Dar es Salaam for repair. The British cruiser HMS Chatham discovered Königsberg in the delta towards the end of October. On 5 November, two additional British cruisers—HMS Dartmouth and Weymouth—arrived at the scene, and blockaded the German ship in the delta. In early November, Chatham opened fire at long range and set fire to Somali, but she failed to hit Königsberg, which promptly moved further upstream. The British ships were more powerful than Königsberg, but were unable to navigate the delta. The crew of Königsberg camouflaged their ship so it looked like the forest around the delta.

The British made several attempts to sink Königsberg including one to slip a shallow-draught torpedo boat (with escorts) within range, an operation easily repulsed by the force in the delta. A blockship—the Newbridge—was successfully sunk by the British across one of the delta mouths to prevent her escape; however, it was soon realized that Königsberg could still escape through one of the delta's other channels. Dummy mines were laid in some of these alternates, but they were considered a doubtful deterrent. A civilian pilot named Cutler was hired to bring his Curtiss seaplane for reconnaissance; his plane was shot down, although they verified the presence of the elusive cruiser. A pair of Royal Naval Air Service Sopwith seaplanes were brought up with the intention of scouting and even bombing the ship, but they soon fell apart in the tropical conditions. A trio of Short seaplanes fared a little better, managing to take photographs of the ship before they were grounded by the glue-melting tropical heat and German fire.

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