Prinz Adalbert-class cruiser
SMS Prinz Adalbert
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| Class overview | |
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| Name: | Prinz Adalbert |
| Operators: |
 Kaiserliche Marine
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| Preceded by: | Prinz Heinrich unique armored cruiser |
| Succeeded by: | Roon-class armored cruiser |
| Planned: | 2 |
| Completed: | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Armored cruiser |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 415.33 ft (126.59 m) |
| Beam: | 64.33 ft (19.61 m) |
| Draught: | 25.5 ft (7.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | 16,200 hp (12,100 kW), three shafts |
| Speed: | 20 knots (37 km/h) |
| Armament: |
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| Armour: |
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The Prinz Adalbert class was a type of armored cruiser built for the Imperial German Navy in the early 1900s. Two ships of the class were built, Prinz Adalbert, and Friedrich Carl. Friedrich Carl was commissioned first, on 12 December 1903 and Prinz Adalbert followed on 12 January 1904. They were an improvement upon the design of the previous unique armored cruiser, Prinz Heinrich. Their armor belts were the same thickness but were more extensive than that of their predecessor. The two ships were also 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ship for the entirety of her peacetime career, while Friedrich Carl served with the fleet until 1909, when she was withdrawn to act as a torpedo training vessel.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 ship. Six-hundred and seventy-two men were killed, the greatest single loss of life for the German Navy in the Baltic during the war.
The Second Naval Law in Germany, passed in 1900, envisioned a force of fourteen armored cruisers intended for overseas service in the German colonies. However, the German Navy required cruisers for operations with the fleet as well, and attempted to design ships that could fulfill both roles, primarily due to budget constraints. The first product of the 1900 Naval Law, Prinz Heinrich, was an alteration of an earlier vessel, Fürst Bismarck, equipped with fewer guns and thinner armor in a trade-off for higher speed and lower cost. The subsequent design—that of the Prinz Adalbert class—prepared in 1899–1900, was an improvement on Prinz Heinrich. Four quick-firing 21 cm (8.3 in) guns were substituted for the pair of slower 24 cm (9.4 in) guns mounted on the older vessel. Armor thickness remained similar in strength to that of Prinz Heinrich, though it was made more comprehensive.
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