 One of the Brummer-class cruisers, probably on the way to Scapa Flow
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | AG Vulcan Stettin |
| Operators |  Imperial German Navy |
| Preceded by |
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| Succeeded by | Cöln class |
| Built | 1915–1916 |
| In commission | 1916-1919 |
| Completed | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Minelaying light cruiser |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 140.40 m (460 ft 8 in) |
| Beam | 13.20 m (43 ft 4 in) |
| Draft | 6 m (19 ft 8 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
| Range | 5,800 nmi (10,700 km; 6,700 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement |
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| Armament |
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| Armor |
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The Brummer class consisted of two light mine-laying cruisers built for the Imperial German Navy in World War I: SMS Brummer and SMS Bremse. When the war broke out, the Germans had only two older mine-laying cruisers. Although most German cruisers were fitted for mine-laying, a need for fast specialized ships existed. The Imperial Russian Navy had ordered sets of steam turbines for the first two ships of the Svetlana-class cruisers from the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin. This machinery was confiscated on the outbreak of war and used for these ships. Both vessels were built by AG Vulcan.
The two ships laid a series of minefields during their career, though their most significant success came in October 1917, when they attacked a British convoy to Norway. They sank two escorting destroyers and nine of the twelve merchant ships from the convoy. They escaped back to Germany without damage. The two ships were interned at Scapa Flow after the end of the war, and were subsequently scuttled by their crews on 21 June 1919. Brummer was sunk in deep water and was never raised, but the wreck of Bremse was sold to Cox & Danks on 28 October 1925, raised on 27 November 1929, and broken up at Lyness during 1929–1931.