 SMS Friedrich Carl in 1912 Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox ship image with unknown parameter "Image alt"
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| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | Friedrich Carl |
| Namesake | Prince Friedrich Carl |
| Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Laid down | August 1901 |
| Launched | 21 June 1902 |
| Commissioned | 12 December 1903 |
| Fate | Mined and sunk, 17 November 1914 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Prinz Adalbert-class cruiser |
| Displacement |
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| Length | 126.5 m (415 ft) o/a |
| Beam | 19.6 m (64 ft 4 in) |
| Draft | 7.43 m (24 ft 5 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Range | 5,080 nautical miles (9,410 km; 5,850 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement |
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| Armament |
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| Armor |
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SMS Friedrich Carl was a German armored cruiser built in the early 1900s for the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy). She was the second and final member of the Prinz Adalbert class, which was built to provide scouts for the German fleet and station ships in Germany's colonial empire. Friedrich Carl was built by the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg. She was laid down in August 1901, launched in June 1902, and commissioned in December 1903. She was armed with a main battery of four 21 cm (8.3 in) guns and could reach a top speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).
Friedrich Carl served with the scouting forces of the Active Battle Fleet for the first few years of her career, including a stint as the flagship of the reconnaissance squadron. She went on cruises abroad, including voyages escorting Kaiser Wilhelm II on tours in the Mediterranean Sea. She also participated in extensive training exercises in the Baltic and North Seas. In 1909, she was withdrawn from front-line service and used as a torpedo training ship until 1914.
After the outbreak of World War I in July 1914, Friedrich Carl returned to active service for operations in the Baltic Sea against the Imperial Russian Navy. She served as the flagship of the cruiser squadron in the Baltic and participated in patrols in the Gulf of Finland. The ship was modified to carry a pair of seaplanes. In mid-November, the cruiser squadron was tasked with attacking the Russian base at Libau, but while en route on 17 November, Friedrich Carl struck a pair of naval mines. She remained afloat long enough for most of her crew to be taken off by the light cruiser SMS Augsburg before sinking; seven or eight men died as she sank.