Roon Class Armoured Cruisers

Roon Class.  A continuation of the overall pattern of previous German armoured cruiser designs.   The main distinguishing being the introduction of the fourth funnel, necessitated by the slight increase in engine power and speed.

SMS Roon
Built Kiel Navy Dockyard, laid down August 1902, completed April 1906, cost 15,345,000 Marks.

SMS Yorck
Built Blohm and Voss, Hamburg, laid down February 1903, completed November 1905, cost 16,241,000 Marks.

Size:
Length 418 feet waterline 419 feet 7 inches overall, beam 66 feet 4 inches, draught 25 feet 6 inches, displacement 9,533 load 10,266 tons full load.

Propulsion:
3 shaft Triple expansion engines, 19,000 ihp, 21 knots

Trials:
Roon 20,625 ihp = 21.1 knots
Yorck 20,031 ihp = 21.4 knots

Armour:
6in belt, 7in turret faces, 2.5-1.5in decks

Armament:
4 x 8.2in 40cal (2 x 2), 10 x 5.9in 40 cal (10 x 1), 14 x 3.45in 35 cal (14 x 1), 4 x 17.7in TT

Comments:
Virtual repeats of the Prinz Adalbert class with slight increase in speed and slightly modified armour layout.  Crew 633.

World War 1 Service:
Roon
August 1914 Flagship III Scouting Group.
3 November 1914 took part in the operation to bombard Yarmouth.
16 December 1914  took part in the operation to bombard Hartlepool.
April 1915 onwards operated in Baltic.
November 1916 Used as training ship.
1921 Scrapped.

Yorck
August 1914 Brought out of reserve and joined III Scouting Group.
02-04 November 1914 Hit two German mines in Jade estuary and sank.

SMS Yorck was accidentally sunk by hitting two German mines.  Roon survived the war but spent the last couple of years disarmed and in a non combat role.  A plan to Roon convert her to a seaplane carrier with a hanger aft and carrying four seaplanes and an armament of 6 5.9 inch and 6 3.45 inch guns was never started.