Gazelle-class cruiser
- Deck: 20-50 mm
- Sills: 80 mm
- Conning tower: 20-80 mm
- Shields: 50 mm
The Gazelle class was a class light cruiser of the Imperial Navy. At the time of development of the ships were referred to as " cruisers IV Classe " or also called " Small Protected Cruiser". They were based on the official designs from 1895 /96 and from 1897/1900 and were transverse or longitudinal frame - steel structures. It was built in two subclasses. Under the Official Draft 1895/96 SMS Gazelle, Niobe SMS, SMS nymph Thetis SMS, SMS Ariadne, SMS and SMS Medusa originated Amazon. The second official draft provided for a slightly enlarged version: SMS Frauenlobstraße, SMS Arcona and SMS Undine.
The ships of this class were the first modern light cruiser of the Imperial Navy and emerged as Vermehrungsbauten due to the first Navy Law of 1898. As a class of ship they had no predecessors, but were based on the Avisos the Meteor - class (1890 /92) and the individual ship SMS Hela (1895 ) constructed. From the Hela the General Specifications and the line plan was adopted and the hull in width is increased so that a stronger armament could be fitted. The class is the ancestor of a number of other classes of light cruiser, which from 1910 was concluded by the Kolberg class. The following light cruiser of the Magdeburg- class were designed according to modern principles.
The Germania shipyard in Kiel delivered three cruisers: the type of ship Gazelle, the nymph and the Amazon. Five cruisers came by AG Weser in Bremen with Niobe, Ariadne, Medusa, the lead ship of the improved second series Frauenlobstraße and Arcona (second series). The Thetis was built as a single ship on an Imperial Shipyard in Gdansk. The Howaldtwerft in Kiel supplied with the Undine recent cruiser class (second series).
An extended use in the fleet as scouts had six of the cruiser: the Niobe from April 1901 to September 1904, the Ariadne from May 1901 to September 1906, the Amazon from December 1901 until September 1905, which Frauenlobstraße February 1903 to January 1908, the Medusa from April 1903 until August 1907, and the Arcona from July 1903 until June, 1907.
Three were used as a training ship: the nymph from January 1902 until September 1907 and May 1908 to February 1909 the Undine from January 1905 until Jui 1912, the Medusa from September 1907 until May 1908.
Four served as foreign cruisers: the gazelle from June 1901 until August 1904, which Thetis from September 1901 until June 1906, the Niobe from June 1906 until March 1909 and the Arcona from July 1907 until March 1910.
From 1904 until July 1912 every ten cruisers were transferred to the reserve. Only the converted to a mining cruiser Arcona was born on October 31, 1912 returned to service and was active in the war. The others were put back into service only during the mobilization. The Ariadne, the Undine and the Frauenlobstraße were lost during the war.
The Gazelle was scrapped at war's end, while the other six first the Imperial Navy were available. This had the Medusa from July 1920 until September 1924 and the Arcona from May 1921 until December 1923 in the service. It was replaced by the Amazon, which remained in service until January 1930. In April 1922 nor the Thetis came into service, which was replaced by the nymph in November 1924, which remained in service until April 1929.
The Niobe was only reserve ship in the Imperial Navy and was sold to Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav school cruiser was placed under its old name of the Navy with a German - Croatian team in service in September 1943, but was already lost on 22 December 1943.