Baltic Sea

Tag

(28)

1914

August

02
- German cruisers shell LibauOn 2 August 1914 the German cruisers Augsburg and Magdeburg attacked the Russian port of Libau (Liepāja). These were the first shots of the war in the Baltic.
26
- Loss of the cruiser SMS MagdeburgOn 26 August 1914 the German cruiser Magdeburg ran aground at the entrance to the Gulf of Finland. The Russians captured her codebooks.

October

11
- Sinking of the cruiser PalladaOn 11 October 1914 the German U-26 torpedoed the Russian cruiser Pallada at the entrance to the Gulf of Finland. The ship blew up with all hands.
17
- British submarines enter the BalticOn 17–18 October 1914 the British submarines E1 and E9 forced their way through the Sound into the Baltic. They were to support the Russian fleet.

November

17
- Germans bombard LibauOn 17 November 1914 German warships shelled Libau for several hours and sank ships at the harbour entrance to close it to submarines.
- Sinking of the cruiser Friedrich CarlOn the night of 17 November 1914 the German armoured cruiser Friedrich Carl struck Russian mines off Memel and sank. Seven or eight sailors were killed.

1915

January

24
- Airship PL 19 shot down off LibauAt the end of January 1915 the German airship PL 19, damaged after a raid on Libau, came down in the Baltic. Seven airmen were taken prisoner by the Russians.

May

07
- Germans occupy LibauOn 7 May 1915, supported by the fleet, the Germans entered Libau, a naval port in Courland. The Russian garrison withdrew, blowing up forts and depots.

July

02
- Naval battle off GotlandOn 2 July 1915 Russian cruisers forced the German minelayer Albatross to run aground on Gotland. Off Rozewie the E9 torpedoed the Prinz Adalbert.

August

October

November

07
- Sinking of the cruiser UndineOn 7 November 1915 the British submarine E19 torpedoed the light cruiser Undine, escorting a ferry to Sweden, north of Rügen. About 24 men were killed.

December

17
- Sinking of the cruiser BremenOn 17 December 1915 the German light cruiser Bremen struck Russian mines off Windau and sank with the torpedo boat V 191. Some 200–250 sailors died.

1917

March

16
- Baltic Fleet mutinyOn the evening of 16 March 1917 the battleship crews mutinied at Helsingfors. Baltic Fleet sailors killed dozens of officers, and the next day its commander.

October

1918

March

05
- Germans land on the Åland IslandsOn 5 March 1918 a German squadron carrying a Jäger battalion reached Eckerö in the Åland Islands, held by the Swedes since February. Sweden gave way.

April

December

04
- Sinking of HMS CassandraOn the night of 4–5 December 1918 the British cruiser Cassandra, sailing with a squadron to help Estonia, struck a German mine off Saaremaa. 11 sailors died.

1920

February

10
- Poland's wedding to the seaOn 10 February 1920 at Puck General Haller threw a platinum ring into the Baltic. It completed the takeover of Pomerania awarded to Poland at Versailles.