Kaiserliche Marine
Tag
(178)1898
1914
August
- 06
- HMS Amphion sunk by a mineOn the morning of 6 August 1914 the cruiser HMS Amphion struck German mines off the English coast and sank. She was the first Royal Navy ship lost in the war.
- HMS Bristol clashes with the cruiser Karlsruhe in the West IndiesOn 6 August 1914 the British cruiser Bristol fired on the German cruiser Karlsruhe in the West Indies. The faster German ship managed to escape.
- Auxiliary cruiser Prinz Eitel Friedrich sails from TsingtaoIn early August 1914 the armed liner Prinz Eitel Friedrich left the German base of Tsingtao in China to join Admiral von Spee's squadron.
- Admiral von Spee's squadron leaves PohnpeiOn 6 August 1914 Admiral von Spee's German East Asia Squadron sailed from Pohnpei in the Carolines. Its odyssey across the Pacific had begun.
- 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.
- HMS Highflyer sinks Kaiser Wilhelm der GrosseOn 26 August 1914 the British cruiser Highflyer attacked the German auxiliary cruiser Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse off the coast of Río de Oro.
September
- 22
- Aboukir, Hogue and Cressy are sunkOn 22 September 1914 the German U-9 sank three British armoured cruisers in about an hour. Almost 1,500 sailors were killed.
- Von Spee shells PapeeteOn 22 September 1914 the cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau shelled Papeete on Tahiti. The French burned the coal stocks before the Germans could seize them.
- Emden bombards MadrasOn the night of 22 September 1914 the German cruiser Emden shelled Madras and set its oil tanks ablaze. The attack caused panic on India's east coast.
October
- 15
- Germans occupy Ostend and ZeebruggeOn 15 October 1914 the Germans took Ostend and Zeebrugge without a fight. Both ports became bases for U-boats and torpedo boats threatening shipping.
- Sinking of HMS HawkeOn 15 October 1914 Otto Weddigen's U-9 sank the British cruiser Hawke in the North Sea. More than 520 sailors were killed and about 70 survived.
- 17
- Battle off TexelOn 17 October 1914 the British cruiser Undaunted and four destroyers sank four German torpedo boats off Texel that were on their way to lay mines.
- Alarm at Scapa FlowOn 16–17 October 1914 an alarm over a supposed U-boat was raised at the Grand Fleet base, Scapa Flow. The fleet put to sea, though no submarine was ever found.
- 31
- Sinking of HMS HermesOn 31 October 1914 U-27 torpedoed the British seaplane carrier Hermes in the Strait of Dover. More than 20 sailors were killed.
- Königsberg found in the Rufiji deltaAt the end of October 1914 the British found the German cruiser Königsberg hidden in the Rufiji delta in East Africa and blockaded her.
November
- 04
- Loss of the cruiser KarlsruheOn 4 November 1914 an internal explosion tore apart the German cruiser Karlsruhe on her way to attack Barbados. About 260 men died, including her captain.
- Sinking of the cruiser YorckOn 4 November 1914 the German armoured cruiser Yorck strayed in fog onto German mines at the mouth of the Jade and sank. Several hundred sailors died.
- 09
- The end of the EmdenOn 9 November 1914 the Australian cruiser Sydney destroyed the German raider Emden off the Cocos Islands. The most famous raid of this war was over.
- Internment of the gunboat Geier in HonoluluAt the beginning of November 1914 the Americans interned the German gunboat Geier and her accompanying collier Locksun in Honolulu.
- 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.
December
1915
January
- 24
- Battle of Dogger BankOn 24 January 1915 Beatty's battlecruisers intercepted Hipper's squadron in the North Sea. The German cruiser Blücher was sunk; the other Germans escaped.
- 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.
February
March
April
May
July
August
- 19
- E1 torpedoes the battlecruiser MoltkeOn 19 August 1915 the British submarine E1 torpedoed the German battlecruiser Moltke in the Baltic. The ship did not sink, but was out of service for a month.
- Baralong sinks U-27On 19 August 1915 the British Q-ship Baralong sank U-27. Her crew shot the submarine's survivors, which became a notorious affair.
October
November
December
1916
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
September
October
November
- 26
- German destroyer raid off the Suffolk coastOn the night of 26 November 1916 German destroyers from Flanders approached the Suffolk coast, sank the armed trawler Narval and took her crew prisoner.
- Sinking of the battleship SuffrenOn 26 November 1916 the German U-52 torpedoed the French battleship Suffren off Portugal. The ship blew up and sank within seconds with all hands.
December
1917
January
February
- 25
- Sinking of the LaconiaOn 25 February 1917 U-50 sank the liner Laconia off Ireland. Twelve died, including two American women, and the US asked whether this was a cause for war.
- Raid on Margate and BroadstairsOn the night of 25 February 1917 German torpedo boats from Flanders shelled seaside towns in Kent. According to the Admiralty a woman and a child were killed.
March
- 18
- Raid on Ramsgate and BroadstairsOn the night of 17/18 March 1917 German torpedo boats from Flanders sank the destroyer Paragon in the Strait of Dover, then shelled Ramsgate and Broadstairs.
- Sinking of three American shipsBetween 16 and 18 March 1917 German submarines sank the ships Vigilancia, City of Memphis and Illinois. Fifteen men died on the Vigilancia.
April
May
June
July
August
- 02
- Seeadler wreckedOn 2 August 1917 the German sailing ship Seeadler was wrecked on the reef of Mopelia atoll in Polynesia, ending the cruise of Felix von Luckner's raider.
- Mutiny in the German fleetOn 2 August 1917 about 600 sailors of the battleship Prinzregent Luitpold went ashore without leave at Wilhelmshaven, demanding the release of arrested men.
September
October
November
December
- 12
- Second bombardment of FunchalOn 12 December 1917 the German U-cruiser U-156 shelled Funchal on Madeira. In 20 minutes it fired 52 shells and killed several of the town's residents.
- Sinking of HMS PartridgeOn 12 December 1917 four German destroyers wrecked a convoy from Lerwick off Norway. The destroyer Partridge, six ships and four trawlers were sunk.