SMS Albatross (1907)

SMS Albatross was a German minelaying cruiser built before World War I. Albatross took part in a battle with Russian cruisers off the island of Gotland on 2 July 1915, where the ship was severely damaged, and forced to beach herself in neutral Swedish waters. The ship was salvaged after the war, in 1921.

Design
Albatross was equipped with eight 8.8 cm SK L/45 naval guns. The guns fired 22lb shells at a muzzle velocity of 2133 feet per second. The guns could elevate to 25 degrees, for a maximum range of 10,500 yards. The ship also carried 288 mines.

Service history
On 2 July 1915, Albatross, the light cruiser SMS Augsburg, and three destroyers were en route to lay mines in Russian waters when the ships were attacked by a superior Russian force&mdash;the armored cruisers Bayan and Admiral Makarov and the light cruisers Bogatyr and Oleg. Augsburg escaped, while the three destroyers covered her retreat. Albatross was severely damaged and forced to beach on the Swedish island of Gotland. 28 crew members were killed in this action. In July 1915, the ship was refloated by the Swedes and interned at Oskarshamn, returned to Kiel after the war in January 1919, and scrapped in 1921.