View source for SMS Arcona (1902)

{{Short description|Light cruiser of the German Imperial Navy}}
{{other ships|SMS Arcona}}
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=October 2022}}
{{Good article}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=SMS Arcona NH 64248.jpg
|Ship image size=300px
|Ship caption={{lang|de|Arcona}} passing under the [[Levensau High Bridge]] in the [[Kaiser Wilhelm Canal]]
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[German Empire]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|German Empire|naval}}
|Ship name={{lang|de|Arcona}}
|Ship namesake=[[Cape Arkona]]
|Ship builder= [[AG Weser]], [[Bremen]]
|Ship laid down= 1901
|Ship launched= 22 April 1902
|Ship commissioned= 12 May 1903
|Ship decommissioned= February 1920
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=[[Weimar Germany]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Weimar Republic|naval}}
|Ship recommissioned=As a training cruiser, 25 May 1921
|Ship decommissioned=1 December 1923
|Ship struck=15 January 1930
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=[[Nazi Germany]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Nazi Germany|naval}}
|Ship recommissioned=As anti-aircraft battery, May 1940
|Ship fate=*Scuttled, 3 May 1945
*Scrapped in 1948
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(As built)
|Ship class={{sclass|Gazelle|cruiser|0}} [[light cruiser]]
|Ship displacement=
*[[Normal displacement|Normal]]: {{cvt|2706|t|LT|lk=on}}
*[[Full-load displacement|Full load]]: {{cvt|3180|t|LT}}
|Ship length={{convert|105|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[length overall|loa]]
|Ship beam={{convert|12.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|4.99|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=
*8 × [[water-tube boiler]]s
*{{cvt|8000|PS|ihp|lk=on}}
|Ship propulsion=
*2 × [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s
*2 × screw [[propeller]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|21.5|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|4400|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|12|kn|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement=*14 officers
*256 enlisted men
|Ship armament=
*10 × [[10.5 cm SK L/40 naval gun|{{convert|10.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} SK L/40 guns]]
*2 × {{convert|45|cm|abbr=on|1}} [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship armor=
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{cvt|20|to|25|mm}}
*[[Conning tower]] {{cvt|80|mm}}
*[[Gun shield]]s: {{cvt|50|mm|0}}
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(1940 configuration)
|Ship armament=
*1 x [[10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun|10.5&nbsp;cm SK C/32 gun]]
*4 x [[10.5 cm FlaK 38|10.5&nbsp;cm SK C/33 guns]]
*2 x [[3.7 cm SK C/30|{{convert|3.7|cm|in|abbr=on}} SK C/30 guns]]
*4 x [[2 cm Flak 30/38/Flakvierling|{{convert|2|cm|in|abbr=on}} Flak 30/38 guns]]
}}
|}

'''SMS {{lang|de|Arcona}}''' was the ninth member of the ten-ship {{sclass|Gazelle|cruiser|4}} of [[light cruiser]]s that were built for the German {{lang|de|[[Kaiserliche Marine]]}} (Imperial Navy) in the late 1890s and early 1900s. The {{lang|de|Gazelle}} class was the culmination of earlier [[unprotected cruiser]] and [[aviso]] designs, combining the best aspects of both types in what became the progenitor of all future light cruisers of the Imperial fleet. Built to be able to serve with the main German fleet and as a colonial cruiser, she was armed with a battery of ten [[10.5 cm SK L/40 naval gun|{{cvt|10.5|cm}} guns]] and a top speed of {{convert|21.5|kn}}. {{lang|de|Arcona}} was a modified version of the basic {{lang|de|Gazelle}} design, with improved armor and additional coal storage for a longer cruising range.

{{lang|de|Arcona}} served in all three German navies over the course of a career that spanned more than forty years. After [[ship commissioning|commissioning]] in 1903, she served with the fleet's reconnaissance force until early 1907, when she was decommissioned, overhauled, and then sent to the [[East Asia Squadron]]. During her deployment abroad, she was involved in the suppression of a revolt against colonial rule in [[German Samoa]] in 1909. She was recalled to Germany in 1910 and thereafter modified for use as a [[minelayer|minelaying cruiser]]; during [[World War I]], she operated in this capacity in the mouth of the [[Ems (river)|Ems]], while also fulfilling secondary duties. She saw no action during the war.

Following Germany's defeat, {{lang|de|Arcona}} was converted into a mother ship for [[minesweeper]]s tasked with clearing the minefields that had been laid in the [[North Sea]] as mandated by the [[Treaty of Versailles]]. After the work was completed in 1920, she was restored to cruiser configuration and she served briefly with the German fleet in the North Sea before being decommissioned in 1923. After spending seven years in [[reserve fleet|reserve]], she was used as a [[barracks ship]] in the 1930s. In 1940, during [[World War II]], she was converted into a floating anti-aircraft battery and used to defend the port of [[Wilhelmshaven]]. She was [[scuttling|scuttled]] by her crew in the final days of the war and was later raised and [[ship breaking|broken up]] between 1948 and 1949.

==Design==
{{main|Gazelle-class cruiser}}

Following the construction of the [[unprotected cruiser]]s of the {{sclass|Bussard|cruiser|4}} and the [[aviso]] {{SMS|Hela||2}} for the German {{lang|de|[[Kaiserliche Marine]]}} (Imperial Navy), the Construction Department of the {{lang|de|[[Reichsmarineamt]]}} (Imperial Navy Office) prepared a design for a new small cruiser that combined the best attributes of both types of vessels. The designers had to design a small cruiser with armor protection that had an optimal combination of speed, armament, and stability necessary for fleet operations, along with the endurance to operate on foreign stations in the [[German colonial empire]]. The resulting {{lang|de|Gazelle}} design provided the basis for all of the [[light cruiser]]s built by the [[German Empire|German]] fleet to the last official designs prepared in 1914.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 3|pp=183–184}}{{sfn|Nottelmann|pp=103–110}} After the first seven ships had been built or were under construction, the Construction Department improved the design slightly, strengthening the armor on the [[conning tower]] and increasing the [[beam (nautical)|beam]], which allowed more space for coal storage, and thus a longer cruising radius. These changes were applied to the last three members of the class: {{lang|de|Arcona}}, {{SMS|Frauenlob||2}}, and {{SMS|Undine||2}}.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 3|p=94}}

[[File:Gazelle-class cruiser plan, profile, and cross section.jpg|thumb|left|Plan, profile, and cross-section of the {{lang|de|Gazelle}} class]]

{{lang|de|Arcona}} was {{convert|105|m|ftin|sp=us}} [[length overall|long overall]] and had a beam of {{cvt|12.4|m|ftin}} and a [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{cvt|4.99|m|ftin}} forward. She [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{cvt|2706|t|LT|lk=on}} normally and up to {{convert|3180|t|LT|abbr=on}} at [[full-load displacement|full combat load]]. The ship had a minimal [[superstructure]], which consisted of a small conning tower and [[bridge (nautical)|bridge]] structure. Her [[hull (watercraft)|hull]] had a raised [[forecastle]] and [[quarterdeck]], along with a pronounced [[naval ram|ram bow]]. She was fitted with two pole [[mast (sailing)|masts]]. She had a crew of 14 officers and 256 enlisted men.{{sfn|Gröner|pp=99–101}}

Her propulsion system consisted of two [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s manufactured by AG Weser, driving a pair of [[screw propeller]]s. The engines were powered by eight coal-fired Marine-type [[water-tube boiler]]s that were vented through a pair of [[funnel (ship)|funnels]]. They were designed to give {{convert|8000|PS|ihp|lk=on}}, for a top speed of {{convert|21.5|kn|lk=in}}. {{lang|de|Arcona}} carried {{cvt|700|t}} of coal, which gave her a range of {{convert|4400|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|12|kn}}.{{sfn|Gröner|pp=99–101}}

The ship was armed with ten [[10.5 cm SK L/40 naval gun|{{cvt|10.5|cm}} SK L/40 guns]] in single [[pivot gun|pivot mounts]]. Two were placed side by side forward on the forecastle; six were located on the [[broadside (naval)|broadside]] in [[sponson]]s; and two were placed side by side aft. The guns could engage targets out to {{convert|12200|m|yd|abbr=on}}. They were supplied with 1,500 rounds of ammunition, for 150 shells per gun. She was also equipped with two {{convert|45|cm|abbr=on|1}} [[torpedo tube]]s with five [[torpedo]]es. They were submerged in the hull on the [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]].{{sfn|Gröner|p=101}}

The ship was protected by an armored [[deck (ship)|deck]] that was {{convert|20|to|25|mm|abbr=on}} thick. The deck sloped downward at the sides of the ship to provide a measure of protection against incoming fire. The conning tower had {{convert|80|mm|abbr=on}} thick sides, and the guns were protected by {{cvt|50|mm|0}} thick [[gun shield]]s.{{sfn|Gröner|p=99}}

==Service history==
===''Kaiserliche Marine''===
[[File:SMS Arcona launching.jpg|thumb|left|{{lang|de|Arcona}} at her [[ship launching|launching]] ceremony, 22 April 1902]]

{{lang|de|Arcona}} was ordered under the contract name "H" and was [[keel laying|laid down]] at the [[AG Weser]] shipyard in [[Bremen]] in 1901. She was [[ship launching|launched]] on 22 April 1902, and at her launching ceremony, [[Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse|Prince Freidrich Karl of Hesse]] gave a speech and his wife, [[Princess Margaret of Prussia]], christened the ship. Afterward, [[fitting-out]] work commenced and the completed ship was commissioned into the fleet on 12 May 1903 for [[sea trials]] under the command of {{lang|de|[[Korvettenkapitän]]}} (''KK''–Corvette Captain) [[Karl Zimmermann (admiral)|Karl Zimmermann]]. Initial testing lasted for two months and on 18 July she was assigned to the fleet's Reconnaissance Unit. She joined the fleet for its summer training cruise to Norway that year, after which she took part in the annual fleet maneuvers held in August and September. The ship's training activities for the year ended with a winter cruise with the fleet, which had been re-designated as the Active Battlefleet on 22 September.{{sfn|Gröner|pp=99–102}}{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 1|pp=248–249}}

{{lang|de|Arcona}} spent the years 1904–1906 in a similar if uneventful routine, her time primarily occupied with unit and fleet maneuvers and training cruises. She was present for a [[naval review]] held for the visit of [[King Edward VII]] of Britain in June 1904, after which she and the fleet made visits to Britain, the Netherlands, and Norway for its summer training cruise. During the voyage, {{lang|de|Arcona}} stopped in [[Aberdeen]], Scotland to pick up mail for the fleet. In September, ''KK'' [[Hubert von Rebeur-Paschwitz]] replaced Zimmermann as the ship's captain. The 1905 summer cruise went to Sweden, and {{lang|de|Arcona}} made port calls in [[Kungsbacka]] and [[Södertälje]]. The rest of the year passed uneventfully, and in September, ''KK'' [[Herwarth Schmidt von Schwind]] took command of the vessel.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 1|pp=248–249}}

She also participated in the 1906 summer cruise, which went to Norwegian waters that year. The fleet maneuvers, which had immediately followed the cruise, concluded with a naval review on 13 September for {{lang|de|[[Grossadmiral]]}} (Grand Admiral) [[Hans von Koester]], who was retiring at the end of the year. {{lang|de|Arcona}} took part in exercises with the Reconnaissance Unit from 21 to 28 March 1907. On 4 April, she was removed from the Active Battlefleet; her crew was reduced, being transferred to man the new cruiser {{SMS|Danzig|1905|2}}, which was to take {{lang|de|Arcona}}{{'}}s place in the reconnaissance unit.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 1|p=249}}

====Deployment to East Asia====
[[File:Contemporary map of Tsingtau and the Shandong Peninsula.png|thumb|German 1912 map of the [[Shandong Peninsula]] showing the [[Jiaozhou Bay Leased Territory]]|alt=The Jiaozhou Bay Leased Territory was located in the natural harbor at Qingdao on the southern coast of the Shandong Peninsula]]

The ship was then modernized at the {{lang|de|[[Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven|Kaiserliche Werft]]}} (Imperial Shipyard) in [[Wilhelmshaven]] for service overseas. She also received a coat of white paint, as was common for German ships on overseas stations at the time. With the work completed on 14 August, {{lang|de|Arcona}} received a new crew and a new captain—''KK'' [[Horst von Hippel]]—and she got underway for [[East Asia]] on 27 August. After passing through the [[Suez Canal]], she reached [[Singapore]] on 23 October and joined the [[East Asia Squadron]], which was at that time commanded by {{lang|de|[[Konteradmiral]]}} (Rear Admiral) [[Carl von Coerper]] aboard his [[flagship]], the [[armored cruiser]] {{SMS|Fürst Bismarck||2}}. {{lang|de|Arcona}} then left Singapore for [[Hong Kong]] and then [[Amoy]], remaining in Chinese waters to the end of March 1908. During this period, she steamed from the German [[Jiaozhou Bay Leased Territory]] to assist the British steamer {{SS|Chingpin}} that had run aground further south on the [[Shandong Peninsula]]. Attempts to pull the merchant ship free failed.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 1|pp=248–249}}

{{lang|de|Arcona}} next went to visit Japan in April before returning to the East Asia Squadron's main base at [[Qingdao]] in Jiaozhou Bay, where she took part in training exercises with the rest of the squadron. She won the {{lang|de|Schiesspreis}} (Shooting Prize) for the East Asia Squadron, an award [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]] gave to every major unit every year. She thereafter cruised in Chinese and Japanese waters for much of the rest of 1908. On 8 December, she began a training cruise through the [[Celebes Sea]], arriving back in Qingdao on 22 February 1909. She departed the next day to visit [[Apia]] in [[German Samoa]], arriving there on 22 March. The local population had begun to revolt against German rule and {{lang|de|Arcona}} was used to help suppress the unrest, along with the light cruiser {{SMS|Leipzig|1905|2}}, which at that time had Coerper aboard, and the [[gunboat]] {{SMS|Jaguar||2}}. After the warships bombarded the restive villages on the island, the attacks stopped and on 6 May, {{lang|de|Arcona}} left for [[Suva]] in [[Colony of Fiji|British Fiji]] in company with the squadron [[Collier (ship)|collier]] {{SS|Titania}}. The ships carried rebels who had been taken prisoner who were to be exiled from Samoa; from Suva, they steamed to [[Matupi Harbor]] in [[Neu-Pommern]] and then to [[Saipan]] in the [[Marianas Islands]], where they disembarked the prisoners. The ships then steamed to [[Guam]] and continuing on to Qingdao, arriving there on 5 June. At that time, ''KK'' [[Hermann Schröder]] relieved now-{{lang|de|[[Kapitän zur See]]}} (''KzS''—Captain at Sea) Hippel.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 1|pp=248–250}}

The ship remained in Qingdao for the next several months before being sent in early September to represent Germany at celebrations in [[San Francisco]] in the United States marking the progress in rebuilding the city after the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]], along with the 140th anniversary of the European discovery of [[San Francisco Bay]]. {{lang|de|Arcona}} also made a port call in [[Honolulu]], [[Territory of Hawaii|Hawaii]] on the way to San Francisco, and later stopped in [[Seattle]], [[San Pedro, Los Angeles|San Pedro]], and [[San Diego]] on the [[West Coast of the United States]]. While on the way back, she stopped in Honolulu again and pulled the British sailing ship ''Celtic Chief'' free after the latter had run aground. {{lang|de|Arcona}} arrived in [[Yokohama]], Japan on 24 December, where her crew went ashore to assist in the suppression of a major fire. She thereafter returned to Qingdao, where on 17 January 1910, she received orders to return to Germany. She steamed south to [[Weh Island]] in the [[Dutch East Indies]] where she met {{lang|de|Leipzig}}; the two ships exchanged commanders. Schröder, by this time having been promoted to the rank of {{lang|de|[[fregattenkapitän]]}} (''FK''—Frigate Captain), transferred to {{lang|de|Leipzig}} and ''FK'' [[Karl Heuser]] took command of the ship for the voyage home. After passing through the Suez Canal and stopping in [[Port Said]] from 4 to 7 March, she met her replacement, the cruiser {{SMS|Nürnberg|1906|2}}, and some officers and enlisted men were exchanged there as well. {{lang|de|Arcona}} arrived back in Wilhelmshaven on 24 March and she was decommissioned there on the 30th.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 1|pp=248, 250}}

====Return to Germany and World War I====
The ship was then taken into the {{lang|de|Kaiserliche Werft}} for an overhaul, during which it was found that the ship's condition was still good. The {{lang|de|Reichsmarineamt}} decided that the ship should be rebuilt into a [[minelayer|minelaying]] cruiser, and so over the course of 1911–1912, she was converted for that purpose. Two of her amidships 10.5&nbsp;cm guns were removed and two {{convert|50|cm|abbr=on}} deck-mounted torpedo tubes were installed, along with provisions to carry 200 [[naval mine]]s. The latter necessitated cutting down her main deck aft, where the mines would be dropped into the sea. {{lang|de|Arcona}} was recommissioned on 31 October 1912 and was assigned to the Coastal Artillery and Mine Weapons Inspectorate. She was then allocated to the Mine Testing Commission on 29 November, based in [[Emden]], for operations in the [[German Bight]]. During this period, she took part in the fleet maneuvers held in August and July 1913.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 1|p=250}}{{sfn|Gröner|pp=100–102}}

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-08181, Kreuzer "Arcona".jpg|thumb|{{lang|de|Arcona}} in {{lang|de|[[Reichsmarine]]}} service c. 1921–1923]]

After the outbreak of [[World War I]] in July 1914, {{lang|de|Arcona}} assisted in the laying of a mine barrier off the mouth of the river [[Ems (river)|Ems]]. She then had the two 10.5&nbsp;cm guns reinstalled and she became the [[flotilla leader]] for the Coastal Defense Division that was based in the Ems in early 1915. In early 1917, she was transferred to the Patrol Flotilla, also based in the Ems, replacing the old [[coastal defense ship]] {{SMS|Heimdall||2}} as the flotilla leader. During this period, ''KK'' [[Erich Heyden]] commanded the ship from July to February 1918. In October 1917, she was prepared to lay emergency minefields in the event that the British attempted to attack while substantial elements of the [[High Seas Fleet]] were conducting [[Operation Albion]] against Russian forces in the [[Baltic Sea]], though no such attack materialized. Throughout the war, she was also used to coordinate [[wireless telegraphy|wireless]] communications between ships at sea and stations on land, including the [[U-boat]]s that waged the [[U-boat Campaign (World War I)|U-boat campaign]] against [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] merchant shipping. She helped to reinforce the defensive mine barriers in the area in April, May, and August 1918.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 1|pp=248, 250–251}}{{sfn|Grant|p=29}}

===''Reichsmarine'' and ''Kriegsmarine''===

Following Germany's defeat in the war, much of the German fleet was decommissioned, but there is no record of {{lang|de|Arcona}} having been removed from service.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 1|p=251}} The [[Treaty of Versailles]] that ended the war mandated that Germany was responsible for clearing the mines that had been laid in the [[North Sea]] during the conflict,<ref>See: [[s:Treaty of Versailles 1919|Treaty of Versailles]] Section II: Naval Clauses, Article 193</ref> and {{lang|de|Arcona}} was selected in early 1919 to serve as a mother ship for the [[minesweeper]]s that were tasked with clearing the mines; this decision was made after the old [[pre-dreadnought battleship]] {{SMS|Preussen|1903|2}} proved to be unsuited to the task. {{lang|de|Arcona}} was modified for the role at what was now the {{lang|de|Reichsmarine Werft}} (formerly the {{lang|de|Kaiserliche Werft}}) in Wilhelmshaven; all of her guns except the stern pair were removed, with those being retained to detonate mines that were encountered. After the work was completed, {{lang|de|[[Kapitänleutnant]]}} (Captain Lieutenant) [[Erich Haeker]] took command of the vessel in May. She was then assigned to support V Minesweeping Flotilla and operated with the unit until February 1920, by which time the work was completed. {{lang|de|Arcona}} was thereafter decommissioned to be rebuilt for fleet service.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 1|pp=248, 251}}

{{lang|de|Arcona}} was modernized and rearmed, which included the reconstruction of her [[bow (ship)|bow]] into a [[clipper]]-style [[prow]] that improved [[seakeeping]]. On 25 May 1921, she was recommissioned and assigned to the {{lang|de|[[Marinestation der Nordsee]]}} (North Sea Naval Station), at that time commanded by ''KAdm'' [[Konrad Mommsen]]. Her first commander after returning to fleet service was ''FK'' [[Friedrich Hermann]]. {{lang|de|Arcona}} visited [[Arendal]] and [[Sandefjord]] in Norway in August and then she steamed to [[Frederikshavn]], Denmark, where a monument to the sailors who had died in the [[Battle of Jutland]] during the war. The ship was used as an auxiliary [[icebreaker]] in February 1922 in the western Baltic Sea and the [[Kattegat]], and in the [[Gulf of Riga]] in March. While in the gulf, she was damaged by the [[sea ice]] and had to be relieved by the battleship {{SMS|Hessen||2}} so she could return to port for repairs. In mid-1922, she visited [[Balestrand]], Norway, and in 1923, she steamed to [[Åbo]], Finland and [[Karlskrona]], Sweden. In July of that year, ''KzS'' [[Walter Gladisch]] relieved Hermann as the ship's commander. On 1 December 1923, {{lang|de|Arcona}} was decommissioned, her place in the fleet being taken by her [[sister ship]] {{SMS|Amazone||2}}.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 1|pp=248, 251}}{{sfn|Gröner|p=101}}

The ship remained in [[reserve fleet|reserve]] for the next seven years, before being struck from the [[naval register]] on 15 January 1930. She was then used as a [[barracks ship]] for ships' crews in Wilhelmshaven, later being moved to [[Swinemünde]] in 1936 and then to [[Kiel]] in 1938, by which time the ''Reichsmarine'' had been renamed as the ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' (War Navy). She remained there after the outbreak of [[World War II]] in September 1939. In May 1940, ''Arcona'' was converted into a floating anti-aircraft battery in Swinemünde, where she was stationed initially.{{sfn|Gröner|p=102}} Her armament now consisted of one [[10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun|10.5 cm SK C/32 gun]], four [[10.5 cm FlaK 38|10.5 cm SK C/33 guns]], two [[3.7 cm SK C/30|3.7 cm SK C/30 guns]], and four [[2 cm Flak 30/38/Flakvierling|2&nbsp;cm guns]].{{sfn|Sieche|p=222}} She was later moved to Wilhelmshaven, where she was assigned to Naval Anti-Aircraft Group 233, and she was transferred to [[Brunsbüttel]] later in the war. In [[End of World War II in Europe|closing days of the war in Europe]], her crew scuttled the ship to prevent her from being captured, on 3 May 1945.{{sfn|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 1|p=251}}{{sfn|Gröner|p=102}}

Following Germany's surrender, the British [[Royal Navy]] took control of the naval installation at Brunsbüttel on 7 May. {{lang|de|Arcona}} was among the warships that were seized, including four U-boats and the badly damaged destroyer [[German destroyer Z31|''Z31'']]. Their German crews unloaded ammunition and removed weapons from the ships under British supervision.{{sfn|Madsen|p=59}} She was subsequently broken up for scrap in 1948–1949.{{sfn|Gröner|p=102}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|20em}}

==References==
* {{Cite book
  |last=Grant
  |first=Robert McQueen
  |title=U-boat Hunters: Code Breakers, Divers and the Defeat of the U-boats, 1914–1918
  |year=2003
  |publisher=Periscope Publishing
  |isbn=1904381154
  |location=Penzance
  |ref={{sfnRef|Grant}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Gröner
  | first = Erich
  |author-link=Erich Gröner
  | year = 1990
  | title = German Warships: 1815–1945
  | volume = I: Major Surface Vessels
  | publisher = Naval Institute Press
  | location = Annapolis
  | isbn = 978-0-87021-790-6
  | ref ={{sfnRef|Gröner}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last1 = Hildebrand
  | first1 = Hans H.
  | last2 = Röhr
  | first2 = Albert
  | last3 = Steinmetz
  | first3 = Hans-Otto
  | year = 1993
  | title = Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe: Biographien – ein Spiegel der Marinegeschichte von 1815 bis zur Gegenwart
  | trans-title=The German Warships: Biographies − A Reflection of Naval History from 1815 to the Present
  | volume = 1
  | publisher = Mundus Verlag
  | location = Ratingen
  | isbn = 978-3-7822-0237-4
  | language = de
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 1}}
  |name-list-style=amp
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last1 = Hildebrand
  | first1 = Hans H.
  | last2 = Röhr
  | first2 = Albert
  | last3 = Steinmetz
  | first3 = Hans-Otto
  | year = 1993
  | title = Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe: Biographien – ein Spiegel der Marinegeschichte von 1815 bis zur Gegenwart
  | trans-title=The German Warships: Biographies − A Reflection of Naval History from 1815 to the Present
  | volume = 3
  | language = de
  |location = Ratingen
  |publisher = Mundus Verlag
  |isbn = 978-3-7822-0211-4
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz Vol. 3}}
  |name-list-style=amp
  }}
* {{Cite book
  |last=Madsen
  |first=Chris
  |title=The Royal Navy and German Naval Disarmament, 1942–1947
  |year=1998
  |publisher=Frank Cass
  |isbn=0714643734
  |location=London
  |ref={{sfnRef|Madsen}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Nottelmann
  |first=Dirk
  |editor-last=Jordan
  |editor-first=John
  |publisher=Osprey
  |location=Oxford
  |year=2020
  |title=Warship 2020
  |isbn=978-1-4728-4071-4
  |chapter=The Development of the Small Cruiser in the Imperial German Navy
  |pages=102–118
  |ref={{sfnref|Nottelmann}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Sieche
  | first = Erwin
  | chapter = Germany
  | pages = 218–254
  | editor1-last = Gardiner
  | editor1-first = Robert
  | editor2-last = Chesneau
  | editor2-first = Roger
  | year = 1980
  | title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946
  | publisher = Naval Institute Press
  | location = Annapolis
  | isbn = 978-0-87021-913-9
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Sieche}}
  |name-list-style=amp
  }}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last1=Dodson|first1=Aidan|last2=Nottlemann |first2=Dirk |title=Warship 2023 |date=2023 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Oxford |pages=112–127 |isbn=978-1-4728-5713-2 |chapter=The German Flak Ships, Part I: The German and ex-Norwegian Hulls|editor-first=John|editor-last=Jordan|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book
  | last1 = Dodson
  | first1 = Aidan
  | author-link1 = Aidan Dodson
  | last2 = Nottelmann
  | first2 = Dirk
  | year = 2021
  | title = The Kaiser's Cruisers 1871–1918
  | publisher = Naval Institute Press
  | location = Annapolis
  | isbn = 978-1-68247-745-8
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Dodson & Nottelmann}}
  }}

{{Gazelle class light cruiser}}
{{May 1945 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arcona}}
[[Category:Gazelle-class cruisers]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bremen (state)]]
[[Category:1902 ships]]
[[Category:World War I cruisers of Germany]]
[[Category:Cruisers of the Kriegsmarine]]
[[Category:World War II cruisers of Germany]]
<!-- not really cruisers in World War II -->
[[Category:Maritime incidents in May 1945]]