SMS Dresden was a German light cruiser built for the Kaiserliche Marine. The lead ship of her class, she was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in 1906, launched in October 1907, and completed in November 1908. Her entrance into service was delayed by accidents during sea trials, including a collision with another vessel which necessitated major repairs. Like the preceding Königsberg-class cruisers upon which her design was based, Dresden was armed with ten 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/40 guns and two torpedo tubes.
SMS Dresden transiting the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal
Line-drawing of the Dresden class
Dresden visiting New York City in October 1909
Dresden, Victoria Louise, and Hertha during the Hudson–Fulton Celebration in 1909
The Imperial German Navy or the Kaiserliche Marine was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy, which was mainly for coast defence. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded the navy. The key leader was Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, who greatly expanded the size and quality of the navy, while adopting the sea power theories of American strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan. The result was a naval arms race with Britain, as the German navy grew to become one of the greatest maritime forces in the world, second only to the Royal Navy.
Major elements of the High Seas Fleet in the early 1910s
Proclamation of Wilhelm I as Emperor of Germany at Versailles, France in 1871
Wilhelm II in German Admiral's uniform in 1913
Alfred von Tirpitz