SMS DRESDEN
SMS DRESDEN
THE HISTORY. The SMS Dresden was built by Howaldtswerke in Kiel and launched on April 25, 1917. It was a replacement for the previous SMS Dresden, which sank off Robinson Crusoe Island off the coast of Chile after the Battle of the Falklands in 1915.
The Dresden and her sister ship SMS Cöln were completed during the First World War. Once commissioned, the ship joined the reconnaissance group of the German High Seas Fleet, assigned to the II Scout Group
In October 1918, SMS Dresden and the rest of the II Scout Group were prepared to lead a final attack on the British Navy. The plan was to attack the merchant shipping in the Thames estuary, while the rest of the group would bombard targets in Flanders in an attempt to take out the British Grand Fleet. Admiral Reinhard Scheer intended to inflict as much damage as possible on the Royal Navy to secure a better bargaining position for Germany.
On the morning of October 29, 1918, the order was given. However, sailors on several other warships mutinied and unrest eventually forced the operation to be canceled. After the surrender of Germany in 1918, the SMS Dresden became one of the last two ships to reach Scapa Flow.
THE IMMERSION. When the SMS Dresden sank, it fell on an underwater mound. As a result, the wreck rests on a slope with the bow pointing north at 25 meters and the rest of the ship leans south with the stern at 38 meters.
The SMS Dresden is often Scapa's first week-long dive as the shallow bow section allows for more conservative dives. It's easier to do a multi-level profile dive on this wreck thanks to the incline. Regular visitors and local divers continue to find SMS Dresden an intriguing disaster. The ship has retained its shape well and many original features still remain, providing a captivating return to the life of a ship almost 100 years ago.
Natural destructive forces, the sloping seafloor on which SMS Dresden rests, are believed to have contributed to its deterioration more than any other factor. The wreck is turning slowly and the resulting forces continue to work on its deterioration.
In 2004, the upper deck of the bow detached from the hull and fell off. As time goes by, the inner covers have started to fall in the same way. It is this sheer force that will ultimately seal the demise of the impressive Dresden structurally.