| 01.10.1909: |
Commissioned, followed by intensive tests and trials. |
| 27.04.1910: |
Blücher
is flagship of the Reconnaissance Forces when it enters the Hochseeflotte |
| Autumn 1911: |
Secondary assignment as artillery test ship. |
| April 1912: |
Long-range artillery training at the Faroer-Islands. |
| 06.05-02.06.1912: |
Fleet maneuvers. |
| 02-22.09.1912: |
Fleet maneuvers. |
| Spring 1913: |
Artillery training in the North Sea. |
| 29.05.1913: |
Blücher
run aground near the Island of Romsoe. The ships had to be towed to Kiel for repairs. |
| Summer 1913: |
Repairs in Kiel. The forward mast is replaced with a tripod mast - the first mast of this kind on a German warship. |
| August 1914: |
After the outbreak of the war, the Blücher
is attached to the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron due to the low number of available battlecruisers. |
| 05-08.09.1914: |
Together with several older battleships and cruisers, the Blücher
operated in the Baltic Sea in the area of Gotland to attack Russian ships. Although the German ships get in contact wit the Russians, the Blücher
was not involved in this battle. |
| 03.11.1914: |
Operation J1: Coastal bombardment of Yarmouth. |
| 16.12.1914: |
Operation J2: Coastal bombardment of Hartlepool, the Blücher
is hit four times by coastal batteries (15,2 cm). |
| 24.01.1915: |
Battle at the Doggerbank against British battlecruisers:
German reconnaissance forces, consisting of the battlecruisers Seydlitz
, Moltke
, Derfflinger
and the Blücher
, four Cls and 18 torpedoboats are engaged by British battlecruisers Lion
, Tiger
, Princes Royal
, New Zealand
and Indomitable
, seven CLs and 33 destroyers. The German ships try to evade to the southeast, with this maneuver, the Blücher
is the last ship of the formation. On 09:52, the faster British ship open fire on the Blücher
. In the following battle, several ship got damaged, Blücher
alone was hit 70-100 times, including one lethal hit in the ammunition transport tunnel to the forward side turrets. To save the remaining ship, the Germans leave the Blücher
in the battlefield, the armored cruiser sinks on 13:13 causing 792 casualties in its crew. |
