She had one sister ship , SMS Karlsruhe ; the ships were very similar to the previous Magdeburg -class cruisers. The ship was laid down in , launched in November , and completed by February Armed with twelve Rostock served with the High Seas Fleet as a leader of torpedo boat flotillas for the duration of her career. She served with the screens for the battlecruisers of I Scouting Group during operations against the British coast and the Battle of Dogger Bank.
She was assigned to the screen for the battle fleet during the Battle of Jutland on 31 May β 1 June She saw major action at Jutland and frequently engaged British light forces, culminating in her being torpedoed by destroyers shortly after midnight. She was taken under tow by German torpedo boats, but the following morning the cruiser HMS Dublin came upon the retreating ships. The Germans set scuttling charges aboard Rostock and took off the crew before Dublin arrived on the scene.
The design for the Karlsruhe class of light cruisers was based in large part on the preceding Magdeburg -class cruisers , incorporating fairly slight modifications in an effort to keep costs down. Some question was given to revising the armament, but all of the proposals to increase the number or size of the main battery would have resulted in considerable delays. The side belt armor was increased in height to improve the ships' resistance to enemy fire, and fuel oil was introduced as part of the propulsion system on an experimental basis.
The class comprised two ships: Karlsruhe and Rostock ; they were to be the final cruisers completed in peacetime. Rostock was She displaced 4, metric tons 4, long tons ; 5, short tons normally and up to 6, t 6, long tons; 6, short tons at full load. The ship had a short forecastle deck and a minimal superstructure that consisted primarily of a conning tower located on the forecastle.
She was fitted with two pole masts with platforms for searchlights. Rostock had a crew of 18 officers and enlisted men. Her propulsion system consisted of two sets of Marine steam turbines driving two 3. These were powered by twelve coal-fired Marine-type water-tube boilers and two oil-fired double-ended boilers, which were vented through four funnels on the centerline.
