SMS Gneisenau
SMS "Gneisenau" was an armored cruiser of the German navy, part of the two-ship . She was named after August von Gneisenau, a Prussian general of the Napoleonic Wars. The ship was laid down in 1904 at the AG Weser dockyard in Bremen, launched in June 1906, and completed in March 1908, at a cost of over 19 million goldmarks. She was armed with a main battery of eight guns, had a top speed of , and displaced at full combat load.
SMS Victoria
SMS "Victoria" was the second and final member of the of steam corvettes built for the Prussian Navy in the 1860s. She had one sister ship, ; the ships were armed with a battery of fourteen guns. "Victoria" was laid down in 1863 at the Arman Brothers shipyard in Bordeaux, France and was launched in early 1864. Originally ordered by the Confederate States Navy, her delivery was blocked by the French Emperor Napoleon III, and she was instead sold to the Prussian Navy in May 1864. The Prussians had been in search of vessels to strengthen their fleet before and during the Second Schleswig War against Denmark, but "Victoria" arrived too late to see action in the conflict.