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 Medusa
"Medusa" was ordered under the contract name "E" and was laid down at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen in early 1900 and launched on 5 December 1900, after which fitting-out work commenced. She was commissioned into the High Seas Fleet on 26 July 1901. The ship was long overall and had a beam of and a draft of forward. She displaced at full combat load. Her propulsion system consisted of two triple-expansion engines. They were designed to give , for a top speed of . The engines were powered by ten coal-fired Marine-type water-tube boilers. "Medusa" carried of coal, which gave her a range of at . She had a crew of 14 officers and 243 enlisted men.