Cöln-class cruiser
_scuttled_17_June_1919.jpg) SMS Dresden
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Howaldtswerke |
| Operators |  Imperial German Navy |
| Preceded by | Brummer class |
| Succeeded by |
|
| Planned | 10 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Cancelled | 8 |
| Lost | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Light cruiser |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 155.50 m (510 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | 14.20 m (46 ft 7 in) |
| Draft | 6.01 m (19 ft 9 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 27.5 knots (50.9 km/h; 31.6 mph) |
| Range | 5,400 nmi (10,000 km; 6,200 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
| Armor |
|
The Cöln class of
Ersatz Cöln, Ersatz Emden and Ersatz Karlsruhe (for the last three, the names quoted were only provisional titles to be used during construction, and the three would have received other names at their launch if that had taken place). The design was a slightly modified version of the preceding Königsberg class
.
Cöln and Dresden joined the
.Design
By 1916, thirteen German
Howaldtswerke shipyard in Kiel, while Frauenlob and Ersatz Karlsruhe were built by the Imperial Dockyard in Kiel.[2]
Cöln and Dresden, the only two ships to be completed, were
launched on 5 October 1916 and 25 April 1917, respectively. Wiesbaden was launched on 3 March 1917 and was five months away from completion when she was canceled in December 1918. Magdeburg followed on 17 November 1917; she was nine months from being finished when she was canceled. Leipzig was launched on 28 January 1918 and canceled seven months from completion. Rostock followed on 6 April, and also was seven months away from being finished. Frauenlob, the last ship of the class to be launched, on 16 September, was about thirteen months away from completion when she was canceled. The last three ships were canceled while still on the slipway.[3]
General characteristics and machinery
The ships of the class were 149.80 meters (491 ft 6 in)
double bottom that extended for forty-five per cent of the length of the keel. The ships had a complement of 17 officers and 542 enlisted men. They carried several smaller vessels, including one picket boat, one barge, one cutter, two yawls, and two dinghies. The German Navy regarded the ships as good sea boats, having gentle motion. The ships were highly maneuverable and had a tight turning radius, but lost speed going into a turn; in hard turns, they lost up to sixty percent of their speed. They were stern-heavy.[2]
Their propulsion systems consisted of two sets of
amidships. Electrical power was provided by two turbo generators and one diesel generator, which had a total output of 300 kilowatts at 220 volts. Steering was controlled by a single, large rudder.[2]
The engines were rated to produce 31,000
kW) for a top speed of 27.5 knots (50.9 km/h; 31.6 mph). On trials, Cöln reached 48,708 shp (36,322 kW) and a top speed of 29.3 kn (54.3 km/h; 33.7 mph), while Dresden made 49,428 shp (36,858 kW) and 27.8 kn (51.5 km/h; 32.0 mph). Coal storage was 300 t (300 long tons; 330 short tons) as designed, though up to 1,100 t (1,100 long tons; 1,200 short tons) could be carried. Fuel oil was initially 200 t (200 long tons; 220 short tons), and could be similarly increased to 1,050 t (1,030 long tons; 1,160 short tons). At a cruising speed of 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph), Cöln could steam for approximately 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi), while Dresden could steam for 5,400 nmi (10,000 km; 6,200 mi) at the same speed. At a higher speed of 25 kn (46 km/h; 29 mph), the range fell considerably, to 1,200 nmi (2,200 km; 1,400 mi).[2]
Armament and armor
The ship was armed with eight
super firing pair aft. Aboard Cöln, the forward pair of amidships guns were placed on the forecastle deck, while on the rest of the ships in the class, they were placed one deck lower, on the upper deck. These guns fired a 45.3-kilogram (100 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 840 meters per second (2,800 ft/s). The guns had a maximum elevation of 30 degrees, which allowed them to engage targets out to 17,600 m (57,700 ft). They were supplied with 1,040 rounds of ammunition, for 130 shells per gun. The ships also carried three 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/45 anti-aircraft guns mounted on the centerline astern of the funnels, though one was removed in 1918. These guns fired a 10 kg (22 lb) shells at a muzzle velocity of 750 to 770 m/s (2,500 to 2,500 ft/s). She was also equipped with four 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes with eight torpedoes in deck-mounted swivel launchers amidships. The ships were also outfitted to carry up to 200 mines.[2][4]
The Cöln class ships were protected by an
Krupp cemented steel. It was 60 mm (2.4 in) thick amidships and 18 mm (0.71 in) forward. The stern was not protected by armor. The armored deck was 20 mm (0.79 in) thick in the stern, 40 mm (1.6 in) thick amidships, and 60 mm thick forward. Sloped armor 40 mm thick connected the deck and belt armor. The conning tower had 100 mm (3.9 in) thick sides and a 20 mm thick roof. The main battery guns were protected with 50 mm (2.0 in) thick gun shields.[2]
Ships of the class
| Name | Builder[2] | Laid down[2] | Launched[3] | Completed[3] | Fate[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cöln | Blohm & Voss
|
1915 | 5 October 1916 | 17 January 1918 | Scuttled in Scapa Flow on 21 June 1919 |
| Dresden | Howaldtswerke
|
1916 | 25 April 1917 | 28 March 1918 | Scuttled in Scapa Flow on 21 June 1919 |
| Wiesbaden | AG Vulcan
|
1915 | 3 March 1917 | N/A | Not completed, scrapped in 1920 |
| Magdeburg | Howaldtswerke | 1916 | 17 November 1917 | Not completed, scrapped in 1922 | |
| Leipzig | AG Weser | 1915 | 28 January 1918 | Not completed, scrapped in 1921 | |
| Rostock | AG Vulcan | 1915 | 6 April 1918 | Not completed, scrapped in 1921 | |
| Frauenlob | Kaiserliche Werft Kiel | 1915 | 16 October 1918 | Not completed, scrapped in 1921 | |
| Ersatz Cöln | AG Weser | 1916 | N/A | Not completed, scrapped in 1921 | |
| Ersatz Emden | AG Weser | 1916 | Not completed, scrapped in 1921 | ||
| Ersatz Karlsruhe | Kaiserliche Werft Kiel | 1916 | Not completed, scrapped in 1920 |
Service history
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After their commissioning, Cöln and Dresden joined the High Seas Fleet.[1] They were assigned to the II Scouting Group, alongside the cruisers Königsberg, Pillau, Graudenz, Nürnberg, and Karlsruhe.[5] The ships were in service in time for the major fleet operation to Norway in 23–24 April 1918. The I Scouting Group and II Scouting Group, along with the Second Torpedo-Boat Flotilla were to attack a heavily guarded British convoy to Norway, with the rest of the High Seas Fleet steaming in support. The Germans failed to locate the convoy, which had in fact sailed the day before the fleet left port. As a result, Admiral Reinhard Scheer broke off the operation and returned to port.[6]
In October 1918, the two ships and the rest of the II Scouting Group were to lead a final attack on the British navy. Cöln, Dresden, Pillau, and Königsberg were to attack merchant shipping in the
mutinied.[7]
During the sailors' revolt, the crew of the battleship
Swinemünde, where she was partially scuttled and subsequently re-floated and returned to seaworthy condition.[8] The unrest ultimately forced Hipper and Scheer to cancel the operation.[9] When informed of the situation, the Kaiser stated, "I no longer have a navy."[10] Following the capitulation of Germany in November 1918, most of the High Seas Fleet's ships, under the command of Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, were interned in the British naval base in Scapa Flow.[9] Cöln and Dresden were among the ships interned.[3]
Postwar fates
The fleet remained in captivity during the negotiations that ultimately produced the
Versailles Treaty. Von Reuter believed that the British intended to seize the German ships on 21 June 1919, which was the deadline for Germany to have signed the peace treaty. Unaware that the deadline had been extended to the 23rd, Reuter ordered the ships to be sunk at the next opportunity. On the morning of 21 June, the British fleet left Scapa Flow to conduct training maneuvers, and at 11:20 Reuter transmitted the order to his ships.[11] Cöln sank at 13:50 and was never raised for scrapping.[12] Dresden also remains at the bottom of Scapa Flow.[13]
The eight ships that were not completed by the end of the war were formally stricken from the
Naval Inter-Allied Commission of Control, which specified that any military features in the ships (to include side and deck armor and torpedo bulkheads) were to be removed and destroyed by 31 July 1921. By this time, Wiesbaden and Rostock had been towed to Lübeck, where conversion work had started. Their old machinery had been removed by November 1920 and their military features had been cut away by the NIACC deadline. Magdeburg had been similarly demilitarized at Howaldtswerke.[14]
The conversion program eventually fell apart, however, and all of the vessels were broken up. Magdeburg was sold on 28 October 1921 and broken up the next year at Kiel-Nordmole. Leipzig and Rostock were sold in 1921 and scrapped in Hamburg. Frauenlob was towed to the Deutsche Werke shipyard in 1921 and broken up. Ersatz Karlsruhe was dismantled on the slipway in 1920, and Ersatz Cöln and Ersatz Emden were sold on 21 and 25 June 1921, respectively. Both vessels had been launched at some point to clear the slipway, and by August 1920, Ersatz Emden had been towed to Bremen. Both ships were scrapped in 1921 in Hamburg.[12][15]
Notes
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cöln class cruiser.
- ^ a b Herwig, p. 205.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Gröner, p. 114.
- ^ a b c d e Gröner, pp. 114–115.
- ^ Campbell & Sieche, pp. 140, 163.
- ^ a b Woodward, p. 116.
- ^ Halpern, pp. 418–419.
- ^ Tarrant, pp. 280–282.
- ^ Woodward, pp. 164–166.
- ^ a b Tarrant, p. 282.
- ^ Herwig, p. 252.
- ^ Herwig, p. 256.
- ^ a b Gröner, p. 115.
- ^ Wille, p. 392.
- ^ Dodson, pp. 144–145.
- ^ Dodson, p. 145.
References
- Campbell, N. J. M. & Sieche, Erwin (1986). "Germany". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 134–189. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
- ISBN 978-1-8448-6472-0.
- ISBN 978-0-87021-790-6.
- Halpern, Paul G. (1995). A Naval History of World War I. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-352-7.
- Herwig, Holger (1980). "Luxury" Fleet: The Imperial German Navy 1888–1918. Amherst: Humanity Books. ISBN 978-1-57392-286-9.
- Tarrant, V. E. (1995). Jutland: The German Perspective. London: Cassell Military Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0-304-35848-9.
- Wille, Peter (2005). Sound Images of the Ocean: In Research and Monitoring. New York: Springer. ISBN 978-3-540-24122-5.
- Woodward, David (1973). The Collapse of Power: Mutiny in the High Seas Fleet. London: Arthur Barker Ltd. ISBN 978-0-213-16431-7.
Further reading
- Dodson, Aidan; Cant, Serena (2020). Spoils of War: The Fate of Enemy Fleets after the Two World Wars. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-4198-1.
- ISBN 978-1-68247-745-8.
- Koop, Gerhard & Schmolke, Klaus-Peter (2004). Kleine Kreuzer 1903–1918: Bremen bis Cöln-Klasse [Small Cruisers 1903–1918: The Bremen Through Cöln Classes] (in German). München: Bernard & Graefe Verlag. ISBN 3-7637-6252-3.