German Light Cruisers
Entries in bold indicate photos.
Emden Class
| Emden |
The first major German post 1918 design. Although planned with twin turrets and
4 torpedo banks, treaty restrictions and material shortages prevented this.
Among her commanders in the interwar period were Arnauld de la Pierre and Karl Doenitz. |
Konigsberg Class
|
Karlsruhe Koln Konigsberg |
The Konigsbergs were to replace the old cruisers that were already obsolete, but
could not be replaced until they were 20 years old. They were the first German ships
to mount triple turrets, although the aft turrets were offset to port and starboard.
An all-diesel powerplant was considered, but the engines available were not up to standard, and diesels were only used for cruising. Structural defects were found in all the ships, but only Karlsruhe was strengthened. |
Leipzig Class
|
Leipzig |
Although the Leipzig looked similar to the Konigsbergs, internally she was very different. As with those ships, a full diesel plant was not possible. Structural defects were found in her hull, but these were not repaired. |
Nurnberg Class
| Nurnberg | Argument over the best armament caused a 5 year delay between the Leipzig and Nurnberg, but even so she was little more than a repeat of the previous ship with minor internal changes. Structural defects were found in her hull, but these were not repaired. |
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