Königsberg class light cruiser (1915)

The "Königsberg class" of light cruisers was a group of four ships commissioned into Germany's Imperial Navy shortly before her defeat in World War I. The class was composed of SMS "Königsberg", "Karlsruhe", "Nürnberg", and "Emden", all of which were named after light cruisers lost earlier in the war.

Construction

"Königsberg" was laid down at the Weser shipyards in Bremen in August 1914, shortly after the outbreak of World War I, and completed four years later in August 1918. "Karlsruhe" was built at the Wilhelmshaven navy yard, laid down in May 1915 and completed December 1916. "Nürnberg" was laid down in December 1914 at the Howaldtswerke shipyard in Kiel, and completed in February 1917. "Emden" was also built at the Weser shipyards, having been laid down in 1915 and completed in December 1916.

The ships were all originally designated Ersatz "Gazelle", Ersatz "Niobe", Ersatz "Nymphe" and Ersatz "Thetis", but were all renamed for ships that had been sunk early in the conflict.

Design

Dimensions and machinery

The ships were 145.8 m at the waterline and 151.4 m overall. They had a beam of 14.2 m, a draught of 6.14 m, and displaced 5,440 tons with a normal load, and 7,125 tons carrying a full load. They were propelled by 2 shaft Navy turbines that produced 31,000 shp and a top speed of 27.5 knots

Armor

The class had the same armor layout as the preceding "Wiesbaden" class cruisers, comprised of an armored belt that was 2.5 inches thick at its strongest point, and tapered to .5 inches towards the bow and stern. The deck had between 1 and 2.5 inches of armor protection.

Armament

The class also had the same armament scheme as the previous class. The primary armament consisted of eight 150mm (5.9 inch) guns in single turrets, along with two 88mm (3.4 inch) guns also in single mounts. The ships were also armed with four 500mm (19.7 inch) torpedo tubes, as well as 200 mines.

External links

* [http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/cruisers/sms-konigsberg-ii.html Specs]