German cruiser Köln

German cruiser Köln

"Köln " was a German light cruiser prior to and during World War II, one of three K-Class cruisers named after cities starting with the letter K. This ship was named after the city of Köln (Cologne). The others in her class were the "Königsberg" and the "Karlsruhe". The K-class cruisers were designed in the 1920s and built in accordance to the 6,000 ton limit for cruisers imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles. To stay within this limit, 85% of the ships were welded instead of bolted. This caused problems, as the welding did not withstand the stress of long-term journeys as well as had been hoped.

Combat history

"Köln" patrolled Spanish waters during the Spanish Civil War. During World War II she participated in Baltic operations and in Gruppe 3 of the invasion of Norway (Operation Weserübung). After the invasion of Norway the ship undertook primarily mining operations and attacks on Allied convoys. In February 1943, after a submarine attack, the heavy cruiser "Admiral Hipper" and "Köln" had to be withdrawn from service for extensive repairs. "Köln" remained out of service from March 1943 to March 1944 when she was recommissioned to train cadets. On December 12 1944 she was heavily damaged in a bombing raid, the power stations and starboard engine both being destroyed. "Köln" then sailed for Wilhelmshaven for repairs. She arrived at Wilhelmshaven in February 1945 and suffered through two more bombing raids. "Köln" was severely damaged in the final night of British bombing of the port on March 3 1945. The ship sank on even keel. The turrets remained above water and continued to shell the oncoming Allied advance. The "Köln" was scrapped in 1946.

Commanding Officers

FK / KzS Ludwig von Schroder - 15 January 1930 - 1 September 1932(Promoted KzS on 1 October 1930.)

FK / KzS Otto Schniewind - 1 September 1932 - 1 March 1934(Promoted KzS on 1 October 1933.)

FK / KzS Werner Fuchs - 1 March 1934 - 1 October 1935(Promoted KzS on 1 October 1934.)

FK / KzS Otto Backenkohler - 1 October 1935 - 1 October 1937(Promoted KzS on 1 April 1936.)

KzS Theodor Burchardi - 1 October 1937 - 14 January 1940

KzS Ernst Kratzenberg - 14 January 1940 - 1 May 1941

KzS Friedrich Hüffmeier - 1 May 1941 - 1 March 1942

KK Hellmuth Strobel - 1 March 1942 - 1 May 1942

KzS Martin Balzer - 1 May 1942 - 12 December 1942

KzS Hans Karl Meyer - 12 December 1942 - 21 February 1943

DECOMMISSIONED - 21 February 1943 - 1 April 1944

FK / KzS Hellmuth Strobel - 1 April 1944 - 1 January 1945(Promoted KzS during tenure of command; exact date unknown.)

KK Frotz-Henning Brandes - 1 January 1945 - 30 April 1945

External links

* [http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/ships/lightcruiser/koln/index.html German Naval History - Light Cruiser "Köln"]
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/germany/pages/cruisers/koln.htm Maritimequest "Köln" photo gallery]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • German cruiser Deutschland — For other ships of the same name, see Deutschland (disambiguation) …   Wikipedia

  • German cruiser Königsberg — Königsberg was a light cruiser of the K class in the German Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine. Her sisterships were Köln and Karlsruhe . After a number of foreign visits in the 1930s, the ship operated along the Spanish coast from November 1936 to… …   Wikipedia

  • German cruiser Karlsruhe — Karlsruhe was a light cruiser of the German K class in World War II, the other ships in class being Königsberg and Köln . The K class were the first cruisers of the German navy to employ electric welding techniques and a newly designed triple 5.9 …   Wikipedia

  • Köln (disambiguation) — Köln is a German word that can refer to:* Köln (Cologne), the fourth largest city in Germany and largest city of the North Rhine Westphalia state * Köln an der Elbe is the old German name for the Czech town Kolín * German Cruiser Köln (1930 1945) …   Wikipedia

  • German battleship Scharnhorst — Scharnhorst Career (Nazi Germany) …   Wikipedia

  • German battleship Gneisenau — …   Wikipedia

  • German involvement in the Spanish Civil War — v · …   Wikipedia

  • German warship Gneisenau (1936) — Gneisenau was a World War II Scharnhorst class capital ship, referred to as either a light battleship or battlecruiser [The battlecruiser classification came from the Royal Navy; the German Kriegsmarine classification was Schlachtschiff and many… …   Wikipedia

  • German battleship Tirpitz — A recognition drawing of Tirpitz prepared by the US Navy …   Wikipedia

  • Köln class light cruiser — The Köln class of light cruisers was Germany s last class commissioned before her defeat in World War I. Originally planned to contain ten ships, only two were completed; Köln and Dresden . Five were launched, but not completed: Wiesbaden ,… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”