View source for Königsberg-class cruiser (1915)

{{Use shortened footnotes|date=October 2022}}
{{Short description|Class of light cruisers of the German Imperial Navy}}
{{About|the class of cruisers built during World War I||Königsberg-class cruiser (disambiguation){{!}}Königsberg-class cruiser}}
{{good article}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}} 
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Königsberg-class cruiser en route to Scapa Flow.jpg
|Ship image size=300px
|Ship caption=One of the {{lang|de|Königsberg}}-class cruisers en route to [[Scapa Flow]]
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name={{lang|de|Königsberg}} class
|Builders=
|Operators=
*{{Navy|German Empire}}
*{{Navy|France}}
|Class before={{sclass|Wiesbaden|cruiser|4}}
|Class after={{sclass|Brummer|cruiser|4}}
|Built range=1914–1917
|In commission range=1916–1933
|Total ships completed=4
|Total ships lost=1
|Total ships retired=3
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Light cruiser]]
|Ship displacement=
*[[Normal displacement|Normal]]: {{cvt|5440|MT|LT|lk=on}}
*[[Full-load displacement|Full load]]: {{cvt|7125|MT|LT}}
|Ship length={{convert|151.40|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|14.20|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|5.96|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=
*2 × screw [[propeller]]s
*2 × [[steam turbine]]s
|Ship power=
*{{convert|31000|shp|abbr=on}}
*12 × [[water-tube boiler]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|27.5|knot|km/h|1}}
|Ship range={{convert|4850|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|12|kn}}
|Ship crew=
*17 officers
*458 enlisted men
|Ship armament=
*8 × [[15 cm SK L/45|{{cvt|15|cm}} SK L/45 guns]] 
*3 × [[8.8 cm SK L/45 naval gun|{{cvt|8.8|cm}} SK L/45 guns]] 
*4 × {{cvt|50|cm|1}} [[torpedo tube]]s
*200 [[Naval mine|mine]]s
|Ship armor=
*[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|60|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: 60 mm
}}
|}

The '''{{lang|de|Königsberg}} class''' of [[light cruiser]]s was a group of four ships commissioned into [[Imperial Germany|Germany's]] {{lang|de|[[Kaiserliche Marine]]}} (Imperial Navy) shortly before the end of [[World War I]]. The class comprised {{SMS|Königsberg|1915|2}}, {{SMS|Karlsruhe|1916|2}}, {{SMS|Emden|1916|2}}, and {{SMS|Nürnberg|1916|2}}, all of which were named after light cruisers lost earlier in the war. The ships were an incremental improvement over the preceding {{sclass|Wiesbaden|cruiser|1}}s, and were armed with a main battery of eight [[15 cm SK L/45|{{cvt|15|cm}} SK L/45]] guns and had a designed speed of {{convert|27.5|kn}}.

{{lang|de|Königsberg}} and {{lang|de|Nürnberg}} saw action at the [[Second Battle of Heligoland Bight]], where {{lang|de|Königsberg}} was hit by a shell from the [[battlecruiser]] {{HMS|Repulse|1916|2}}. Three of the four ships were to participate in a climactic fleet operation to attack the British [[Grand Fleet]] in the final days of the war, but [[Wilhelmshaven mutiny|revolts in the fleet]] forced the cancellation of the plan. {{lang|de|Karlsruhe}}, {{lang|de|Emden}}, and {{lang|de|Nürnberg}} were interned at [[Scapa Flow]] after the end of the war, and were [[Scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow|scuttled on 21 June 1919]], though only {{lang|de|Karlsruhe}} was successfully sunk. The other two ships were beached by British sailors and ceded to the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]]. {{lang|de|Königsberg}} was transferred to the French Navy as a [[Prize of war|war prize]] and commissioned as {{lang|fr|Metz}}; she served with the French Navy until the 1930s, when she was broken up for scrap.

==Design==
The design for the {{lang|de|Königsberg}}s was prepared in 1913. The design was an incremental improvement over the previous {{sclass|Wiesbaden|cruiser|4}}, with a larger [[hull (watercraft)|hull]] and greater [[displacement (ship)|displacement]], but with the same armament, speed, and armor protection.{{sfn|Gröner|pp=111–113}} By 1916, thirteen German [[light cruiser]]s had been lost in the course of World War I;{{sfn|Herwig|p=205}} after they were [[ship commissioning|commissioned]], the ships of the {{lang|de|Königsberg}} class took the names of four of these lost cruisers.{{sfn|Campbell & Sieche|p=162}}

{{lang|de|Königsberg}} was ordered as {{lang|de|[[Ersatz]]}} {{SMS|Gazelle|1898|2}} and [[keel laying|laid down]] at the [[AG Weser]] shipyard in [[Bremen]] in 1914. She was [[ship launching|launched]] on 18 December 1915 and commissioned eight months later on 12 August 1916. {{lang|de|Emden}}, ordered as {{lang|de|Ersatz}} {{SMS|Nymphe||2}}, followed her sister at AG Weser, also in 1914. She was launched on 1 February 1916 and commissioned into the fleet on 16 December 1916. {{lang|de|Karlsruhe}} was ordered as {{lang|de|Ersatz}} {{SMS|Niobe|1899|2}} and laid down in 1915 at the {{lang|de|[[Kaiserliche Werft Kiel|Kaiserliche Werft]]}} (Imperial Dockyard) in [[Kiel]]. Launching ceremonies took place on 31 January 1916, and after [[fitting-out]] work was completed, she was commissioned on 15 November 1916. The last ship of the class, {{lang|de|Nürnberg}}, was laid down as {{lang|de|Ersatz}} {{SMS|Thetis||2}} at the [[Howaldtswerke]] shipyard in Kiel in 1915. She was launched on 14 April 1916 and commissioned on 15 February 1917.{{sfn|Gröner|p=113}}

In addition to providing the basis for the follow-on {{sclass|Cöln|cruiser|1}}s,{{sfn|Herwig|p=205}} the {{lang|de|Königsberg}} design was also the starting point for the light cruiser {{ship|German cruiser|Emden||2}} built by the {{lang|de|[[Reichsmarine]]}} in the 1920s, since blueprints for {{lang|de|Karlsruhe}} were still available. This was a result of personnel shortages in the design staff and the closure of the Navy's Ship Testing Institute, which prevented the development of a new design.{{sfn|Koop & Schmolke|p=51}}

===General characteristics and machinery===
The ships of the class were {{convert|145.80|m|ftin|sp=us}} [[length at the waterline|long at the waterline]] and {{convert|151.40|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[length overall|long overall]]. They had a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|14.20|m|ftin|abbr=on}} and a [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{convert|5.96|m|ftin|abbr=on}} forward and {{convert|6.32|m|ftin|abbr=on}} aft. The ships had a designed displacement of {{convert|5440|t|LT|sp=us|lk=on}}, and at full combat load, they displaced {{convert|7125|t|LT|abbr=on}}. Their hulls were built with longitudinal steel frames. The hulls were divided into eighteen [[watertight compartment]]s and incorporated a [[double bottom]] that extended for forty-five percent of the length of the [[keel]]. The ships had a complement of 17&nbsp;officers and 458&nbsp;enlisted men. They carried several smaller vessels, including one picket boat, one barge, one [[Cutter (boat)|cutter]], two [[yawl]]s, and two [[dinghy|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 speed. The ships were also stern-heavy.{{sfn|Gröner|p=113}}

The propulsion systems for {{lang|de|Königsberg}}, {{lang|de|Emden}}, and {{lang|de|Nürnberg}} consisted of two [[steam turbine]]s, while {{lang|de|Karlsruhe}} was outfitted with two sets of high-pressure geared turbines. The turbines for all four ships were powered by ten coal-fired boilers and two oil-fired double-ended [[Water-tube boiler|boilers]]. The turbines drove a pair of three-bladed screws, which were {{convert|3.50|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in diameter. The engines were rated at {{convert|31000|shp|lk=on}} for a top speed of {{convert|27.5|kn|lk=in}}. On trials, {{lang|de|Königsberg}} reached {{convert|45900|shp|abbr=on}} and a top speed of {{convert|27.8|kn}}, while {{lang|de|Karlsruhe}} made {{convert|55700|shp|abbr=on}} and {{convert|27.7|kn}}. {{lang|de|Emden}} reached {{convert|50216|shp|abbr=on}} and 27.7&nbsp;kn; {{lang|de|Nürnberg}}{{'}}s trials figures are not recorded.{{sfn|Gröner|p=113}} The trials were conducted in shallow water due to the war; in deep water, the ships would have exceeded {{convert|29|kn}}.{{sfn|Campbell & Sieche|p=162}}

Coal storage was {{convert|350|MT|abbr=on}} as designed, though up to {{convert|1340|MT|abbr=on}} could be carried. [[Fuel oil]] was initially {{convert|150|MT|abbr=on}}, and could be similarly increased to {{convert|500|MT|abbr=on}}. At a cruising speed of {{convert|12|kn}}, the ships could steam for approximately {{convert|4850|nmi|lk=in}}. At a higher speed of {{convert|27|kn}}, the range fell considerably, to {{convert|1200|nmi|abbr=on}}. Electrical power was provided by two turbo generators and one [[diesel engine|diesel]] generator, with a total output of 300&nbsp;kilowatts at 220&nbsp;[[volt]]s. Steering was controlled by a single, large [[rudder]].{{sfn|Gröner|p=113}}

===Armament and armor===
The ship was armed with a [[main battery]] of eight [[15 cm SK L/45|{{cvt|15|cm}} SK L/45]] guns in single pedestal mounts. Two were placed side by side forward on the [[forecastle]], four were located amidships, two on either side, and two were arranged in a [[superfire|superfiring pair]] aft.{{sfn|Campbell & Sieche|p=162}} These guns fired a {{convert|45.3|kg|adj=on}} shell at a [[muzzle velocity]] of {{convert|840|m/s|sp=us}}. The guns had a maximum elevation of 30&nbsp;degrees, which allowed them to engage targets out to {{convert|17600|m|yd|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Campbell & Sieche|p=140}} They were supplied with 1,040 rounds of ammunition, for 130 shells per gun. The ships also carried two [[8.8 cm SK L/45 naval gun|{{cvt|8.8|cm}} L/45]] anti-aircraft guns mounted on the centerline astern of the funnels.{{sfn|Gröner|p=113}} These guns fired a {{convert|10|kg|abbr=on}} shells at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|750|to|770|m/s|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Campbell & Sieche|p=140}} She was also equipped with four {{convert|50|cm|abbr=on|1}} [[torpedo tube]]s with eight [[torpedo]]es, two in deck-mounted swivel launchers and two submerged in the ships' hulls. The ships were also outfitted to carry up to 200 [[naval mine|mines]].{{sfn|Gröner|p=113}}

The {{lang|de|Königsberg}}-class ships were protected by an [[armored belt]] composed of [[Krupp cemented armor|Krupp cemented steel]]. It was {{convert|60|mm|abbr=on}} thick amidships and {{convert|18|mm|abbr=on}} forward. The stern was not protected by armor. The armored deck was {{convert|20|mm|abbr=on}} thick in the stern, {{convert|40|mm|abbr=on}} thick amidships, and 60&nbsp;mm thick forward. Sloped armor 40&nbsp;mm thick connected the deck and belt armor. The [[conning tower]] had {{convert|100|mm|abbr=on}} thick sides and a 20&nbsp;mm thick roof. The main battery guns were protected with {{cvt|50|mm|0}} thick [[gun shield]]s. A 20&nbsp;mm thick deck and 30&nbsp;mm thick side armor protected the mine [[Hold (ship)|hold]].{{sfn|Gröner|p=113}}

==Service history==
[[File:SMS Karlsruhe in Scapa Flow 1919.jpg|SMS {{lang|de|Karlsruhe}} in [[Scapa Flow]]|thumb]]

On 17 November 1917, {{lang|de|Königsberg}} and {{lang|de|Nürnberg}} saw action at the [[Second Battle of Heligoland Bight]].{{sfn|Bennett|p=250}} Along with two other cruisers from [[II Scouting Group]] and the [[dreadnought]] [[battleship]]s {{SMS|Kaiser||2}} and {{SMS|Kaiserin||2}}, {{lang|de|Königsberg}} and {{lang|de|Nürnberg}} escorted [[minesweeper]]s clearing paths in minefields laid by the British. During the engagement, the [[battlecruiser]] {{HMS|Repulse|1916|6}} scored a hit on {{lang|de|Königsberg}}, which did minimal damage but started a serious fire. The British broke off the attack when the German battleships arrived on the scene, after which the Germans also withdrew.{{sfn|Halpern|p=377}} All four ships participated in [[Operation Albion]], an amphibious operation against the islands in the [[Gulf of Riga]]. {{lang|de|Emden}} served as the flagship for the Leader of Torpedoboats, while the other three ships were assigned to II Scouting Group.{{sfn|Staff|p=152}}

In October 1918, three of the ships and the rest of II Scouting Group were to lead a final attack on the British navy. {{lang|de|Königsberg}} {{SMS|Cöln|1916|2}}, {{SMS|Dresden|1917|2}}, and {{SMS|Pillau||2}}  were to attack merchant shipping in the [[Thames estuary]] while {{lang|de|Karlsruhe}}, {{lang|de|Nürnberg}}, and {{SMS|Graudenz||2}} were to bombard targets in [[Flanders]], to draw out the British [[Grand Fleet]].{{sfn|Woodward|p=116}} {{lang|de|[[Grand Admiral|Großadmiral]]}} [[Reinhard Scheer]], the commander in chief of the fleet, intended to inflict as much damage as possible on the British navy, in order to secure a better bargaining position for Germany, whatever the cost to the fleet. On the morning of 29 October 1918, the order was given to sail from Wilhelmshaven the following day. Starting on the night of 29 October, sailors on {{SMS|Thüringen||2}} and then on several other battleships [[Wilhelmshaven mutiny|mutinied]]. The unrest ultimately forced Hipper and Scheer to cancel the operation.{{sfn|Tarrant|pp=280–282}} When informed of the situation, the Kaiser stated, "I no longer have a navy."{{sfn|Herwig|p=252}}

[[File:SMS Emden Scapa Flow 1919 IWM SP 001864.jpg|thumb|right|{{lang|de|Emden}} in Scapa Flow]]

Following the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|Armistice]] that ended the fighting, {{lang|de|Königsberg}} took Rear Admiral [[Hugo Meurer]] to [[Scapa Flow]] to negotiate with Admiral [[David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty|David Beatty]], the commander of the Grand Fleet, for the place of internment of the German fleet. The accepted arrangement was for the [[High Seas Fleet]] to meet the combined Allied fleet in the North Sea and proceed to the [[Firth of Forth]] before transferring to Scapa Flow, where they would be interned.{{sfn|Halpern|p=448}} Most of the High Seas Fleet's ships, including {{lang|de|Karlsruhe}}, {{lang|de|Emden}}, and {{lang|de|Nürnberg}}, were interned in the British naval base in Scapa Flow, under the command of Rear Admiral [[Ludwig von Reuter]].{{sfn|Tarrant|p=282}} {{lang|de|Königsberg}} instead remained in Germany.{{sfn|Gröner|p=113}}

The unruly crew of {{SMS|Friedrich der Grosse|1911|2}}, the fleet flagship, forced Reuter to transfer to {{lang|de|Emden}}, where a Sailors' Council cooperated with the ship's captain to run the ship.{{sfn|van der Vat|p=147}} The fleet remained in captivity during the negotiations that ultimately produced the [[Versailles Treaty]]. 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.{{sfn|Herwig|p=256}}

{{lang|de|Karlsruhe}} sank at 15:50; the rights to salvaging the ship were sold in 1962.{{sfn|Gröner|p=113}} She has not been raised for scrapping, however.{{sfn|van der Vat|p=222}} {{lang|de|Emden}} was boarded by British sailors who beached her before she could be completely sunk. After being refloated, she was ceded to France and used as a test ship for explosives before being broken up in 1926. {{lang|de|Nürnberg}} was also beached by British sailors. She was eventually sunk off the [[Isle of Wight]] as a gunnery target. {{lang|de|Königsberg}} was meanwhile stricken from the [[naval register]] on 20 July 1920 and ceded to France. She was renamed {{lang|fr|Metz}} and served with the French Navy until 1933. She was ultimately broken up for scrap in 1936.{{sfn|Gröner|p=113}}

==Notes==
{{Commons category|Königsberg class light cruiser (1915)}}
{{Reflist|colwidth=20em}}

==References==
* {{cite book
  |last=Bennett
  |first=Geoffrey
  |author-link=Geoffrey Bennett (historian)
  |title=Naval Battles of the First World War
  |year=2005
  |location=Barnsley
  |publisher=Pen & Sword Military Classics
  |isbn=978-1-84415-300-8
  |ref={{SfnRef|Bennett}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last1 = Campbell
  | first1 = N. J. M.
  | last2 = Sieche
  | first2 = Erwin
  | chapter = Germany
  | pages = 134–189
  | editor1-last = Gardiner
  | editor1-first = Robert
  | editor2-last = Gray
  | editor2-first = Randal
  | year = 1986
  | title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921
  | publisher = Conway Maritime Press
  | location = London
  | isbn = 978-0-85177-245-5
  | name-list-style=amp
  | ref ={{sfnRef|Campbell & Sieche}}
  | url=https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_z3o0
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Gröner
  | first = Erich
  |author-link=Erich Gröner
  | year = 1990
  | title = German Warships: 1815–1945
  | volume = I: Major Surface Vessels
  | publisher = Naval Institute Press
  | location = Annapolis
  | isbn = 978-0-87021-790-6
  | ref ={{SfnRef|Gröner}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Halpern
  |first=Paul G.
  |title=A Naval History of World War I
  |year=1995
  |location=Annapolis
  |publisher=Naval Institute Press
  |isbn=978-1-55750-352-7
  |ref={{SfnRef|Halpern}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Herwig
  | first = Holger
  | year = 1998
  | orig-year = 1980
  | title = "Luxury" Fleet: The Imperial German Navy 1888–1918
  | publisher = Humanity Books
  | location = Amherst
  | isbn = 978-1-57392-286-9
  | ref ={{SfnRef|Herwig}}
  }}
* {{Cite book
  | last1 = Koop
  | first1 = Gerhard
  | last2 = Schmolke
  | first2 = Klaus-Peter
  | title = German Light Cruisers of World War II: Warships of the Kriegsmarine
  | location = Barnsley
  | publisher = Seaforth Publishing
  | year = 2014
  | isbn = 9781848321946
  |name-list-style=amp
  | ref ={{SfnRef|Koop & Schmolke}}
  }}
* {{cite book 
  |last=Staff
  |first=Gary
  |title=Battle for the Baltic Islands
  |year=2008
  |location=Barnsley
  |publisher=Pen & Sword Maritime
  |isbn=978-1-84415-787-7
  |ref={{SfnRef|Staff}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Tarrant
  |first=V. E.
  |title=Jutland: The German Perspective
  |year=1995
  |location=London
  |publisher=Cassell Military Paperbacks
  |isbn=978-0-304-35848-9
  |ref={{SfnRef|Tarrant}}
  }}
*{{cite book
  |last=van der Vat
  |first=Dan
  |title=The Grand Scuttle
  |year=1986
  |publisher=Billing & Sons Ltd
  |isbn=0-86228-099-0
  |location=Worcester
  |ref={{SfnRef|van der Vat}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Woodward
  |first=David
  |title=The Collapse of Power: Mutiny in the High Seas Fleet
  |year=1973
  |publisher=Arthur Barker Ltd
  |isbn=978-0-213-16431-7
  |location=London
  |ref={{SfnRef|Woodward}}
  }}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
  | last1 = Dodson
  | first1 = Aidan
  | last2 = Cant
  | first2 = Serena
  | title = Spoils of War: The Fate of Enemy Fleets after the Two World Wars
  | year = 2020
  | publisher = Seaforth Publishing
  | location = Barnsley
  | isbn = 978-1-5267-4198-1
  | ref = {{sfnref|Dodson & Cant}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last1 = Dodson
  | first1 = Aidan
  | author-link1 = Aidan Dodson
  | last2 = Nottelmann
  | first2 = Dirk
  | year = 2021
  | title = The Kaiser's Cruisers 1871–1918
  | publisher = Naval Institute Press
  | location = Annapolis
  | isbn = 978-1-68247-745-8
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Dodson & Nottelmann}}
  }}
* {{cite book|first1=Gerhard|last1=Koop|first2=Klaus-Peter|last2=Schmolke|title=Kleine Kreuzer 1903–1918: Bremen bis Cöln-Klasse|language=de|trans-title=Small Cruisers 1903–1918: The Bremen Through Cöln Classes|publisher=Bernard & Graefe Verlag|location=München|year=2004|isbn=3-7637-6252-3  |name-list-style=amp}}

{{Königsberg class light cruiser (1915)}}
{{WWI German ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Konigsberg}}
[[Category:Cruiser classes]]
[[Category:Königsberg-class cruisers (1915)| ]]
[[Category:World War I cruisers of Germany]]
[[Category:Ship classes of the French Navy]]