In
Service: 15 January 1930 to 31 March 1945
Ordered: Builder: Reichsmarinewerft,
Wilhelmshaven
Construction No: 116
Laid down: 7 August 1926
Launched: 25 May 1928
Commissioned: 15 January 1930
Type: Light cruiser
Class: Königsberg
Displacement:
6,000 tons standard 7,700 tons full load
Length: 174 m
Beam:
15.2 m
Draft: 6.28 m
Propulsion: 2 × shafts 2 ×
steam turbines, 6 × boilers,
2 × MAN diesel engines producing
up to 68,485 shp
Propellers: 2
Speed: 32.5 knots
Range:
5,700 nautical miles at 19 knots
Crew: 850 men and officers
Armament:
9 × 15 cm L/60 SK C/25
carried 1,080 rounds
2 × 8.8 cm
L/45 SK C/35
carried 800 rounds
2 × 8.8 cm L/76 SK C/32 after 1933
4 after 1935
carried 1,600 rounds
6 × 8.8 cm L/76 SK C/32 after
1940
carried 2,400 rounds
8 × 3.7 cm L/83 SK C/30 after 1945
carried 9,600 rounds
8 × 2 cm MG L/65 C/30 18 after 1945
carried
17,600 rounds
12 × 53.3 cm torpedoe tubes
24 × torpedo's carried
120 mines
Aircraft: Flettner
Fl 282 helicopter
Electronics: Operators: Kriegsmarine
Variants: Köln Emden
Königsberg Karlsruhe
Leipzig Nürnberg
Other: Light cruisers
Articles: Köln was a German light cruiser preceding and throughout World
War II, one of three K Class cruisers called after cities starting with the letter
K. This ship was named following the city of Köln.
The others in
her class were the Königsberg and the Karlsruhe. The K class cruisers were
designed in the 1920s and built according to the 6,000 t limit for cruisers expected
of Germany by the Treaty of Versailles. To stay within this restriction, 85% of
the ships were welded instead of riveted. This caused difficulties, as the welding
did not survive the stress of long-term journeys as well as had been hoped.
15 January
1930 The Köln is commissioned
1 September 1939
The Köln carries out operations in the Danzig Beight along with Leipzig,
Nürnberg and the destroyer Leberecht Maaß.
8 October 1939
The Köln patrol the Atlantic along with Gneisenau and the destroyers Friedrich
Ihn, Wilhelm Heidkamp, Karl Galster, Bernd von Arnim, Paul Jakobi, Friedrich Eckoldt,
Erich Steinbrinck, Diether von Roeder and Max Schulz.
12 to 13 December
1939 The Köln along with Leipzig, and Nürnberg conduct mining
operations. The British submarine HMS Salomon torpedoes Leipzig and Nürnberg.
8 April 1940 The Köln takes part in operation Weserübung
(Invasion of Denmark and Norway).
11 April 1940 The Köln
returns to Wilhelmshaven.
13 July 1942 The Köln left
Oslo for northern Norway.
6 August 1942 The Köln arrived
at Narvik.
10 September 1942 The Köln along with Admiral
Hipper, Nürnberg, and Admiral Scheer, moves to the Alta Fjord to attack Convoy
PQ-18.
1 April 1944 The Köln is recommissioned to train
cadet engineers.
13 December 1944 The Köln power stations
and engines are destroyed in a heavy bombing attack.
31 December
1944 The Köln is attacked again more damage is caused by bomb damage.
12 December 1944 The Köln is recommissioned.
14
February 1945 The Köln arrived in Wilhelmshaven.
31 March
1945 The Köln is attacked by the RAF and sinks in the harbour of
Wilhelmshaven. The ship turrets remain operational even after the ship was taken
out of service.
April 1945 The Köln main artillery is
used to surport the army against troop concentrations near the villages of Neuenburg
and Bockhorn for two nights.
Ludwig
von Schröder
Takes command on 15 January 1930
Ends command on
1 September 1932
Otto
Schniewind
Takes command on 1 September 1932
Ends command on 1 March
1934
Werner
Fuchs
Takes command on 1 March 1934
Ends command on 1 October 1935
Otto
Backenköhler
Takes command on 1 October 1935
Ends command on
1 October 1937
Theodor
Burchardi
Takes command on 1 October 1937
Ends command on 14 January
1940
Ernst
Kratzenberg
Takes command on 14 January 1940
Ends command on 1 May
1941
Friedrich
Hüffmeier
Takes command on 1 May 1941
Ends command on 1 March
1942
Hellmuth
Strobel
Takes command on 1 March 1942
Ends command on 1 May 1942
Martin
Baltzer
Takes command on 1 May 1942
Ends command on 12 December 1942
Hans
Karl Meyer
Takes command on 12 December 1942
Ends command on 21 February
1943
Hellmuth
Strobel
Takes command on 1 April 1944
Ends command on 1 January 1945
Frotzto
Henning Brandes
Takes command on 1 January 1945
Ends command on 30
April 1945
German
Warships, 1815-1945: Major Surface Vessels.
ISBN-10: 0851775330
German
Warships, 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels.
ISBN-10: 155750301X
German warships of the Second World War.
ISBN-10: 0668040378
For a complete list of
sources 
