Königsberg class light cruiser (1905)

The "Königsberg" class was a group of four light cruisers built for the German Imperial Navy. The class was comprised of the lead ship, "Königsberg", "Stettin", "Stuttgart", and "Nürnberg". The ships were an improvement on the preceding "Bremen" class, being slightly larger, and with a much smaller ram bow.

Design

Dimensions and machinery

The ships of the class were 114.8 m at the waterline, and 115.3 m overall. The ships had a beam of 13.2 m and a draught of 5.24 m, and had a displacement of 3,736T. Three ships of the class; "Königsberg", "Stuttgart", and "Nürnberg", were equipped with 2 shaft triple expansion engines, which were rated at convert|13200|ihp|abbr=on and produced a top speed of convert|23|kn|km/h. "Stettin" was equipped with 4 shaft Parsons turbines for comparison purposes, which resulted in a slightly different profile. The Parsons turbines were rated at convert|13500|shp|abbr=on and a top speed of convert|24|kn|km/h, but actually produced convert|21670|shp|abbr=on in trials.

Armor

The ships had an armored deck that ranged in thickness from 1.5in at its thickest point to a half inch at its thinnest. The primary armament was protected by 2in thick gun shields.

Armament

The class had an improved armament compared to previous designs. The main armament of ten 105 mm guns in single turrets and casemates was identical to the preceding "Bremen" class, but the "Königsberg" ships had an additional eight 52 mm guns in single turrets and casemates. The ships were also equipped with two 450 mm torpedo tubes, compared to three on the "Bremen" class ships.

ervice history

The ships had active careers during World War I. "Königsberg" began the war stationed in German East Africa, and sank a British merchantman, as well as the older cruiser HMS "Pegasus", before being blockaded in the Rufiji River and eventually destroyed by two British monitors.

"Nürnberg" was a member of the German East Asia Squadron under Admiral Maximilian von Spee. She finshed off the HMS "Monmouth" during the Battle of Coronel, firing some 75 shells at close range. "Nürnberg" was sunk at the subsequent Battle of the Falkland Islands by the HMS "Kent" (ironically, "Kent" was "Monmouth's" sistership).

"Stettin" and "Stuttgart" were assigned to the IV Scouting Group at the start of hostilities. "Stettin" participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight, and suffered relatively minor damage. She also fought at Jutland, along with "Stuttgart", both of whom escaped relatively unscathed. Following the battle, "Stettin" and "Stuttgart" were withdrawn from frontline service and was used in auxiliary roles. In early 1918, "Stuttgart" was reconstructed as a seaplane carrier, and served as the flagship of the North Sea Aerial Forces. Both ships were ceded to Britain after the end of the war, and scrapped by 1921.

External links

* [http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/cruisers/sms-konigsberg.html World War I Naval Combat]