The German light cruiser Emden off the US West Coast in 1930.
The KMS Emden was a light cruiser built by the Reichsmarine in the early 1920s. She was the only ship of her class and was the first large warship built in Germany after the end of World War I. She was built at the Reichsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven; her keel was laid in December 1921 and her completed hull was launched in January 1925. Emden was commissioned into the German fleet in October 1925. Her design was heavily informed by the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles and the dictates of the Allied disarmament commission. She was armed with a main battery of surplus 15 cm (5.9 in) guns left over from World War I, mounted in single gun turrets, as mandated by the Allied powers. She had a top speed of 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph).
History[]
After her commissioning in 1925, Emden was used as a training ship for naval cadets. She made a series of world cruises to show the flag in the pre-war period and trained large numbers of cadets.
In 1925–1926, a series of modifications were made to the ship, including increasing the height of the second funnel and the installation of a flying bridge at the base of the battle mast, which was shortened by 7.01 meters (23 feet). Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière commanded the ship from September 1928 until October 1930.
In April 1933, her coal-fired boilers were replaced with more efficient oil-fired boilers. The next year, another series of modifications was made, including reducing the main mast and funnels in height and the installation of a small crane on the starboard side of the main mast.
In September 1934, Karl Dönitz, the future commander of the Kriegsmarine, took command of the ship and remained in the position until September 1935. Emden went into dock for further modifications in 1936; the ship's masts were again reworked, and the third 8.8 cm anti-aircraft gun was added. Leopold Bürkner commanded the Emden from July 30th 1937 to June 15th 1938.
On June 26 1941, the Emden was sunk by the British warships Repulse and Royal Oak while escorting the German battleship Bismarck during the Battle of Kristiansand.[1]