Light Cruiser Köln

Köln

País	Alemanha
Classe de Navio	Cruzador Leve da Classe K
Estaleiro	Kriegsmarinewerft
Yard Number	116
Slip/Drydock Number	II
Data de Encomenda	8 abr 1925
Data de Quilha	7 ago 1926
Data de Lançamento	23 mai 1928
Data de Incorporação	1 jan 1930
Data de Afundamento	30 mar 1945
Deslocamento	8,350 tons full
Comprimento	571 feet
Boca	50 feet
Calado	20 feet
Máquinas	2 steam turbines, 6 boilers, 2 MAN diesel engines, 2 shafts
Potência	69,800 shaft horsepower
Velocidade	32 knots
Autonomia	7,300nm at 17 knots
Tripulação	850
Armamento	3x3x15cm SK C/25 guns, 6x88mm AA guns, 8x3.7cm SK C/30 AA guns, 18x20mm AA guns, 12x533mm torpedoes, 120 mines
Blindagem	100mm command tower, 40mm deck, 20mm turrets, 50-70mm belt
Decommission	21 Feb 1943
Recommission	1 Apr 1944
Aircraft	Two Arado 196 floatplanes

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseNamed after the German city of Cologne, light cruiser Köln performed training cruises during the early- and mid-1930s. In 1937, she patrolled the Spanish coast during the Spanish Civil War under the command of Captain Otto Backenkohler as part of the international naval blockade. During the German invasion of Norway in Apr 1940, under the command of Captain Theodor Burchardi, she served with Task Force 3. For the most part between 1940 and 1941, she mined various coastal regions and hunted for Allied convoys. In late Feb 1943, she was damaged during a submarine attack, and was placed under repair between Mar 1943 and 1 Apr 1944. Upon completion of repairs, she served as a training vessel under Lieutenant Commander, later Captain, Hellmuth Strobel. On 12 Dec 1944, she was heavily damaged during a bombing raid, destroying her powerplant. She received temporary repairs in place, and sailed to Wilhelmshaven, Germany for permanent repairs, arriving in Feb 1945; during the transfer to Wilhelmshaven, Lieutenant Commander KK Frotz-Henning Brandes took command in Jan 1945. She was further damaged by bombing raids. During the night of 30 Mar 1945, US bombers struck, caused her to sink on even keel. Since her turrets remained above water, she served as a stationary gun platform until the end of the war, firing at advancing Allied troops. She was scrapped in 1946.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Oct 2009

Photographs

German light cruiser Köln underway in confined waters, circa 1930, photo 1 of 2; note off-centerline positioning of turrets

German light cruiser Köln underway in confined waters, circa 1930, photo 2 of 2

Light cruiser Köln underway, circa early 1930s; this photo was presented as a gift to Mrs. Ruth M. Bence at the time of the ship

View of the stern of light cruiser Köln, with men manning her rails, 1935

See all 13 photographs of Light Cruiser Köln

Köln Operational Timeline

1 jan 1930	Köln was commissioned into service.
15 jan 1930	Cruiser Köln was commissioned into service with Fregattenkapitän Ludwig von Schröder at the helm.
15 out 1930	Cruiser Köln completed trials and training in the Baltic Sea and North sea.
28 out 1930	Cruiser Köln began to perform gunnery drills in the North Atlantic.
31 mai 1931	Cruiser Köln conducted training operation in the Baltic Sea.
1 jun 1931	During this month cruiser Köln traveled to Norway and conducted operations in the North Sea, Jutland, and the Baltic Sea.
7 jan 1932	Cruiser Köln began to perform gunnery drills and training operations in the North Atlantic.
29 jan 1932	Cruiser Köln completed gunnery drills and training operations.
1 set 1932	Fregattenkapitän Otto Schniewind took command of cruiser Köln.
8 dez 1932	Cruiser Köln departed German for her first international voyage that would last one year; she would visit the Mediterranean Sea, Alexandria (Egypt), Suez Channel, India, Indonesia, Australia, Pacific, Japan, Qingdao (China), Indonesia, Ceylon, Suez Channel, Greece, Italy, and Spain.
2 ago 1933	Köln arrived in Shanghai, China.
14 ago 1933	Köln departed Shanghai, China.
12 dez 1933	Cruiser Köln returned from her first international voyage.
9 jun 1934	Cruiser Köln began gunnery drills with pocket battleship Deutschland.
28 jun 1934	Cruiser Köln completed gunnery drills with pocket battleship Deutschland.
1 nov 1934	Cruiser Köln began two months of repairs at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
1 out 1935	Fregattenkapitän Otto Backenköhler took command of cruiser Köln.
1 mai 1936	Cruiser Köln began two months of operations off Portugal.
7 jun 1936	Cruiser Köln began operations off Spain.
24 jun 1936	Albatros departed Spanish waters to escort light cruisers Köln and Leipzig on their return journey to Germany; Möwe replaced Albatros as the flagship of 2nd Torpedo Boat Half-Flotilla.
29 jun 1936	Cruiser Köln completed operations off Spain.
30 jul 1936	Cruiser Köln began operations off Spain.
10 ago 1936	Cruiser Köln completed operations off Spain.
1 out 1937	Kapitän zur See Theodor Burchardi took command of cruiser Köln.
1 jan 1938	Cruiser Köln began two months of repairs at Kiel, Germany.
31 out 1938	Cruiser Köln began five months of repairs and refitting at Kiel, Germany.
13 abr 1939	Cruiser Köln began training in the North Atlantic.
16 mai 1939	Cruiser Köln completed training in the North Atlantic.
8 out 1939	Cruiser Köln began in a raid in the North Sea.
12 dez 1939	Cruiser Köln and other warships screened minelayers during a mining mission.
13 dez 1939	Cruiser Köln returned from screening mission for minelayers.
15 jan 1940	Kapitän zur See Ernst Kretzenberg took command of cruiser Köln.
9 abr 1940	Cruiser Köln participated in the invasion of Norway.
11 abr 1940	Cruiser Köln returned from Norway, arriving at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
1 mai 1941	Kapitän zur See Friedrich Hüffmeier took command of cruiser Köln.
1 set 1941	Cruiser Köln began supporting the invasion of Dagö and Ösel islands and disabled Soviet coastal batteries at Cape Ristna.
1 fev 1942	Cruiser Köln began four months of repairs and refits in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
1 mar 1942	Korvettenkapitän Hellmuth Strobel took command of cruiser Köln.
1 mai 1942	Kapitän zur See Martin Balzer took command of cruiser Köln.
9 jul 1942	Cruiser Köln departed for Oslo, Norway, laying mines en route.
12 jul 1942	Cruiser Köln arrived at Oslo, Norway.
13 jul 1942	Cruiser Köln departed Oslo, Norway for northern Norway.
14 jul 1942	Cruiser Köln began a minelaying operation in the North Sea.
15 jul 1942	Cruiser Köln completed a minelaying operation in the North Sea.
6 ago 1942	Cruiser Köln arrived at Narvik, Norway.
10 set 1942	Cruiser Köln, with Admiral Scheer and Admiral Hipper, moved to the Alta Fjord to attack Allied Convoy PQ18, but the attack was aborted due to a British submarine attack.
13 dez 1942	Kapitän zur See Hans Meyer took command of cruiser Köln.
1 fev 1943	Cruiser Köln departed a German port for the Baltic Sea.
1 mar 1943	Cruiser Köln was taken out of service and would remain so for one year.
1 mar 1944	Cruiser Köln was towed from Kiel to Königsberg, Germany.
1 abr 1944	Cruiser Köln was recommissioned for training of cadet engineers with Fregattenkapitän Hellmuth Strobel in command.
10 abr 1944	Cruiser Köln began a three-month refit.
1 jul 1944	Cruiser Köln began a three-month training operation.
1 set 1944	Cruiser Köln conducted minelaying operations off southern Norway during this month.
1 out 1944	Cruiser Köln conducted convoy operation between Norway and Denmark over the following two months.
13 dez 1944	Cruiser Köln's power stations and starboard engine were destroyed by Allied aerial attacks.
31 dez 1944	Cruiser Köln was damaged by Allied aerial attacks.
1 jan 1945	Fregattenkapitän Frotz-Henning Brandes took command of cruiser Köln.
28 jan 1945	Cruiser Köln departed for Wilhelmshaven, Germany for repairs.
14 fev 1945	Cruiser Köln arrived at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
3 mar 1945	Cruiser Köln was damaged by British aircraft at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
30 mar 1945	US Eighth Air Force B-24 Liberator bombers attacked Wilhelmshaven, Germany, sinking the already-damaged cruiser Köln on even keel. Her turrets remained above water and operational.
28 abr 1945	Sunken cruiser Köln's turrets fired against enemy troops advancing at Wilhelmshaven, Germany (near Neuenburg and Bockhorn).

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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Karl Rupp says:
28 Jun 2010 06:11:32 AM

Cleaning up my fathers posetions I came accress a Zippo like lighter with the Koeln engraved on it. my father was in the German Navy during WWII. However, he was on a minesweeper and a prisoner of war in England.thought you might be interested about the Lighter.

2. Peter Heft says:
18 Nov 2019 04:10:25 PM

My Father was in Shanghai when the Cruiser Koeln visited Shanghai. It arrived on 2 August 1933 having come from Qingdao. It departed on 14 August 1933 heading for Makassar Indonesia. He wrote an article about the visit which was published in his home town newspaper.

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