KMS Emden (1925)

KMS Emden (1925)

Germany (1925), Light Cruiser
First postwar cruiser in Germany, the Emden (from the city, also to honor the famous 1914 corsair cruiser) was authorized in 1921 in an unfavorable economic environment and suspicious allies. The Emden was directly modeled after the last class cruisers of the great war, namely the “Königsberg II”. Configuration of the main armament in 152 mm cannons under masks was not of the highest standard compared to those to be developed, but the Reichsmarine was forbidden to study more modern turrets.

KMS Emden (official) 1935

The Emden in action

After the commissioning of the first ship of the Köln class, the Emden was reclassified as a cadet training ship. Under the command of Karl Doenitz, she participated in several international peacetime tours. With the outbreak of war she actively participated in operations in Norway (Weserübung), without notable action, and the rest of her career was spent in the Baltic, training Sea Cadets. In 1945 she participated in the evacuation of civilians and troops from East Prussia trapped by Soviet Forces, and later brought troops from Norway. She also carried the remains of Marshal Hindenburg. Badly damaged in April 1945 by the RAF, she was scuttled at Heikendorfer Bucht and dismantled after the war.

Emden in China, 1931

Emden’s replacement MAN diesel engines, never fitted as preserved.

Links

The Emden on wikipedia
The Emden in World Naval ships
Specs Conway’s all the world fighting ships 1921-1947.

KMS Emden on her way to Oslofjord in March 1940 – notice the camouflage

Gallery

Emden in 1938, Blueprint

The Emden in 1939. It was apparently never camouflaged but perhaps according to this reference, with a dark central band to make it shorter.