More German light cruisers

Garlicdesign

Post subject: Re: More German light cruisers

Posted: November 15th, 2015, 10:21 am

Posts: 1071
Joined: December 26th, 2012, 9:36 am
Location: Germany

Hello again!

Let's wrap this topic with the Kolberg-Class. These four cruisers were pretty straightforward developments of Dresden, 700 tons heavier, two knots faster and carrying two additional 105mm guns. They were the last German protected cruisers, lacking vertical armour, but the first German cruisers large enough to be upgunned to 150mm guns during the First world war. They also were the first German cruiser class equipped exclusively with turbine engines; as that technology was still considered beta, all four had different turbine types. Kolberg had Melms&Pfenniger turbines with four shafts, Mainz AEG (Curtiss) turbines with two shafts, Cöln Zoelly turbines with four shafts and Augsburg Navy (Parsons) turbines with four shafts. Cöln's turbines were so prone to breakdowns they were replaced with Germania (Curtiss) turbines during the first major refit. SMS Mainz was the first to be laid down and to be completed; why the class was named for the second unit SMS Kolberg eludes me. At the time of completion, the four units of the class looked like this:

Kolberg
[ img ]

Mainz

Augsburg

Cöln

The funnel bands varied over time; I found photographs of Mainz all showing the correct bow crest, but four different funnel markings, none of them showing the exact time the photograph was taken. So, the choice was somewhat arbitrary.

All four had their bridges rebuilt shortly before the war; the upper bridge was moved aft to create space for a rangefinder on the CT, and extended in size. On Cöln and Augsburg an additional deckhouse was added. They also received four 52mm guns; I have not been able to find out if they were on HA or on LA mounts. Their early wartime appearance was like this, with Kolberg sporting the red rear funnel she had during the battle of the Dogger Bank:

Kolberg
[ img ]

Mainz

Augsburg

Cöln

Mainz and Cöln were early wartime losses, both being sunk by british battlecruisers in the battle of the Helgoland Bight. Kolberg took part in the battle of the Dogger Bank, then was deployed to the Baltic fleet, where Augsburg had been from the beginning of the war. Both received a major refit early in 1916, exchanging their twelve 105mm guns for six 150mm pieces. Their forecastle was extended aft, their foremast was relocated aft to create space for a much larger bridge structure, two 500mm deck torpedo tubes were added amidships (the 450mm submerged tubes were retained, so Augsburg and Kolberg were equipped with two different torpedo calibres) and the 52mm guns were removed and mountings for two 88mm flaks were installed. These were however not mounted before 1918. They looked like this after their refit:

Kolberg
[ img ]

Augsburg

After the war, Kolberg was ceded to France and served as the Colmar till the mid-thirties; Augsburg became a Japanese prize and was scrapped in 1922.

Greetings
GD

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