 Emden in China, 1931
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Preceded by |
|
| Succeeded by | Königsberg class |
| History | |
  Germany | |
| Name | Emden |
| Namesake | Emden |
| Ordered | 1921 |
| Laid down | 8 December 1921 |
| Launched | 6 January 1925 |
| Commissioned | 15 October 1925 |
| Fate | Scuttled 3 May 1945, scrapped 1949 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Light cruiser |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 155.1 m (508 ft 10 in) |
| Beam | 14.2 m (46 ft 7 in) |
| Draft | 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 29.5 knots (54.6 km/h; 33.9 mph) |
| Range | 6,700 nmi (12,400 km; 7,700 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 6 |
| Complement |
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| Armament |
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| Armor |
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Emden was a light cruiser built for the German Navy (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 down in December 1921 and her completed hull was launched in January 1925. Emden was commissioned into the 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. Displacement was capped at 6,000 long tons (6,100 t), though like all German warships built in the period, Emden exceeded the size limitations. 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).
Emden spent the majority of her career as a training ship; in the inter-war period, she conducted several world cruises to train naval cadets, frequently visiting East Asia, the Americas, and the Indian Ocean region. In 1937 and 1938, she briefly participated in the non-intervention patrols during the Spanish Civil War. At the outbreak of war, she laid minefields off the German coast and was damaged by a British bomber that crashed into her. She participated in the invasion of Norway in April 1940 as part of the force that captured the Norwegian capital at Oslo.
The ship thereafter resumed training duties in the Baltic Sea. These lasted with minor interruptions until September 1941, when she was assigned to the Baltic Fleet and tasked with supporting German operations during the invasion of the Soviet Union. Training duties resumed in 1942 and lasted until late 1944, when she took part in minelaying operations in the Skagerrak. Damaged in a grounding accident in December 1944, she went to Königsberg for repairs. In January 1945, she participated in the evacuation of East Prussia to escape the advancing Soviet Army. While undergoing repairs in Kiel, Emden was repeatedly damaged by British bombers and later run aground outside the harbor to prevent her from sinking. In the final days of the war, she was blown up to prevent her capture. The wreck was ultimately broken up in place by 1950.