The final wartime production class
Ten cruisers were planned around proven machinery and 15 cm guns, but only two entered service before the armistice.
7486 tMaximum displacement
155,5 mOverall length
29,3 knMaximum speed
559Complement
The full story
History of Cöln II
The Cöln II class was the last class of small cruisers build in Germany before the end of the war. They were the final development of a class of ships that started with the Bremen class in 1903 and was improved in the following years. A total of 10 ships were ordered, but only two of them, the Cöln II and the Dresden II (named after older small cruisers that were lost in the war) entered service very late in the war. Of the eight other ships, five more were launched, the last one was the Frauenlob II on 16.10.1918. All of the incomplete ships were broken down in the following years.
The Cöln II entered fleet service in January 1918 and was part of the 2nd Reconnaissance Group until the end of the war. Dresden II entered service in March 1918 and joined its sister ship. Both ships were scuttled as Scapa Flow.
Operational history
Service timeline
Cöln II is commissioned.
Trials and training.
Attached to the 2nd reconnaissance group.
Unsuccessful attempt to attack the covering forces of the British aircraft carrier Furious.
Mine operations near Texel.
Repairs.
After a false alarm, Cöln II, Graudenz and several torpedo boats try to intercept approaching British ships.
Sent to Scapa Flow.
Scuttled at Scapa Flow.
At a glance
Technical profile
Dimensions, armament, protection and performance.
Dimensions
- Size (Max)
- 7486 t
- Length (Total)
- 155,5 m
- Length (Waterline)
- 149,8 m
- Beam
- 14,2 m
- Draft
- 6,01 m
- Crew
- 559
Armament
- 15 cm
- 8
- 8,8 cm
- 3
- 60 cm Torpedo tubes
- 4
- Mines
- 200
Machinery
- Shafts
- 2
- Turbines
- 2
- Type
- Geared turbines
Performance
- Total Performance
- 48708 shp
- Speed
- 29,3 kn
- Range
- 6000 miles at 12 kn
The archive
Models
Ship models in 1/1250 scale.
Construction record
Cöln II
- Laid down
- Blohm & Voß Hamburg, 1915
- Launched
- 05.10.1916
- Commissioned
- 10.01.1918
- Fate
- scuttled in Scapa Flow on 21.06.1919