More speed and a heavier broadside
Four larger turbine cruisers strengthened the scouting force and entered war as active units in the North Sea and Baltic.
4915 tMaximum displacement
130,5 mOverall length
26,3 knMaximum speed
367Complement
The full story
History of Kolberg
The small cruisers of the Kolberg class were significant bigger than their predecessor, enabling to add two additional 10,5 cm guns to the ships. All four ships had different kind of turbines to find the best of them for later cruiser designs: Melms & Pfenninger (Kolberg), Parsons (Augsburg), Schneider-Zoelly (Cöln) and AEG-Curtis (Mainz). Those installed in the Cöln proofed to be very unreliable therefore they were exchanged with Germania-turbines after trials.
Like many other small cruisers, their main armament was replaced during the war, the twelve 10,5 cm guns were replaced with six 15 cm guns. They were good seagoing ships, but had a bad maneuverability.
Kolberg took part in the Battle of Helgoland, the Battle of the Doggerbank and the operations at the Baltic Islands. In 1920 it was delivered to France where it was renamed to Colmar and served until 21.07.1927. It was scrapped in 1929.
At a glance
Technical profile
Dimensions, armament, protection and performance.
Dimensions
- Size (Max)
- 4915 t
- Length (Total)
- 130,5 m
- Length (Waterline)
- 130,0 m
- Beam
- 14,0 m
- Draft
- 5,58 m
- Crew
- 367
Armament
- 15,0 cm
- 6 (since 1917)
- 10,5 cm
- 12 (until 1917)
- 8,8 cm
- 2 (since 1918)
- 5,2 cm
- 4
- 45 cm Torpedo tubes
- 2 (later replaced with 50 cm tubes)
- Mines
- 100
Armor
- Deck
- 50mm (max)
- Command tower
- 100 mm (max)
Machinery
- Shafts
- 4
- Turbines
- 2
- Type
- Melms & Pfenniger
Performance
- Total Performance
- 30400 shp
- Speed
- 26,3 kn
- Range
- 3250 miles at 14 kn
Construction record
Kolberg
- Laid down
- Schichau Danzig, March 1907
- Launched
- 24.11.1908
- Commissioned
- 21.06.1910
- Fate
- delivered to France in 1920