Light Cruisers: K Class

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designeraccd
Posts: 2905
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 7:08 pm

Light Cruisers: K Class

Unread post by designeraccd »

The group of 3 Ks: KONIGSBERG, KOLN, and KARLSHURE was the only multiple unit CL in the Kriegsmarine. They were built to severe Versaille Treaty restrictions. All carried 9-5.9" with the 2 stern turrets offset to attempt to provide more forward firing arcs.

All 3 helped invade Norway, and 2 were lost there. The KOLN was sunk pier side near the end of WW2, but still kept at least the 2 stern turrets firing at the advancing Soviet Army.

Class and type: Königsberg class
Displacement: 7,700 long tons (7,800 t)
Length: 174 m (571 ft)
Beam: 15.3 m (50 ft)
Draft: 6.28 m (20.6 ft)
Propulsion: 3 shafts, two MAN 10-cylinder diesels, four geared turbines
Speed: 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Range: 5,700 nmi (10,600 km; 6,600 mi) at 19 kn (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Complement: 21 officers
493 enlisted men

Armament: 9 × 15 cm SK C/25 guns
2 × 8.8 cm SK L/45 anti-aircraft guns
12 × 50 cm torpedoes
120 mines

Armor: Belt: 50 mm (2.0 in)
Deck: 40 mm (1.6 in)
Conning tower: 100 mm (3.9 in)

The Germans found out the hard way that the hulls were to lightly built, when KARLSHURE was on a cruise crossing the Pacific, her hull started MAJOR cracking in a typhoon!!!! :o IIRC, she was repaired in San Francisco?

The overhead view shows the offset turrets clearly. DFO
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ivorthediver
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Location: Cambridge Shore Battery

Re: Light Cruisers: K Class

Unread post by ivorthediver »

Thanks Dennis great shots [ sorry for the pun ] ;)
"What Ever Floats your Boat"
designeraccd
Posts: 2905
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 7:08 pm

Re: Light Cruisers: K Class

Unread post by designeraccd »

Here is a pic of KOLN purportedly on a NGFS mission against the sov army late war. While she did do that, the two tone paint looks more pre or early war. NOT the "look" a a German heavy unit in the Baltic late war......?? :?

The more distant pic does show her on a ngfs mission late war! She appears to have a dark grey overall scheme??

The third pic, of her sunken hulk, appears to have mottled camo, but overall mainly dark. She did continue to provide gunfire support from that pierside position.

Info from the internet:

"On 12 Dec 1944, she was heavily damaged during a bombing raid, destroying her powerplant. She received temporary repairs in place, and sailed to Wilhelmshaven, Germany for permanent repairs, arriving in Feb 1945; during the transfer to Wilhelmshaven, Lieutenant Commander KK Frotz-Henning Brandes took command in Jan 1945. She was further damaged by bombing raids. During the night of 30 Mar 1945, US bombers struck, caused her to sink on even keel. Since her turrets remained above water, she served as a stationary gun platform until the end of the war, firing at advancing Allied troops. She was scrapped in 1946."

One fights with what one has. However, I cannot find any mention of her firing on the soviet army on the net at this point! IF my memory serves, some book I have did state she carried out ngfs missions vs the sov army.....IF! ......... DFO
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