 Cöln was ordered under the contract name Ersatz Schwalbe and was laid down on 25 May 1908 at the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel . She was launched on 5 June 1909 and christened by the mayor of Cöln , Max Wallraf , after which fitting @-@ out work commenced . During the builders ' sea trials , the Zoelly turbines were found to be poor quality and they were replaced with Germaniawerft @-@ produced models . This work significantly delayed her completion . She was commissioned into the High Seas Fleet on 16 June 1911 , and she began her acceptance trials . These were interrupted by a fleet parade for Kaiser Wilhelm II on 5 September . On 10 October , she was assigned to the II Scouting Group , which screened for the battlecruisers of the I Scouting Group . She participated in the normal peacetime routine of individual , squadron , and fleet exercises and cruises over the next two years without incident . Fregattenkapitän Hans Zenker served as her commander from October 1911 to September 1913 . 
