'' Cöln '' was ordered under the contract name '' Ersatz '' 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 . From 28 August to 21 September , she served as the flagship for '' Konteradmiral '' ( Rear Admiral ) Franz von Hipper , then the deputy commander of the reconnaissance forces , while Hipper was temporarily displaced from his usual flagship , the battlecruiser . Hipper left briefly , but returned on 26 September and remained aboard through the following year . During the autumn fleet maneuvers in September 1913 , '' Cöln '' attempted to warn the crew of zeppelin '' L 1 '' of the deteriorating weather conditions , but they did not receive the message . As a result , the zeppelin crashed off the island of Helgoland . After the conclusion of the maneuvers , Hipper lowered his flag , and he was replaced by '' Kommodore '' ( Commodore ) Leberecht Maass . The year 1914 began with the normal training routine , but as tensions rose following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on 28 June forced the cancellation of the planned fleet exercises for the end of July . Starting on 30 July , as war loomed , '' Cöln '' was stationed in the German Bight to monitor maritime traffic
crashed off the island of Helgoland
Helgoland Island air disaster
SMS Cöln (1909)