List of cruisers of Germany
Introduction alt=Two warships with steam rising from their smokestacks at anchor off New York harborStarting in the 1880s, the German  (Imperial Navy) began building a series of cruisers. The first designs—protected and unprotected—were ordered to replace aging sail and steam-powered frigates and corvettes that were of minimal combat value. After several iterations of each type, these cruisers were developed into armored and light cruisers, respectively, over the following decade. They were built to fill a variety of roles, including scouts for the main battle fleet and colonial cruisers for Germany's overseas empire. The armored cruisers in turn led to the first German battlecruiser, .The protected and unprotected cruisers had been withdrawn from active service by the 1910s, though some continued in secondary roles. Most of the armored and light cruisers saw action in World War I, in all of the major theaters of the conflict. Their service ranged from commerce raiding patrols on the open ocean to the fleet engagements in the North Sea such as the Battle of Jutland. Many were sunk in the course of the war, and the majority of the remainder were either seized as war prizes by the victorious Allies, scuttled by their crews in Scapa Flow in 1919, or broken up for scrap. The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to surrender most of its remaining vessels. Only six old pre-dreadnought battleships and six old light cruisers could be kept on active duty. These ships could be replaced when they reached twenty years of age, and the cruisers were limited to a displacement of .In the 1920s, Germany began a modest program to rebuild its fleet, now renamed the . It began with the new light cruiser, , in 1921, followed by five more light cruisers and three new heavy cruisers, the . A further five heavy cruisers—the —were ordered in the mid-1930s, though only the first three were completed. At the same time, the German navy was renamed the . Plan Z, a more ambitious reconstruction program that called for twelve P-class cruisers, was approved in early 1939 but was cancelled before the end of the year following the outbreak of World War II. Of the six heavy cruisers and six light cruisers that were finished, only two survived the war. One, , was sunk following nuclear weapons tests during Operation Crossroads in 1946; the other, , saw service in the Soviet Navy until she was scrapped around 1960.+ Key Armament The number and type of the primary armament Armor The thickness of the deck or belt armor Displacement Ship displacement at full combat load Propulsion Number of shafts, type of propulsion system, and top speed generated Cost Cost of the ship's construction Service The dates work began and finished on the ship and its ultimate fate Laid down The date the keel began to be assembled Commissioned The date the ship was commissioned
Protected cruisers alt=A large warship with several guns and two tall masts at anchorStarting in the mid-1880s, the German Navy began to modernize its cruising force, which at that time relied on a mixed collection of sail and steam frigates and corvettes. General Leo von Caprivi, then the Chief of the  (Imperial Navy), ordered several new warships, including two s laid down in 1886, the first protected cruisers to be built in Germany. Design work on their successor, , began the following year, though she was not laid down until 1890.Five more ships of the  followed in the mid-1890s. These ships, the last protected cruisers built in Germany, provided the basis for the armored cruisers that were built starting at the end of the decade. All of these ships were intended to serve both as fleet scouts and overseas cruisers, since Germany's limited naval budget prevented development of ships optimized for each task.Most of the German protected cruisers served on overseas stations throughout their careers, primarily in the East Asia Squadron in the 1890s and 1900s. participated in the seizure of the Jiaozhou Bay Leased Territory in November 1897, which was used as the primary base for the East Asia Squadron. , , and  assisted in the suppression of the Boxer Uprising in China in 1900, and  saw action during the Venezuelan crisis of 1902–03, where she bombarded several Venezuelan fortresses. , , and  were relegated to secondary duties in the 1910s, while the  class was used to train naval cadets in the 1900s. All eight ships were broken up for scrap in the early 1920s. Ship Armament Armor Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate  4 × 15 cm K L/30 guns10 × 15 cm K L/22   2 shafts, 2 reciprocating engines,  1886 25 May 1888 Scrapped, 1922  13 November 1889 Scrapped, 1922  12 × 15 cm SK L/35 guns   3 shafts, 3 triple-expansion engines,  1890 17 November 1892 Scrapped, 1920  2 × 21 cm SK L/40 guns8 × 15 cm SK L/40 guns   3 shafts, triple-expansion engines,  1895 20 February 1899 Scrapped, 1923  23 July 1898 Scrapped, 1920  20 October 1898 Scrapped, 1921   3 shafts, triple-expansion engines,  1896 13 September 1899 Scrapped, 1920  20 April 1899 Scrapped, 1920
Unprotected cruisers alt=A white warship at anchor in calm seas, with smoke rising slowly from three smokestacksAt the same time that Caprivi began ordering new protected cruisers, he also authorized the construction of smaller unprotected cruisers for use in Germany's overseas colonies. The first of these, the , were laid down in 1886 and 1887.A further six vessels of the , which were improved versions that were larger and faster than their predecessors, followed over the next five years. A final, much larger vessel, , was laid down in 1892; her design was based on contemporary protected cruisers like . She represented another attempt to merge the colonial cruiser and fleet scout, which was unsuccessful. As a result, the German naval designers began work on the , which provided the basis for all future German light cruisers.All nine cruisers served extensively in Germany's colonies, particularly in Africa and Asia. They participated in the suppression of numerous rebellions, including the Abushiri Revolt in German East Africa in 1889–1890, the Boxer Uprising in China in 1900–1901, and the Sokehs Rebellion in the Caroline Islands in 1911.Most of the ships had been recalled to Germany and decommissioned by the early 1910s, having been replaced by the newer light cruisers. and  were scrapped in 1912, but the rest continued on in secondary roles. Of the remaining seven ships, only  and  remained abroad at the start of World War I in August 1914.was stationed in Qingdao, but her engines were worn out, so she was scuttled to prevent her capture. briefly operated against British shipping in the Pacific before running low on coal. She put into Hawaii, where she was interned by the US Navy. After the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, she was seized and commissioned into American service as USS ''Schurz'', though she was accidentally sunk in a collision in June 1918., employed as a mine storage hulk in Wilhelmshaven during the war, was destroyed by an accidental explosion in 1917., , and  were all broken up for scrap in the early 1920s, while  was briefly used as a freighter, before she too was scrapped, in 1923.Ship Armament Armor Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate  8 × 10.5 cm K L/35 guns —  2 × 2-cylinder double-expansion steam engines,  April 1886 8 May 1888 Scrapped, 1922  September 1887 2 April 1889 Scrapped, 1922  8 × 10.5 cm K L/35 guns —  2 × 2-cylinder double-expansion steam engines,  1888 7 October 1890 Scrapped, 1913  8 × 10.5 cm SK L/35 guns 1890 14 September 1891 Scrapped, 1913  1890 17 August 1892 Destroyed, 1917  1891 9 December 1892 Scrapped, 1921  1890 25 July 1893 Scuttled, 28 September 1914  1893 24 October 1895 Captured, 6 April 1917, sunk 21 June 1918  10 × 10.5 cm SK L/35 guns 25 mm  2 × 3-cylinder triple expansion engines,  1892 5 June 1895 Converted to freighter, 1920, scrapped 1923
Armored cruisers alt=A large warship with white hull and dark gray superstructure, thick black smoke belching from its two tall smokestacksThe first armored cruiser, , was ordered shortly after the  class of protected cruisers. was an improved version of the earlier type, with heavier armament, more extensive armor protection, and a significantly greater size. A further seven units, divided between four different designs, followed over the next ten years; each design provided incremental improvements over earlier vessels. A ninth armored cruiser, , was a much larger vessel representing an intermediate step between armored cruisers and battlecruisers. Indeed, her design had been influenced by the misinformation Britain had released about its s, which were then under construction. Once the characteristics of the new ships were revealed, Germany began building battlecruisers in response.Germany's armored cruisers served in a variety of roles, including overseas as flagships of the East Asia Squadron, and in the fleet reconnaissance forces. All of them, save , saw action during World War I in a variety of theaters. served with the battlecruisers in the I Scouting Group and was sunk at the Battle of Dogger Bank in 1915, and the two s formed the core of Maximilian von Spee's squadron that defeated the British at the Battle of Coronel in November 1914 before being annihilated at the Battle of the Falkland Islands. was accidentally sunk by a German mine in November 1914 outside Wilhelmshaven, and the two s were sunk in the Baltic Sea. Only  and  survived the war; both were scrapped in the early 1920s. Ship Armament Armor Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate  4 ×  SK L/40  10 ×  SK L/40 guns   3 screws, triple expansion engines,  1896 1 April 1900 Broken up for scrap in 1919–1920  2 ×  SK L/40  10 ×  SK L/40 guns   3 screws, triple expansion engines,  1898 11 March 1902 Broken up for scrap in 1920  4 ×  SK L/40  10 ×  SK L/40 guns    3 screws, triple expansion engines,  1900 12 January 1904 Sunk on 23 October 1915 by   3 screws, triple expansion engines,  1901 12 December 1903 Sunk on 17 November 1914 by Russian mines  4 × 21 cm SK L/40  10 ×  SK L/40 guns   3 screws, triple expansion engines,  1902 5 April 1906 Broken up for scrap in 1921  3 screws, triple expansion engines,  1903 21 November 1905 Sunk on 4 November 1914 by German mines  8 × 21 cm SK L/40  6 ×  SK L/40 guns   3 screws, triple expansion engines,  1905 24 October 1907 Sunk on 8 December 1914 at the Battle of the Falkland Islands  3 screws, triple expansion engines,  1904 6 March 1908 Sunk on 8 December 1914 at the Battle of the Falkland Islands  12 × 21 cm SK L/45  8 ×  SK L/45 guns   3 screws, triple expansion engines,  21 February 1907 1 October 1909 Sunk on 24 January 1915 at the Battle of Dogger Bank
Light cruisers alt=A small gray warship with its bright red keel showing at the waterlineStarting in the late 1890s, the  began developing modern light cruisers, based on experience with the unprotected cruisers and a series of avisos it had built over the preceding decade. The ten-ship  class set the basic pattern, which was gradually improved over successive classes. The  introduced more powerful,  main guns, and the  added a waterline main belt to improve armor protection. Between 1897 and the end of World War I, the German Navy completed forty-seven light cruisers; all of these ships saw service during the war in a variety of theaters and roles. Some, such as  and , served as commerce raiders, while others, such as the two s, served with the High Seas Fleet and saw action at the Battle of Jutland in 1916.Several fleet cruiser design studies were prepared in 1916, but no work was begun before the war ended in November 1918.Following the war, the Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to cede all of its most modern light cruisers; only eight  and s were permitted under the terms of the treaty. These ships could be replaced after twenty years from the time they were launched, and the first new vessel, , was laid down in 1921.Five more ships of the  and es were built between 1926 and 1935.These six cruisers all saw combat during World War II; two,  and , were sunk during the invasion of Norway in April 1940.and  were destroyed by Allied bombers in the closing months of the war, and  was discarded after being badly damaged in a collision with the heavy cruiser . This left  as the only vessel of the type to survive the war. She was seized by the Soviet Union as a war prize and continued in Soviet service until she was scrapped in 1960.Ship Armament Armor Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate  10 × 10.5 cm SK L/40 guns   2 shafts, 2 reciprocating engines,  1897 15 June 1901 Scrapped, 1920  2 shafts, 2 reciprocating engines,  1898 25 June 1900 Destroyed, 19 December 1943   20 September 1900 Scrapped, 1932  1899 14 September 1901 Scrapped, 1930   18 May 1901 Sunk, Battle of Heligoland Bight, 28 August 1914   18 May 1901 Scrapped, 1954   1900 26 July 1901 Scrapped, 1948–1950   1901 17 February 1903 Sunk, Battle of Jutland, 31 May 1916   12 May 1903 Scrapped, 1948   5 January 1904 Sunk, 7 November 1915  10 × 10.5 cm SK L/40 guns   2 shafts, 2 reciprocating engines,  1902 19 May 1904 Sunk, 17 February 1915   8 March 1904 Scrapped, 1956   4 April 1905 Scuttled, 1947   4 shafts, 2 steam turbines,  1903 26 April 1906 Scrapped, 1922–1923   2 shafts, 2 reciprocating engines, 22 kn 10 January 1905 Scrapped, 1920   1904 20 April 1906 Sunk, Battle of the Falkland Islands, 8 December 1914   1 December 1907 Scrapped, 1922–1923  10 × 10.5 cm SK L/40 guns 80 mm  2 shafts, 2 reciprocating engines,  1905 6 April 1907 Scuttled, Battle of Rufiji Delta, 11 July 1915   1906 10 April 1908 Sunk, Battle of the Falkland Islands, 8 December 1914   1905 1 February 1908 Scrapped, 1920   2 shafts, 2 steam turbines,  1906 29 October 1907 Scrapped, 1921–1923  10 × 10.5 cm SK L/40 guns 80 mm  2 shafts, 2 steam turbines,  1906 14 November 1908 Scuttled, Battle of Mas a Tierra, 14 March 1915  2 shafts, 2 reciprocating engines,  1906 20 July 1909 Grounded, Battle of Cocos, 9 November 1914  12 × 10.5 cm SK L/45 guns   4 shafts, 4 steam turbines,  1908 21 June 1910 Scrapped, 1929   2 shafts, 2 steam turbines,  1907 1 October 1909 Sunk, Battle of Heligoland Bight, 28 August 1914   4 shafts, 4 steam turbines,  1908 16 June 1911 Sunk, Battle of Heligoland Bight, 28 August 1914   1908 1 October 1910 Scrapped, 1922  12 × 10.5 cm SK L/45 guns   4 shafts, 4 steam turbines,  1910 20 August 1912 Grounded, 26 August 1914  1910 10 May 1912 Sunk, Battle of Imbros, 20 January 1918  1910 9 October 1912 Sunk, 23 September 1944  1910 10 December 1912 Scrapped, 1935  12 × 10.5 cm SK L/45 guns 60 mm  2 shafts, 2 steam turbines,  21 September 1911 15 January 1914 Sunk, 4 November 1914  1911 5 February 1914 Sunk, Battle of Jutland, 1 June 1916  12 × 10.5 cm SK L/45 guns 60 mm  2 shafts, 2 steam turbines,  1912 10 August 1914 Scrapped, 1937  1912 3 January 1915 Scuttled, 1944  8 ×  SK L/45 guns 80 mm  2 shafts, 2 steam turbines, 27.5 kn 1913 14 December 1914 Ceded to Italy, 20 July 1920  4 September 1915 Scuttled, 1 June 1916  8 × 15 cm SK L/45 guns 60 mm  2 shafts, 2 steam turbines, 27.5 kn 1913 23 August 1915 Sunk, 1 June 1916  20 August 1915 Sunk as a target, 18 July 1921  8 × 15 cm SK L/45 guns 60 mm  2 shafts, 2 steam turbines,  1914 12 August 1916 Scrapped, 1936  1915 15 November 1916 Scuttled, 21 June 1919  1914 16 December 1916 Scrapped, 1926  1915 15 February 1917 Sunk as a target ship, 1922  4 × 15 cm SK L/45 guns   2 shafts, 2 steam turbines,  1915 2 April 1916 Scuttled, 21 June 1919  1 July 1916 Scuttled, 21 June 1919  8 × 15 cm SK L/45 guns   2 shafts, 2 steam turbines,  1915 17 January 1918 Scuttled, 21 June 1919  1916 28 March 1918 Scuttled, 21 June 1919  1915 — Scrapped, 1920  1916 — Scrapped, 1922  1915 — Scrapped, 1921  1915 — Scrapped, 1921  1915 — Scrapped, 1921  1916 — Scrapped, 1921  1916 — Scrapped, 1921  1916 — Scrapped, 1920 FK 1 5 × 15 cm SK L/45 guns —  2 shafts, 2 steam turbines,  — — Design study only FK 1a  2 shafts, 2 steam turbines,  — — FK 2  2 shafts, 2 steam turbines, 32 kn — — FK 3 7 × 15 cm SK L/45 guns  2 shafts, 2 steam turbines, 32 kn — — FK 4 8 × 15 cm SK L/45 guns  — —  8 × 15 cm SK L/45 guns 40 mm  2 shafts, 2 steam turbines,  8 December 1921 15 October 1925 Destroyed, 3 May 1945  9 × 15 cm SK C/25 guns 40 mm  3 shafts, 4 steam turbines, 2 diesel engines, 32 kn 12 April 1926 17 April 1929 Sunk, 10 April 1940  27 July 1926 6 November 1929 Sunk, 9 April 1940  7 August 1926 15 January 1930 Sunk, 3 March 1945  9 × 15 cm SK C/25 guns   3 shafts, 2 steam turbines, 4 diesel engines, 32 kn 28 April 1928 8 October 1931 Scuttled, July 1946   1934 2 November 1935 Scrapped, c. 1960 M 8 × 15 cm SK C/28 guns 25 mm  3 shafts, 2 steam turbines, 4 diesel engines,  1938 — Scrapped, 1939 N O — — P Q  R
Heavy cruisers  on alt=A large gray warship cruising through calm seas; several men are standing on the deckIn addition to restricting the number of light cruisers Germany could possess, the Treaty of Versailles also limited the capital ship strength of the new  to six old pre-dreadnought battleships and placed restrictions on the size of replacement ships, with the intent of prohibiting ships more powerful than coastal defense ships from being built. The  responded by designing the ; these heavy cruisers armed with  guns were intended to break the naval clauses of Versailles by significantly outgunning the new treaty cruisers being built by Britain and France under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty, which were limited to  guns. If Britain and France agreed to abrogate the naval clauses of the Versailles treaty, Germany would abandon the new cruisers. France rejected the proposal, and so the three s were built, and a further two of the D-class were planned, though these were cancelled in favor of a larger derivative, the  of fast battleships. When Germany signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement in 1935, the  was permitted to build five new heavy cruisers—the . Plan Z, approved in early 1939, projected a dozen P-class cruisers based on the  design.Owing to the outbreak of World War II, only three of the s were completed and the P-class ships were cancelled. was scuttled following the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939, and  was sunk during the invasion of Norway. and  were destroyed by Allied bombers in the last month of the war. In 1942 the  decided to convert the -class cruiser  into an aircraft carrier, though the project was not completed. , renamed , and  both survived the war; the former was sunk in Soviet weapons tests in 1947 and the latter sank after enduring two nuclear detonations in Operation Crossroads in 1946.The two unfinished s,  and , were scrapped in the Soviet Union in the late 1950s; the former was a war prize but the latter had been sold to the Soviets before the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.Ship Armament Armor Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate / 6 × 28 cm SK C/28 guns   2 shafts, 8 diesel engines,  5 February 1929 19 May 1931 Sunk in Soviet weapons test, July 1947   25 June 1931 1 April 1933 Sunk on 9 April 1945, broken up for scrap   1 October 1932 30 June 1934 Scuttled on 17 December 1939 D 6 × 28 cm guns   Turbine propulsion,  14 February 1934 — Work halted on 5 July 1934, broken up E — Work not begun P1–P12 6 × 28 cm guns   12 diesel engines,  — — Canceled on 27 July 1939  8 × 20.3 cm SK C/34 guns   3 shafts, 3 turbine engines,  6 July 1935 29 April 1939 Scuttled 3 May 1945, broken up in 1948   15 August 1936 20 September 1939 Sunk on 9 April 1940   23 April 1936 1 August 1940 Sunk after US atomic tests, 22 December 1946   29 December 1936 — Ceded to the Soviet Union, broken up after 1958   2 August 1937 — Sold to the Soviet Union, broken up in 1958–1959 or 1960
See also * List of battleships of Germany* List of battlecruisers of Germany* List of ironclad warships of Germany
Notes '''Footnotes''''''Citations'''
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