Emden file photo [1267]

Emden

CountryGermany
Ship ClassEmden-class Light Cruiser
BuilderKriegsmarinewerft
Yard Number100
Slip/Drydock NumberI
Ordered7 Apr 1921
Laid Down8 Dec 1921
Launched7 Jan 1925
Commissioned15 Oct 1925
Sunk3 May 1945
Displacement7,102 tons full
Length512 feet
Beam47 feet
Draft19 feet
MachinerySteam turbines, 2 shafts, 4 boilers
Power Output46,000 shaft horsepower
Speed30 knots
Range6750nm at 15 knots
Crew683
Armament8x150mm, 3x105mm, 2x37mm, 20x20mm, 4x500mm torpedoes, 120 mines
Armor24-40mm deck, 50mm belt, 100mm command tower

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe only ship in her class, Emden was constructed as one of the most advanced cruisers at the time, though her design retained much of the old German Navy charm, particularly with the use of single-gun turrets instead of a multiple-gun configuration. Also technologically breaking was the first usage of electrical welding for a ship this size. However, the lack of steel due to Germany's economic hardship plus British objection caused the construction to be delayed significantly. After launch, as a training vessel, she made a number of journeys in the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea between 1926 and 1939, notably with Karl Dönitz at the helm between Sep 1934 and Sep 1935. On 4 Sep 1939, fourth day of the European War, she was damaged during a British air raid at Wilhelmshaven when a Blenheim bomber crashed into the foreship, killing nine sailors. After repairs, she mined the North Sea and then participated in the invasion of Norway as a member of the fleet that sailed for Oslo. For the remainder of the war, she served in the Baltic Sea, tasked mainly with training duties. From Jan 1945 on, she helped evacuate German troops and civilians from East Prussian to northern Germany and Denmark. In the night of 9-10 Apr 1945, while at Kiel, she was attacked and severely damaged. She was towed into the Heikendorfer Bucht and beached there on 14 Apr. With the war coming to an end, her crew scuttled her on 3 May. She was scrapped after the war.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Sep 2006

Light Cruiser Emden Interactive Map

Photographs

Close-up of EmdenEmden at rest, date unknownEmden with her sailors lined up, date unknownEmden off the US west coast, 1930
See all 7 photographs of Light Cruiser Emden

Emden Operational Timeline

7 Apr 1921 The construction of cruiser Emden was ordered.
8 Dec 1921 The keel of Emden was laid down at the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
7 Jan 1925 Emden was launched at the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Admiral Hans Zenker gave a speech at her launching, and the ship was christened by the widow of Karl von Müller, who had commanded the original warship by the same name of Emden during WW1.
15 Oct 1925 Emden was commissioned into service.
14 Nov 1926 Emden departed Wilhelmshaven, Germany on her first long-range training cruise.
15 Mar 1927 A memorial service was held aboard cruiser Emden for the fallen of the original Emden at the Coco Islands, Straits Settlements (now a part of Australia).
25 Dec 1927 Emden arrived at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
14 Mar 1928 Emden arrived at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
5 Dec 1928 Emden departed Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
13 Dec 1929 Emden arrived at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
13 Jan 1930 Emden departed Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
13 May 1930 Emden arrived at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
1 Dec 1930 Emden departed Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
8 Dec 1931 Emden arrived at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
1 Jan 1932 Emden was transferred from the Training Inspectorate to the Commander of Reconnaissance Forces, Konteradmiral Conrad Albrecht.
1 Apr 1933 Emden was decommissioned from service for an extensive refit.
29 Sep 1934 Emden was recommissioned into service, with Karl Dönitz in command.
10 Nov 1934 Emden departed Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
12 Jun 1935 Emden arrived at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
23 Oct 1935 Emden departed Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
25 Dec 1935 Emden arrived at Guayaquil, Ecuador.
11 Jun 1936 Emden arrived at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
10 Oct 1936 Emden departed Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
15 Apr 1937 Emden arrived at Algeciras, Spain.
23 Apr 1937 Emden arrived at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
11 Oct 1937 Emden departed Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
16 Oct 1937 Emden arrived in Spanish waters.
18 Oct 1937 Emden departed Spanish waters.
14 Mar 1938 Emden arrived in Spanish waters.
21 Mar 1938 Emden departed Spanish waters.
23 Apr 1938 Emden arrived at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
26 Jul 1938 Emden departed Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
30 Aug 1938 Emden arrived at Hamilton, Bermuda.
3 Sep 1938 Emden departed Hamilton, Bermuda.
10 Sep 1938 Emden arrived at Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.
15 Sep 1938 Emden departed Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.
19 Oct 1938 Emden arrived at Istanbul, Turkey.
23 Oct 1938 Emden departed Istanbul, Turkey.
16 Dec 1938 Emden arrived at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
29 Mar 1939 Emden began operating as a fishery protection ship in the North Atlantic.
15 Apr 1939 Emden ended her role as a fishery protection ship in the North Atlantic.
3 Sep 1939 Emden laid mines in the North Sea.
4 Sep 1939 Emden was damaged during a British air raid at Wilhelmshaven, Germany when a damaged Blenheim aircraft crashed into the foreship, killing 9 and wounding 20. The aircraft's pilot was Flying Officer H. L. Emden, whose name matched that of the ship he had crashed into by pure chance. The RAF officer was later buried at the Sage War Cemetery in Großenkneten, northwestern Germany.
2 Dec 1939 Emden began a period of maintenance at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
3 Jan 1940 Emden completed a period of maintenance at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
12 Mar 1940 Emden arrived at Swinemünde, Germany and joined Group 5 being organized for the invasion of Oslo, Norway.
5 Apr 1940 Emden conducted searchlight training at Swinemünde, Germany.
6 Apr 1940 Emden embarked 600 troops at Swinemünde, Germany.
8 Apr 1940 Emden departed Strander Bucht off Strander, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany for Norway together with Group 5.
9 Apr 1940 Emden transferred 350 of her 600 carried troops onto Räumboote minesweepers, which would act as landing ships for the Oslo, Norway invasion operation. At 1555 hours, Emden began firing on the Oscarborg fortress.
10 Apr 1940 Emden entered the port of Oslo, Norway and began serving as a communications ship coordinating messages between German Army, Navy, and Air Force units.
24 Apr 1940 Emden was relieved of her duty as the communications ship at Oslo, Norway.
17 May 1940 Grand Admiral Erich Raeder toured Emden at Oslo, Norway.
7 Jun 1940 Emden departed Oslo, Norway.
8 Jun 1940 Emden arrived at Swinemünde, Germany.
7 Nov 1940 Emden entered drydocks for maintenance.
15 Feb 1941 Emden exited drydocks after completion of maintenance.
16 Sep 1941 Emden was attacked by Soviet coastal batteries based on the island of Hiiumaa, Estonia as well as four torpedo boats; the Soviets failed to cause any damage.
26 Sep 1941 Emden provided naval gunfire support for ground troops fighting on the Sõrve Peninsula on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia.
27 Sep 1941 Emden provided naval gunfire support for ground troops fighting on the Sõrve Peninsula on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia. Upon completion of her duties, she set sail for Gotenhafen (Gdynia), occupied Poland.
7 Nov 1941 Emden arrived at Gotenhafen (Polish: Gdynia), occupied Poland and disembarked Grand Admiral Erich Raeder.
19 Sep 1944 Emden began laying mines in the Skagerrak.
21 Sep 1944 Emden completed laying mines in the Skagerrak.
5 Oct 1944 Emden began laying mines in the Skagerrak.
6 Oct 1944 Emden completed laying mines in the Skagerrak.
1 Nov 1944 Emden assisted the cruiser Köln, which had run aground on the Norwegian coast.
9 Dec 1944 Emden ran aground in the Oslofjord, Norway.
10 Dec 1944 Emden was refloated in the Oslofjord, Norway after having run aground on the previous day.
23 Dec 1944 Emden departed Oslo, Norway.
25 Dec 1944 Emden arrived at Königsberg, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia).
23 Jan 1945 Emden departed Königsberg, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia) with the remains of Paul von Hindenburg aboard.
6 Feb 1945 Emden arrived at Kiel, Germany.
11 Mar 1945 While under repair at Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Emden suffered damage on the forward deck and port torpedo launchers from Allied aerial incendiary bombs.
3 Apr 1945 While under repair at Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Emden had her forward funnel destroyed by a direct hit of an Allied aerial bomb.
9 Apr 1945 While under repair at Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Emden was damaged by a near miss of a bomb from an Allied aircraft.
13 Apr 1945 While under repair at Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Emden was damaged by Allied aircraft.
14 Apr 1945 In the morning, damaged Emden was towed from Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany to the nearby Heikendorfer Bucht. After observing a 15-degree list to port due to flooding, her crew sealed the hull and beached her to prevent sinking.
26 Apr 1945 While beached on the shore of Heikendorfer Bucht near Kiel, Germany, Emden was decommissioned from service.
3 May 1945 While beached on the shore of Heikendorfer Bucht near Kiel, Germany, Emden was scuttled by her own crew with demolition charges to prevent capture.




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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Jude Monthy says:
31 May 2009 06:25:02 AM

I have in my posession the original drawing of the Emden boat.
Draving sisned by Dönitz (dated 17.02.1935)
contact in my email
2. phil morgan says:
15 Aug 2015 02:30:06 PM

I have found this site most helpful in sorting out some time differences that have been queried or mis-recorded. Thank you.
3. Commenter identity confirmed Alan Chanter says:
22 Sep 2017 11:17:12 AM

By a bizarre twist of fate, the pilot of the Blenheim, which hit be anti-aircraft fire, crashed in flames onto the forecastle of the Emden, killing nine German seamen and the four man aircrew, was Flying Officer H.L. Emden, who tragically died while attacking an enemy warship bearing his own surname.
4. Carlos says:
20 Nov 2019 03:41:51 PM

Hi Jude Monthy, I want to have the EmdenII boat original drawing, you can give me. If there is price, say me.

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More on Emden
Personnel:
» Dönitz, Karl

Event(s) Participated:
» Invasion of Denmark and Norway

Light Cruiser Emden Photo Gallery
Close-up of Emden
See all 7 photographs of Light Cruiser Emden


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