KM Emden (CL-1927)

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The Emden was the first major ship designed and completed post-war for the Germanic States Navy. The ships were an improved Admiral Schroder class. They were built to the new Treaty limits for cruisers for the Germanic States at 7,000 tons. They were the nearest the Germanic States ever got to having ships actually built to the set limits, 7,500 tons standard was pretty close to the 7,000 ton limit. The 5.9" guns and turrets were a new development for the Germanic States Navy and were much better than the equivalent British weapons, and fired as far as the current British 8". (To be accurate they also fired almost as far as the Mk.1 15" guns in their original condition, 29,000 yards.)

The secondary armament was four of the older 3.4" guns on dual-purpose mountings for use as AA guns as well as surface targets. Eventually these guns were replaced with twin mountings. The light AA armament started with the twin 37mm fitted to most major surface units, while the 20mm guns started being mounted in the late 30's in single and then quadruple mountings. Two pairs of twin torpedo tubes were fitted. The original sets were the 24"/60cm type in use at the end of WW1, these being replaced with the 21" during the refits during the 1930's. The torpedoes were removed in 1943 to save topweight to devote to electronic equipment.

To emulate what the British had done with the C and D class cruisers, I tried a drawing for the Emden as an AA cruiser.



Emden showing single 3.4" AA guns amidships. Forward (and probably aft) main directors yet to be fitted (1927).

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