German Cruiser Emden - Service History

Service History

After her commissioning in 1925, Emden was used as a training ship for naval cadets. She made a series of world cruises to show the flag in the pre-war period and trained large numbers of cadets. In 1925–1926, a series of modifications were made to the ship, including increasing the height of the second funnel and the installation of a flying bridge at the base of the battle mast, which was shortened by 7 m (23 ft). Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière commanded the ship from September 1928 until October 1930. In April 1933, her coal-fired boilers were replaced with more efficient oil-fired boilers. The next year, another series of modifications was made, including reducing the main mast and funnels in height and the installation of a small crane on the starboard side of the main mast. In September 1934, Karl Dönitz, the future commander of the Kriegsmarine, took command of the ship and remained in the position until September 1935. Emden went into dock for further modifications in 1936; the ship's masts were again reworked, and the third 8.8 cm anti-aircraft gun was added.

After the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, a degaussing coil was installed just above the waterline to protect the ship from magnetic mines. Her first wartime operation saw her participating in laying a minefield off the German coast in the North Sea on 3 September. She conducted the operation with the other light cruisers Nürnberg, Leipzig, Köln, and Königsberg and sixteen destroyers. After laying her first set of mines, she returned to Wilhelmshaven to restock her mines. While moored in the harbor, she was attacked by British bombers on 4 September; German anti-aircraft gunners shot down four of the five Blenheim bombers, one of which inadvertently crashed into the ship. Twenty-nine men were killed or wounded in the crash.

Emden next participated in the invasion of Norway (Operation Weserübung). She was part of the ill-fated Kriegsschiffgruppe 5, tasked with taking Oslo. The group's flagship, the heavy cruiser Blücher, was sunk by the Oscarsborg coastal fortress inside Oslofjord when the squadron attempted to enter the harbor to land troops. After the loss of Blücher, Emden and the heavy cruiser Lützow landed their troops further down the fjord. After the ground troops occupied Oslo, Emden entered the port to serve as a joint communications center to coordinate Kriegsmarine, Wehrmacht, and Luftwaffe operations. After the conquest of Norway was complete, Emden returned to Germany to serve as a training ship. This lasted until September 1941.

In September 1941, Emden was assigned to an operation in the Gulf of Riga to provide gunfire support to German troops. On the 16th, she was operating off Dagö with Leipzig and three torpedo boats; the ships came under fire from Soviet coastal batteries, but were undamaged. A group of four Soviet torpedo boats also made an unsuccessful attack on the German squadron. Emden was then assigned to the Baltic Fleet, centered on the newly-commissioned battleship Tirpitz; the Baltic Fleet was tasked with preventing the Soviet Navy from breaking out of the Baltic. Emden and Leipzig were the core of the southern group, which was based in Libau. The fleet remained on station only briefly, and by 29 September, the ships were recalled to Gotenhafen.

After returning to Germany, Emden was assigned to training duties once again. She continued in this role until June 1942, by which time a major overhaul was in order. The refit was completed in Wilhelmshaven, after which Emden returned to training cadets. In September 1944, she was deployed to Norway, where she served as the flagship of the minelaying forces there. While in Norway, she participated in several minelaying operations through October, when she was transferred to convoy escort duty; her primary task was to protect convoys in and out of Oslo. This lasted until December, when she ran aground in the Oslofjord off the island of Flateguri. Her guns were removed while repairs were partially effected in the Schichau-Werke. Before departing East Prussia, she took on the remains of Paul von Hindenburg and his wife to carry them back to Germany. They had been disinterred to prevent them from falling into the hands of the advancing Soviet Army. The repair work on the ship was not yet completed, and so she was towed to Pillau, where the Hindenburgs' remains were taken off. Emden's engines were put back in working order, though she was incapable of reaching top speed, and her guns were reinstalled.

Emden departed Pillau on 1 February, bound for Kiel. She arrived on 7 February 1945 and was taken into the Deutsche Werke dockyard to complete the necessary repairs. British bombers attacked the ship twice and damaged her badly. The ship was listing heavily, and so on 14 April, she was towed out into Heikendorfer Bay and run aground. The Germans then blew her up on 3 May to prevent the Allies from capturing the ship. The wreck was ultimately broken up for scrap in 1949. Her bow ornament is currently on display in the Deutsches Museum in Munich.