München 1905
Berlin 1928
| Name | No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comp | Fate |
| Bremen | A G Weser, Bremen | 1902 | 9/7/1903 | 19/5/1904 | sunk 17/2/1915 | |
| Hamburg | Vulcan, Stettin | 1902 | 25/7/1903 | 8/3/1904 | accommodation ship 1918-1920, stricken 3/1931 | |
| Berlin | KW Danzig | 1902 | 22/9/1903 | 4/4/1905 | hulk 1935 | |
| Lübeck | Vulcan, Stettin | 1903 | 26/3/1904 | 26/4/1905 | target ship 1917 | |
| München | A G Weser, Bremen | 1903 | 30/4/1904 | 10/1/1905 | accommodation ship 1918 | |
| Leipzig | A G Weser, Bremen | 1904 | 21/3/1905 | 20/4/1906 | sunk 8/12/1914 | |
| Danzig | KW Danzig | 1904 | 23/9/1905 | 1/2/1907 | stricken 11/1919 |
|
Displacement normal, t |
3278 Lűbeck: 3265 |
|
Displacement full, t |
3651 - 3816 Lűbeck: 3661 |
|
Length, m |
110.6 wl 111.1 oa |
|
Breadth, m |
13.3 |
|
Draught, m |
5.38 - 5.60 |
|
No of shafts |
2 |
|
Machinery |
VTE, 10 Marine boilers Lübeck: Parsons steam turbines, 10 Marine boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
11750 Lübeck: 14400 |
|
Max speed, kts |
23 |
|
Fuel, t |
coal 860 |
|
Endurance, nm(kts) |
Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin: 4270(12) Lübeck: 3800(12) München, Leipzig, Danzig: 4690(12) |
|
Armour, mm |
steel / Krupp steel - deck: 35 - 20, slopes: 80 - 50, glacises: 100, CT: 100, shields: 50 |
|
Armament |
10 x 1 - 105/40 SK L/40, 2 - 450 TT (5, beam) |
|
Complement |
288 |
Ship project history: Project was developed in 1901-1902. Merely enlarged Gazelle with more powerful machinery and raised speed. Universal type of a cruiser, differed by good seaworthiness and manoeuvrability. Had three funnels instead of two on predecessors and thicker deck armour. Lübeck become first German cruiser with steam turbines, she originally had 8 separate screws on 2 shafts, subsequently their number was decreased to 4.
Ship protection: 35mm protective deck with 80-50mm slopes protected machinery, outside machine spaces 20mm deck had turtleback form. Engines had 100mm glacises. CT had 100mm sides and 20mm roof, guns had 50mm shields.
Modernizations: 1915, Bremen: - 4 x 1 - 105/40; + 2 x 1 - 149/45 SK L/45
1915, Berlin: + 80 mines
1916, Lübeck: - 4 x 1 - 105/40, 2 - 450 TT; + 2 x 1 - 149/45 SK L/45, 2 x 1 - 500 TT (4), 50 mines
1916, Berlin, Műnchen: were disarmed
1916, Hamburg: - 4 x 1 - 105/40
1920, Hamburg: was armed with 10 x 1 - 105/45 SK C/06, 2 x 1 - 500 TT
1922, Berlin: was armed with 8 x 1 - 105/45 SK C/06, 2 x 1 - 500 TT, stem was reconstructed (length was 110.6m wl and 113.8m oa)
Naval service: Leipzig was a part of Spee squadron, she was sunk by artillery of British cruisers Cornwall and Glasgow. Bremen was sunk on Baltic by British submarine E9 (on other data stricken by Russian mines). Remaining ships participated in operations a little as were considered poorly armed and insufficiently fast.
© Ivan Gogin, 2008-10