When it comes to Emden, the easiest thing that comes to mind is the title of "Oriental Swan". This was also one miracle after another created by the Emden generation, but was eventually hit hard and stranded by the Australian cruiser Sydney. In order to commemorate her, the German Emperor personally approved the construction of the second generation of "Emden".
In 1916, the German Navy named a new "Königsberg" class light cruiser "Emden", unfortunately, the glorious name did not change the fate of the second generation of Emden, with the defeat of Germany, the second generation of "Emden" also disappeared into the waves of Scarpa Bay.
Emden, the protagonist of today, is only a deeply improved version of the light cruiser "Cologne" class, and the overall design has not changed much. It is not so much a cautious move when the new German navy is faltering at its inception, but rather a helpless move that limits naval construction everywhere. However, it can also be seen how obsessed the Germans are to the heroic "swan of the East".
The light cruiser Emden was the German Emden class ship I, which began construction on December 8, 1921. Limited by the Treaty of Versailles, its construction was delayed until 7 January 1925, when it was launched; for the same reason, Emden's performance was far inferior to that of other light cruisers.
In terms of main armament, the Emden was armed with eight 15 cm SK L/45 guns, which were mounted in the C/16 single-mount gun mount. Four of the eight guns were placed on the ship's central axis in a piggyback front and rear, while the remaining four were arranged on the side of the ship, two forward and two backward.
In 1925, Emden was inaugurated and has been engaged in training missions ever since. Her first ocean voyage came to the Cocos Islands to mourn her predecessor of the same name.
As a training ship, Emden trained a large number of officers for the German Navy in the pre-war period. For example, from September 1934 to September 1935, the future commander of the German Navy, Dönitz, served as captain of Emden. During this time, Emden was constantly undergoing modifications for better performance.
In September 1939, when World War II broke out, Emden entered the war and was responsible for the deployment of mines in the North Sea. On 4 September, Emden returned to Wilhelmshaven to replenish due to the depletion of mines on board, but was attacked by British bombers and unfortunately hit by a downed aircraft, with 29 casualties.
On 8 April 1940, germany began the Norwegian Campaign, and Emden was assigned to the Fifth Fleet for the Oslo region. With the sinking of its flagship heavy cruiser, the ship Brucher, the armored cruisers Emden and Lyzov still occupied the Oslo Fjords.
Once in port, Emden became the joint communications center for the campaign, coordinating operations for the Navy, Wehrmacht, and Air Force. After Norway was completely occupied, Emden returned to Germany and again became a training ship.
In November 1941, she was incorporated into the Baltic Training Fleet and continued her training missions. The only thing worth mentioning during this period was the major overhaul in November 1942, when Emden acquired a new main gun and a Fumo 25 radar.
On 7 February 1945, Emden, who was making necessary repairs at the Keel Deutsche Shipyard, was bombed twice by the British Air Force and was severely damaged.
On 14 April, Emden was towed to Hankdorf Bay and stranded. To prevent the Allies from capturing Emden, the Germans dismantled it on the spot on 3 May. The remains of Emden were not demolished until 1949, and its bow decorations are now on display at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.