german cruiser leipzig leipzig lead ship class light cruisers built german navy sister ship leipzig laid april launched october commissioned october armed main battery guns triple turrets leipzig speed knots mph leipzig participated non intervention patrols spanish civil war year world war performed escort duties warships baltic north seas operations december ship torpedoed british submarine badly damaged repairs completed late returned service training ship provided gunfire support advancing troops invaded soviet_union october leipzig collided heavy cruiser damage severe navy decided complete repairs ship afloat helped defend advancing march carried group fleeing german civilians reaching denmark late april end war leipzig barracks ship forces scuttled july design leipzig meters long overall beam maximum draft forward displaced metric tons long tons short tons combat load propulsion system consisted steam turbines cylinder man stroke double acting diesel engines basis unsuccessful navy design steam turbines provided marine type double ended oil fired boilers ship propulsion system provided speed knots mph range approximately nautical miles knots mph diesel engines leipzig crew officers enlisted men ship armed guns mounted triple gun turrets located forward placed superfiring pair aft centerline supplied rounds ammunition shells gun built ship equipped anti aircraft guns single mounts rounds ammunition leipzig carried triple torpedo tube mounts located amidships supplied torpedoes capable carrying naval mines ship protected armored deck thick amidships armored belt thick conning tower thick sides service history leipzig laid shipyard wilhelmshaven april launched october commissioned october ship trained extensively baltic_sea goodwill cruises overseas cruiser goodwill visit united_kingdom end world war late leipzig went drydock modifications aircraft catapult installed aft superstructure crane handling float planes replaced boat original single mount anti aircraft guns replaced twin mounts modifications kiel early leipzig joined old pre dreadnought battleship new heavy cruiser light cruiser major fleet exercises later adolf_hitler visited ship training maneuvers rest fleet ship joined sister exercises atlantic_ocean early august leipzig took non intervention patrols spain spanish civil war conducted patrols august june late june allegedly attacked torpedoes prompted germany italy withdraw non intervention patrols returned germany went baltic_sea training lasted march participated annexation germany demanded lithuania following month joined battleship cruiser destroyers boats major exercises atlantic additional maneuvers conducted middle world war outbreak world war september leipzig assigned blocking force intended prevent escape baltic unsuccessful leipzig went north_sea light cruisers laid series defensive minefields task lasted end month returned baltic training maneuvers november leipzig covered operation north_sea joined torpedo boats sweep allied shipping november leipzig tasked escorting battleships covering return 27th december leipzig tasked escorting flotilla destroyers small vessels proceeded lay minefield route british submarine hms salmon attacked german warships hit leipzig torpedo torpedo hit leipzig waterline bulkhead separated ship boiler rooms explosion bent armored deck damaged keel long tons short tons water flooded ship damage cut electrical power ship pumping system boiler rooms flooded steam lines damaged port turbine shut time sister torpedoed pair destroyers arrived escort damaged cruisers port hour leipzig torpedoed escorting destroyers torpedoed outside mouth torpedo passed ahead leipzig nearly hitting damaged cruiser safely returning port kiel leipzig taken shipyard repairs decommissioned repair reclassified training ship accommodate additional training crews ship boilers removed returned service late early june escorted heavy cruiser norway returned baltic cruiser provided artillery support advancing german ground forces operation invasion soviet_union september supported invasion baltic islands archipelago bombarding soviet positions leipzig attacked unsuccessfully soviet submarine late september ship joined centered battleship fleet tasked blocking possible soviet attempt break baltic leipzig returned kiel october conducted maneuvers heavy cruiser admiral leipzig flagship training fleet spent year performing training duties leipzig decommissioned briefly march recommissioned august need overhaul work significantly delayed return operational status furthermore outbreak killed crewmen created additional delay leipzig returned escort duties baltic mid september operation covered troop transports company admiral october leipzig departed bound load mines heavy fog collided heavy cruiser steaming knots mph time collision leipzig switching diesel cruise engines steam turbine main engines process shafts turbines shafts left ship temporary propulsion drifting path moving opposite way struck port forward funnel cutting nearly half forward point bow actually stuck starboard leipzig collision destroyed number port engine room flooded second engine room killed wounded crewmen ships remained stuck fast day leipzig towed damage severe repairs deemed impractical especially considering germany pressing military situation late repairs afloat harbor effected leipzig provided fire support defending german forces march forces advanced city march leipzig moved laden refugees capable steaming knots mph repeatedly attacked soviet aircraft allied submarines attempted torpedo twice safely reached denmark april poor state following end war barracks ship men tasked clearing mines german coast battered ship eventually towed scuttled july
German cruiser Leipzig