Difference between revisions of "Köln"

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(Detailed information about the Köln light cruiser.)
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== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
−
''Talk about the vehicle’s armor. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and maneuverability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armament separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Tips for preserving survivability should be saved for the “Use in battle” section.''
+
The Köln features decent all around armor with a belt of 50mm steel covering the most of the ship except the very front and rear, as well as a 10mm turtleback armor behind it, giving it a slightly better internal protection in close to medium ranges, additionally the bulkheads measure 70mms of armor. The Turrets are a maximum of 30mm on the front, as well as the barbettes, so kockouts of turrets and ammo elevators are common.
  
−
If necessary, use a graphic template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armor.
+
The bridge is covered in 100mm of cemeted armor, giving it enoough protection from large calibre HE rounds, but nothing more since even destroyer grade SAP rounds can easily punch right through it, making your ship uncontrollable.
 +
 
 +
The ammo storage, although decently protected by the belt,turtleback and barbette armor, should never be exposed broadside, as all cruisers can penetrate it even from longer ranges. The crew count however, with 820 men is quite high for a ship this size and helps keeping it afloat. and combat ready.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
−
''Write about the ship’s mobility. Evaluate its power and maneuverability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward speed and reverse speed.''
+
The Köln has a pretty average speed: for a light cruiser:
 +
 
 +
* A top speed of 70 km/h in AB and 60km/h in RB.
 +
 
 +
* A top reverse speed of 25 km/h in AB and 22km/h in RB.
 +
 
 +
As for the maneuverability, since it is a cruiser it is quite sluggish, but this is to be expected, therefore narrow turns and fast dodging of torpedoes is not possible.
  
 
== Armament ==
 
== Armament ==
 
=== Primary armament ===
 
=== Primary armament ===
−
''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <nowiki>{{main|Weapon name}}</nowiki>.''
+
[[File:Köln 150mm88mm.jpg|thumb|500x500px|The placement of the 150mm (red) and 88mm (yellow) turrets.]]
 +
The primary Weapons consist of nine 15cm/60 SK C/25 cannons mounted in three triple turrets, one central in the front, and two in the rear, slightly off center to the left and to the right. These cannons come with a maximum firerate of 8 shots per minute and can fire HE, SAP, AP and time fuzed HE shells. These shells are the same as on the Emden so most captains will be familiar with these:
  
−
Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.
+
* HE mostly useful for destroyers
 +
 
 +
* SAP can also be utilized for destroyers and for lightly armored cruisers like  [[USS Trenton (CL-11)|USS Trenton]] , [[IJN Agano]], [[USS Portland (CA-33)|USS Portland]].
 +
 
 +
* AP for more heavily armored cruisers like [[Admiral Hipper|Hipper]], [[USS Brooklyn (CL-40)|USS Brooklyn]] and [[IJN Mogami]], it should be noted however, that the AP is only useful on medium ranges, everything over 8000 meters which isn’t broadside is very difficult to damage.
 +
 
 +
Their muzzle velocity is uniform with a quick 960m/s, therefore slightly easier to aim than other contemporary cruisers
 +
 
 +
Important to mention is that the rear turrets are a full 360° traversable, giving theKöln the ability to focus at least two turrets at a target at '''all''' times.
  
 
=== Secondary armament ===
 
=== Secondary armament ===
−
''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibers. Secondary armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armament and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that anti-air armament, even heavy caliber weapons, belong in the next section.''
+
Secondaries are composed of a total of 3 twin 8.8 cm anti-air cannons with a maximum fire rate of 20 shots per minute. Shells available are HE shells for destroyer and PT boat fights as well as time fuzed HE shells which are useful for long range anti-aircraft fire.
−
 
 
−
''If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''
 
  
 
=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
 
=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
−
''An important part of the ship’s armament responsible for air raid defense. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship’s anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets.''
+
Anti air defences are composed out of four 3.7cm twin mountings with a firerate of 30 rounds per seconds, but only firing HE shells, therefore only providing protection from slow moving planes like bombers.
 +
[[File:Köln 37mm20mm.jpg|thumb|500x500px|The location of the 37mm (green) and 20mm (blue) emplacements.]]
 +
The Second armament are four 20mm atuocannons in single mountings, generally useful for close range anti-air defence, but considering the low number of emplacements for such a large ship, not sufficient in most cases.
  
−
''If there is no anti-aircraft artillery, remove this section.''
+
=== Torpedo armament ===
 +
The Köln has the ability to deploy up to twelve standard G7a torpedoes in 4 triple mounts, two of them mounted per side. Limited use for screening of chokepoints and narrow water straits, but mostly the range in which cruisers slug it out is too great to make use of them.
  
−
=== Torpedo armament ===
+
== Usage in battles ==
−
''Many ships are armed with torpedo launchers, and for some vessels such as boats, torpedoes are an extremely important means of defeating an opponent. Evaluate the position of the torpedo launchers, discuss the ammunition available, firing specifics such as dead zones, features of the torpedoes themselves, etc.''
+
The Köln is a fun all round light cruiser with usable armor, a good amount of guns, decent fire rate and excellent firing angles.  The most important aspect with this ship is to always angle, never ever show your broadside, as this gives enemies an easy shot for your rear ammo racks. By angling this chance is minimized, albeit not fully avoidable.
  
−
''If there is no torpedo armament, remove this section.''
+
Even though the turrets move relatively slow, this disadvantage is negated by the fully traversable rear turrets, giving the Köln the ability to switch directions easily from one side to the other without losing most of its firepower. However it should be noted, that the firing angles when facing to starboard are better by a few degrees, than to port, due to the non central placement of the X and Y turret. Early light cruisers can be engaged by around 8000 – 10000 meters, where more heavily armed and armored ships like the Admiral Hippers and USS Brooklyns can effectively be dealt with when they face full broadside to you, or by closing the distance to around 5000 – 6000 meters.  
  
−
=== Special armament ===
+
Lastly you should always be aware that you are '''<u>not</u>''' the top dog in most cases, so careful aiming and smart decision making is important or your ship will succumb to the firepower of more powerful ships.
−
''Depth charges, mines, rocket launchers and missiles are also effective in skilled hands and can be an unexpected surprise for an opponent. Evaluate the ammunition of this type of armament and rate its performance in combat.''
 
  
−
== Usage in battles ==
+
=== Modules ===
−
''Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don’t get try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).''
+
{| class="wikitable"
 +
!Tier
 +
!Seakeeping
 +
! colspan="2" |Unsinkability
 +
! colspan="3" |Firepower
 +
|-
 +
!I
 +
|Dry-Docking
 +
|Tool Set
 +
|
 +
|15 cm Spgr. L/4.4 Bdz (m.Hb)
 +
|
 +
|Anti-Air Armament Targeting
 +
|-
 +
!II
 +
|Rudder Replacement
 +
|Fire Protection System
 +
|Smokescreen
 +
|15 cm Spgr. L/4.5 Zt.Z
 +
|8.8cm Spgr. L/4.5 Zt.Z
 +
|Auxiliary Armament Targeting
 +
|-
 +
!III
 +
|Propeller Replacement
 +
|Shrapnel Protection
 +
|Ventilation
 +
|15 cm Pzgr. L/3.7 (m.Hb)
 +
|Improved Rangefinder
 +
|Primary Armament Targeting
 +
|-
 +
!IV
 +
|Engine Maintenance
 +
|New Pumps
 +
|Ammo Wetting
 +
|Torpedo Mode
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|}
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
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'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
 +
 +
* Excellent firing angles
 +
 +
* Sufficient protection against light cruisers when angled
 +
 +
* High penetrating AP rounds suitable against most targets
 +
 +
* 360° traversable rear turrets
 +
 
*
 
*
  
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* With only 1 frontal turret, head-on engagements can be somewhat difficult.
 
* With only 1 frontal turret, head-on engagements can be somewhat difficult.
 +
* Vulnerable broadside
 +
* Thinly armored turrets, easy to knock out
 +
* Insufficient AA battery
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==

Revision as of 14:52, 21 June 2020

Köln
germ_cruiser_koln.png
Köln
Germany flag.png Germany
IV Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
5.3 5.3 5.3
Class:
Research:75 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:250 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
This page is about the German light cruiser Köln. For the frigate, see Köln F220.

Description

GarageImage Köln.jpg


The К-class, Köln, 1940 is a Rank IV German light cruiser with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".

General info

Survivability and armour

The Köln features decent all around armor with a belt of 50mm steel covering the most of the ship except the very front and rear, as well as a 10mm turtleback armor behind it, giving it a slightly better internal protection in close to medium ranges, additionally the bulkheads measure 70mms of armor. The Turrets are a maximum of 30mm on the front, as well as the barbettes, so kockouts of turrets and ammo elevators are common.

The bridge is covered in 100mm of cemeted armor, giving it enoough protection from large calibre HE rounds, but nothing more since even destroyer grade SAP rounds can easily punch right through it, making your ship uncontrollable.

The ammo storage, although decently protected by the belt,turtleback and barbette armor, should never be exposed broadside, as all cruisers can penetrate it even from longer ranges. The crew count however, with 820 men is quite high for a ship this size and helps keeping it afloat. and combat ready.

Mobility

The Köln has a pretty average speed: for a light cruiser:

  • A top speed of 70 km/h in AB and 60km/h in RB.
  • A top reverse speed of 25 km/h in AB and 22km/h in RB.

As for the maneuverability, since it is a cruiser it is quite sluggish, but this is to be expected, therefore narrow turns and fast dodging of torpedoes is not possible.

Armament

Primary armament

The placement of the 150mm (red) and 88mm (yellow) turrets.

The primary Weapons consist of nine 15cm/60 SK C/25 cannons mounted in three triple turrets, one central in the front, and two in the rear, slightly off center to the left and to the right. These cannons come with a maximum firerate of 8 shots per minute and can fire HE, SAP, AP and time fuzed HE shells. These shells are the same as on the Emden so most captains will be familiar with these:

  • HE mostly useful for destroyers
  • AP for more heavily armored cruisers like Hipper, USS Brooklyn and IJN Mogami, it should be noted however, that the AP is only useful on medium ranges, everything over 8000 meters which isn’t broadside is very difficult to damage.

Their muzzle velocity is uniform with a quick 960m/s, therefore slightly easier to aim than other contemporary cruisers

Important to mention is that the rear turrets are a full 360° traversable, giving theKöln the ability to focus at least two turrets at a target at all times.

Secondary armament

Secondaries are composed of a total of 3 twin 8.8 cm anti-air cannons with a maximum fire rate of 20 shots per minute. Shells available are HE shells for destroyer and PT boat fights as well as time fuzed HE shells which are useful for long range anti-aircraft fire.

Anti-aircraft armament

Anti air defences are composed out of four 3.7cm twin mountings with a firerate of 30 rounds per seconds, but only firing HE shells, therefore only providing protection from slow moving planes like bombers.

The location of the 37mm (green) and 20mm (blue) emplacements.

The Second armament are four 20mm atuocannons in single mountings, generally useful for close range anti-air defence, but considering the low number of emplacements for such a large ship, not sufficient in most cases.

Torpedo armament

The Köln has the ability to deploy up to twelve standard G7a torpedoes in 4 triple mounts, two of them mounted per side. Limited use for screening of chokepoints and narrow water straits, but mostly the range in which cruisers slug it out is too great to make use of them.

Usage in battles

The Köln is a fun all round light cruiser with usable armor, a good amount of guns, decent fire rate and excellent firing angles. The most important aspect with this ship is to always angle, never ever show your broadside, as this gives enemies an easy shot for your rear ammo racks. By angling this chance is minimized, albeit not fully avoidable.

Even though the turrets move relatively slow, this disadvantage is negated by the fully traversable rear turrets, giving the Köln the ability to switch directions easily from one side to the other without losing most of its firepower. However it should be noted, that the firing angles when facing to starboard are better by a few degrees, than to port, due to the non central placement of the X and Y turret. Early light cruisers can be engaged by around 8000 – 10000 meters, where more heavily armed and armored ships like the Admiral Hippers and USS Brooklyns can effectively be dealt with when they face full broadside to you, or by closing the distance to around 5000 – 6000 meters.

Lastly you should always be aware that you are not the top dog in most cases, so careful aiming and smart decision making is important or your ship will succumb to the firepower of more powerful ships.

Modules

Tier Seakeeping Unsinkability Firepower
I Dry-Docking Tool Set 15 cm Spgr. L/4.4 Bdz (m.Hb) Anti-Air Armament Targeting
II Rudder Replacement Fire Protection System Smokescreen 15 cm Spgr. L/4.5 Zt.Z 8.8cm Spgr. L/4.5 Zt.Z Auxiliary Armament Targeting
III Propeller Replacement Shrapnel Protection Ventilation 15 cm Pzgr. L/3.7 (m.Hb) Improved Rangefinder Primary Armament Targeting
IV Engine Maintenance New Pumps Ammo Wetting Torpedo Mode

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Excellent firing angles
  • Sufficient protection against light cruisers when angled
  • High penetrating AP rounds suitable against most targets
  • 360° traversable rear turrets

Cons:

  • With only 1 frontal turret, head-on engagements can be somewhat difficult.
  • Vulnerable broadside
  • Thinly armored turrets, easy to knock out
  • Insufficient AA battery

History

KMS Köln was laid down in August 1926 in Wilhelmshaven as the third and final ship of the Königsberg-class of German light cruisers. Köln was ordered as a replacement for the old SMS Arcona light cruiser and was launched in May 1928, before being commissioned into service in January 1930. Her first years of service, KMS Köln spent undergoing various sea trials and acted as a training ship. In late 1932 however, the warship departed Germany for her first world cruise, stopping in numerous ports across the globe in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean Sea. Prior to the outbreak of WW2, KMS Köln took part in non-intervention patrols around the Iberian Peninsula during the Spanish Civil War. Upon completing her patrol missions, KMS Köln returned to the waters of the North Sea in order to conduct fishery protection. During WW2, KMS Köln primarily operated in the waters of the North and Baltic Seas, whilst occasionally taking part in operations in the Atlantic. Most notably, KMS Köln took part in Operation Weserübung in 1940 - the German Invasion of Norway. During this operation, both of her two sister ships were lost in combat, whilst Köln remained undamaged. Throughout the remainder of WW2, KMS Köln primarily took part in operations in the North Sea, mostly in Norwegian waters, running convoy interdiction and minelaying. In December 1944, KMS Köln suffered damage to her propulsion system caused by several near misses inflicted by allied bombers, close to Oslofjord. The damage forced her to return for repairs to Germany, where she eventually ended up in Wilhelmshaven again. There, an allied air raid damaged Köln further and led her to sink on an even keel. Only partially sunk and with the guns still operational, she was used as an artillery platform to help defend the city before the war ended. Although partially dismantled after the war, Köln was raised in 1956 and scuttled soon afterwards.

- From Devblog

Media

The Shooting Range #136 - Metal Beasts section at 00:32 discusses the Köln cruiser.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the ship;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links


Germany light cruisers
Pillau-class  SMS Elbing
  Emden*
Königsberg-class  Karlsruhe · Köln
Leipzig-class  Leipzig · Nürnberg
  * Unique ship

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