Leipzig

Ballistics

Armor Model

Overview

The three Königsberg-class cruisers, built in the late 1920s, proved to be ships with a finicky power plant and a weak hull. On the next cruiser type, the power plant was largely redesigned, adding a central shaft that used only diesel engines. The turrets returned to the centerline. Leipzig, the lead ship of the type, was built in Wilhelmshaven. At the start of World War II, the ship participated in mine-laying and patrols. In December 1939, Leipzig was torpedoed by the British submarine HMS Salmon, and after repairs were completed in late 1940, it became a training ship. In 1941–42, Leipzig supported the offensive of German armies in the Baltic states. In October 1944, the ship collided with the cruiser Prinz Eugen and sustained serious damage. Due to the impracticality of repairs, the ship was used as a barracks hulk, and in 1946, the former cruiser was scuttled in the Baltic Sea.