"The Wreck of the Magdeburg" Topic

"On the afternoon of August 24, 1914, the German warship Magdeburg steamed out of the East Prussian harbor of Memel toward the most fateful accident in the history of cryptography.

A four-stacker, the Magdeburg was what the Germans called a small cruiser, different from the larger light cruisers. She was new (three years old), well-armed (12 fast-firing, 4-inch guns), fast (27.6 knots)–and unlucky. Her acceptance test had not gone well. Her commissioning had been delayed several months. She had never participated, as was intended, in the autumn 1912 naval maneuvers. Some equipment was still not in order when she was declared "ready for war" and when the ancient city of Magdeburg, for which she was named, sponsored her in two days of festivities. One of her turbines gave trouble. And unlike her sister ships, which got assignments suitable for cruisers, the Magdeburg merely fired test torpedoes…."
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Amicalement
Armand

called a small cruiser, different from the larger light cruisers.

Wrong! The KKM used the terms "kleine Kruezer" and "grosse Kruezer". The latter included large protected cruisers, armored cruisers, and battle cruisers. Everything else went into the small cruiser category. Later in the war (c.1916), there was a shift to "leichte Kruezer", which included everything that had been in the "kleine Kreuzer" category.

Thanks!.

Amicalement
Armand