Laid down: 27/7/26
Commissioned: 6/11/29
Full Load Displacement: 8,350 tons 1-2 8
Draft: 20.3 ft
Speed: 32.5 kts
Range: 3,340 nautical miles at 18 kts
Armor: 50mm side, 40mm deck
Armament: 9x 150mm (120 rpg), 6x 88mm (400 rpg), 8x 37mm (1200 rpg), 8x 20mm (2200 rpg), 12x 533mm torpedo tubes, 120 mines, 2 floatplanes.

Karlsruhe began the war still undergoing a major refit, from which she emerged on November 13, 1939 with her hull strengthened and her beam increased. During January of 1940 she patrolled the Baltic, intercepting and seizing a Swedish steamer running Polish refugees from Riga on January 4. In February she was back in the dockyard for further fitting out.

At Wesermunde on April 7, 1940, Karlsruhe embarked troops for the invasion of Norway. Departing the next day she joined up with the depot ship Tsingtau, two torpedo boats, and seven S-boats to form the group assigned to land at Kristiansand. Despite some resistance by Norwegian coastal defenses the port was secured by mid-day on April 9th. As Karlsruhe departed from Kristiansand later the same day she was struck by one torpedo from the British submarine Truant. Heavily damaged and threatened by more submarine attacks, Karlsruhe was scuttled.

More WWII German Light Cruisers

Introduction
Emden
Konigsberg
Karlsruhe
Koln
Leipzig
Nurnberg