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Light Cruiser KM Emden, 1925

These plans display a date of 1934 in the lower right, but the details drawn in are from later.. 1944-1945, as Richard Byrd pointed out:

The plan of the Emden in 1925 actually shows the ship in 1944-45 - note all the extra 20mm singles and the presence of a couple of 20mm quadruples, which certainly were not present in 1925! Also, the 15cm singles are clearly of the later pattern, not her as-constructed ones.

Even 1934 would not account for the armament changes. The 15cm were not changed until after the outbreak of the war, and the light flak not until 44-45.

Note the presence of refit dates (Werftliegezeit) in the upper right - the last being Nov/1942. The 2cm vierlings flak was not even on the drawing board in 1934. The first was not put on a ship until late 1940 at least. (Bismarck received two of the earliest ones for Rheinubung.) I am absolutely convinced that the drawings show Emden as she was in the later half of the war. It is possible that these drawings show her condition as of the last annotated refit in 11/42, but I really think it is even later.

There is good data on this light cruiser over at German-Navy.de.

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