The Magdeburg class of light cruisers was a group of four ships built for the Imperial German Navy. The class comprised SMS Magdeburg, the lead ship, Breslau, Strassburg, and Stralsund. All four ships were laid down in 1910 and were completed by the end of 1912. They were armed with a main battery of twelve 10.5 cm guns, though over the course of their careers, Breslau, Strassburg, and Stralsund were rearmed with more powerful 15 cm guns. They displaced 4,570 t at full load and were rated at a top speed of 27.5 knots, though all four vessels exceeded that figure on trials.
SMS Magdeburg
Breslau still in German service
Model of a Magdeburg-class cruiser in the Marinemuseum in Dänholm
Breslau, flying the Turkish flag as Midilli
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to this smaller cruisers had been of the protected cruiser model, possessing armored decks only. While lighter and smaller than other contemporary ships they were still true cruisers, retaining the extended radius of action and self-sufficiency to act independently around the world. Cruisers mounting larger guns and heavier armor relative to most light cruisers would come to be known as heavy cruisers, though the designation of 'light' versus 'heavy' cruisers would vary somewhat between navies. Through their history light cruisers served in a variety of roles, primarily as convoy escorts and destroyer command ships, but also as scouts and fleet support vessels for battle fleets.
HMS Belfast, one of the last surviving light cruisers. She carries 12 6-inch guns and displaces 11,553 tons – "light" in World War II referred to gun size, not displacement.
HMS Mercury
HMS Gloucester, one of the Town class, in 1917
SMS Bremen