List of unprotected cruisers of Germany

These ships proved to be transitional designs, and experience gathered with them and a series of avisos helped to produce the first light cruisers of the German Navy.

[1] The unprotected cruisers, generally designed for service in Germany's colonial empire, required great endurance and relatively heavy firepower.

After the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, she was seized and commissioned into American service as USS Schurz, though she was accidentally sunk in a collision in June 1918.

Condor, Schwalbe, Sperber, and Gefion were used in a variety of secondary roles during the war, including as floating barracks, training cruisers, and target ships.

[8] Both ships served abroad for the majority of their careers, primarily in Germany's African colonies and in Asia and the Pacific.

They were both sent to German East Africa to help put down the Abushiri Revolt in 1889–1890, and Schwalbe joined the Eight Nation Alliance against the Boxer Uprising in China in 1900.

They were larger and faster, with a comparable cruising radius and the same number and caliber of guns, though all but the first ship were equipped with new quick-firing models.

[18] Geier briefly attacked British shipping in the Pacific and tried to link up with the main body of Admiral Maximilian von Spee's East Asia Squadron, but put into Hawaii after running out of fuel.

[22] The designers attempted to build a hybrid vessel that could serve as a fleet scout and as an overseas cruiser, mainly due to a smaller naval budget, which limited the navy's ability to acquire ships optimized for each role.

[23] Construction of the ship was extended due to ventilation problems discovered during sea trials, which necessitated lengthy modifications.