SMS Cöln ("His Majesty's Ship Cologne")[Note 1] was a Kolberg-class light cruiser of the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) during the First World War.

She was armed with a main battery of twelve 10.5 cm SK L/45 guns and had a top speed of 25.5 kn (47.2 km/h; 29.3 mph).

After her commissioning, she served with the II Scouting Group, part of the reconnaissance forces of the High Seas Fleet.

Cöln was assigned to patrols off the island of Heligoland at the outbreak of World War I in early August 1914, as the flagship of Rear Admiral Leberecht Maass.

The primary objective during their design process was to increase speed over the earlier vessels; this required a longer hull to fit an expanded propulsion system.

The ship carried a pair of pole masts with platforms for searchlights, one directly aft of the conning tower, and the other closer to her stern.

[2] Cöln was initially to be powered by two sets of Zoelly steam turbines manufactured by Escher Wyss & Cie. in Zürich.

[3] Her propulsion system was revised and instead consisted of two sets of Germaniawerft steam turbines driving four screw propellers.

During the autumn fleet maneuvers in September 1913, Cöln attempted to warn the crew of zeppelin L 1 of the deteriorating weather conditions, but they did not receive the message.

The year 1914 began with the normal training routine, but as tensions rose following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on 28 June forced the cancellation of the planned fleet exercises for the end of July.

[8] After the outbreak of World War I at the beginning of August 1914, she and several other cruisers were tasked with patrol duties in the Heligoland Bight.

The cruisers were divided with the torpedo boat flotillas, and assigned to rotate through nightly patrols into the North Sea.

[10] As part of the patrol operations, Cöln conducted a sortie on the night of 15 August with Stuttgart and the I and II Torpedo-boat Flotillas, without incident.

In the ensuing Battle of Heligoland Bight, Stettin engaged the British force first, and was quickly reinforced by Frauenlob.

Upon receiving reports of the action, Hipper ordered Maass to deploy his cruisers to support the engaged vessels.

[15] The reversal of course brought her back in range of the British battlecruisers, however, which quickly opened fire and scored several damaging hits.

German ships searched the area three days later, to find only one survivor, Leading Stoker Neumann; the rest of the crew had died in the meantime.