By Gefion's 1897 East Asia assignment, the Kaiserliche Marine was already developing a new cruiser type that would replace her across her intended roles. The problem was structural as well as technical: an unprotected cruiser depended on low cost and numbers to compensate for limited survivability. A dozen dispersed hulls might impose a difficult patrol or commerce-defense problem, but one vulnerable ship could be found and destroyed without stretching an opponent. The design only made sense if Germany built enough cheap hulls to spread an opponent's patrols.
Notable Point · 24:40-26:29
Gefion was being replaced before her overseas deployment
Germany began developing the light cruisers that would replace Gefion even as it sent her to East Asia, revealing how quickly the one-off design had disappointed.