sms armored cruiser german navy ship class named august von prussian general napoleonic wars ship laid dockyard bremen launched june completed march cost million armed main battery guns speed knots mph displaced metric tons long tons short tons combat load assigned based china served core vice admiral fleet outbreak world war august ships accompanied light cruisers sailed pacific ocean process allied naval forces sent intercept arriving southern coast south_america november rest encountered british squadron battle defeat prompted british admiralty battlecruisers hunt destroy flotilla accomplished battle islands december construction laid shipyard bremen germany construction number launched june commissioned fleet nearly years later march ship cost german government ship designed service high_seas_fleet found weak service battle fleet instead deployed overseas role performed metres long overall beam draft ship displaced metric tons long tons short tons standard long tons short tons load crew consisted officers enlisted men ship powered coal fired triple expansion engines provided speed knots mph primary armament consisted inch guns twin gun turrets fore aft main superstructure remaining mounted single wing turrets secondary armament included inch guns casemates eighteen inch guns mounted casemates equipped submerged torpedo tubes mounted bow broadside fourth placed stern service history field marshal chief general staff christened ship commissioning march captain ship commanding officer took command ship day commissioned tasked conducting ship cruise lasted march middle july officially joined fleet july ship departed asia hipper left ship went command torpedo boat division kiel assigned east asia squadron joined assigned unit previous year ships formed core squadron serving flagship pair crack gunnery ships won kaiser cup times career twice german waters twice asia finished second place june annual summer cruise began nagasaki japan received supply coal sailed south arriving early july coal supplies route received news assassination july arrived access german radio network learned austro hungarian declaration war serbia russian july word came german ultimatum demanded russia armies set ordered ships stripped war august ordered german france russia world war outbreak world war east asia squadron consisted light cruisers leipzig august supply ship japanese issued orders recall light cruisers dispersed cruises pacific joined day decided best place concentrate forces northern german possession central pacific available supply ships passenger liners ordered meet august arrived pagan joined supply ships auxiliary cruiser flotilla reinforced arrival ships departed central pacific bound chile august captain commodore persuaded ship commerce raiding august departed ships arrival august order german high command informed detached september honolulu send word neutral countries brought news allied capture german colony august sailed investigate situation september found suitable targets battle september rest bombarded colony bombardment french sunk gunfire german ships fear mines harbor prevented seizing coal lay harbor october rest squadron reached joined dresden leipzig sailed american waters dresden stationed caribbean san_francisco issued order consolidate german naval forces pacific week ships departed chilean mainland oppose german squadron coast south_america british resources command rear admiral armored cruisers hms good hope light cruiser glasgow auxiliary cruiser flotilla reinforced elderly pre dreadnought battleship armored cruiser defence arrive left likely felt slow speed prevent bringing german ships battle evening october rest squadron steamed chile headed eastward learned glasgow spotted 31st turned port arrived afternoon november surprise encountered good hope glasgow miles escorting british glasgow spotted germans formed line good hope lead followed glasgow rear decided hold engaging british sun set point british ships sun point realized line battle detached german ships closed attack span minutes german cruisers guns seriously damaged good hope destroyed magazine explosion attempted escape south burning guns fallen silent closed point blank range poured shells glasgow forced abandon fleeing south meeting eventually capsized sank men killed sinking armored cruisers including admiral german losses german ships expended ammunition supply battle word defeat reached london royal_navy set organizing force hunt destroy end powerful new battlecruisers invincible detached grand_fleet placed command vice admiral ships left devonport november route joined armored cruisers kent cornwall light cruisers bristol glasgow force ships reached december immediately ships german line approached morning intention destroying wireless observers aboard spotted battlecruisers harbor port stanley shells fired beached guard ship germans turned flee germans took south easterly course mph formed line ahead center dresden leipzig astern fast battlecruisers quickly got steam sailed harbor pursue faster british ships caught cruisers began fire range realized armored cruisers escape faster battlecruisers ordered light cruisers attempt break away turned engage british detached armored light cruisers pursue german light cruisers battlecruisers dealt attacked invincible opened fire attempted widen distance turning points north prevent closing range smaller guns maneuver turning rapidly south forced turn south allowed close engage secondary guns shooting effective forced british haul away temporarily observed having rapidly listed port sank shortly sank transmitted order endeavor escape engines intact damage ship boiler rooms reduced speed mph ship continued fight scored hit invincible late ship burning wreck severe list starboard smoke poured ship came stop minutes later british ships closed flag foremast struck ordered ships cease fire captain ordered crew ship expended ammunition engines disabled ship slowly rolled sank allowing survivors time escape men died quickly exposure water total men crew killed engagement leipzig sunk dresden managed escape eventually tracked juan island sunk complete destruction squadron killed german sailors officers including sons
SMS Gneisenau