SMS Nürnberg
Career (German Empire)
Name:	Nürnberg
Namesake:	Nürnberg
Builder:	Howaldtswerke, Kiel
Laid down:	January 1906
Commissioned:	April 1908
Fate:	Sunk at the Battle of the Falkland Islands
General characteristics
Displacement:	3,400 tons, 3,814 tons full load
Length:	115.3 m (378 ft)
Beam:	13.2 m (43 ft)
Draught:	5.29 m (17.4 ft)
Propulsion:	Twin triple expansion engines, 13,200 ihp (9,800 kW)
Speed:	24.1 knots (44.6 km/h)
Complement:	322
Armament:	Ten 10.5 cm (4.1 in) rapid fire guns (10 x 1), ten 5.2 cm (2.0 in) rapid fire guns (10 x 1), and two 45 cm (18 in) torpedo-tubes

SMS Nürnberg, named after the Bavarian city of Nuremberg, was a Königsberg class light cruiser of 3,450 tons laid down in 1905^[1] and launched in 1907. The Nürnberg's design was similar in both size and appearance to the famous SMS Emden, differing mainly in its uneven funnel spacing. She was armed with ten 4.1-inch (100 mm) guns, eight five pounders, four machine guns and two submerged torpedo tubes.^[1] Her top speed was 25 knots (46 km/h).^[1]

Nürnberg was assigned to the Kaiserliche Marine’s East Asia Station at Tsingtao as part of Admiral Count Maximilian von Spee’s East Asia fleet. During the Mexican revolution Nürnberg was positioned off the west coast of Mexico. After being relieved by Leipzig, Nürnberg returned to her home base at Tsingtao. With the outbreak of World War I, von Spee planned a return of his squadron to Germany, sailing through the Pacific, rounding Cape Horn, and then force his way north through the Atlantic.^[2] The fleet rendezvoused at Pagan Island in the Marianas for coaling. Cut off from essential information, Admiral von Spee sent Nürnberg to Honolulu for news. The cruiser’s crew obtained the latest newspapers, wire dispatches and official information from the German consul in the United States Territory of Hawaii. Nürnberg then rejoined the fleet at Christmas Island.^[3]

In September 1914 the cruiser attacked the British Imperial cable station, on the All Red Line, at Fanning Island. A landing party also went ashore to cut the communications cable.^[4]

Being a latecomer to the Battle of Coronel, Nürnberg found the drifting HMS Monmouth and finished her off with 75 shells at close range.

Nürnberg was sunk at the Battle of the Falkland Islands in 1914. While Admiral von Spee's armored cruisers SMS Scharnhorst and SMS Gneisenau were engaging with the British battlecruisers HMS Invincible and HMS Inflexible the three light cruisers of the German East Asia Squadron were ordered to seek to escape. Nürnberg was pursued by the larger and more powerful HMS Kent. Although nominally faster, Nürnberg's engines were badly worn out, which enabled Kent to catch up with her. Nürnberg opened fire on Kent and scored several hits, but was unable to disable the British armored cruiser. After coming into range of her heavier but shorter-ranged guns, Kent eventually sank Nürnberg, although suffering considerable damage herself.

[edit] Notes and references

• Gray, J.A.C. Amerika Samoa, A History of American Samoa and its United States Naval Administration. Annapolis: United States Naval Institute. 1960.

Coordinates: 53°28′S 55°04′W / 53.467°S 55.067°W / -53.467; -55.067

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