Built as a light cruiser by the Kiel Navy yard for the Kaiserliche Marine.
January 1905 laid down.
29 August 1906 launched under the name NÜRNBERG, two sisters the STETTIN and STUTTGART.
Displacement 3.470 ton, dim. 116.8 x 13.3 x 4.8m. (draught).
Powered by 2 set triple expansion engines, 13.200 hp., twin propellers, speed 23 knots.
Bunker capacity coal, normal 400 tons, maximum 850 ton.
Radius, 5.500 mile.
Armament: 2 – 10.5cm, 8 – 52mm. guns, four machine guns, 2 – 17.7 inch torpedo tubes submerged.
Crew about 322.
April 1908 completed, building cost 5.560.000 Mark.
When the First World War broke out the German Navy had not many vessels overseas, the East Asia Squadron under command of Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee, was the largest squadron overseas.
One vessel of the squadron was the NÜRNBERG; the other vessels were the armoured cruiser SCHARNHORST (flagship) and GNEISENAU, the light cruisers LEIPZIG and EMDEN.
11 August 1914 the squadron arrived at the German base at Pagan.
At Pagan the EMDEN sailed out alone for a raiding voyage in the Indian Ocean. The other vessels sailed on 13 August from Pagan, 19 August the squadron coaled at Eniwetok, Marshall Islands then the NÜRNBERG was ordered to Hawaii to send messages and arrange supplies, before he joined the squadron at Christmas Island on 06 September. The next day she destroyed the wireless station at Fanning Island.
The NÜRNBERG joined the squadron again on 26 September before the squadron headed for Eastern Island. At Eastern Island two other German cruisers the LEIPZIG and DRESDEN joined the squadron.
After coaling and storing the vessels, the squadron sailed on 18 October bound for the Juan Fernandez Islands, where she again coaled on 26 October. The cruiser PRINZ EITHEL FRIEDRIC joined the squadron. This cruiser and the collier GOTTINGEN, escorted by the NÜRNBERG sailed for Valparaiso for coal.
In the meantime a small British squadron under command of Rear Admiral Christopher Cradeck was in search for the German squadron in the Pacific.
On 01 November 1914 the HMS GLASGOW sighted smoke, and what then followed is know as the Battle of Coronel, where the British lost two armoured cruisers the GOOD HOPE which blew up with all hands under which Rear Admiral Cradeck and the HMS MONMOUTH, around 1600 British men lost their life in the battle, while the German ships were only light damaged and had three wounded.
After the battle Spee squadron coaled and then stayed in the Pacific, At least on 2 December the squadron passed Cape Horn bound for the South Atlantic, homeward bound.
08 December 1914 the squadron was off the Falkland Islands, and GNEISENAU and NÜRNBERG got orders to attack the wireless station, and ascertain the strength of the forces on the Falkland Islands, the two ships were sighted on the Falkland Islands and the British squadron under Admiral Sturdee was warned for the nearing enemy warships. At that time the British squadron was coaling on the road of Port Stanley, and it would take some time to raise steam, when the German ships had attacked the British squadron, which were sitting ducks maybe the battle would have had a other outcome.
HMS CANOPUS an old warship fired the first shot in this battle, and by luck she hit one of the funnels of the GNEISENAU, and the two German warships turned away.
The first British warship HMS BRISTOL sailed at 09.45 from the road and about 15 minutes later the INVINCIBLE. INFLEXIBLE, KENT, CARNARVON and CORNWALL followed in pursued of the German squadron. The BRISTOL and the auxiliary merchant cruiser MACEDONIA stayed behind.
The British warships with a better speed than the German ship made contact at 12.47 when the INFLEXIBLE fired her guns.
The NÜRNBERG under command of Kapitan zur See von Schönberg was attacked by HMS KENT and at 17.00 when both ships were steaming a southeast course the NÜRNBERG opened fire when the range was 12.000 yards. On a distance of 7.000 yards both ships got regular hits and when bad weather arrived, which would had saved her, two boilers on board the NÜRNBERG exploded, reducing her speed.
The fight continued and slowly the KENT pounded the NÜRNBERG to pieces. On fire and with most of her guns out of action, she became dead in the water, 20 minutes after her guns ceased to fire she rolled over and sank at 19.27
As she lay for a few moments a party of German sailors on her hull could be seen from the KENT waving their battle ensign.
Only 7 survivors were picked up out of a complement of 327.
The KENT who was hit thirty eight times had only sixteen casualties.
Falkland Islands 2005 50p sg?, scott?
Source: http://www.falklands.gov.fk/pb/fi/battle-90th.htm http://www.worldwar1 Dictionary of Disasters at Sea during the age of steam by Hocking. Jane’s Fighting Ships 1914.