Named after Gerhard von Scharnhorst was her building ordered in 1904, her keel at the was laid down in January 1905 at the Blohm&Voss shipyard, Hamburg, Germany, launched on22 March a year later, commissioned on 24 October 1907 was she lost during the First Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8 December 1914. With a displacement of 11.616 metric tons/11.433 long tons/12.804 short tons (standard)-12.985 metric tons/12.780 long tons/14.314 short tons (full load) were her dimensions 114,6 (over all) x 21,6 x 8,37 metres or 474’x 71’x 27’6”. The triple expansion engines and 18 Schulz Thornycroft boilers supplied 27.759 ihp during her trials allowing a speed of 22,7 knots. With a speed of 1o knots she would have a range of 5.000 nautical miles. Her armour consisted of a 15cm/6” thick belt, a deck of 3,8-6,4 (1.5”-2,5”) thickness with the turrets protected by 18cm/7”; thick armour. Her armament consisted of 2x2&4x1-21cm/8.2” SK L/40guns in turrets, 6x1-15cm/5.9” guns, 18x1-8,8cm/3.45” guns casemated and 4-45cm/17.7” submerged torpedo tubes (1xbow, 1xstern and each broadside 1).
