SMS Nürnberg (1906)

SMS Nürnberg was a German light cruiser of the Königsberg class, built for the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine). She was the second ship of her class, following the lead ship, Königsberg, and preceding Stettin and Stuttgart. Nürnberg was laid down in 1906 at the AG Vulcan Stettin shipyard, launched in 1908, and commissioned in 1910.

The Nürnberg was armed with ten 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/40 guns and two 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes. She had a top speed of 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph).

Nürnberg's early career included service in the Far East. At the outbreak of World War I, she was part of the German East Asia Squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee.

During the early stages of the war, the squadron engaged in commerce raiding and sought to link up with German forces in the Atlantic. Nürnberg participated in the Battle of Coronel in November 1914, where the German squadron decisively defeated a British squadron, sinking the cruisers HMS Good Hope and HMS Monmouth.

However, the German squadron's success was short-lived. In December 1914, the German East Asia Squadron encountered a larger and more powerful British force at the Battle of the Falkland Islands. Nürnberg, along with most of the other German ships, was sunk. Nürnberg engaged the British cruiser HMS Kent, but was ultimately overwhelmed by the more heavily armed British vessel. Very few of Nürnberg's crew survived the battle. Her wreck was discovered in 1914 off the coast of the Falkland Islands.