Wreck of WWI German battlecruiser SMS Scharnhorst found near Falkland Islands

 

The wreck of a German battlecruiser that was sunk by the British during the First World War has been found off the coast of the Falkland Islands.

SMS Scharnhorst was the flagship of Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee’s East Asia Squadron.

The armoured cruiser was sunk during the Battle of the Falkland Islands, a crucial naval battle in the early days of the First World War, on 8 December 1914. Some 800 sailors aboard the ship including Admiral Spee died in the sinking.

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The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust said the discovery is a major breakthrough in the “quest to locate all of the ships that comprised the German squadron lost during the battle”.

The search for the vessel began on the centenary of the battle in December 2014 but it was initially unsuccessful.

Via EPA-EFE/Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust/TVT productions