July 25, 1903 the German cruiser Hamburg was launched at Stettiner Maschinenbau AG Vulcan, Stettin, Germany. Hamburg served the Kaiser's navy well and even escorted his yacht on a number of occasions. She was involved in the attack on Hartlepool and was even at the Battle of Jutland where she was damaged. Hamburg was one of the few ships that was not surrendered after the Great War because she was in poor condition, but between the wars she was refit and continued to serve until 1927. After 1936 she was used as a floating barracks ship in Hamburg and Kiel. She was sunk in shallow water by an RAF air raid in 1944, the wreck was later raised and scrapped.