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78-457: Admiral Graf Spee may refer to: Graf Maximilian von Spee (1861–1914), German admiral German cruiser  Admiral Graf Spee , a 1934 German Navy cruiser (or "pocket battleship") named after Spee Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Admiral Graf Spee . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

156-552: A declaration of war —against Austria-Hungary and possibly Germany. On 31 July, word came that the German ultimatum that Russia demobilize its armies was set to expire; Spee ordered his ships' crews to prepare for war. On 2 August, Wilhelm II ordered German mobilization against Russia and its ally, France. Following Germany's violation of neutral Belgium during its invasion of France , Britain declared war on Germany. The East Asia Squadron consisted of Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and

234-537: A slave labour camp for the local industry. Owing to its status as a naval port and production site for submarines, Kiel was heavily bombed by the Allies during this period. The bombing destroyed more than 80% of the remaining old town, 72% of the central residential areas, and 83% of the industrial areas. During the RAF bombing of 23/24 July 1944, Luftwaffe fighters tried to intercept the spoof (i.e. decoy) force instead of

312-480: A German colony. Emden and the liner Prinz Eitel Friedrich , which had been converted into an auxiliary cruiser , joined the squadron there on 12 August. The four cruisers, accompanied by Prinz Eitel Friedrich and several colliers, then departed the central Pacific, bound for Chile. On 13 August, Commodore Karl von Müller , captain of the Emden , persuaded Spee to detach his ship as a commerce raider. On 14 August,

390-627: A big problems with unemployed people at that time. Kiel is now a city with universities and active marine stations which attracts many young students and marines to Kiel. The current governing faction in the city council is formed by the Greens and the SPD, who have a current cooperation agreement from 2023 to 2028. The current mayor of Kiel is Ulf Kämpfer of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Kämpfer has stated that he will not run for

468-626: A foe far superior in power succeeds in catching me. But it will cost the wretches dearly before they take me down. While in port, Spee received the order from the Admiralty Staff to attempt to break through to Germany. The ships remained in the port for only 24 hours, in accordance with the neutrality restrictions, and arrived at Mas a Fuera on 6 November, where they took on more coal from captured British and French steamers. Dresden and Leipzig took their turn in Valparaiso, after which

546-698: A humanistic gymnasium, is the oldest. Other secondary schools include the Gymnasium Elmschenhagen and the Max-Planck-Schule with a focus on natural sciences. There are many comprehensive schools – partially with secondary schools – all over the city area, as well as private schools. BZ am NOK (Berufsbildungszentrum am Nord-Ostsee-Kanal)is a vocational training center provides education and training in over 40 professions. It includes dual training programs, vocational schools, technical colleges, and vocational grammar schools. Kiel's economy

624-589: A part of Holstein, Kiel belonged to the Holy Roman Empire and was situated only a few kilometres south of the Danish border. The capital of the county (later duchy) of Holstein , Kiel was a member of the Hanseatic League from 1284 until it was expelled in 1518 for harbouring pirates . The Kieler Umschlag ( trade fair ), first held in 1431, became the central market for goods and money in

702-492: A sculpture by Ernst Barlach in front of it called Geistkämpfer . Kiel is Schleswig-Holstein 's largest city, and therefore Kiel's shopping district is a major attraction, and will see further improvement and renovation efforts in the upcoming years. Kiel's Holstenstraße (Holsten Street) is one of the longest shopping streets in Germany. The Rathaus (Town Hall), which was built in 1911, has an operating paternoster lift and

780-580: A subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems , the leading German group of shipyards. In 2005, the GDP per person was €35,618, which is well above the national average of Germany and 159% of the European Union average. Some of the most notable companies having branches or their headquarters in Kiel are: Ferry operators Military contractors Engineering and industrial machinery Others Kiel

858-571: A temperature above 30 °C (86 °F) are rare, with an average of only 2.8 days per year. The Kiel weather station has recorded the following extreme values: Kiel has about 40 districts, but there is no standard division. The districts are traditionally grouped into 30 boroughs (Stadtteile) [1] . Another, more recent structure summarizes the districts in 18 political districts (Ortsteile) [2] . The city has 25 electoral districts. The biggest districts, by population, are Wik (20,100), Gaarden-Ost (19,200) and Mettenhof (19,900). Gaarden, located at

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936-538: A third five year term. His current term ends in 2026. The results of the 29 October 2019 election were as follows.: The Kiel city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The results of the city council election on 6 May 2018 were as follows: There are a number of sports venues in Kiel, most notably the Wunderino Arena (formerly known as Baltic Sea Hall or Ostseehalle ), which is the home ground of one of

1014-672: A total route length of 40 km (25 mi), before the end of the First World War . Kiel was the site of the sailors' mutiny which led to the German Revolution in late 1918. Just before the end of the First World War, the German fleet stationed at Kiel was ordered to sail out for a last great battle with the Royal Navy . The sailors, who thought of it as a suicide mission which would have no effect on

1092-530: Is also home to several insurances and banks, most notably the HSH Nordbank , Provinzial NordWest , Förde Sparkasse , Kieler Volksbank eG and Evangelischen Bank eG . There is also an active startup scene in Kiel with startup accelerator StarterKitchen and startups like SciEngines GmbH , Real-Eyes, myBoo, SealMedia, Cliplister, Druckpreis.DE, promotionbasis.de, Yoosello, GetAnEdge, Flowy Apps, fraguru, lokalportal, PianoMotion and ubique art. Kiel

1170-462: Is dominated by the service sector, transport and maritime industries. Kiel is also one of the major ports of the German Navy , and a leading centre of German high-tech military and civil shipbuilding. Kiel is the home of Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft , a shipyard founded in 1838 famed for its construction of submarines . HDW built the first German submarine Brandtaucher in 1850, and is today

1248-917: Is home to several media companies, including a branch of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk producing one radio channel and several local programmes in Kiel, a station of the British Forces Broadcasting Service , the daily newspaper Kieler Nachrichten and several smaller local radio channels and magazines. Kiel is situated near an important pan-European motorway, the A7 , which connects northern Europe with central and southern Europe. The central railway station, Kiel Hauptbahnhof , has hourly trains to Hamburg , Lübeck , Flensburg , and Husum . The Intercity Express (ICE) connects Kiel with Berlin , Frankfurt , Cologne and Munich . There are 8 regional railway stations within

1326-580: Is home to the GEOMAR – Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel . Kiel is an important sea transport hub, with passenger ferries to Sweden , Norway , Lithuania and other countries. Moreover, today the Port of Kiel is a popular destination for cruise ships touring the Baltic Sea. Kiel's recorded history began in the 13th century. Before then, in the eighth century, it was a Danish village. Until 1864 it

1404-570: Is situated near the sea, the beaches to the north of Kiel, such as Strande , Kiel- Schilksee , Möltenort and Laboe , are also popular places to visit in spring and summer. Kiel Week , also known in English as the Kiel Regatta, is the largest sailing event in the world and takes place every year in the last full week in June. Many thousands of boats and ships of all kinds and eras take part in

1482-637: Is the federal institute for dairy research which was merged into the Max-Rubner-Institut together with other institutions in 2004. The state capital Kiel is a corporative sponsoring member of the Max Planck Society . The ARGE-SH , the oldest research institution of the republic of Germany, has its headquarters in Kiel. There are twelve gymnasiums in Kiel, of which the Kieler Gelehrtenschule, founded in 1320 as

1560-565: The Allied capture of German Samoa , which had taken place on 29 August. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau sailed to Apia to investigate the situation. Spee had hoped to catch a British or Australian warship by surprise, but upon his arrival on 14 September, he found no warships in the harbor. Spee decided against attacking the Allied troops ashore, since doing so would risk killing Samoans and damaging German property. On 22 September, Scharnhorst and

1638-657: The Fachhochschule Kiel (founded in 1969) and the Muthesius School of Arts (founded in 1907). The projects Murmann School of Global Management and Economics and Multimedia Campus Kiel were ultimately unsuccessful. The Wirtschaftsakademie Schleswig-Holstein offers besides advanced training at the Berufsakademie dual study courses for economists, business information specialists and industrial engineers. Noteworthy as departmental research institute

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1716-600: The Marquesas Islands , where his ships acquired supplies including fresh meat by barter, purchase, or confiscation. On 12 October, the squadron reached Easter Island , where it was reinforced by Leipzig , Dresden , and four more colliers. Spee's ships were off the coast of Chile by 1 November, when he learned that the British cruiser Glasgow was moored in Coronel , ostensibly alone; he decided to try to sink

1794-611: The Second World War submarine U-995 , which are both popular tourist sites. Kiel has a population of 247,000. In 1946, when Kiel became the capital of Schleswig-Holstein , its population was about 214,000. Kiel is Germany's largest coastal city and its only state capital located on the sea. In the 1950s Kiel, with its marine port, attracted members of the navy. Kiel had its highest peak of population in 1973 at 273,000. The population declined since then. Many people moved away from this city and Kiel became very poor and had

1872-483: The University of Kiel , which is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious university in the state. Kiel has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ; Trewartha : Dolk ). Located on the Baltic Sea coast, the temperature fluctuates less than inland, with warm winters and cool summers throughout the year. The average temperature ranges from 2 °C (36 °F) in winter to 17 °C (63 °F) in summer. Days with

1950-460: The Yangtze . After arriving back in Germany, he was promoted to the rank of Korvettenkapitän (Corvette Captain) and assigned as the first officer aboard the pre-dreadnought battleship Brandenburg . Between 1900 and 1908, Spee held command of several ships, including the aviso Hela , the minelayer Pelikan , and finally the pre-dreadnought Wittelsbach . During this period, he

2028-572: The light cruisers Emden , Nürnberg , and Leipzig . At the time, Nürnberg was returning from the west coast of the United States, where Leipzig had just replaced her, and Emden was still in Qingdao. Spee recalled his ships to consolidate his forces; Nürnberg arrived on 6 August and the three cruisers plus their colliers moved to Pagan Island in the Marianas , at that time

2106-646: The British 4th Cruiser Squadron under Rear Admiral Christopher Cradock in the Battle of Coronel , sinking two of Cradock's cruisers and forcing his other two ships to retreat. A month later, Spee decided to attack the British naval base in the Falkland Islands , but a superior British force surprised him. In the ensuing Battle of the Falkland Islands , Vice Admiral Doveton Sturdee 's squadron, which included two powerful battlecruisers , destroyed

2184-532: The British battlecruiser. The German flagship was herself not hit during this phase of the battle. Sturdee attempted to widen the distance by turning two points to the north to prevent Spee from closing to within the range of his numerous secondary guns. Spee counteracted this maneuver by turning rapidly to the south, which forced Sturdee to turn south as well to keep within range. This allowed Scharnhorst and Gneisenau to turn back north and get close enough to engage with their secondary 15 cm guns. Their shooting

2262-461: The Duchy of Holstein. It began to decline c.  1850 and ceased in 1900. The University of Kiel was founded on 29 September 1665 by Christian Albert , Duke of Holstein-Gottorp . A number of important scholars, including Theodor Mommsen , Felix Jacoby , Hans Geiger and Max Planck , studied or taught there. From 1773 to 1864, the town belonged to the king of Denmark . However, because

2340-609: The East Asia Squadron departed Pagan for Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands . While en route across the Pacific, Spee relaxed formalities aboard his ships, integrating the messes for officers and non-commissioned and engineering officers. To keep the German high command informed, on 8 September Spee detached Nürnberg to Honolulu to send word through neutral countries. Nürnberg returned with news of

2418-573: The East Asia Squadron. Spee and his two sons, who happened to be serving on two of his ships, were all killed, along with about 2,200 other men. Spee was hailed as a hero in Germany, and several ships were named in his honor, including the heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee , which was built in the 1930s and was scuttled after the Battle of the River Plate during World War II . Spee was born in Copenhagen , Denmark, on 22 June 1861, though he

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2496-527: The First World War, we remember them and must ensure that their sacrifice was not in vain." Kiel Kiel is one of Germany's major maritime centres, known for a variety of international sailing events, including the annual Kiel Week , which is the biggest sailing event in the world. Kiel is also known for the Kiel Mutiny , when sailors refused orders to prepare to engage the British Navy in

2574-521: The German ships had expended around 40 percent of their ammunition supply. Spee had inflicted the first defeat on a Royal Navy squadron since the Napoleonic Wars a century earlier. After the battle, Spee took his ships north to Valparaiso. Since Chile was neutral, only three ships could enter the port at a time; Spee took Scharnhorst , Gneisenau , and Nürnberg in first on the morning of 3 November, leaving Dresden and Leipzig with

2652-457: The Graf von Spee family, called the location of the wreck "bittersweet", remarking that the family took comfort "from the knowledge that the final resting place of so many has been found, and can now be preserved, whilst also being reminded of the huge waste of life. As a family, we lost a father and his two sons on one day. Like the thousands of other families who suffered an unimaginable loss during

2730-720: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand , heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary . On 17 July, the East Asia Squadron arrived in Ponape in the Carolines, where the ships remained while tensions steadily rose in Europe. In Ponape, Spee had access to the German radio network, and he learned of the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war on Serbia on 28 July, followed shortly thereafter by the Russian mobilization —tantamount to

2808-487: The association Museen am Meer . In addition to preserving architecture from the 16th century and historic rooms with painted stucco ceilings, it displays urban and cultural exhibits of the 19th and 20th centuries. Particularly intriguing is the history of the carnival in Kiel. The Schifffahrtsmuseum is in the former fish market building in the harbour. Laboe is home to the Laboe Naval Memorial and

2886-496: The attack. As Spee withdrew, Sturdee quickly got steam up in his ships and sortied to chase the Germans. By 13:20, the battlecruisers had caught up with Spee, who realized his armored cruisers could not escape the much faster battlecruisers. He ordered the three light cruisers to attempt to break away while he tried to hold off the British squadron with Scharnhorst and Gneisenau . Sturdee instead ordered his cruisers to chase down

2964-422: The attack. As they approached, observers aboard Gneisenau spotted smoke rising from Port Stanley , but assumed it was the British burning their coal stocks to prevent the Germans from seizing them. As they closed on the harbor, 30.5 cm (12.0 in) shells from the elderly battleship Canopus , which had been beached as a guard ship , began to fall around the German ships, which prompted Spee to break off

3042-430: The canal were seized by a British T-Force led by Major Tony Hibbert on 5 May 1945. Like other heavily bombed German cities, the city was rebuilt after the war. In 1946, Kiel was named the seat of government for Schleswig-Holstein , and it officially became the state's capital in 1952. Today, Kiel is once again an important maritime centre of Germany, with high-tech shipbuilding, submarine construction and one of

3120-840: The capital of Schleswig-Holstein until the Danish victory in 1850. During the Second Schleswig War in 1864, Kiel and the rest of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were conquered by a German Confederation alliance of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia . After the war, Kiel was briefly administered by both the Austrians and the Prussians, but the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 led to

3198-531: The colliers at Mas a Fuera. There, Spee's ships could take on coal while he conferred with the Admiralty Staff in Germany to determine the strength of remaining British forces in the region. In addition, Spee sought to counter British press reports that attempted to minimize their losses and exaggerate German casualties. A reception followed at the German Club of Valparaiso, though Spee insisted that

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3276-579: The colonies of Togoland and Kamerun , respectively. In 1887, Spee was transferred to Kamerun where he commanded the port at Duala . He contracted rheumatic fever while there, and had to be sent back to Germany to recover, though he occasionally suffered from rheumatism for the rest of his life. After returning to Germany in 1889, he married his wife, Margareta Baroness von der Osten-Sacken. With her he had two sons—Otto, born on 10 July 1890, Heinrich, born on 24 April 1893—and one daughter, Huberta, born on 11 July 1894. By 1895, Spee had been promoted to

3354-474: The day, when the setting sun would silhouette Cradock's ships. The German ships would meanwhile be obscured against the Chilean coast, making the task of the British gunners more difficult. At 18:07, Spee issued the order to open fire, with his two armored cruisers battling Cradock's armored cruisers and his light cruisers engaging Glasgow and Otranto . Cradock quickly detached Otranto , as she had no place in

3432-525: The deputy commander for the reconnaissance forces of the High Seas Fleet . In late 1912, Spee was given command of the East Asia Squadron, replacing KAdm Günther von Krosigk on 4 December. Spee raised his flag on the armored cruiser Scharnhorst , and departed on a tour of the southwest Pacific along with Scharnhorst ' s sister ship Gneisenau , during which Spee made visits to several ports, including Singapore and Batavia . Spee

3510-657: The design of its tower was based on one in Venice . The square in front of it is bordered by a lake and the Opernhaus Kiel (Kiel Opera House). There are also a number of lakes and parks in the city centre, such as Schrevenpark. There are two botanical gardens , the Old Botanical Garden and the Botanischer Garten der Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (or New Botanical Garden). As Kiel

3588-401: The event be restrained in tone. He received a bouquet of flowers to celebrate the victory at Coronel; Spee replied that they would do nicely for his grave. He stated that, You must not forget that I am quite homeless. I cannot reach Germany. We possess no other secure harbor. I must fight my way through the seas of the world doing as much mischief as I can, until my ammunition is exhausted, or

3666-537: The first President of the Republic of China . He came back aboard Scharnhorst on 11 May and the ship returned to Qingdao. Spee thereafter began preparations for a cruise to German New Guinea ; Scharnhorst departed on 20 June. The two armored cruisers proceeded to Nagasaki , Japan, where they coaled in preparation for their tour. While en route to Truk in the Caroline Islands , they received news of

3744-436: The fleeing German light cruisers while Invincible and Inflexible dealt with Scharnhorst and Gneisenau . Spee deftly maneuvered his ships, taking the leeward position; the wind kept his ships swept of smoke, which improved visibility for his gunners. This forced Sturdee into the windward position and its corresponding worse visibility. Scharnhorst straddled Invincible with her third salvo and quickly scored two hits on

3822-586: The formation of the Province of Schleswig-Holstein and the annexation of Kiel by Prussia in 1867. On 24 March 1865 King William I based Prussia's Baltic Sea fleet in Kiel instead of Danzig (Gdańsk) . The Imperial shipyard Kiel was established in 1867 in the town. When William I of Prussia became Emperor William I of the German Empire in 1871, he designated Kiel and Wilhelmshaven as Reichskriegshäfen ("Imperial War Harbours"). The Kiel Yacht Club

3900-421: The inner city, providing better pavements, better access to and view of the waterfront, and a generally more attractive feel to the place. These plans, most notably the "Kleiner Kiel Kanal", a restoration of a historic canal that was filled in to make place for road infrastructure, are to be implemented in the next few years. The oldest building in the city is the 13th century Church of St. Nicholas , which has

3978-588: The king ruled Holstein as a fief of the Holy Roman Empire only through a personal union , the town was not incorporated as part of Denmark proper. Even though the empire was abolished in 1806, the Danish king continued to rule Kiel only through his position as Duke of Holstein, which became a member of the German Confederation in 1815. When Schleswig and Holstein rebelled against Denmark in 1848 (the First Schleswig War ), Kiel became

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4056-622: The last weeks of World War I , sparking the German Revolution , which led to the abdication of the Kaiser and the formation of the Weimar Republic . The Olympic sailing competitions of the 1936 and the 1972 Summer Olympics were held in the Bay of Kiel . Kiel has also been one of the traditional homes of the German Navy 's Baltic fleet, and continues to be a major high-tech shipbuilding centre. The University of Kiel , founded in 1665,

4134-497: The late 1880s and early 1890s, he married his wife, Margareta, and had three children, his sons Heinrich and Otto and his daughter Huberta. By 1912, he had returned to the East Asia Squadron as its commander, and was promoted to the rank of Vizeadmiral (Vice Admiral) the following year. After the outbreak of World War I in July 1914, Spee led his squadron across the Pacific to the coast of South America. Here on 1 November, he defeated

4212-402: The line of battle. By 18:50, Gneisenau had disabled Monmouth and so shifted fire to Good Hope ; the combined firepower of Scharnhorst and Gneisenau neutralized Good Hope by 19:23. Spee then withdrew his two armored cruisers and sent in his light cruisers to finish off Monmouth and Good Hope . The British had lost both ships and suffered more than 1,600 dead, including Cradock, though

4290-510: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Admiral_Graf_Spee&oldid=1160781869 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Title and name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Maximilian von Spee Maximilian Johannes Maria Hubert Reichsgraf von Spee (22 June 1861 – 8 December 1914)

4368-437: The main force attacking Kiel, and there was no water for three days; trains and buses did not run for eight days and there was no gas available for cooking for three weeks. There were several bombing raids of the port area during the period 20 February – 20 April 1945 which successfully eliminated many U-boats , and the few large warships (cruisers Hipper , Scheer , and Köln ) still afloat at that time. It and its port, and

4446-459: The most successful team handball clubs in the world and multiple German champion, THW Kiel . Holstein Kiel , an association football club, which plays at Holstein-Stadion , will play in the Bundesliga in the 2024–2025 season for the first time in the club's history. The University of Kiel (German: Christian-Albrechts-Universität) was founded by Duke Christian Albrecht in 1665. It is

4524-885: The only full university of Schleswig-Holstein, with about 27.000 students. Partly linked to the University Kiel are other independent research facilities such as the German National Library of Economics – Leibniz Informationcenter for Economy, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy , the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and the research institute of the Bundeswehr for water sound and geophysics. Besides these there are other educational institutions such as

4602-401: The outcome of the war, decided they had nothing to lose and refused to obey orders. They took over Kiel and then spread out to other north German ports, sparking the revolution which led to the abolition of the monarchy and the creation of the Weimar Republic . During the Second World War , Kiel remained one of the major naval bases and shipbuilding centres of the German Reich. There was also

4680-404: The parade. Kiel Week is also a festival, Volksfest and fair as well as a maritime event. There are a number of yachting and sailing clubs in picturesque settings. Kiel also features a number of museums, including zoological, geological, historical, fine art, industrial and military museums. Notable is the Stadt- und Schifffahrtsmuseum Warleberger Hof (City and Maritime Museum), which belongs to

4758-467: The rank of Kapitänleutnant (captain lieutenant). From 1 May to 12 September that year, Spee commanded the ironclad gunboat Natter . In December 1897, Spee was stationed in Germany's East Asia Squadron after it seized the Jiaozhou Bay Leased Territory , with its port at Qingdao . Here, he served on the staff of Vizeadmiral (Vice Admiral) Otto von Diederichs . During the Boxer Uprising in China in 1900, Spee saw action at Qingdao and on

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4836-535: The re-formed squadron continued south and rounded Cape Horn into the South Atlantic. In the meantime, the Royal Navy sent a pair of battlecruisers — Invincible and Inflexible —commanded by Vice Admiral Doveton Sturdee to hunt down Spee's squadron and avenge Cradock's defeat. On the morning of 6 December, Spee held a conference with the ship commanders aboard Scharnhorst to determine their next course of action. The Germans had received numerous fragmentary and contradictory reports of British reinforcements in

4914-466: The region; Spee and two other captains favored an attack on the Falkland Islands to destroy the British wireless station there, while three other commanders argued that it would be better to bypass the islands and attack British shipping off Argentina. Spee's opinion carried the day and the squadron departed for the Falkland Islands at 12:00 on 6 December. The ships arrived off the Falkland Islands two days later; Gneisenau and Nürnberg were delegated for

4992-402: The rest of the East Asia Squadron arrived at the French colony of Papeete . The Germans attacked the colony, and in the ensuing Battle of Papeete , they sank the French gunboat Zélée . The ships came under fire from French shore batteries but were undamaged. Fear of mines in the harbor prevented Spee from seizing the coal in the harbor. Spee then continued across the Pacific, passing through

5070-400: The second Mackensen -class battlecruiser was named Graf Spee , and was christened by Spee's widow Margarete. Construction of the ship had not been completed by the time of the Armistice of 11 November 1918 , and she was broken up for scrap by 1921. In 1934 Germany named the new heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee after him; as with the earlier vessel, a member of Spee's family christened

5148-443: The ship, this time his daughter. In December 1939, Admiral Graf Spee was scuttled by her crew after the Battle of the River Plate off the coast of Uruguay . Between 1959 and 1964 the Federal German Bundesmarine operated the training frigate Graf Spee . The wreck of Spee's flagship Scharnhorst was found off the Falklands on 5 December 2019, almost 105 years to the day after her sinking. Wilhelm Graf von Spee, head of

5226-407: The ship. Glasgow was assigned to the 4th Cruiser Squadron , under Rear Admiral Christopher Cradock ; as it turned out, Glasgow was joined by the armored cruisers Good Hope and Monmouth and the auxiliary cruiser Otranto . After discovering the entire squadron off Coronel, Spee decided to engage the British ships, but he delayed the action using his ships' superior speed until later in

5304-499: The southern end of the fjord, is a traditional working-class district that used to be home to mainly shipyard workers. Mettenhof is a large housing estate (satellite town) that was built in the 1960s and 1970s on the western outskirts of the city. The city districts of Düsternbrook, Schreventeich, Ravensberg and Blücherplatz, north of the city centre, are popular places to live with many 19th century buildings, villas and tree-lined streets. The government offices, ministries and parliament of

5382-488: The state of Schleswig-Holstein are also mainly based in these neighbourhoods, particularly Düsternbrook. In contrast to the heavy bomb damage inflicted on the central parts of the city during the Second World War , most of the residential areas were not severely damaged. Hence, Kiel's more modern-style inner city and Kiel's more historic/elaborate residential areas stand in architectural contrast to one another. There are plans for large-scale improvement and building efforts for

5460-413: The world's largest ocean research centers, the GEOMAR. Regular ferries to Scandinavia and Lithuania, as well as the largest sailing event in the world called the Kiel Week (Kieler Woche) in German and The Kiel Regatta in English. The Kieler Umschlag is another festival, which has been taking place again since 1975. Kiel is also home to a large service sector and a number of research institutions including

5538-440: Was a naval officer of the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy), who commanded the East Asia Squadron during World War I . Spee entered the navy in 1878 and served in a variety of roles and locations, including on a colonial gunboat in German West Africa in the 1880s, the East Africa Squadron in the late 1890s, and as commander of several warships in the main German fleet in the early 1900s. During his time in Germany in

5616-559: Was administered by Denmark in personal union . In 1866 the city was annexed by Prussia and in 1871 it became part of Germany. Kiel was one of the founding cities of the original European Green Capital Award in 2006. In 2005 Kiel's GDP per capita was € 35,618, which is well above Germany 's national average, and 159% of the European Union 's average. The city of Kiel was founded in 1233 as Holstenstadt tom Kyle by Count Adolf IV of Holstein , and granted Lübeck city rights in 1242 by Adolf's eldest son, John I of Schauenburg. As

5694-477: Was established in 1887 with Prince Henry of Prussia as its patron. Emperor Wilhelm II became its commodore in 1891. Because of its new role as Germany's main naval base, Kiel very quickly increased in size in the following years, from 18,770 in 1864 to about 200,000 in 1910. Much of the old town centre and other surroundings were levelled and redeveloped to provide for the growing city. The Kiel tramway network , opened in 1881, had been enlarged to 10 lines, with

5772-517: Was eventually tracked to the Juan Fernández Islands and sunk. The complete destruction of the squadron killed about 2,200 German sailors and officers, including both of Spee's sons; Heinrich died aboard Gneisenau , and Otto was killed aboard Nürnberg . Spee was hailed as a hero in Germany and the men of the East Asia Squadron were celebrated in the press, which emphasized their bravery and refusal to surrender. In September 1917,

5850-474: Was promoted to Fregattenkapitän (Frigate Captain) on 27 January 1904 and to Kapitän zur See (Captain at Sea) exactly a year later; his command of Wittelsbach followed the latter promotion. In 1908, he was assigned as the chief of staff to the commander of the North Sea Station, and in 1910 he was promoted to the rank of Konteradmiral ( KAdm –Counter Admiral). Spee was then assigned as

5928-595: Was promoted to Vizeadmiral the following year. Over the following year and a half, Spee met with the leaders of several East Asian countries. From 1 April to 7 May 1913, Scharnhorst took Spee to Japan to meet the Taishō Emperor . Later in the year, Spee met with Chulalongkorn , the King of Siam . In May 1914, Spee took Scharnhorst and the torpedo boat S90 on a visit to Port Arthur and then to Tianjin ; Spee continued on to Beijing , where he met with Yuan Shikai ,

6006-644: Was raised in the Rhineland in Germany, where his family had an estate. He joined the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) in 1878 and initially served in the main German naval base at Kiel . He was commissioned an officer at the rank of Leutnant zur See (lieutenant at sea), and was assigned to the gunboat SMS  Möwe , which was sent to western Africa. During this voyage, the Germans signed treaties with local rulers in Togo and Cameroon, creating

6084-621: Was so accurate that it forced the British to haul away a second time. The British gunfire became increasingly accurate, and by 16:00, Scharnhorst had begun to list badly, while fires raged aboard the ship. Spee ordered Gneisenau to try to disengage while he turned Scharnhorst toward his attackers in an attempt to launch torpedoes at them. At 16:17, Scharnhorst capsized and sank, taking her entire crew with her, including Spee. The British, still focused on Gneisenau , made no effort to rescue survivors. Gneisenau , Leipzig , and Nürnberg were also sunk. Only Dresden managed to escape, but she

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