The wreck of the World War One German armored cruiser, SMS Scharnhorst, has been located off the Falkland Islands. Scharnhorst, the flagship of German Vice-Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee’s East Asia Squadron, was sunk by the Royal Navy 105 years ago in the Battle of the Falklands.

Mensun Bound, the leader of the search for the wreckage, told the BBC that the moment of discovery was “extraordinary”.

“We are often chasing shadows on the seabed, but when the Scharnhorst first appeared in the data flow, there was no doubt that this was one of the German fleet,” Mr. Bound said.

“Suddenly she just came out of the gloom with great guns poking in every direction. As a Falkland Islander and a marine archaeologist, a discovery of this significance is an unforgettable, poignant moment in my life,” he added.

The German Navy’s East Asia Squadron was returning to Germany from German colonies in the Pacific. After rounding Cape Horn, Admiral von Spee raided the British Fakland Islands, which he believed were undefended. Instead, a Royal Navy squadron was waiting for him. Outnumbered and outgunned by the British, Spee’s squadron was destroyed. He lost both armored cruisers, including the Scharnhorst, as well as two out of three light cruisers and two out of three transports. The Germans suffered 1,871 killed and 215 captured, while the Royal Navy incurred 10 killed and 19 wounded. Admiral Spee was one of the dead.

German battleship SMS Scharnhorst found off Falkland Islands

Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to this post.