On 15 December 1914, German battlecruisers, supported by the battleships of the main German High Seas Fleet set out on a raid against the coastal towns of Scarborough, Whitby and Hartlepool, with the intent of drawing out units of the British Grand Fleet, where they could be engaged by the battleships of the High Seas Fleet. The British, aware from radio intercepts that the Germans were planning a raid with their battlecruisers (but not that they were supported by the whole of the High Seas Fleet), sent out the battlecruiser squadron under Vice Admiral David Beatty with four battlecruisers and the Second Battle Squadron, commanded by Vice Admiral Sir George Warrender, with six battleships, to oppose the raid. "Shark" was one of seven destroyers that sailed in support of the British battlecruiser squadron. At 05:15 on 16 December, the lead ship of the British destroyers, , spotted a German destroyer, (part of the screen of the High Seas Fleet) and set off with the other destroyers in pursuit of the German ship. In a brief exchange of fire, "V155" hit both "Lynx" and , forcing both to break off. Soon afterwards, "Shark" and encountered the German light cruiser . After "Hardy" was badly damaged by shells from "Hamburg", "Shark" and the remaining British destroyers resumed station screening the British battlecruisers. They encountered five German destroyers at about 06:03, which they chased away, and at about 06:50 encountered the German cruiser , screened by destroyers, and shadowed them, while reporting their position by radio, but when "Shark" attempted to lead her division in a torpedo attack against the German cruiser, the appearance of two more German cruisers, and "Hamburg", and were forced to break off the attack with the German cruisers in pursuit, before losing contact with the Germans due to poor visibility.