SMS "Hindenburg" was the last battlecruiser completed for the Imperial German Navy, and as such had a very short career. She was fully operational by 20 October 1917, but this was too late to see any major operation in World War I. On 17 November "Hindenburg" and , along with the light cruisers of II Scouting Group, were acting as distant support for German minesweepers off the German coast when the minesweepers were attacked by British warships. The British raiders included the new battlecruisers , , and . However, the raid was brief; by the time "Hindenburg" and "Moltke" arrived on the scene, the British ships had broken off the attack and withdrawn. On 23 November, "Hindenburg" replaced "Seydlitz" as flagship of I Scouting Group.