Action of 29 February 1916 The Action of 29 February 1916 was a naval battle fought during the First World War between the United Kingdom and the German Empire . A German commerce raider broke out into the North Sea and in response Admiral Sir John Jellicoe dispatched a fleet of Royal Navy warships to intercept the raider . Four British vessels made contact with the Germans and in the ensuing engagement two ships were sunk in a bloody engagement . Background . Just launched , the 5 , 000 ton auxiliary cruiser SMS " Greif " was armed with four hidden 15 - centimeter guns , one hidden 10 . 5 - centimeter gun and two torpedo tube s . She was home to approximately 360 officers and crewmen . " Greif " departed her home port of Hamburg into the North Sea on February 27 , intending to enter the Atlantic by an Icelandic route , and a British submarine spotted her and reported her position to the Admiralty the next day . Admiral Jellicoe sortied five cruiser s and seven destroyers to sweep the North Sea with the auxiliary cruisers HMS " Alcantara " and HMS " Andes " which were already on patrol . The British auxiliary cruisers both weighed about 15 , 000 tons and carried eight 6 - inch and two 3 - pounders each . Four Royal Navy warships encountered the " Greif " , including the two auxiliary cruisers , there was the light cruiser HMS " Comus " and the destroyer HMS " Munster " which arrived at the very end of the action . Action . At about 8 : 45 am on February 19 , 1916 , lookouts aboard the " Alcantara " spotted smoke off the port beam so her commander Captain Thomas Erskine Wardle maneuvered closer to identify what the smoke was coming from . Unbeknown the smoke was from SMS " Greif " . A few minutes later HMS " Andes " reported that her lookouts had sighted a ship with two masts and a black funnel headed northeast . Two Norwegian steamers were also observed , flying their large flags . The two British vessels closed on the " Greif " until within range to signal one another . First Captain Wardle ordered the German vessel to stop and two blank rounds were fired . The Germans hove to and signaled that they were from Trondheim and were headed for Rio de Janeiro . At about 9 : 40 the British were close enough to the raider so they lowered a few boats with a boarding party to take command of the seemingly harmless steamer . At this moment the raider revealed her intentions , unmasked her guns and opened fire on the " Alcantara " at a range of 800 yards . The first discharge struck the " Alcantara " s bridge which caused heavy damage and destroyed the communications equipment . Further shots hit and sank some of the boarding party ' s boats and also knocked out the Briton ' s steering gear . " Alcantara " increased her speed and began returning fire as the Germans attempted to flee towards the Norwegian coastline . Her first shot struck and disabled the " Greif " s poop gun , killing the crew in the process . For several minutes the two vessels dueled at close range until gun fire was heard by the " Andes " which was about five miles from the battle area . She closed to within three miles of SMS " Greif " and opened fire . Her first shots struck the bridge of the German raider and destroyed its steering gear . The " Greif " launched two torpedoes at the " Alcantara " ; the first one hit amidship and the second passed under the stern . By the end of the engagement , the British knocked out another German gun and set her fuel tanks on fire , one shot entered the hull of the " Greif " , exploded , and slowed the vessel to a sinking halt . Reports say that both the " Greif " and " Alcantara " were struck several times at or below the waterline which left the British vessel in a sinking state as well . German fire ceased at 10 : 18 am and a few minutes later the Royal Navy sailors spotted life boat s being lowered from the burning " Greif " . The British kept up their fire and as the German commander climbed down the rope to his life boat , shrapnel struck him in the neck and he was beheaded . Several moments later Captain Wardle ordered his men to abandon ship and at 11 : 02 the " Alcantara " was underneath the water . Around this time the " Comus " and " Munster " arrived and finished sinking the German raider . Wardle and his surviving crew were in the water for about twenty minutes before being picked up . An estimated 187 Germans perished along with seventy - two Britons , five officers and 120 Germans were rescued and taken prisoner by the " Andes " and " Munster " . Aftermath . Though the British managed to sink the raider , Captain Wardle lost his ship in the process . He was later criticized for maneuvering too close to the German raider before knowing its true identity . Assuming the " Greif " was a harmless merchant ship cost Wardle his vessel and several men . Despite this he was recognized for bravery and awarded the Distinguished Service Order and eventually became a rear admiral . Order of Battle . Royal Navy : German Navy :