SMS Geier SMS " Geier " was an unprotected cruiser of the built for the German Imperial Navy ( " Kaiserliche Marine " ) . She was laid down in 1893 at the Imperial Dockyard in Wilhelmshaven , launched in October 1894 , and commissioned into the fleet a year later in October 1895 . She was equipped with a main battery of eight guns and had a top speed of . " Geier " spent the majority of her career on foreign stations , including the Caribbean and African stations . At the outbreak of World War I , the ship was in Singapore ; she left the port and evaded the Allied warships searching for German raiders for several months . While at sea , she captured one British freighter , but did not sink her . In need of engine repairs and coal , " Geier " put into the then - neutral United States port at Honolulu , Hawaii in October 1914 , where she was interned . After the American entrance into the war in April 1917 , the US Navy seized " Geier " and commissioned her as USS " Schurz " and placed her on convoy duty . She was ultimately sunk following a collision off the coast of North Carolina . Design . " Geier " was long overall and had a beam of and a draft of forward . She displaced at full combat load . Her propulsion system consisted of two horizontal 3 - cylinder triple - expansion steam engines powered by four coal - fired cylindrical boilers . These provided a top speed of and a range of approximately at . She had a crew of 9 officers and 152 enlisted men . The ship was armed with eight 10 . 5 cm SK L / 35 quick - firing ( QF ) guns in single pedestal mounts , supplied with 800 rounds of ammunition in total . They had a range of . Two guns were placed side by side forward , two on each broadside , and two side by side aft . The gun armament was rounded out by five revolver cannon . She was also equipped with two torpedo tube s with five torpedoes , both of which were mounted on the deck . Service history . " Geier " was ordered under the contract name " F " and was laid down at the Imperial Dockyard in Wilhelmshaven in 1893 . She was launched on 18 October 1894 , after which fitting - out work commenced . She was commissioned into the German Navy on 24 October 1895 . " Geier " served abroad from 1897 to 1905 , after which she returned to Germany . During the Spanish - American War , " Geier " was in the Caribbean . On 16 June 1898 , the ship called on the port of Cienfuegos in Cuba . She passed through the American blockade of Santiago de Cuba twice , on 22 – 29 June and 1 – 4 August . In 1911 , she was again sent to Germany ' s overseas possessions . The ship cruised in the eastern Mediterranean in the autumn of 1912 , and was in Egypt when the Second Balkan War broke out . She remained abroad until 1914 . " Geier " was steaming from Tanganyika to Tsingtao to join Admiral Maximilian von Spee ' s East Asia Squadron at the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 . The ship was to relieve her old sister ship then on station there . " Geier " was in the British harbor of Singapore when she heard the rumors of war ; she and the collier " Bochum " immediately left port . On 20 August , she managed to contact the cruiser , which was detached from the East Asia Squadron and operating as a commerce raider . " Emden " instructed " Geier " to rendezvous at the island of Anguar , but she was unable to reach the island before " Emden " departed . Nevertheless , the two ships met at sea the following day ; " Geier " still had " Bochum " with her . One of " Geier " s cutters took her commander , Lieutenant Commander Grasshoff , aboard " Emden " to meet with her captain . " Emden " then departed for the Molucca Strait , while " Geier " proceeded to Anguar . Since she was isolated from other German warships , " Geier " began to operate against Allied commerce . She scored only one partial success , in early September , at Kusaie in the eastern Carolines . There , she captured the British freighter " Southport " and disabled the ship ' s engines before departing . The freighter ' s crew repaired the damage , however , and " Southport " made for Australia where she reported the German gunboat ' s presence . " Geier " remained at large for another month , until by mid October , she was in need of repairs and short on coal . She therefore headed for neutral territory , and on 15 October , she entered Honolulu . Two Japanese ships — the battleship , " Hizen " ( ex - " Retvizan " ) , and the armored cruiser , " Asama " — had been patrolling in the area . Upon learning of the arrival of " Geier " , the two ships remained just outside the three mile limit to await " Geier " s departure . On 8 November , however , the United States interned the gunboat . Service as USS " Schurz " . The United States entered the war on the side of the Allies on 6 April 1917 . The US Navy seized " Geier " and refitted her for service in the Navy . The ship was renamed USS " Schurz " on 9 June , and commissioned on 15 September 1917 , under the command of Commander Arthur Crenshaw . " Schurz " departed Pearl Harbor on 31 October and escorted Submarine Division 3 to San Diego . Arriving on 12 November , she continued on with the submarines , , , and , in early December . At the end of the month , the convoy transited the Panama Canal and proceeded to Honduras . On 4 January 1918 , " Schurz " was relieved of escort duty . She carried the American consul from Puerto Cortes to Omao and back , after which she sailed for Key West . From Florida , she was transferred to New Orleans and then sailed for Charleston , South Carolina on 1 February where she entered dry dock for periodic maintenance . Assigned to the American Patrol Detachment , " Schurz " departed Charleston toward the end of April and , for the next two months , conducted patrols and performed escort duty and towing missions along the east coast and in the Caribbean . On 19 June , she departed New York for Key West . At 0444 on the 21st , southwest of Cape Lookout lightship , she was rammed by the merchant ship " Florida " . The ship hit " Schurz " on the starboard side , crumpling that wing of the bridge , penetrating the well and berth deck about 12 feet , and cutting through bunker no . 3 to the forward fire room . One of " Schurz " s crewmen was killed instantly ; twelve others were injured . " Schurz " was abandoned and sank three hours later . The ship was struck from the Navy list on 26 August 1918 .