Quiz #156
Norddeutscher Lloyd passenger liner Berlin of 1909 was requisitioned by the German Navy as an auxiliary cruiser at the outbreak of World War I. She laid a minefield on 23 Oct 1914 off the northern coast of Ireland. British dreadnought HMS Audacious ran into one of the mines four days later. Attempts to tow the ship to land, including by the liner RMS Olympic, were unsuccessful; after 14 hours she capsized from progressive flooding and then suffered a magazine explosion. No crew were lost, but one man on a rescue ship was killed by debris from the explosion. The Admiralty attempted to keep the sinking secret, and did not formally admit the loss of the ship until 14 Nov 1918.
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