SMS Gneisenau (1879)
The crew attempted to drop the starboard anchor, but it did not catch in the stony ground. "Gneisenau" was driven into the mole repeatedly, striking it with her stern twice before being turned and pushed bow-first on the starboard side, forcing her aground. A merchant ship attempted to come to the crew's aid, but they were unable to connect a line between the two ships before "Gneisenau" began to list 35 degrees. A boat from shore also attempted to rescue the crew, but it too was forced ashore in the heavy seas. Wave action quickly smashed "Gneisenau"s hull against the mole, and part of her crew attempted to find safety by climbing the rigging. The ship rolled over onto her side, and the surviving crewmen reached shore with a line. Forty-one men were killed in the accident, including Kretschmann and the ship's first officer. "Charlotte" and the British ironclad were sent to aid the wounded. Those killed in the sinking were buried in Málaga's cemetery, and the survivors returned to Germany aboard the HAPAG steamship on 2 January 1901.
Adriatic Campaign of World War I
By August 1917, Lt. Von Trapp and had sunk more than of enemy shipping, including the Italian steamer "Milazzo" (). "U-4" torpedoed the French steamer "Italia" near Taranto on 30 May, and on 16 November severely damaged the Italian steamer "Oriona" between Brindisi and Valona. On the night of 9–10 December, while SMS "Wien" and "Budapest" were at anchor in Trieste, two Italian MAS (motor torpedo boats) managed to penetrate the harbor defenses undetected and fired several torpedoes at the two ships. "Wien" was struck by two torpedoes and sank in less than five minutes with the loss of 46 of her crew.