Instruct: Given a question, retrieve passages that can help answer the question.
Query: When was the SMS Gneisenau built?
SMS Gneisenau was an armored cruiser of the German navy, part of the two-ship Scharnhorst</i>class. She was named after August von Gneisenau, a Prussian general of the Napoleonic Wars. The ship was laid down in 1904 at the AG Weser dockyard in Bremen, launched in June 1906, and completed in March 1908, at a cost of over 19million goldmarks. She was armed with a main battery of eight 21-centimetre (8.3in) guns, had a top speed of 23.6 knots (43.7km/h; 27.2mph), and displaced 12,985 metric tons (12,780 long tons; 14,314 short tons) at full combat load.
"Gneisenau" was recommissioned for another tour abroad on 5 October 1884 to join the newly-formed West African Cruiser Squadron, which was commanded by "Konteradmiral" (Rear Admiral) Eduard von Knorr aboard his flagship . The ship's new commander was "KzS" Victor Valois. While en route from Kiel to Wilhelmshaven to join the rest of the squadron, "Gneisenau" ran aground off the island of Lolland in heavy fog; she had to be towed free by the ironclad , though she was undamaged in the accident. The squadron left Wilhelmshaven on 30 October, bound for West Africa. While in the Cape Verde islands, Knorr detached "Gneisenau" to Cape Town, where she arrived on 8 January 1885. There, she embarked Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs, who had been appointed consul to Zanzibar, and took him to the island on 28 January. "Gneisenau" then went to the port of Lamu to survey the coast of eastern Africa, particularly the area around Wituland. "Gneisenau"s survey of the area led the German government to instruct Rohlfs to accept the offer of the Witu Sultan, Ahmed ibn Fumo Bakari, to form a protectorate on 27 May.
"Gneisenau" was long overall, with a beam of and a draft of forward. She displaced at full load. The ship's crew consisted of 18 officers and 386 enlisted men. She was powered by a single marine steam engine that drove one 2-bladed screw propeller, with steam provided by four coal-fired fire-tube boilers, which gave her a top speed of at . She had a cruising radius of at a speed of . As built, "Gneisenau" was equipped with a full ship rig, but this was later reduced.
Gneisenau was laid down at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen, Germany in 1904, under construction number 144. She was launched on 14 June 1906, and commissioned into the fleet nearly two years later on 6 March 1908. The ship cost the German government 19,243,000 goldmarks.[3] The ship had been designed for service with the High Seas Fleet,[4] though it was found to be too weak for service with the battle fleet; instead it was deployed overseas, a role in which it performed well.[5]
By 13:20, the faster British ships had caught up with Gneisenau and the other cruisers, and began to fire at a range of 14km (8.7mi).[36] Von Spee realized his armored cruisers could not escape the much faster battlecruisers, and so ordered the three light cruisers to attempt to break away while he turned about to engage the British with Gneisenau and Scharnhorst. However, Sturdee detached his armored and light cruisers to pursue the German light cruisers, while the battlecruisers dealt with Gneisenau and Scharnhorst.[37] Inflexible attacked Gneisenau while Invincible opened fire at Scharnhorst. Sturdee attempted to widen the distance by turning two points to the north to prevent von Spee from closing to within the range of his smaller 8.2in (21cm) guns. Von Spee counteracted this maneuver by turning rapidly to the south, which forced Sturdee to turn south as well. This allowed Scharnhorst and Gneisenau to get close enough to engage with their secondary 5.9in (15cm) guns; their shooting was so effective that it forced the British to haul away temporarily.[38]
SMS "Gneisenau" was a built for the German Imperial Navy ("Kaiserliche Marine") in the late 1870s. The ship was named after the Prussian Field Marshal August von Gneisenau. She was the fifth member of the class, which included five other vessels. The "Bismarck"-class corvettes were ordered as part of a major naval construction program in the early 1870s, and she was designed to serve as a fleet scout and on extended tours in Germany's colonial empire. "Gneisenau" was laid down in June 1877, launched in September 1879, and was commissioned into the fleet in October 1880. She was armed with a battery of fourteen guns and had a full ship rig to supplement her steam engine on long cruises abroad.
The six ships of the "Bismarck" class were ordered in the early 1870s to supplement Germany's fleet of cruising warships, which at that time relied on several ships that were twenty years old. "Gneisenau" and her sister ships were intended to patrol Germany's colonial empire and safeguard German economic interests around the world.
Gneisenau and Nürnberg, the first two ships in the German line, approached the Falklands on the same morning, with the intention of destroying the wireless transmitter there. Observers aboard Gneisenau spotted the two battlecruisers in the harbor of Port Stanley, and when 30.5cm (12.0in) shells were fired from Canopus, which had been beached as a guard ship, the Germans turned to flee.[34] The Germans took a south-easterly course at 22kn (41km/h; 25mph). Von Spee formed his line with Gneisenau and Nürnberg ahead, Scharnhorst in the center, and Dresden and Leipzig astern.[35] The fast battlecruisers quickly got up steam and sailed out of the harbor to pursue the East Asia Squadron.[34]
"Gneisenau" departed Lamu on 6 September and went to Kismayu, before proceeding on to Zanzibar four days later. In the meantime, Paschen had been instructed to form a second cruiser squadron, which was to consist of his flagship "Stosch", along with "Gneisenau" and "Prinz Adalbert". The squadron was to proceed to the Caroline Islands, which were at the center of a dispute between Germany and Spain. "Gneisenau" first went to Cape Town, arriving on 11 October. While there, she received new orders to proceed instead to what was now German East Africa; on 9 November she was formally reassigned back to Knorr's squadron. "Gneisenau" patrolled the coast of East Africa until 6 March 1886, when Knorr's squadron, at that time consisting of "Gneisenau", "Bismarck", and the corvette , departed for Australia. After reaching the south Pacific, the ships toured Australian ports, New Zealand, Tonga, and Samoa before "Gneisenau" was detached first to the Gazelle Peninsula on the island of New Pomerania to suppress an uprising against German colonial rule. She then went to the Palau Islands, part of the Caroline group, to retrieve a German monument, as Germany had dropped its claim to the islands in favor of Spain. On 25 July, "Gneisenau" began the journey back to Germany, reaching Kiel on 27 September. She was decommissioned there on 14 October.
The Training Squadron began another Mediterranean cruise on 29 September, during which they participated in celebrations commemorating the 25th anniversary of King George I of Greece. The ships toured ports in the Ottoman Empire in Asia Minor and Egypt. On 16 April 1889, "Gneisenau" and the other training ships arrived back in Wilhelmshaven. "Gneisenau" moved to Kiel, where on 30 April she was again decommissioned. On 1 January 1891, "Gneisenau" was formally re-designated as a training ship. The ship remained out of service until 1 April 1892, when she was reactivated for a cruise in the Baltic and North Seas under the command of "Korvettenkapitän" ("KK"—Corvette Captain) Felix Stubenrauch. In August and September, she took part in the annual fleet maneuvers, and beginning on 3 October, she participated in the winter cruise, which this time went to the West Indies and Venezuela. While in the Caribbean Sea, the German squadron met the French West Indies Squadron and exchanged formal visits between the squadrons' commanders. On the way back to Germany, the squadron spent a month in British waters, from 22 May to 21 June, during which time they took part in the Cowes Regatta with Wilhelm II aboard the new aviso .
When the First World War broke out, the East Asia Squadron consisted of "Scharnhorst", "Gneisenau", "Emden", "Nürnberg", and "Leipzig". At the time, "Nürnberg" was returning from the west coast of the United States, where "Leipzig" had just replaced her, and "Emden" was still in Tsingtao. On 6 August 1914, "Scharnhorst", "Gneisenau", the supply ship "Titania", and the Japanese collier "Fukoku Maru" were still in Ponape. Von Spee had issued orders to recall the light cruisers, which had been dispersed on cruises around the Pacific. "Nürnberg" joined von Spee that day, after which Spee moved his ships to Pagan Island in the Northern Mariana Islands, a German possession in the central Pacific.
"Gneisenau" left Zanzibar on 1 April, bound for Melbourne, Australia, where she was to meet the corvette in August, but "Augusta" sank in the Bab-el-Mandeb. "Gneisenau" instead proceeded on to Port Louis on the island of Mauritius. There, she met the cruiser squadron commanded by "Kommodore" Carl Paschen, which included her sister ship and the corvette , the frigate , and the supply ship "Ehrenfels". Paschen had been tasked to take his squadron to East Africa to settle disputes over the German protectorate with the Sultan of Zanzibar, Barghash bin Said, which he accomplished by mid-August. On 18 August, "Bismarck" arrived with Knorr, who replaced Paschen as the squadron commander. Knorr sent "Gneisenau" to Wituland, where Valois informed Bakari that the Sultan of Zanzibar had agreed to recognize the protectorate and stop interfering in the internal affairs of Wituland. After anchoring in Lamu on 28 August, "Gneisenau" sent a contingent ashore, led by the executive officer, Curt von Prittwitz und Gaffron, to hold a parade to celebrate the agreement. Three days later, Valois took three officers and twenty-nine enlisted men to the Witu capital to meet Bakari, returning to the ship on 4 September.
"Gneisenau" was armed with a battery of fourteen 22-caliber (cal.) quick-firing guns and two 30-cal. guns. She also carried six Hotchkiss revolver cannon.
By this stage of the battle, "Scharnhorst" had a slight list to port and was about a meter lower in the water. Her third funnel had been shot away. "Gneisenau" was briefly obscured by smoke, which led both battlecruisers to target "Scharnhorst". By 16:00, Spee ordered "Gneisenau" to attempt to escape while he reversed course and attempted to launch torpedoes at his pursuers. The port list had increased significantly by this point and she was well down by the bow, with only of freeboard. At 16:17, the ship finally capsized to port and sank; the British, their attention now focused on "Gneisenau", made no attempt to rescue the crew. All 860 officers and men on board, including Spee, went down with the ship. "Gneisenau", "Leipzig", and "Nürnberg" were also sunk. Only "Dresden" managed to escape, but she was eventually tracked to the Juan Fernandez Islands and sunk. The complete destruction of the squadron killed about 2,200 German sailors and officers, including two of Spee's sons.
The next set of training exercises began on 6 May, and were conducted in the North Sea and concluded with ceremonies marking the opening of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal. On 21 June, "Gneisenau" joined the newly formed IV Division in the Kieler Förde, at the Baltic entrance to the canal, where the ships' bands played the national anthems of each countries' warships as they arrived for the celebration. "Gneisenau" cruised alone in the North Sea in July, and on 14 August joined III Division for the fleet maneuvers, which concluded on 17 September. During the exercises, "Gneisenau" collided with the Danish schooner "Delphin" off Horns Rev on 24 August, and could save only three men from her crew before the latter sank. On 28 September she embarked on the annual winter cruise, which again went to the West Indies. While in Charlotte Amalie, "Gneisenau" and the Danish gunboat helped to suppress a major fire in the port. She visited Havana, Cuba on 21 January 1896, where she, "Stosch", and "Stein" monitored the civil unrest on the island. On 7 February, "Gneisenau" left Cuban waters and arrived back in Kiel on 18 March. "Gneisenau" departed Kiel on 15 May, bound for Bergen for a training cruise. While in Norway, "Gneisenau" was visited by the German imperial family on 19 June and by King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway on 14 July. She returned to Kiel on 18 July, where she prepared for the annual fleet maneuvers in August and September.
Gneisenau was 144.6 metres (474ft) long overall, and had a beam of 21.6m (71ft), a draft of 8.4m (27ft 7in). The ship displaced 11,616 metric tons (11,433 long tons; 12,804 short tons) standard, and 12,985t (12,780 long tons; 14,314 short tons) at full load. Gneisenau's crew consisted of 38officers and 726enlisted men. The ship was powered by coal-fired triple expansion engines that provided a top speed of 23.6 knots (43.7km/h; 27.2mph)[3]
When "Nürnberg" and "Gneisenau" approached the islands early on 8 December, the old battleship "Canopus" opened fire and drove them off. The Germans were surprised to see the warships in the harbor, and Spee decided to retreat. The East Asia Squadron steamed away at in a single file line; "Nürnberg" was the second ship in the line, between "Gneisenau" and "Scharnhorst". Sturdee ordered his ships to raise steam and pursue the Germans. His battlecruisers caught up and opened fire at 12:50; Spee decided that he could hold off the battlecruisers with "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" to allow the three light cruisers time to escape. In response, Sturdee sent his light cruisers to chase down "Nürnberg", "Dresden", and "Leipzig".
Several German navy ships, including the World War I armored cruiser SMS "Gneisenau", the World War II battleship "Gneisenau", and a post-war frigate were named after him.
"Gneisenau" went abroad on two major foreign deployments in the first decade of her career. The first, in 1882, was to protect German nationals in Egypt during the 'Urabi revolt, though by the time she arrived, British forces had largely defeated the rebels, allowing "Gneisenau" to return home. The second, lengthier deployment came two years later and lasted from 1884 to 1886, and primarily focused on German colonial designs on eastern Africa. She was involved in the seizure of the colony of German East Africa in 1885, and she briefly toured German interests in the Pacific Ocean in 1886. 
When "Vizeadmiral" (Vice Admiral) Maximilian von Spee, commander of Germany's East Asia Squadron, learned of the occupation, he hastened to Samoa with the armoured cruisers SMS "Scharnhorst" and SMS "Gneisenau". Arriving at Apia on 14 September 1914, the approach of the German ships was observed and the New Zealanders prepared to defend themselves. However, von Spee and his ships soon departed for Tahiti, with neither side opening fire. The SEF remained in Samoa until March 1915 at which time it began returning to New Zealand, a process completed by the following month.
At the Battle of Papeete on 22 September, Gneisenau and the rest of the East Asia Squadron bombarded the colony.[22] During the bombardment, the French gunboat Zélée was sunk by gunfire from the German ships. Fear of mines in the harbor prevented von Spee from seizing the coal that lay in the harbor.[23] By 12 October, Gneisenau and the rest of the squadron had reached Easter Island. There they were joined by Dresden and Leipzig, which had sailed from American waters.[24] Dresden was stationed in the Caribbean,[13] but had been in San Francisco when von Spee issued the order to consolidate German naval forces in the Pacific.[25] After a week off Easter Island, the ships departed for the Chilean mainland.[24]
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. 
and the Captain and some crew of the German corvette SMS "Gneisenau", wrecked off Málaga in 1900.
"Gneisenau" was the second of three sister ships built for NDL. DeSchiMAG in Bremen built "Gneisenau" and , while Blohm + Voss in Hamburg built the third sister, .
Upon returning to Germany, she underwent a short overhaul before joining the ships of III Division during the fleet training exercise in August and September. During the maneuvers she accidentally collided with the torpedo boat , which was badly damaged. "Gneisenau" continued in the exercises until she too was decommissioned for repairs on 30 September. On 3 April 1894, "Gneisenau" embarked on the summer training cruise, which this year just went to Christiana, Norway and concluded with the Kiel Week regatta. The ships thereafter took part in the fleet maneuvers in August and September again as III Division, with "Gneisenau"s commander now "KK" Hermann da Fonseca-Wollheim. On 1 October, "Gneisenau" began the winter training cruise to the Mediterranean, and while in La Valletta, Malta, she met the unprotected cruisers and . "Gneisenau" then visited Souda Bay, Crete from 16 November to 20 December, followed by Smyrna for three weeks. On 18 January 1895, she began the voyage back to Germany, arriving in Kiel on 27 March.