 At 06 : 35 , Amphion struck a mine that detonated underneath her bridge . The explosion set her forecastle on fire and broke the ship 's keel . The destroyer Linnet attempted to tow the cruiser , but a deep crack across her upper deck showed that she was hogging badly and Fox ordered his crew to abandon ship . Shortly afterwards , her forward magazine exploded , throwing one 4 @-@ inch gun into the air that narrowly missed Linnet . One of Amphion 's shells burst on the deck of the destroyer Lark , killing two of her men and the only German prisoner rescued from the cruiser . Amphion then rapidly sank within 15 minutes of the explosion losing 1 officer and 131 ratings killed in the sinking , plus an unknown number of the crew rescued from Königin Luise . The wreck is a protected site under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 . 
