 Königsberg then retreated into the Rufiji River to repair her engines . Before the repairs could be completed , British cruisers located Königsberg , and , unable to steam into the river to destroy her , set up a blockade . After several attempts to sink the ship during the Battle of Rufiji Delta , the British sent two monitors , Mersey and Severn , to destroy the German cruiser . On 11 July 1915 , the two monitors got close enough to severely damage Königsberg , forcing her crew to scuttle the ship . The surviving crew salvaged all ten of her main guns and joined Lieutenant Colonel Paul von Lettow @-@ Vorbeck 's guerrilla campaign in East Africa . Königsberg was partially broken up in 1963 – 65 for scrap , and the remains sank into the riverbed . 
