 Hamburg was assigned to the IV Scouting Group during the Battle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916 . The IV Scouting Group , under the command of Commodore Ludwig von Reuter , departed Wilhelmshaven at 03 : 30 on 31 May , along with the rest of the fleet . Tasked with screening for the fleet , Hamburg and the torpedo boat V73 were positioned on the port side of the fleet , abreast of the II Battle Squadron . Hamburg and the IV Scouting Group were not heavily engaged during the early phases of the battle , but around 21 : 30 , they encountered the British 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron ( 3rd LCS ) . Reuter 's ships were leading the High Seas Fleet south , away from the deployed Grand Fleet . Due to the long range and poor visibility , only München and Stettin were able to engage the British cruisers . Hamburg only fired one salvo , since the haze rendered it impossible to spot the fall of shot . Reuter turned his ships hard to starboard , in order to draw the British closer to the capital ships of the German fleet , but the 3rd LCS refused to take the bait and disengaged . 
