While working to clear a minefield laid by the Germans during the raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby Night Hawk struck a mine and sank on Christmas Day 1914, with the loss of six of her crew.

[3][4] On 16 December 1914 a German force of battlecruisers and an armoured cruiser had bombarded the English east coast towns of Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby.

As the other vessels bombarded the towns Kolberg laid her mines off Flamborough Head, creating the densest minefield seen in naval warfare to that time.

[2] The method involved dragging a cable through the sea to snag the mines which sometimes exploded and sometimes were brought to the surface where they were detonated by rifle fire.

[2][4][5] The vessel's commander, Sub-Lieutenant William Senior of the Royal Naval Reserve managed to reach a life raft and paddled around, pulling the survivors onto it.

[4][6] In 1973 part of Night Hawk's bow was recovered after having been caught in the net of a fishing trawler; it was placed in a museum at Scalby Mills, Scarborough.

Her wreck was dived upon by the Filey Sub-Aqua Association who found a boiler on the seabed and part of the bow section as the only significant remains.