Part III.--Official Dispatches

1. THE ACTION OF H.M.S. "CARMANIA" 169

2. THE ACTION OFF CORONEL BY H.M.S. "GLASGOW" 172

3. REPORT BY VICE-ADMIRAL COUNT VON SPEE 174

4. THE BATTLE OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS 178

5. THE SURRENDER OF THE "DRESDEN" 194

Appendix

A LIST OF THE OFFICERS SERVING IN THE ACTIONS RECORDED 197

INDEX 221

MAPS AND CHARTS

PAGE

THE WAR ZONE IN WESTERN SEAS 5

CHART OF COURSE IN "CARMANIA"--"CAP TRAFALGAR" DUEL 39

THE CORONEL ACTION: POSITION WHEN ENEMY SIGHTED 49

THE CORONEL ACTION: POSITION AT SUNSET 51

CHART OF "CORNWALL" ACTION (_Inset_) 79

CHART OF BATTLE-CRUISER ACTION (_Inset_) 79

STANLEY HARBOUR: POSITIONS OF WARSHIPS 83

BATTLE OF THE FALKLANDS: POSITIONS AT 1.20 P.M. 94

BATTLE OF THE FALKLANDS: POSITIONS AT 2.45 P.M. 112

DUEL BETWEEN "KENT" AND "NÜRNBERG" 127

INTRODUCTION

This plain, unvarnished account, so far as is known, is the first attempt that has been made to link with the description of the Falkland Islands battle, fought on December 8th, 1914, the events leading up to that engagement.

In order to preserve accuracy as far as possible, each phase presented has been read and approved by officers who participated. The personal views expressed on debatable subjects, such as strategy, are sure to give rise to criticism, but it must be remembered that at the time of writing the exact positions of the ships engaged in overseas operations were not fully known, even in the Service.

The subject falls naturally into three divisions: