Chapter 45

BATTLE OFF THE FALKLANDS

The defeat of the British squadron back in the first week of November had sorely tried the patience of the British public, and the admiralty felt the necessity of retrieving faith in the navy. Von Spee was still master of the waters near the Horn, and till his ships had again been met the British could not boast of being rulers of the waves. Consequently Admiral Fisher detailed the two battle cruisers _Invincible_ and _Inflexible_ to go to the Falkland Islands. They left England November 11, 1914, and on the outward journey met with and took along the light cruisers _Carnarvon_, _Kent_, and _Cornwall_, the second-class cruiser _Bristol_, and the converted liner _Macedonia_. The _Canopus_ and the _Glasgow_, now repaired, all joined the squadron, which was commanded by Admiral Sturdee. The vessels coaled at Stanley, Falkland Islands, and while so engaged on December 8 were warned by a civilian volunteer watcher on a near-by hill that two strange vessels had made their appearance in the distance. British naval officers identified them and other vessels which were coming into view as the ships of Von Spee's squadron, the one which had been victorious off Coronel.

During the interval that had elapsed since that engagement these German ships had not been idle. Von Spee knew that the _Glasgow_ had gone to the Falklands and that there were important wireless stations there, but he put off going after those prizes and picked up others. The _Nürnberg_ had cut communication between Banfield and Fanning Islands. Two British trading ships had fallen victims to the _Dresden_, and four more had met the same end at the hands of the _Leipzig_. For coal and other supplies Von Spee had been relying on the Chilean ports, but now came trouble between him and the port authorities, for England was accusing the South American nation of acting without regard to neutrality. It was for this reason that Von Spee turned southward to take the Falkland Islands. The world at large, and of course Von Spee, had no knowledge of the ships which had set out from Plymouth for the Falklands on the eleventh of the month, so he approached in full expectation of making not only a raid but for occupation. He knew that he would have to exchange shots with the _Glasgow_ and perhaps some small ships, and he believed the islands weakly defended by forts, but there was nothing in that to defer his attack. The result--the lookout near Stanley had reported the oncoming warships _Gneisenau_ and _Scharnhorst_, followed by the rest of the German squadron. German guns were trained on the wireless station, and great was the surprise of the unfortunate Von Spee and his officers when there was heard the booming of guns which they knew immediately must be mounted on warships larger than their own. Their scouting had been defective, and the presence of the _Inflexible_ and _Invincible_ had till then not been discovered. They then reasoned that these were the guns of the _Canopus_--a critical and fatal error.

The _Canopus_ from behind the hills fired on the German ships in an endeavor to protect the wireless station. Beyond the range of her guns hovered the lighter German cruisers _Dresden_, _Leipzig_, and _Nürnberg_ to await the outcoming of the _Glasgow_. Both the _Gneisenau_ and _Scharnhorst_ concentrated their fire on the _Canopus_, and when the _Glasgow_, accompanied by the _Carnarvon_, _Cornwall_, and _Kent_, made her appearance it did not change the battle formation of the Germans, for the _Canopus_ was still the only large vessel they were aware of. Now the _Leipzig_ came nearer in order to take up the fight with the lighter British ships. By nine in the morning the German ships were drawn out in single file, running parallel with the shore in a northeasterly direction. At the head of the line was the _Gneisenau_, followed by the _Dresden_, _Scharnhorst_, _Nürnberg_, and _Leipzig_, in that order. They thought that this would entice what they believed to be the whole of the British force present into coming out for a running fight, and in which the old _Canopus_ would be left behind to be finished after the lighter vessels were done for. But all this time the _Invincible_ and _Inflexible_ were silent with their guns, though there was bustle enough aboard them while their coaling was being hurried.

By ten o'clock these two larger ships were ready with steam up and decks cleared, and they came out from behind the hill. Von Spee saw that discretion was the better part of valor and gave orders for his ships to make off at full speed. For a time the two squadrons kept parallel to each other at a distance of twelve miles, with the British squadron--the _Invincible_ and _Inflexible_ leading--north of the German ships. The _Baden_ and _Santa Isabel_, two transports that had been part of the German squadron, were unable to keep up with the others and headed south, pursued by the _Bristol_ and _Macedonia_. The two British battle cruisers were faster than any other ships in either squadron, and while pulling up on the German ships were in danger of pulling away from their own ships. To avoid the latter, Admiral Sturdee kept down their speed and was content with taking a little longer to get within gun range of Von Spee's ships. By two o'clock the distance between them was about 16,000 yards; the _Invincible_ and _Inflexible_ had now left the rest of the British squadron far behind and took issue with the _Scharnhorst_ and _Gneisenau_ respectively. The remaining British ships, with the exception of the _Carnarvon_, gave attention to the three lighter German cruisers and the _Eitel Friedrich_, which had broken from the first formation and were now pointing southeast.

Von Spee ordered the _Scharnhorst_ and _Gneisenau_ to turn broadside to the enemy. Shells were falling upon the German ships with fair accuracy, but their return fire could do little damage to the British ships, because the range was a little too great for the German 8.2-inch guns. Those of the _Inflexible_ and _Invincible_ were of the 12-inch type.

All four ships were belching forth heavy black smoke that hung low over the water after it left the funnels. A moderate breeze carried it northward, and Von Spee moved his ships this way and that till his smoke blew straight against the guns of the British ships, making it almost impossible for the British gunners to take aim and note effect. But the superior speed of the two British battle cruisers stood them in good stead, and their commanders brought them up south of the enemy--on their other side. It was now the German gunners who found the smoke in their faces, and the advantage was with the British.

By three o'clock in the afternoon fire had broken out on the _Scharnhorst_ and Von Spee replied to Sturdee's inquiry that he would not quit fighting, though some of his guns were out of action and those which still replied to the Britisher did now only at intervals. There was evidently something wrong with the machinery that brought shells and ammunition to her guns from out of her hold, the fire probably interfering with it. A 12-inch shell cut right through her third funnel and carried it completely off the ship. She turned so that she could bring her starboard guns into action, and they did so feebly. The fire on board her grew worse and worse, and it could be seen blood-red through holes made by the shells from the _Invincible_ whenever her hull showed through the dense clouds of escaping steam that enveloped her. Just at four o'clock she began to list to port, thus having her starboard guns put out of action, for they pointed toward the sky, and the shells which came from them described parabolas, dropping into the water at safe distance from the English ship. More and more she listed, till her port beam ends were in the cold waters of the South Atlantic, and while in that position she sank some fifteen minutes later.

Meanwhile the duel between the _Gneisenau_ and _Inflexible_ had been going on. A 12-inch shell from one of the British cruisers struck one of the after gun turrets of the _Gneisenau_ and swept it overboard. The German ship used the sinking _Scharnhorst_ as a screen and tried to take on both British ships. Still she was able to plant some effective shells against the _Invincible_ as a final reply. By half-past five she was listing heavily to starboard and her engines had stopped. The British ship, thinking she was surely done for, ceased firing at her and watched her for ten minutes, while a single gun on board of her fired at intervals. The three ships _Carnarvon_, _Inflexible_, and _Invincible_ now closed in on her and punished her till the flag at her stern was hauled down. But the ensign at her peak continued to fly. Just at six o'clock, with this color still in position, she suddenly heeled to starboard, while the men of her crew made hastily up her slanting decks and then climbed over on to the exposed part of her upturned port side. Many of these unfortunate men had time to jump into the sea, but others were caught when she suddenly disappeared beneath the surface.

There remained the task of picking up her survivors, but they were not numerous, for the shock of the cold water killed a large number. Having picked up those whom they could, the three British ships signaled the news of their victories to the distant cruisers which were fighting it out with the _Dresden_, _Leipzig_, _Nürnberg_, and _Eitel Friedrich_.

These lighter German cruisers had left the line of battle and had turned southward at just about the time that the action between the _Scharnhorst_ and _Gneisenau_ and _Inflexible_ and _Invincible_ began. They started off with the _Dresden_ at the foremost point of a triangle and with the other two at the two remaining points. The _Glasgow_, _Cornwall_, and _Kent_ went after them, while the _Carnarvon_, because her speed was not high enough to accompany them, remained with the battle cruisers. The _Glasgow_ drew up with the German ships first, and at three o'clock began to fire on the _Leipzig_ at a distance of 12,000 yards. As in the other action of that afternoon, the British ship took advantage of the fact that her guns had longer range, and she drew back from the German ships so that their guns could not reach her, though her own shells began to fall upon their decks. It was her object to keep them busy until she could be joined by her accompanying ships.

The _Cornwall_ by four o'clock was also near enough to the _Leipzig_ to open fire on her, and three hours later the German cruiser was having a time of it with a large fire in her hold. British faith in heavy armament with long range had again been vindicated. There was something of human interest in this duel between the _Glasgow_ and the _Leipzig_. In their previous meeting, off Coronel, the German ship had had all the better of it and now the men of the British ship were out for revenge. Consequently the _Glasgow_ signaled to the other British ships: "Stand off--I can manage this myself!" By eight o'clock in the evening the _Glasgow_ had her in bad condition, and the _Carnarvon_ came up to assist in raking her till there was nothing left but a mass of wreckage on her decks. But her flag was still flying and the British ships kept circling around her, thinking she still wished to fight, but not coming near enough to permit the use of her torpedo tubes. Miserable was the plight of the _Leipzig's_ crew, for the two hundred men who were still alive were unable to get to her flag on account of the fire aboard her, and they had to remain inactive while the _Carnarvon_ and _Glasgow_ poured round after round into their ship. Only twelve remained alive at nine o'clock, when she began to list to port. Slowly more and more of the under-water part of her hull showed above the sea, and she continued to heel until her keel was right side up. In this position she sank, a large bubble marking the spot.

When the _Nürnberg_ left the line of German ships at one o'clock, it was the British cruiser _Kent_ that went after her, a vessel more heavily armed than the German ship, yet about a knot slower. But by hard work on the part of the engineers and stokers of the _Kent_ she was able, by five o'clock, to get within firing distance of the _Nürnberg_. By a strange trick of fate the _Kent_ was sister ship to the _Monmouth_ which had fallen victim to one of the _Nürnberg's_ torpedoes in the battle off Coronel. Here, too, was a duel with human interest in it. In their desire for revenge, the men of the _Kent_ made fuel of even her furniture in order to speed up her engines. Her 6-inch guns now began to strike the German ship, and soon a fire broke out aboard her. She could have ended the German vessel by keeping a fire upon her while remaining too distant to be within range of the _Nürnberg's_ 4-inch guns, but dusk was gathering and an evening mist was settling down upon the water. Consequently the _Kent_ drew nearer to her adversary. The firing of the _Nürnberg_ was then effective and more than twenty of her shells took good effect on the British ship. It was only through prompt action on the part of her crew that her magazine was kept from exploding, for a shell set fire to the passage leading to it.

By seven o'clock in the evening the _Nürnberg_ was practically "blind," for the flames from the fire that was raging on her had reached her conning tower. A member of her crew hauled down her flag, and the _Kent_, thinking that the fight was over, came close to her. While within a few hundred yards of her, however, she was greeted with new firing from the German cruiser. But this ceased under a raking from the _Kent's_ starboard guns, and once again the flag of the _Nürnberg_, which had been run up on resumption of shooting, was hauled down. Members of her crew then had to jump into the sea to escape death from burning--the fire was quenched only when she went down at half past seven. The overworked engineers and stokers of the _Kent_ were rewarded for their hard work by being permitted to come on deck to watch the _Nürnberg_ go down, and all were soon engaged in helping to save the lives of the German sailors in the water. Just as the red glow of the sinking _Nürnberg_ was dying down a large four-masted sailing ship, with all sails set, came out of the mist, her canvas tinged red by the flames' rays. Silently she went by, disappearing again into the mist, a weird addition to an uncanny scene.

Chasing the various units of the broken line of German ships had taken the British ships miles from each other, but after ten o'clock they began to reach each other by wireless signals and all made again for Stanley. It was not until the afternoon of the next day, however, that word came from the _Kent_, for her pursuit had taken her farther than any of the other British ships.

The _Bristol_ and _Macedonia_ had made good in their pursuit of the _Santa Isabel_ and _Baden_, but in going after the _Dresden_ the _Bristol_ was not successful; the German ship got away in the rainstorm which came up during the evening, and the _Bristol_, which had hurried out of the harbor at Stanley not quite ready for battle, was unable to keep on her trail. The fast _Eitel Friedrich_, which as a merchant ship converted into a man-o'-warsman had greater speed than any of the ships on either side, was able to get away also. These two German ships now took up their parts as raiders of allied commerce, and were not accounted for till months later. There was now on the high seas no German squadron.