Damage to the officers’ heads on HMS Kent caused by shell-fire from SMS Nürnberg during the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8th December 1914 in the First World War. The choppy cold waters of the South Atlantic were too much for the remainder who had managed to get off the ship. >HMS Kent: Armoured (Heavy) Cruiser – completed in 1901 – 9,800 tons – main armament 14 X 6 inch guns – maximum speed 22 knots – crew: Captain Allen and 678 all ranks. The captain opened the sea cocks on Gneisenau, ensuring she sank quickly and took many of the crew with her. SMS Nürnberg, German light cruiser at the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8th December 1914 in the First World War. • During Admiral Sturdee’s journey across the Atlantic with the British battle cruisers, HMS Invincible and Inflexible, a report appeared in the American press, in spite of the secrecy surrounding the despatch of the two ships. Battle of the Falkland Islands, (8 December 1914). SMS Leipzig: Once the action with the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau was finished Sturdee radioed his cruisers to see how they had fared in their pursuit of the German light cruisers. Admiral von Spee’s squadron comprised ships stationed in the Pacific for a number of years before the war broke out. Shells were landing around the Leipzig so that she was several times concealed by shell splashes. Within hours he was dead. HMS Macedonia: auxiliary cruiser (ex – civilian ship) – 12,100 tons – main armament 8 X 4.7 inch guns: maximum speed 18 knots – crew: Captain Evans and 370 all ranks(crew as a merchant ship). At 5.30pm Gneisenau turned towards Invincible and stopped. Many of these men were killed by shellfire until they displayed two green lights. After the Battle of the Falkland Islands Invincible returned to the Grand Fleet in Scapa Flow. Canaris was executed by the Nazis for conspiring against Hitler. Both battle cruisers were now striking Gneisenau. In addition Bristol needed repairs to her engines. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau possessed secondary armaments of 6 inch guns while the secondary armament on Invincible and Inflexible comprised 4 inch guns. She remained crewed substantially by Royal Navy personnel. Information on these ships reached the British admiralty and confirmed that von Spee was moving south to round Cape Horn into the South Atlantic. In addition, if his duties took him to any part of the North Atlantic or the Caribbean, that area would come under his command. Leipzig was now moving so slowly that Cornwall and Glasgow were able to circle her and fire into her at whichever angle and range they chose. The British battle cruisers were severely hampered by their own smoke, the after turrets on Invincible and all the guns on Inflexible being masked by the dense black clouds. Invincible was present at the Battle of Heligoland Bight on 28th August. Once he established radio contact with the British cruisers Sturdee enquired which direction Dresden had taken when she made off. Both German armored cruisers were sunk before about 6:00 PM, with few survivors. By 6pm the range was 3,000 yards (1.7 miles) and Kent’s larger guns were impacting on the German cruiser. A member of the pay staff, having no battle role, would be able to go on deck and take photographs, for some of Duckworth’s shots from the mast, presumably hence the partnership. Glasgow signalled that the German squadron was doing only 15 knots and this enabled Sturdee to close up his ships while comfortably overtaking von Spee. By 2pm the range between the British and German ships opened to more than 16,000 yards (9 miles) and both sides ceased firing. Sturdee’s conclusion was that von Spee’s whole squadron must be in the same place. It is clear that the two British ships were equipped with 4 inch guns. She was one of the battle cruisers at the Battle of Heligoland Bight. HMS Invincible: no casualties. SMS Leipzig was the slowest of the German ships and was in the rear of von Spee’s squadron. SMS Scharnhorst: Armoured (Heavy) Cruiser – completed in 1907 – 11,600 tons – main armament 8 X 8.2 inch and 6 X 6 inch guns – maximum speed 21 knots – crew: 52 officers and 788 non-commissioned ranks (including the admiral’s staff). The German ship was now in a poor way. Mrs Muriel Felton, a resident of the Falkland Islands, who spotted the German colliers and reported them to the Royal Navy, enabling them to be intercepted and sunk, was awarded an OBE. At around 5pm Cornwall turned sharply to starboard and brought her port broadside into action. Von Spee sent Gneisenau and Nürnberg ahead of the squadron to reconnoitre the Falklands and destroy the radio station with gunfire so that no warning could be passed on of their approach. The Distinguished Service Cross was awarded to one officer from each of HMS Invincible, Kent and Cornwall. The Battle in Denmark Strait was almost exactly 25 years after Jutland. At 4.30pm Kent began the chase of Nürnberg, 7 miles behind the German ship. The discovery by Gneisenau of the two battle cruisers in Port Stanley was a shock for von Spee and confirmed his conviction that the wanderings of his squadron were destined to end in its destruction and his death. HMS Canopus opens fire at the beginning of the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8th December 1914 in the First World War. The German ship was listing heavily to starboard. Visit our dedicated Podcast page or visit Podbean below. At 3.30pm Bristol and Macedonia overtook the two German colliers and firing a gun ordered them to stop. It was expected that, following his spectacular success at Coronel, von Spee would sail around the Horn and capture the Falkland Islands, temporarily defenceless. Battle of the Falkland Islands, (8 December 1914). The luxurious, ornate theater hosted the most popular performances of the day. During these manoeuvres Inflexible took the lead and for the first time was free of the flagship’s smoke. All three British ships were firing on Gneisenau, Invincible and Carnarvon on her starboard quarter and Inflexible to her rear. Seven members of Nürnberg’s crew were picked up alive. HMS Invincible and Inflexible leaving Stanley Harbour at the beginning of the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8th December 1914 in the First World War: picture by Lionel Wyllie. The citation stated: ‘A shell burst and ignited some cordite charges in the casemate; a flash of flame went down the hoist into the ammunition passage. The German squadron was commanded by Vice Admiral Reichsgraf Maximilian von Spee. Lieutenant Commander Dannreuther first lieutenant and gunnery officer on HMS Invincible at the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8th December 1914. One hit wrecked the radio room. SMS Dresden: Light Cruiser – completed in 1909 – 3,600 tons – main armament 10 X 4.1 inch guns – maximum speed 24 knots (this was the theoretical maximum, but Dresden seems to have been able to reach 27 knots) – crew: Kapitän zur See Lüdecke 18 officers and 343 non-commissioned ranks. Glasgow and Kent set off in pursuit. Nürnberg turned to port. Dannreuther was one of the six survivors when Invincible was sunk at Jutland on 31st May 1916 in the First World War. SMS Gneisenau: around 125 survivors of her crew of 38 officers and 726 non-commissioned ranks (598 men were lost with the ship). • HMS Canopus took part in the operations in the Dardanelles in 1915, providing gun fire support to the army onshore. Sturdee issued the order to engage. Their crews were almost entirely regular German naval personnel. Glasgow was some 12,000 yards (6.8 miles) behind Leipzig when she opened fire with her forward 6 inch gun. Instead of hunting von Spee’s ships in the Atlantic it now appeared that Sturdee would have to take his ships into the South Pacific and seek him there. There is no indication from the conduct of operations in the Pacific and Atlantic that the British Admiralty had access to German naval codes. War: The First World War also known as ‘The Great War’. The range quickly fell to 6,000 yards (3.5 miles) and Kent’s shooting became more effective. • A second Scharnhorst was built for the Kreigsmarine in the 1930s. SMS Scharnhorst sinking (foreground) and SMS Gneisenau at the end of the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8th December 1914 in the First World War: picture by Lionel Wyllie. A force of British, Japanese and Canadian ships was ready to deal with von Spee if he went north to the Canadian shore. By early afternoon, Spee accepted escape was impossible and turned back with his two slower big ships, while ordering his three faster light cruisers to flee. Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, in 1914: Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8th December 1914 in the First World War. He appears to be referred to in Gordon Findlay’s book ‘A Naval Digression by GF’ as owning the camera jointly with the ship’s surgeon. Sturdee turned to east by south, continuing on a parallel course. Macedonia was a British auxiliary cruiser at the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8th December 1914 in the First World War. Since its arrival on 12th November 1914 Canopus’ commander Captain Grant had been preparing defences for the islands. A battle cruiser was built and commissioned in 1920, named ‘Hood’ after the admiral’s 18th Century ancestor. Strikes on the two armoured cruisers continued, Gneisenau’s list was such that her secondary armament was forced to cease firing. Although the ships contained a large quantity of coal and other stores Fanshawe’s instructions were to ‘sink the transports’. The two battle cruisers turned 7 points to port into line ahead on the beam of von Spee’s two armoured cruisers and did so before the Germans completed their turn. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Von Spee joined Gneisenau and Nürnberg and the whole squadron was making off to the south-east, now fifteen miles away. HMS Bristol, British light cruiser at the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8th December 1914 in the First World War. In Port Stanley the engine room staff of HMS Bristol managed to get her boilers fired up and she was under way. SMS Leipzig: 5 officers and 13 seamen survived of her crew of 14 officers and 280 non-commissioned ranks. Casualties at the Battle of the Falkland Islands: Glasgow was hit twice and had one man killed and four wounded.