The Battle of the Falkland Islands 16

The Battle of the Falkland Islands 16

It will be recollected that during the chase the battle-cruisers

were firing at the _Leipzig_ before the main battle with Admiral

von Spee took place. This compelled the Germans to divide into two

separate squadrons, since a direct hit from a 12-inch gun might

easily prove fatal to one of their light-cruisers. Foreseeing that

this manœuvre was likely to occur, Admiral Sturdee had directed the

_Cornwall_, _Kent_, and _Glasgow_ to follow in pursuit. No time was

lost, therefore, in giving chase to the enemy light-cruisers when

they turned off to the S.S.E. at 1.20 P.M., the _Glasgow_ leading the

way at 26 knots, followed by the _Kent_ and the _Cornwall_ keeping

neck and neck and going about 23½ knots. The _Dresden_ led the enemy

light-cruisers with the _Leipzig_ and _Nürnberg_ on her starboard and

port quarter respectively.

 

In the ever-increasing distance between our two squadrons, the main

battle could still be seen through field glasses, which made the

necessity for turning away from a spectacle of such absorbing and

compelling interest all the more tantalising. But there was solid

work to be done, requiring concentration, thought, and cool judgment.

 

A stern chase is proverbially a long one, and the difference in speed

between our ships and the Germans' was not sufficient to justify any

hope of getting to business for at least two hours, as the slowest

enemy ship was probably doing 23 knots at this time. Every effort was

now made to go as fast as possible, and the _Cornwall_ and _Kent_

had quite an exciting race as they worked up to 24 knots or slightly

more--a speed actually exceeding that realised along the measured

mile when these ships were new. The engine-room staffs on both ships

"dug out for all they were worth," and the keenest rivalry prevailed.

 

It was very evident that a long chase lay before us, for the

_Glasgow_ was the only ship of the three that had a marked

superiority in speed to the enemy. The _Cornwall_ and _Kent_ were

gaining very slowly but surely on the _Leipzig_ and _Nürnberg_, but

were losing on the _Dresden_.

 

The enemy kept edging away to port continually, and about 2.15 we

passed over the spot where later in the day the _Gneisenau_ was sunk

by our battle-cruisers.

 

About 2.45 P.M. the positions of the ships were as plan (_see_ page

112). The _Leipzig_ was the centre rearmost ship, with the _Dresden_

some four to five miles on her starboard bow, while the _Nürnberg_

was about a mile on her port bow. Both these ships were diverging

slightly from the _Leipzig_, spreading out in the shape of a fan to

escape being brought to action. The _Cornwall_ and _Kent_ were some

eleven miles astern of the _Leipzig_, and the _Glasgow_ was four

miles distant on the starboard bow.

 

[Illustration: _Diagram showing position at 2.45 p.m. weather

conditions not so good wind and rain from N.W._]

 

As the _Glasgow_ drew ahead she edged over to starboard in the

direction of the _Dresden_. About 3 P.M. she opened fire with her

two 6-inch guns on the _Leipzig_ at 12,000 yards, in the hope of

outranging her and reducing her speed, so that the _Cornwall_ and

_Kent_ might come into action. The _Leipzig_, however, held on her

course, and replied to the _Glasgow's_ fire, though it was evident

that she was at the limit of her gun range. The firing was spasmodic

and not very effective.

 

The _Glasgow's_ speed was so much superior to that of the enemy that

she soon closed the range very appreciably, and the _Leipzig_ was

seen to straddle her with her salvoes on more than one occasion. The

_Glasgow_ therefore altered course outwards, at the same time firing

her after 6-inch gun, and then, having opened the range, turned up on

to a roughly parallel course with the German. The duel between these

ships continued intermittently.

 

The _Cornwall_ and _Kent_ were still keeping fairly level, and had

closed in to a distance of about half a mile from one another. The

chase continued, each minute seeming an age, as the range-finders

registered the slowly diminishing distance of the enemy. The crews

watched the proceedings from the forecastles with the greatest

interest; now and again a half-smothered cheer would break out when

the _Glasgow's_ shots fell perilously near the mark. When the bugle

sounded "Action," the men responded with a spontaneous cheer as they

rushed off at the double to their appointed stations. Their spirit

was fine.

 

Captain J. Luce, of the _Glasgow_, was the senior naval officer

of our three ships, and at 3.20 P.M. signalled the _Cornwall_ to

ask, "Are you gaining on the enemy?" To which a reply was made,

"Yes--range now 16,000 yards." A quarter of an hour later the

_Glasgow_ ceased fire for a while. Captain W. M. Ellerton, of the

_Cornwall_, now made a signal to the _Kent_: "I will take the centre

target (_Leipzig_) if you will take the left-hand one (_Nürnberg_),

as we appear to be gaining on both of them." The _Glasgow_ again

opened fire on the _Leipzig_ at 3.45, but her shots falling short,

she very soon afterwards ceased fire. At 4.6 the _Glasgow_ and

_Leipzig_ again fired at one another, and shortly afterwards the

former was hit twice; an unlucky shot, descending at a steep angle,

killed one man and wounded four others.

 

Captain Luce now found himself face to face with a difficult

decision, which had to be made promptly. Was he to use his superior

speed and endeavour to cut off the _Dresden_ or not? He decided

to assist the _Cornwall_ and _Kent_ in order to make sure of the

destruction of the _Leipzig_ and _Nürnberg_. At 4.25 P.M. the

_Glasgow_ turned to starboard away from the action and took station

on the port quarter of the _Cornwall_, who had by that time come into

action with the _Leipzig_.

 

During this period the _Cornwall_ and _Kent_ had been gaining fairly

rapidly on the _Leipzig_ and slowly on the _Nürnberg_, though losing

on the _Dresden_, who was easily the fastest of the three German

light-cruisers. The latter kept edging away gradually to starboard,

outdistancing her pursuers, and finally made good her escape without

firing a single shot.

 

At a quarter past four the _Cornwall_ and the _Kent_ opened fire

on the _Leipzig_ almost simultaneously at a range of 10,900 yards.

The effect of this was that the German altered course slightly to

starboard and was followed by the _Cornwall_, while the _Kent_ went

after the _Nürnberg_, as had been arranged.

 

The _Leipzig_ now directed her fire on to the _Cornwall_. At the

outset we were astounded to find that her projectiles were falling

over us at this distance, but she soon found this out, and most

of her splashes were well short for some minutes. As the range

diminished the firing became more accurate, and it was possible to

judge of its effect. It was not till 4.22 that the _Cornwall_ scored

her first visible hit, which carried away the enemy's fore-topmast,

killing the gunnery lieutenant and disabling the fire control. The

enemy thereupon altered course away slightly to starboard, at which

we made a bigger turn in the same direction, so as to cut him off,

as well as to cross his course the more rapidly in the event of his

dropping mines overboard. This manœuvre brought the range down to

8,275 yards at 4.56, when he scored some hits. Captain Ellerton then

turned away to starboard to give the enemy a broadside, at the same

time opening the range, which completely upset the accuracy of the

_Leipzig's_ fire.

 

The _Glasgow_ took up her self-appointed station on the port quarter

of the _Cornwall_ (_see_ Plan, p. 112), and the action developed

into a running fight between our two ships and the _Leipzig_, who

concentrated her fire on the _Cornwall_, which, however, had superior

armament:

 

_Name_ _Tonnage_ _Armament_ _Speed_ _Completion_

 

_Cornwall_ 9,800 14--6" 23.68 1904

_Glasgow_ 4,800 2--6"

10--4" 25.8 1900

_Leipzig_ 3,200 10--4.1" 23.5 1906

 

From "Brassey's Naval Annual."

 

Mist and a light drizzling rain now set in, so we broke into

independent firing on account of the difficulty of spotting the fall

of shot. The range opened to 9,800 yards, and still we were being

hit, which clearly showed the efficiency of the German 4.1-inch gun.

Our course soon took us out of range, so we again turned towards the

enemy, ceasing fire from 5.12 to 5.29 P.M. This was analogous to

the interval that occurred in the battle-cruisers' action, and is

significant; both took place on the same day, and both were due to

the same cause--namely, the idea of making full use of the heavier

armament in our ships, and thus eliminating the risk of incurring

unnecessary casualties.

 

Shortly after 5.30 P.M. the _Cornwall_ was hit no fewer than nine

times in as many minutes at a range of over 9,000 yards, so course

was again altered to starboard, a broadside being fired as the

ship turned. We continued these tactics, closing in and firing the

foremost group of guns and then turning out again as soon as we had

got in too close, at the same time getting in broadside fire, by

which we managed to score a number of hits with common shell.

 

Fire was checked at 5.46, slow salvoes being resorted to on account

of the difficulties of spotting. At this time a heavy thud was felt

forward, which made the whole ship quiver; a shell had landed in

the paint room, where it burst and made rather a mess of things.

No material damage resulted, and there was fortunately no fire. At

6.15 we started using lyddite instead of common shell, having again

decreased the range. The result was stupendous, the dark smoke and

flash caused by those projectiles as they struck could be plainly

seen, and not long afterwards the enemy was on fire. His return fire

began to slacken appreciably, though he still managed to get a hit

every now and again. Captain Ellerton decided to close and went in to

nearly 7,000 yards, turning and letting the German have it from the

port broadside.

 

It was now 6.35, and the news came through by wireless from the

flagship that the _Scharnhorst_ and _Gneisenau_ had been sunk. It

passed round the ship like lightning, even penetrating the watertight

bulkheads in some miraculous manner, and cheered up all hands

tremendously.

 

Keeping the range between 7,000 and 8,000 yards, our ships continued