The Battle of the Falkland Islands 22

The Battle of the Falkland Islands 22

Had von Spee escaped being brought to action, it seems probable that

he would have endeavoured to work his way home in preference to the

alternative of internment.

 

In brief, then, this is a rough outline of events that "might"--one

could almost use the word "would"--have taken place, had not such

prompt steps been taken by the Admiralty to meet him wherever he

went by superior forces. Von Spee knew he was being cornered, and is

reported to have said so at Valparaiso.

 

If additional proof of the decision of the Germans to bring about

this war, whatever the cost, were required, it is to be found in

the testimony of a captured German reservist, who has already been

mentioned in this book. He was German interpreter to the Law Courts

at Sydney. This man told a naval surgeon who was examining him after

he had been rescued, when he was still in a very shaken condition

and could have had no object in lying, that he had been called up by

the German Admiralty on _June 26th_. In company with several other

reservists, therefore, he took passage in a sailing ship bound for

Valparaiso, where he ultimately joined the _Leipzig_. This tale is

corroborated by the fact that von Spee put into Valparaiso to pick up

naval reservists in accordance with instructions from Germany, which

perhaps may have been the cause of his delay in coming round the Horn

after defeating Admiral Cradock. Other prisoners informed us that

they had been cruising up and down the Chilean coast in order to meet

a storeship from Valparaiso with these reservists on board, so as to

avoid being reported. The latter, however, never turned up, so the

Germans were obliged to put in there a second time.

 

The murder of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria and of his

wife, the alleged cause of this war, took place at Serajevo, the

capital of Bosnia, two days after this man was called up by German

Admiralty orders, namely, on Sunday, June 28th, 1914.

 

A German newspaper, in speaking of the success of Admiral von Spee

at Coronel, also admirably sums up the issue of the battle of the

Falkland Islands: "The superiority of our fleet in no way detracts

from the glory of our victory, for the very essence of the business

of a strategist is the marshalling of a superior fleet at the right

place and at the right moment."

 

"Not unto us,"

Cried Drake, "not unto us--but unto Him

Who made the sea, belongs our England now!

Pray God that heart and mind and soul we prove

Worthy among the nations of this hour

And this great victory, whose ocean fame

Shall wash the world with thunder till that day

When there is no more sea, and the strong cliffs

Pass like a smoke, and the last peal of it

Sounds thro' the trumpet."

 

ALFRED NOYES (_Drake_).

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER XVII

 

THE PARTING OF THE WAYS

 

"Now to the Strait Magellanus they came

And entered in with ringing shouts of joy.

Nor did they think there was a fairer strait

In all the world than this which lay so calm

Between great silent mountains crowned with snow,

Unutterably lonely

From Pole to Pole, one branching bursting storm

Of world-wide oceans, where the huge Pacific

Roared greetings to the Atlantic."

 

ALFRED NOYES (_Drake_).

 

 

The failure to round up the _Dresden_ directly after the battle was

naturally a great disappointment, but our recent success prevented

anyone from feeling it too keenly. Hearing that the _Dresden_ had

suddenly put into Punta Arenas (Magellan Straits) to coal, Admiral

Sturdee immediately ordered the _Inflexible_, _Glasgow_, and

_Bristol_ to go in pursuit of her in that direction. Sailing at 4

A.M. on December 13th, the _Bristol_ arrived there the following

afternoon to find that the _Dresden_ had left the previous evening at

10 P.M., steaming away westwards. It was tantalising to have got so

close to her, for she was not heard of again for months after this.

All our ships now joined in the search, during which every possible

bay and inlet was thoroughly examined. A glance at a large-scale

map of this locality will show the difficulties that had to be

surmounted. There were thousands of possible hiding-places amongst

the channels and islands, many of which were quite unsurveyed; and,

at first sight, it appeared nearly impossible to investigate all of

these in anything short of a lifetime.

 

The Admiralty now ordered the _Invincible_ to go to Gibraltar. On

leaving harbour on the 14th, the _Cornwall_ gave her a rousing

send-off by "cheering ship," to which she enthusiastically replied.

Admiral Sturdee sailed from Port Stanley on December 16th, to the

great regret of the remainder of the squadron. He called in at

Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, and Pernambuco _en route_, and was

received in almost the same spirit in which Nelson was acclaimed by

the Ligurian Republic at Genoa in 1798.

 

Rear-Admiral Stoddart in the _Carnarvon_ now took over the command of

our squadron. The _Inflexible_ continued the search for some days,

after which she also was ordered off and sailed for the Mediterranean

on December 24th. The remainder of our ships were scattered on both

sides of South America and around Cape Horn.

 

Few people have the opportunity of realising the beauty and grandeur

of the scenery in this part of the world, which resembles nothing

so much as the fjords of Norway in the winter time. The depth

of water allows ships to navigate the narrowest channels, where

glacier-bounded mountains rise precipitously from the waters edge.

Once on rounding a headland we came upon a most unusual sight: some

forty albatrosses were sitting on the water. Our arrival caused them

considerable inconvenience and alarm, and it was the quaintest

sight to see these huge birds with their enormous spread of wing

endeavouring to rise, a feat which many of them were unable to

achieve even after several attempts. All these "fjords" abound in

seals--chiefly of the hairy variety--sea-lions, and every imaginable

kind of penguin. Long ropes of seaweed, usually known amongst the

seafaring world as kelp, grow on the submerged rocks, and are an

invaluable guide to the sailor as they indicate the rocky patches.

They grow to an enormous length, and are to be seen floating on the

face of the water; in fact, we had many an anxious though profitable

moment in these unsurveyed localities owing to their sudden and

unexpected appearance. At intervals a sliding glacier would enshroud

the face of a mountain in a dense mist formed by myriads of

microscopic particles of ice, which would be followed by wonderful

prismatic effects as the sun forced his way through, transforming

the scene into a veritable fairyland of the most gorgeous lights

and shades. Towards sunset the rose-pink and deep golden shafts of

light on the snow-covered peaks beggared all description, and forced

the onlooker literally to gasp in pure ecstasy. Only the pen of a

brilliant word-painter could do justice to the wealth of splendour of

this ever-changing panorama.

 

The true Patagonian is nearly extinct, and the Indians inhabiting

Tierra del Fuego are of a low social order, very primitive, and wild

in appearance. We sometimes passed some of these in their crude

dug-out canoes, which they handle most dexterously. Considering the

severity of the climate, the temperature of which runs round about

40° Fahr., they wear remarkably few clothes, and the children

frequently none at all, which accounts for the hardiness of those

that survive.

 

The difference between the east and west territory of the Straits

of Magellan is very marked. The Atlantic end is bordered by sandy

beaches and green, undulating slopes backed by mountains, and the

weather at this time of year is generally fine and calm; whereas the

Pacific side is devoid of all vegetation, glaciers and mountain crags

covered with snow descend nearly perpendicularly to the Straits, and

it is no exaggeration to say that it is possible to go almost close

alongside these high walls without any damage to the ship. Here the

weather is altogether different, frequent blizzards are attended

by rough weather, with heavy seas off the entrance, and it is far

colder. The cause of this contrast lies in the Andes, which extend

down to Cape Horn and break the force of the strong westerly winds

(the roaring forties) that prevail in these latitudes.

 

On Christmas Day, 1914, the two battle-cruisers were on their way to

Europe. The _Carnarvon_ spent the day coaling in Possession Bay in

the Straits of Magellan. We were also there in the _Cornwall_, but

were more fortunate in having finished coaling the previous evening;

however, we went to sea during the afternoon. It was scarcely what

one would term a successful day, for the ship had to be cleaned,

and it was impossible to decorate the mess deck, as is the custom.

Nevertheless, we had a cheerful Service, which was followed by Holy

Communion, and for the mid-day dinner there was plenty of salt pork

and plum-duff! Unfortunately, as has been related, we were not to

get our mail or our plum-puddings for many a long day. The _Kent_,

_Glasgow_, _Bristol_, and _Orama_ had poor weather off the coast of

Chile, which did not help to enliven their Christmas. The _Otranto_,

perhaps, was the best off, having recently come from Sierra Leone,

where she had filled up with provisions.

 

The _Cornwall_ was the next ship to be ordered away. We left Port

Stanley on January 3rd, 1915, and sailed for England to have the

damage to our side properly repaired in dry dock.

 

It would be tedious to follow in detail the wanderings of the

remainder of our ships, who proceeded with colliers in company to

ferret out every nook and cranny in this indented coastline. The

_Newcastle_ and some Japanese cruisers operated farther to the north

along the Pacific side. Admiral Stoddart's squadron must have covered

many thousands of miles with practically no respite in this onerous

and fatiguing duty. Their lot was by no means enviable, they were