The Battle of the Falkland Islands, Before and After

by Henry Edmund Harvey Spencer-Cooper

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.