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.