[III]
OFFICIAL DISPATCH OF VICE-ADMIRAL COUNT VON SPEE
The following official report of the action fought off Coronel on November 1st appeared in the German Press, and is interesting in the light of being an accurate account as viewed by our enemies.
On comparing it with Captain Luce's account, it will be seen that the German clocks were about thirty minutes slow on our time. Other evidence also points to this conclusion:—
The squadron under my command, composed of the large cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and the small cruisers Nürnberg, Leipzig, and Dresden, reached on November 1st a point about twenty sea miles from the Chilean coast, in order to attack a British cruiser which, according to trustworthy information, had reached the locality on the previous evening. On the way to the spot the small cruisers were several times thrown out on the flanks to observe steamers and sailing ships.
At 4.15 P.M. the Nürnberg, which was detached on one of these missions, was lost sight of to the north-east, while the Dresden remained about twelve sea miles behind. With the bulk of the fleet, I was about forty miles north of Arauco Bay. At 4.17 P.M. there were sighted to the south-west at first two ships, and then at 4.25 P.M. a third ship about fifteen miles away. Two of them were identified as warships, and were presumed to be the Monmouth and Glasgow, while the third was evidently the auxiliary cruiser Otranto. They, too, seemed to be on a southerly course. The squadron steamed at full speed in pursuit, keeping the enemy four points to the starboard. The wind was south, force 6, with a correspondingly high sea, so that I had to be careful not to be manœuvred into a lee position. Moreover, the course chosen helped to cut off the enemy from the neutral coast.
About 4.35 P.M. it was seen that the enemy ships were steering to the west, and I gradually changed my course south-west, the Scharnhorst working up 22 knots, while the Gneisenau and the Leipzig slowed down. The enemy's numerous wireless messages were 'jammed' as far as possible.
At 5.20 the arrival of another warship was reported which took the head of the line, and was identified as the Good Hope, the flagship of Rear-Admiral Cradock.
The enemy ships now got into battle formation, hoisted their mast-head flags, and tried slowly to approach a southerly course. From 5.35 P.M. onwards I held to a south-westerly course, and later to southerly course, and reduced speed to enable my own ships to come up. At 6.7 both lines—except Dresden, which was about one mile astern, and the Nürnberg, which was at a considerable distance—were on an almost parallel southerly course, the distance separating them being 135 hectometres (14,760 yards).
At 6.20, when at a distance of 124 hectometres, I altered my course one point towards the enemy, and at 6.34 opened fire at a range of 104 hectometres. There was a head wind and sea, and the ships rolled and pitched heavily, particularly the small cruisers, on both sides.
Observation and range-finding work was most difficult, the seas sweeping over the forecastles and conning-towers, and preventing the use of some guns on the middle decks, the crews of which were never able to see the sterns of their opponents, and only occasionally their bows. On the other hand, the guns of the two armoured cruisers worked splendidly, and were well served.