Sturdee despatched Carnarvon to the north to escort these ships in. SMS Nürnberg, German light cruiser at the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8th December 1914 in the First World War. Contestants at the Battle of the Falkland Islands: A British Royal Navy squadron against a German Imperial Navy squadron. This was an unprecedented appointment and reflected the seriousness of the crisis. German ship ‘Scharnhorst sinking’ in the Second World War: Battleship Scharnhorst built for the Third Reich in the 1930s, sunk by a British Fleet on 26th December 1943 in the Battle of the North Cape off the coast of Northern Norway  in the Second World War: picture by C.E. The maximum speeds of the British and German cruisers were: Dresden the fastest with a top speed of 27 knots, Glasgow with 25 knots, Nürnberg with 23.5 knots, Kent, Cornwall and Leipzig with 23 knots. The surviving ships from Cradock’s squadron were likely to have returned to Port Stanley and included HMS Canopus, a battleship with 12 inch guns, although an elderly warship. On the way Sturdee was to collect the cruiser HMS Bristol and the auxiliary cruiser Macedonia, to strengthen the light cruiser element of his squadron. Kent ceased firing. • Corbett surmises that towards the end of the battle von Spee intended to disadvantage the two British battle cruisers by closing the range and bringing his secondary armament of 6 inch guns into action. Sturdee intended to coal his squadron and leave on Wednesday 9th December, heading south-west to Cape Horn. At 9.23pm Leipzig turned over and sank. HMS Bristol: no casualties. The Battle of the Falkland Islands was a British naval victory over the Imperial German Navy on 8 December 1914 during the First World War in the South Atlantic. Kent and Cornwall agreed between them that Kent should take on the Nürnberg, while Cornwall, assisted by Glasgow, dealt with Leipzig. In the Second World War as an admiral Canaris commanded the Abwehr, Germany’s military intelligence service. Bristol signalled the flag that two ladies on land reported spotting three further ships, which turned out to be von Spee’s hospital ship and colliers. Lost with Invincible was the commander of the Third Battle Cruiser Squadron, Rear Admiral Hood. HMS Cornwall after the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8th December 1914 in the First World War. Her firing was sporadic and then ceased. Captain Luce in Glasgow then decided that his initial attack should be on Leipzig. Nürnberg was expected to achieve 22.5 knots, but she put so much strain on her boilers, which were in need of a complete overhaul after months at sea, that two burst, reducing her speed to 19 knots. Kent turned 6 points to port onto a converging course. The range was only 3,500 yards. The British ships rushed to the area and lowered boats, so that around 200 of her crew were picked up. Join now to view geocache location details. Mrs Muriel Felton, a resident of the Falkland Islands, who spotted the German colliers and reported them to the Royal Navy, enabling them to be intercepted and sunk, was awarded an OBE. Glasgow received the message and fired a gun to attract the attention of the other ships. Lüdecke took Dresden to the Island of Mas-a-fuera where he intended that the Chilean authorities would intern the ship. The extinction of this fire saved a disaster which might have led to the loss of the ship.’. The breakout did not take place. The discovery by Gneisenau of the two battle cruisers in Port Stanley was a shock for von Spee and confirmed his conviction that the wanderings of his squadron were destined to end in its destruction and his death. As the British ships left harbour the rising smoke smudges on the horizon showed the positions of the five German warships. Baden arrived the next day with a further prize. Sturdee’s ships had been taken by surprise. Rescuing the survivors from SMS Gneisenau at the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8th December 1914 in the First World War. Equipped with 8 X 12 inch guns the ‘Invincibles’ were provided with no secondary armament, a controversial move. Canopus was ordered to return to the Falklands and prepare to defend the harbour. The two battle cruisers were capable of 28 knots, at which speed clouds of black smoke surrounded each ship and any other ship following. Licensing Records. Das Seegefecht bei den Falklandinseln war eine Seeschlacht zwischen britischen und deutschen Kriegsschiffen während des Ersten Weltkrieges. For conspiring against Hitler was commanded by Vice Admiral Reichsgraf Maximilian von Spee was given this information is! 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