Battle of the Falkland Islands

Sujet : Alsace ALSACE 1914-1918 Appartient à l’ensemble documentaire : BNUStr003 Appartient à l’ensemble documentaire : BNUStras1 Appartient à l’ensemble documentaire : BNUStr000 Langue : français

Battle of the Falkland Islands, 1914

Map showing British and German ships and movements at the Battle of the Falkland Iskands, 8 December 1914.

Map showing the Battle of the Falkland Islands, 1914.

Map showing British and German ships and movements at the Battle of the Falkland Iskands, 8 December 1914. Russian version.

Images of the Battle of the Falklands of 1914

The Battle of the Falklands Islands from the official report of Admiral Sturdee.

Battle of the Falklands Islands 1914

Map of the Battle of Falkland Islands (December 8, 1914) showing battleship positions at two times, 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.

"The Last Man" by Hans Borth. It depicts a sailor with a battle flag in his hand, standing on the keel of the capsized small cruiser SMS Leipzig. In the background, the Scharnhorst, still fighting but already burning, is depicted. This image is from the naval Battle of the Falkland Islands. The image has been considered lost since 1916.

After the naval battle of the Falkland Islands of the 8th December 1914, the war dead were returned to Stanley for burial. The above image shows the 3 leading coffins passing the Jubilee Villas.

HMS 'Canopus' at Port Stanley, firing the opening salvoes of the Battle of the Falkland Islands, 8 December 1914 Inscribed by the artist, 'Canopus at Port Stanley', lower left. This drawing was reproduced as a print on p. 101 of Wyllie and M.F. Wren's 'Sea Fights of the Great War' (1918), but before Wyllie inscribed the title on it (though the printed caption in the book is '"Canopus" at Port Stanley, Falkland Islands'). Shortly after the start of the First World War the pre-dreadnought battleship 'Canopus' (1897) was sent to support Rear-Admiral Christopher Cradock's cruiser squadron off South America, stationed off the Abrolhos Rocks. She was too slow to keep up with his subsequent search for Admiral von Spee's German Pacific squadron and was 300 miles behind when von Spee destroyed Cradock at the Battle of Coronel on 1 November 1914. 'Canopus' then took up position as guardship at the Falklands, moored bow and stern in Port Stanley harbour is such a way as to cover the approaches. Her position from seaward was masked by a hill, on top of which she had spotters placed, and her topmasts were sent down. The avenging battlecruiser squadron of Admiral Sir Frederick Doveton Sturdee arrived on 7 December 1914 and at 07.50 on 8 December the shore spotters from 'Canopus' sighted the German armoured cruiser 'Gneisenau' and light cruiser 'Nürnberg' as they approached to reconnoitre the port ahead of an attack on it by von Spee. He was at that point quite unaware of Sturdee's arrival, and planned to destroy the Falklands radio and coaling station. At 09.00 the 'Canopus ' fired at the two German ships at extreme range from her forward turret but her shells fell short. The guns in her aft turret were loaded with practice rounds for a forthcoming target shoot but she fired them none the less, more to clear the guns rapidly than anything else, and one of them ricocheted off the water and struck the rear funnel of the 'Gneisenau'. At this point the two German ships turned and headed away to rejoin von Spee's main force. Sturdee at the same time was rapidly raising steam to pursue and, in the subsequent battle later in the day, he sank von Spee's entire squadron, with the exception of the light cruiser 'Dresden' which managed to make good an escape. 'Canopus' was not involved in the chase and only left Port Stanley ten days later, returning to her South American patrol station of the Abrolhos Rocks until she transferred to the Mediterranean early in 1915.

HMS Invincible going into action at the battle of the Falkland Islands

The Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Inflexible standing by to pick up survivors from the German cruiser SMS Gneisenau after the Battle of the Falkland Islands.

Royal Navy Rear Admiral Stoddart, Commander in Chief South America Station, commanded the naval force which reinforced that under the command of Vice Admiral Sturdee during the Battle of the Falkland Islands in December 1914. Faces of the First World War Find out more about this First World War Centenary project at www.1914.org/faces. This image is from IWM Collections.

Schlacht bei den Falkland-Inseln (8. Dezember 1914), 1. Der Kampf der Panzerkreuzer und die Verfolgung der Troßdampfer

Schlacht bei den Falkland-Inseln (8. Dezember 1914), 2. Der Kampf der Kleinen Kreuzer

Falkland Islands error stamp of 1964; the 6d value normally depicts the Kent, and the 2 1/2d depicts the Glasgow

The Battle of the Falkland Islands 8 December 1914 Vice Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee's squadron getting under way in Port Stanley harbour. Photograph shows HMS KENT, GLASGOW and INFLEXIBLE

The Last Man: From the Heroic Battle S. M. S. Leipzig in the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8 December 1914 after the painting by Professor Hans Bohrdt Publisher: Leipzig, Verlag, by Otto Gustav Zehrfeld; Printed by Meisenbach Riffarth & Co. , Berlin, Date of publication: 1915