VON SPEE’S END.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 April 1926, Page 4

VON SPEE’S END.

A FEW SIDELIGHTS.

(By John Sandes in the Sydney

“ Herald.”)

From the interesting article in the

“Sydney Morning Herald” dealing with the Scharnhorst’s' silver messplate, which is now in New South Wales, many readers will have learned for the first time that the Scharnhorst, which was Admiral \on Spec’s flagship, put into Caroline Islands, at that time a German possession, before resuming her cruise in the Pacific in company with her consort, the Gneisenau. As far as the general public knows Von Spec’s squadron left the German possession of Kiao Chau just before the war broke out. put in at Apia (Samoa) for a few hours on September 14, subjected Papeete ( in Tahiti, to a hurried bombardment on September 22. during which a few houses were demolished and a small 1' rencli gunboat was sunk, and gave no further indication of its whereabouts until it was sighted by Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock in the Good Hope on November 1, off the coast of Chile. Officers of the Australian navy, and also certain people down at Suva, know a little more than this. For instance, it. is known in the first place tnat \ on Spec was in Rabaul Harbour shortly before the Australian forces arrived there, lie was not far away when 11.M.A.5.. Australia, with light cruisers and destroyers, and two submarines, appeared in New Guinea waters. Von Spec was well aware that the Australia with her superior gunpower was more than a match lor him, ami he would not risk trying oouehi-

After tin* Australia had been given a wide berth Von Spec’s wireless was picked up off Fiji, and the Government of tiint Crown colony expected Suva to be bombarded. There is little doubt that it would have been bombarded but for an ingenious ruse practised by the Governor, Sir Ernest Sweet-Eseott. That diplomatic Admin-istrator—-as ]. was told in Suva by a highly-placed official soon alter the vai

summoned the local wireless operator into his presence and dictated a message to he sent out. into the void addressed to Admiral l’atey. inviting the Admiral to dine with the Governor on the following Thursday. “ But, your Excellency,” said the operator. “ we are not in touch with Admiral I’atey.”

'Pile Governor stamped his foot. “ Obey your orders,” he said curtly, as he turned on his heel. The message was sent —and was picked up by Von Spec as the Governor anticipated it would he. The German Admiral decided to give Fiji the go-by, according to plan—that is to sav, according to the Governor’s plan. CRADOCK’S FATE. Then came Papeete, and after that hasty bombardment on September 22 Von Spec’s squadron was seen no inoro until the fateful Sunday afternoon of November 1. when, at .4 p.m., Cradock, looking out from the Good Hope, which has been described as “one ol lhe worst and most expensive types of ships ever built for the navy in modern times,” saw the Scharnhorst leading the enemy's line on the horizon.

The Good Hope had two 9.2-itieh gnus. The -Monmouth had no gun more powerful than her (i-iiichcrs. Neither had the Glasgow. The only other ship in CradncJLs squadron was the armed liner Otranto, which he immediately ordered to clear out. being unfit to take- part in the battle. 'I he battleship Ctanopus, which had been tardily sent/to support Cradock. was 21)11 miles a.ivav when Von Spec appeared on the .scene with his two-armoured cruisers, Larli carrying eight 8.2-inch guns, asid llm Dresden and Leipzig, oacl, with their 1.1 guns and subsidiary a r. ilia men t.

Von Spec kept awa.v at extreme ranee until the sun set at ft. 55. when the Knp.li.sh ships, plunging in a heavy sea that made it difficult for their main deck puns to he fired, were silhouetted against the after-plow. The Germans opened lire at 7 p.m. at a ranee of 12.000 yards, and the flood Hope and .Monmouth, with the light cruiser Glasgow, all under-gunned hopelessly, were pelted with shells. They could barely see the Germans in the failing light, hut the Germans could see them outlined elearlv against the western sky, Von Spec's Squadron keeping a course between Cradoek and the Chilean coastline. At 7.0 f) an immense explosion took place on the Good I [ope. and those on the Glasgow saw (lames shoot up to a height of 200 ft on the doomed vessel, which is believed to have sunk with all on hoard soon a fterwn rds. t'mler the rising moon the captain of the Glasgow saw the enemy approaching. and “as Glasgow could render Monmouth no assistance she proceeded at full speed lo avoid destruction.” The Admiralty found out later that (he Monmouth though badly battered and heavily down by the how. made a last attempt to ram the enemy. The captain of the Glasgow tells in his despatch what happened, lie wrote laconically: " At o.2ft p.m. observed 75 flashes of lire, which was no doubt final attack on Monmouth.” Overwhelmed with that crushing storm of metal at close range the cruiser went to the bottom. The loss of Sir Christopher Cradoek and his two ships was a severe blow to British prestige. England was struck dumb with amazement as well as grief. Someone had blundered badly in leaving Cradoek's small and inefficient i.squadron exposed to attack by Vuu Spec with his immensely superior weight of metal. Admiral Lord Fisher, who succeeded Prince Louis of Battenberg (afterwards known as the Marquess of .Milford Haven) as First Sea Lord, had occupied his position for only three days when the blow fell at CoroncL The Admiralty did not hear the sad news until November ft, after the victorious German squadron had put into Valparaiso harbour and had left it again. Britain was stirred to its depths, and British. French, Japanese and Australian cruisers scoured the Pacific in search of Von Spec. Then something happened, which is not written in any of the history books. Von Spec, and his ships disappeared into the void, and countless conjectures were formed as to his whereabouts. Nobody in England knew where to look for him for certainty. But word was conveyed to the Admiralty hv one who did know in another country. "Look for him at the Falkland islands on December 8 ” was the message, and it was accompanied , by overwhelming proofs of its veracity. LORD FISHER’S WORD. 1 have been told by an officer of high rank that Admiral Lord Fisher summoned Rear-Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee into his presence, and said to him, " You got us into this mess. Now get us out of it.” Sturdee was Chief of the War Staff at the Admiralty in 1014—and therefore responsible for leaving Cradoek unsupported. Lord Fisher then placed the Invincible and Inflexible under Sturdee’s command, and bade him find Von Spec’s squadron and destroy it. The course of events indicates that Sturdee was told, before he left England where and when he would find the German admiral, for whom scores- of cruisers bad lieen combing the Pacific for weeks. He was told to look for him in the South Atlantic, off the j Falkland on December 8, The

Invincible and Inflexible were taken to Plymouth, and were fitted out with great secrecy and expedition. They steamed at full speed for the whole 7000 miles of the journey, and they arrived at Port William a few hours before Von Spec. There they were joined by the Carnarvon, Glasgow, Kent, Cornwall, Bristol, .vlaeedonia and Canopus. At 8 o’clock in the morning the signal station reported the German cruisers steering north. At 9.20 the Canopus, which was lying in Port Stanley, opened fire upon them across the intervening low land, when the Germans were five miles out at sea. It was then that they saw the British battle cruisers in the port, and Von Spec at that moment must have known that lie was doomed. Sluidee was in no hurry. He had the speed and also the gun-power. The men had breakfasted, and at 9.40 the battle cruisers of the rest of the squadron steamed out.

Two transports, evidently attached to Von Spec's squadron, were noticed during the general chase, and the Bristol and Macedonia were sent off to take the. crews out of them and sink them. That is important, for it was through those transports that Von Spec was located. At about a quarter to I Stimlee opened fire. Von Spec fought with desperate bravery and it was not until 4.lff that the Scharnhorst, with a large hole in her side “ through with could he seen a dull red blow of flame.” rolled over on her beam with her flag flying to the last, and disappeared. The Gueiesnau sank at (5 p.m., 000 of her crew having been killed. The remaining ‘JOO fell into the sea, and the Invincible alone rescued 108 of them. The l.eip/.ig and Xuniberg were sunk by the British light cruisers. The Dresden escaped for a time. A grim story was told to me by a young'officer on the Bonowu, who was in the Invincible at the Falkland Islands battle. He said lie helped in reselling the men from the Gneisonau. Noticing that every German saved from the sea was either a seaman or an engine-room rating, lie asked one of the survivors how it happened that there were no officers among Hie rescued.

They came into the engine-room,”' replied the mail. “ holding revolvers al our beads to make us keep the engines going, even when the ship was sinking. We overpowered them, and threw them into the furnaces. Then wo rushed on deck and jumped into the sea.” It was a terrible fate for officers wlio find fought so bravely.