CHAPTER XXVIII
THE ENGAGEMENT
The enemy perceived the advance of this formidable squadron in aninstant, and there was a lull in the fire of the German ships.Then the guns opened with redoubled vigor, and the entire Germanfleet turned to flee.
Not unwilling to take advantage of the apparent fact that theyhad but one enemy to encounter--the Canopus--now that theodds were somewhat against them there was a different story.Evidently the German admiral held five German ships against oneBritish vessel fair odds, but he was not minded to have the oddseight to five against him.
But the German fleet, secure in the belief that it had but oneenemy to contend with, had advanced too far. Escape now wasimpossible. The greater speed of the British ships becameapparent as the chase continued, the English ever gaining.
At last, realizing that there was no hope of escape, Admiral vonSpee turned to give battle. The Scharnhorst, Gneisenau andLeipzig immediately formed in battle line.
Immediately the British ships slowed up. The Nurnberg andDresden, the two smaller German cruisers, did not join the otherthree German ships in battle formation, but continued theirflight.
This was what those on board the Sylph had expected, and thelittle scout cruiser, making a slight detour, to avoid, as far aspossible, shells from the three German cruisers, started inpursuit, full speed ahead. The German vessels, however, hadconsiderable of a start, and it was plain that the Sylph wouldnot overhaul them for hours.
In the meantime the battle was raging fiercely. From the firstthe British concentrated their fire on the German flagship. Thehuge thirty-four centimeter guns of the British fleet, as againstthe twenty-one centimeter guns of the enemy, made the outcome ofthe engagement certain from the first. All that remained was tosee how well the Germans could fight, and what damage they couldinflict on Admiral Sturdee's fleet before being sent to thebottom.
A huge shell from the British flagship dropped squarely aboardthe Scharnhorst and exploded with a deafening detonation. Metaland bodies flew high in the air, shattered, and dropped into thesea for yards around. But the Scharnhorst had not been hit in avital spot, and she continued to fight back desperately.
Now a shell from the Canopus struck the Scharnhorst amidships; asecond from the Inflexible and a third from the Invinciblefollowed in quick succession, and every one went home. Themarksmanship of the British gunners was remarkable.
But the British were not escaping unscathed. A shell from theLeipzig struck the Cornwall just below the waterline and piercedher armor, and then exploded. Two men were killed by flyingpieces of steel, and several others were wounded. So far thiswas the only loss sustained by the English.
As the battle progressed the fire of the British became more andmore deadly. Hardly a shot was wasted now. The Scharnhorst,wounded unto death, fought back with the courage born ofdesperation.
A well-directed shell burst aboard the Invincible, killing threemen outright and maiming practically every member of a gun crewnear which it struck. But new men were in their places in asecond, and the gun did not even pause in its fire.
Gradually the fire of the Scharnhorst became slower and slower,as one after another her guns were silenced by the accurate fireof the British gunners.
Then came the sound of a terrific explosion aboard the Germanflagship, and she staggered perceptibly. There was a lull in theBritish fire, as a demand was made for the Scharnhorst tosurrender.
The German admiral hurled back a message of defiance to his foes,and the few remaining guns on his flagship continued to spoutfire and smoke. He had determined to fight to the last, and godown with his ship, if need be.
The fire from the British ships, the demand for surrender havingbeen refused, broke out afresh, and finally, struck in a vitalpart, the Scharnhorst burst into flames, at the same timebeginning to settle in the water.
Admiral Sturdee could not but admire the way in which the Germansailors stuck to their posts in the face of certain death, and heordered the fire against the Scharnhorst to cease, that those onboard might have a chance for life.
But of this chance neither the German admiral nor his men wouldtake advantage. There were still several guns fit for action,and these continued to rain shells at the British. And, as theship burned like a raging furnace, at the same time settlinglower and lower in the water, these brave men continued to firetheir guns.
Now the last gun had either been silenced or had disappearedbelow the water. Admiral von Spee appeared upon deck, in fullview of his enemies. His officers and surviving members of thecrew gathered about him. The sweet music of a band carriedacross the water. The Germans stood erect about their commander,as the flames crept close and the ship settled.
Suddenly it was all over. With a startling movement theScharnhorst disappeared beneath the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.Her commander and crew had stood with bared heads to the last,and had gone to death, standing as though drawn up for inspection.There was a faint cheer from them as the ship disappeared beneaththe waves.
The sinking of the German flagship Scharnhorst had required justa few minutes less than an hour.
Now the entire British fleet concentrated its fire upon theGneisenau. In spite of the loss of the flagship and theiradmiral, the Germans would not give up; in fact, they seemeddetermined to rejoin their companions in the world beyond awatery grave.
The fire from both German cruisers became fiercer. Shells playeda merry tattoo on the armored sides of the Canopus, upon whichthe two German cruisers were concentrating their fire, but theshells rattled harmlessly off the well-protected sides, and theCanopus was not damaged.
Gradually now the British squadron closed in on the Gneisenau andLeipzig, spreading out in a half circle as they advanced. BothGerman ships had been vitally wounded, but they continued tofight back gamely. Shell after shell burst on their decks,pierced them below the waterline, or carried away their fightingtops or superstructure.
Battered almost to pieces, and their decks strewn with dead anddying, they nevertheless fought on.
There would be no surrender. This fact was apparent to theBritish, and they directed their fire so as to end the battle asquickly as possible.
The Gneisenau staggered, and seemed about to go under. Sherecovered her equilibrium in an instant, however, and renewed thebattle with even greater vigor than before.
Now the two German cruisers, crippled and battered as they were,steamed as rapidly they could right toward the British fleet,making a final effort to inflict a serious blow upon the Britishbefore themselves going to the bottom.
Closer and closer they came, their guns hurling shells at all theBritish vessels without favor. A shell struck squarely upon thebridge of the Canopus, killing an officer; and the splinteringwood that flew about accounted for two more, making the Britishdeath list now eight.
And still the German cruisers came on; and then the Gneisenauwavered, halted and staggered back. A shell had pierced throughto her boilers. There was an explosion, followed by a greathissing sound.
Without steam the Gneisenau could steam neither forward norbackward. Stationary, rising and falling on the swell of thewaves, she continued to pour in her fire, even as the Leipzigcontinued on alone.
A British shell struck the Leipzig's steering gear, rendering ituseless, and the German cruiser staggered about at the mercy ofthe sea. Still the gunners continued to hurl shells at theBritish whenever the guns could be brought to bear.
But this was not often, for the fact that she could not besteered properly rendered the work of the British much easier.
Admiral Sturdee, greatly impressed with the bravery of theGermans, decided to give them one more chance for life. Heordered a cessation of firing and called upon the two cruisers tosurrender.
The merciful offer was met with a cry of defiance, and a shellburst over the admiral's flagship, dropping half a score of men,two of whom never arose.
Now the British ships closed in on the two German cruise
rs, andpoured broadside after broadside into the almost defenselesshulls.
Suddenly the Gneisenau disappeared beneath the waves, with all onboard, the last that was heard of her being a cheer from hercrew.
The Leipzig lasted but a moment longer. She was listing badly,and now, suddenly rising on her beam's end, she dived beneath thewater.
The battle of the Falkland Islands, the greatest British seavictory since the battle off Heligoland, was over.
Boats were quickly lowered from the British ships to rescue, ifpossible, survivors of the German ships. A few were picked up,but not many. Of the more than 1,800 men aboard the three Germancruisers, at least 1,700 had gone to the bottom.
The Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau were the largest cruisers ofthe German fleet. They were sister ships, of 11,600 tons'displacement, 450 feet on the waterline, and were rated at aspeed of 22 1/2 knots. Each carried a complement of 765 men, andwas armed with eight 8.2-inch guns, six 6-inch guns, twenty24-Pounders, four machine-guns and four torpedo tubes.
The Leipzig had a displacement of 3,250 tons and carried 286 men.She was 341 feet long on the waterline, had a beam of 43 1/2 feet,and was rated at 23 knots. Her largest guns, of which shecarried ten, were 4-inch. She had also ten 1-pounders, fourmachine-guns and two torpedo tubes.
And these were the three mighty vessels of the battle fleet ofthe Emperor of Germany which, after having preyed for months uponBritish shipping, had finally been sent to the bottom of theAtlantic by Admiral Sir Frederick Sturdee, chief of the BritishWar Staff.
CHAPTER XXIX
RULE BRITANNIA
Meanwhile, what of the Sylph?
When the German cruisers Dresden and Nurnberg had fallen back inan attempt to escape, the Sylph dashed after them at full speed.
"'Will you engage both of them?" asked Frank of Lord Hastings.
"If necessary,"' replied the Sylph's commander. "We at least maybe able to hold them off until help arrives."
The Sylph sped on; but it became apparent that the Dresden wasgradually drawing ahead of the Nurnberg. Jack noticed this, andspoke to Lord Hastings.
"If we stay well behind, and give them the impression that we arenot fast enough to overtake either of them," he said, "theDresden may leave the Nurnberg to take care of herself. Then wecan get them one at a time."
"A good idea," said Lord Hastings.
The speed of the Sylph was reduced somewhat. Still the Dresdencontinued to draw away from her consort, and, after hours oftireless pursuit, finally was almost out of sight.
All that night the pursuit of the Nurnberg continued, and it wasearly morning, and the sun was streaming over the sea, when theSylph, having increased her speed during the darkness, finallydrew within range of the Nurnberg.
A shot from the Sylph's forward gun brought the Nurnberg to asudden halt, and she turned immediately to give battle. This waswhat Lord Hastings had hoped for.
The first shell from the Nurnberg kicked up the water a good halfmile in front of the Sylph.
"We have the range of her," said Lord Hastings calmly.
The Sylph slowed down, and continued to plump shells and solidshot upon her opponent at long range. Some of these struck home,and it was plain to the two lads, who stood on the bridge, thatsome of them had done considerable damage.
Realizing that he was outranged, the commander of the Nurnbergordered full speed ahead and dashed toward the Sylph, that hemight get within range before the Sylph had crippled him with herlong-distance fire.
Before she managed to get within range, however, her fighting tophad been shot away, she had been pierced in vital spots severaltimes and was otherwise very badly crippled.
But now a shell came screaming over the bridge. Involuntarilyboth lads ducked, so close had the shell passed to their heads.It sped on over the Sylph and plowed up the water over the stern.
"Close call," said Jack briefly.
"It was, indeed," agreed Frank.
So close were the two vessels now that the machine-guns on bothvessels were brought into play, and a perfect hail of shot fellupon both ships.
So far the Sylph had not been hit, but suddenly the littlecruiser staggered back. A shot had struck her squarely in thebow. The damage was not serious, and she again leaped forward.
For two hours the battle continued, with advantage to neitherside. Both vessels were badly battered by this time, and one ofthe Sylph's smokestacks had been shot away. Now, glancingsuddenly astern, Frank uttered a joyous cry.
"British cruiser coming up, sir," he informed Lord Hastings.
The commander of the Nurnberg had noticed the approach of theBritish cruiser at the same instant, and, realizing that he couldnot successfully battle with another enemy, he ordered theNurnberg put about, and made off as fast as his crippledcondition would permit, his stern guns still playing upon theSylph.
Evidently the Nurnberg's commander figured that the Sylph, beingas badly crippled as he was, could not successfully pursue. TheBritish cruiser was still some distance off, and he hoped to beable to outrun her also.
But he was doomed to disappointment. No sooner had the Nurnbergturned to flee, than the Sylph made rapidly after her. At thesame moment there came a wireless from the British cruiser, whichproved to be the Glasgow.
"Stick to her close," the message read, "we'll be with you in ajiffy."
So, at Lord Hastings' command, the Sylph stuck closely. Forperhaps an hour the commander of the Nurnberg tried to shake offthe pursuer; and then, realizing that this could not be done, andthat the Glasgow was also rapidly gaining on him, he once, moreturned to give battle.
The Nurnberg came about suddenly and dashed straight at theSylph. In fact, so sudden was this maneuver that the Sylph wascaught unprepared, and for a moment was at a disadvantage.However, this disadvantage did not last long.
Lord Hastings ordered the Sylph put about, and turned to flee.
"What on earth are we running for?" demanded Jack.
"Why," replied Lord Hastings, "if the Nurnberg will chase us,we'll run her right up to the Glasgow. And, if she puts aboutand makes off again, we have gained just that much time."
"I see," said Jack.
The Nurnberg refused to chase the Sylph. Instead, she put aboutand continued her flight. Immediately the Sylph was after heragain. Once more the Nurnberg came about and made a dash at theSylph, and again the Sylph turned and ran.
But this time the Nurnberg did not turn to run again. LordHastings' maneuver had succeeded so well that the Glasgow was nowwithin striking distance, and a shell fired at long range droppedclose to the Nurnberg. The Sylph came about again and dashedforward, hurling her instruments of death at her opponent asrapidly as her crippled condition would permit.
From the Glasgow came a command for the Nurnberg to surrender,but the commander of the German ship did not even take thetrouble to reply to this message. The Sylph and her enemy cameclose together rapidly.
Shells were dropping aboard both vessels, and it seemedmiraculous that both did not go to the bottom. The blood of bothcommanders was up and neither would give an inch. It alldepended now upon which ship was struck in a vital spot first.
Fortunately for those aboard the Sylph it was the German whosuffered. A shell pierced the Nurnberg's side and penetrated theengine-room, where it exploded the Nurnberg's boilers with, athundering roar. On the instant the Nurnberg seemed to turn intoa sheet of flame.
Another explosion followed, and still another, and almost quickerthan it takes to tell it, the German cruiser Nurnberg, the fourthof Admiral von Spee's fleet, disappeared beneath the waves.
While the Sylph lay waiting for the Glasgow to come up a hastyexamination was made. One man had been killed and two injuredThat was, the extent of the damage to the Sylph. Every man ofthe German crew of 300 men had gone to the bottom.
"Nothing serious the matter with us, sir," Jack reported, afteran investigation.
"Good!" replied Lord Hasting.
"Nothing
broken that cannot be fixed in two hours, sir," Frankreported.
"Good!" exclaimed Lord Hastings again.
Half an hour later the commander of the Glasgow came aboard theSylph, and was speedily closeted with Lord Hastings in thelatter's cabin. Soon, however, the two emerged on deck, andapproached where Frank and Jack were standing.
"I understand," said the commander of the Glasgow to the twolads, "that it was your plan Admiral Sturdee acted upon when helured the German fleet to give battle. Also that it was youridea that has resulted in the sinking of the Nurnberg. I am gladto know you."
He extended a hand to each, and the boys grasped them heartily.
"Now," continued the commander of the Glasgow, "it is up to us tofollow and sink the Dresden. Besides her there is but one Germanship in these waters--the Karlsruhe, and we'll get her beforewe are through."
"Have you any idea where she is?" asked Frank.
"I imagine she has gone around the Horn into the Pacific."
"In that case," said Jack, "the Dresden has probably gone to joinher."
"By Jove!" exclaimed the commander of the Glasgow. "I believeyou are right. What do you think, Lord Hastings?"
"I believe Mr. Templeton has hit the nail on the head, as usual,"replied the commander of the Sylph. "Therefore, I should saythat we had better head in that direction."
"Agreed!" returned the commander of the Glasgow, and, after somefurther talk, he put over the side and returned to his ownvessel.
Several hours were now spent on board the Sylph repairing thedamage caused by the German shells and getting the little vesselin shipshape again. Then, at last, the Sylph was once more underway, beading for the Pacific.
A mile to the stern followed the British cruiser Glasgow. Fortwo days and nights, after rounding the Horn, the two Britishvessels sought some trace of the Karlsruhe and the Dresden. Theyput into port after port, but could get no trace of her.
But at last they came upon the German cruiser. It was the fourthday after rounding the Horn, and the German ship was just puttingout of a little Chilean port. The commander was not unaware ofthe presence of the British ships outside, for it had beenreported to him; but he had already been in the port fortwenty-four hours, and the laws of neutrality demanded that heeither put to sea again or that his ship be interned.
Captain Koehler, of the Dresden, was a man of action. Therefore,he spurned the suggestion of having his ship interned. And hislast words to the German consul, as he stepped aboard his shipand ordered that she be put to sea were:
"We are going to join our comrades!"
Well out of neutral waters, the Sylph and the Glasgow lay in waitfor the enemy. Outside the port the Dresden attempted to flee;but, after an hour's chase, Captain Koehler realized the futilityof this, and, at last brought to bay, turned to fight.
In the action that followed, an action that lasted for more thantwo hours, the Dresden put up a terrific battle. But there couldbe but one end. Outnumbered, she fought well, but at length thewaters of the calm Pacific closed over her.
"Only one left," said Frank to Jack, as they stood upon thebridge after the sinking of the Dresden.
"Only one--the Karlsruhe."
"And we'll get her, too!" said Jack quietly.
Slowly the two British cruisers, the Sylph and the Glasgow, theirdamages having been repaired, turned their noses north, and setout on their search for the only German vessel remaining inAmerican waters.
As they sail away over the mysterious Pacific we shall for abrief period take our leave of Frank Chadwick and Jack Templeton,than whom no more courageous lads (nor men, either, for thatmatter) engaged in the greatest war of all history.
But we shall meet them again; and, if the readers of this volumeare interested in their further adventures and exploits, as wellas in the personal side of the great war, they will find it allin the third volume of The Boy Allies with, the BattleshipsSeries, entitled, "The Boy Allies with the Flying Squadron; orThe Naval Raiders of the Great War."
THE END
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