On 1 November 1914, off the coast of Chile near Coronel, ships of the German and British navies exchanged fire resulting in the sinking of two British ships and with the loss of nearly 1,600 sailors. To counter the German squadron, the Royal Navy sent two battle-cruisers - and - to the South Atlantic. In December 1914, the British battle-cruisers, accompanied by smaller ships, engaged the German squadron during the Battle of the Falkland Islands and sank the German armoured cruisers and near the Falkland Islands.