The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-12-10
Three Cruisers Sunk by Brit
:, ish Fleet in Battle i'm
South Atlantic
BRITISH ABE PURSUING
TWO OTHER WARSHIPS
It is Believed That German officers and
Men Went Down Fighting-The Vic
torious Squadron Sustained But Lit
tie Loss.

InSA went DoWH f1gnClng-Ine VIC
torious Squadron Sustained But Lit
tie Loss.
LONDON, Nov. 10. = 4 British
squadron under command of Vice-Ad- |
miral Sir Frederick Sturdee. chief of
the war staff, engaged a German squad
ron under Admiral Count Won Spec, off
the Falkland islands. in the South At-I
lantic Tuesday, and won victory
which is being acclaimed throughout
England.
The armored cruisers Seharnhorst
and Gneisenau and the protected cruis-
er Leipzig, three of the German war;
ships which had been menacing Brit
ish shipping and part of the squadron
which sank the British cruisers Good
Hope and Monmouth in the Pacific on
Nov. !, Were destroyed. The cruisers
Dresden and Nurnberg, the two other
vessels which composed the German
squadron, made off during the fight.
and, according to latest accounts, are
being pursued. Two GOLFERS We're can
tured
The announcement of this engage
ing in statement by the admiralty.
The following announcement was is
sued by the official information bureaus:
+" At 80 a. m. on Dee the Scharn-
horst, Gneisenau, Nurnberg, Leipsig
and Dresden were sighted near the
Falkland islands by II British squadron
under Vice Admiral Sir Frederick
Sturdee.
= An action followed, in the course of
which the Scharnhorst, flying the flag
of Admiral Count Won Spec, the Gneise-
nau and the Leipsig were sunk The
Dresden and Nurnberg made off during
the action and are being pursued. Two
golfers also were captured.
The vice admiral reports that the
British casualties are very few in mum
Der Some survivors have been res
eued from the Gneisenau and the Leip-
sig.
The statement refers to some SUR
yiyors rescued from the Gneisenau and.
the Leipzig, but no mention is made of
any of the crew of the Scharnhorsf. !
which was the flagship OF the German
admiral, being saved. and it is thus |
presumed that Count Won Spec. his of |
hcers and men went down fighting.
May Get Dresden and Nurnberg. Too.
Beyond the fact that the British
squadron was commanded By Vice Adj /
mlral Stnrdee no information is vouch- ,
safed regarding the ships engaged. and
the newspapers are enioined not TO !
speculate, as ''other combinations mayl
be effected The greatest enthusiasm
prevailed in London over the victory.
and the general impression is that it
will be completed, as the admiralty
would not be likely to send ships thati
could not overtake the Dresden and |
Nurnberg, which are 24-knot and o. |
Knot vessels. respectively, and probably ,
even slower after their long service. |
They are at a Disadvantage also he
cause of their small coal capacity. +
The British squadron which engaged
the Germans left England without the |
knowledge Of the general public. and
until his name was mentioned it was /
believed that Vice Admiral Sturdpe
was serving in home waters. The fact /
that he was taken from the post of |
chief OF the war staff is Indicative OF
the determination of the British GOV. |
ernment to clear the Pacific and South |
Atlantic of all the German warships. |
and it is therefor believed that the /
British commander is at the head Of |
q formidable squadron.
Armament of German Vessels.
The ScharnhOrst Gneisenau and |
Leipzig with the cruisers Nurnbere and
Dresden, composed the German Pacific |
meet which In an enga cement with the
British squadron under Rear Admira |
Christopher Cradock off the coast of
Ch1h Nov. ] sank the British cruisers
Monmouth and Good hope, with the
loss of about 300 men Since that
time British and japanese squadrons !
have been searching for the German |
fleet, Of which little has been heard |
Recent reports from Montevideo, Uru- |
quay, were to the effect that the Ger
man fleet was believed to have rounded |
the cape and entered the south Allan
tie, but there has been no authentic |
information of the whereabouts of |
these vessels since the battle with the |
British squadron.
The Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were
the largest vessels of the German fleet !
They were sister ships of / 500 tons |
$50 feet on the water /
line and were rated at u mean speed
of % ID knots. Each carried com |
plement OF. 7G5 men and was armed |
with eight S.2-lnch guns, six six-inch
guns, 20 24-pounders, four machine
guns and four torpedo tubes The |
Leipzig had Q displacement of 3.250i
tons and carried $50 men. She was
34l feet long on the waterline, had a
beam of 43 1-2 feet and was rated atI
% knots. Her largest guns. of which,
she carried 10, were 4.l-ineh. She hadl
also 10 one-pounders, four machine
guns and two torpedo tubes.
Admiral Count Won Spec, commander
of the German squadron, was aboard
the Scharnhorst, which was his flag
ship.