Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-11-04
The British Cruisers

he bTltlSn cruisers 6OOd nope,
Monmouth and Glasgow were under
command of Rear Admiral Sir Christie
pher Cradock and had been searching
the coasts Of South America for sew
eral weeks with the object of engag-
ing the German cruisers which had
been destroying British merchant ves-
sells.
The British cruiser Monmouth, re-
ported sunk in the engagement, was
40 feet long. Sc feet beam and of $500
tons displacement. She carried IA g.
inch guns, eight 3-inch guns, three 81
Founders and was fitted with two IS
inch torpedo tubes. Her complement
was Cos men. The Monmouth was
built in 1899.
The Good Hope also reported lost
was the flagship of the squadron She
was 500 feet long. II feet beam and
displaced 14,1o0 tons. She represented
the British nation at jamestown Ex-
position in 1907. Her armament con-
sisted of two 9.e-inch guns, Is 6-ineh
guns. Il 3-inch guns, three 3-pounders
and two 1s-inch torpedo tubes. She
had a complement of 800. The Good
Hope was tufft - years ago.
The light cruiser Glasgow, which
took refuge at Coronel, was built in
1909. She was 430 feet long, AZ feet
beam and displaced 1920 tons. She had
a complement of 376 men. Her arma-
ment consisted of two 6-inch guns and
10 4-inch guns. She was equipped with
two 18-inch torpedo tubes.
Sir Christopher Cradock, who COM
manded the squadron, was in charge
of the British fleet in Mexican waters
at the time the American marines oc-
cupie6 Vera Cruz.
The German armored cruisers
Scharnhorst and Gneisenau are sister
ships of 1900 tons. Both were built
in 1906 and are 449 feel long on the
waterline. They have a complement
of CTS men. Each of the two vessels
carry eight S2-inch and six 6-inch
guns, "a four Founders and four ma
chine guns. Each has four torpedo
tubes.
Both the Scharnhorst and the
Gneisenau on Sept. % last bombarded
and destroyed Papeete, the principal
town and port of the French island OF
Tahiti in the Society group in the Pa
cific ocean. They also sank the dis
mantled French gunboat zelee in Pa :
peete harbor.
The Nurnberg is a small cruiser of
S540 tons and carries complement of
295 men. She has 10 4.1-inch guns,
eight five Founders, four machine guns
and two torpedo tubes. She is the
vessel which is believed to have cut
the. cable connecting the United States
with Australia in September, shortly
after she had left Honolulu.
The Dresden and the Leipsic, which
are reported to have been engaged in
the battle, also are small cruisers. The
Dresden is of 5000 tons and the Leip-
sic of 2250 tons. They have respec-
lively compliments of 321 and 2SG
men.
The Dresden carried 10 4.1-inch,
eight 5-pounders and machine guns
and two torpedo tubes, while the arm
ament of the Leipsic consisted of 10
41-inch. ten 1-pounders, four machine
guns and two torpedo tubes.
The Eeipsic, since the commence
ment of the war, has been operating
in the Pacific from San Francisco
south and west Early in october she
sank the tank steamer Elsinore off
the Central American coast and fire.
quently has been represented either
after merchantmen or as being pur-
sued by British warships. The Dress
den also has been engaged in Pacific
waters and in August last was re-
ported to have sunk British steamer
off Brazil.