The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1915-02-13
500 DEAD BEFORE
GNEISENAU SANK

English Officer, Describing Battle Off
Falkland Islands, Has Praise For
Marksmenship Of zee = cneisenau
So Hot Before She Went Down Crew
Couldn't Stand on Her.
A detailed description Of the battle
off the Falkland islands. in which the
German squadron under Admiral ven
Spec was destroyed by the British
force under Admiral Sturdee, has been
received by A. Il. MacMullen of Dixie,
Ont, in letter from his son, Lieuten-
ant A. z. MacMullen.
The young man, who was on board
the Invincible, Admiral Sturdee's flag
ship, during the fight. writes that the
British squadron made the trip from
Plymouth to the Falkland islands i'll
twenty-seven days, arriving there on
Dec Z. The battle occurred the next
day.
His letter, dated Dec. II, says:
Next morning dec. g we started
coaling at 6 o'clock. There were the
Invincible, InfieXible, Carnarvon. Kent.
Cornwall, Bristol, Glasgow and the
armed p and o. liner Macedonia in
the harbor. At $50, while we were at
breakfast. the Canopus shore station
reported a four funneled cruiser in
sight We got orders to raise steam
for full speed at once.
''The enemy consisted Of the Scharn-
horst, Gneisenau, Leipzig, Nurnberg
and Dresden. with three transports.
Germans Went to Prayers.
when the Germans saw four tripod
masts they got a bit Of a shock, but
thought they were dummies at first:
then that they were Japanese. as some
japanese light ships have tripods. but
when they discovered we were British.
one of their officers told us. they went
to prayers.
1--WE got within range, $4,000 yards.
about / D. m. We first fired Il few
rounds at the Nurnberg and hit her
stern. / believe, after which we left
the three smaller ones to our lighter
ships and then, with the lnfeXible. ell
gagged the Gneisenau and Scharnhorst.
opening fire at about seven sea miles.
We, being the flagship, came in for the
greater part of both ships fire for five
hours
Although their gunnery was marvel
GUS, we did not give them much
chance, as we had the advantage Of
speed and chose the range. The
Scharnhorst sank about 4 D. m. but
we could not stop to pick up the sur
vivors, as the Gneisenau was still In
action. At about o'clock p. m, how
ever, the Gneisenau sank, and we
steamed to the spot. / came to the
deck for the first time and shall never
forget. the sight. The water was thick
with men and wreckage all around us,
and the wailing noise was terrible. We
lowered all the boats that would float
and threw lines to others, but the men
were all absolutely numb, although
only fifteen minutes in the water. The
temperature OF the water was 38 de-
Krees. We managed to save over 100,
but twenty died from shock. In all
about 1S0 were picked up by our ships
from the Cheeseman's crew.
1.-THE Glasgow had the consolation Of
sinking the Leipzig. The Kent sank
thu NuE-.1ers. The Dresden got away,
but " eetheC damaged or not we don't
know yet.
Six Hundred Men Killed.
''The German doctor on the Gneise-
nau-we have seven officers aboard
told us that 600 had been killed before
she sank and that our shells tore the
whole side and upper deck away when
they burst. He said the ship was so
hot that they could not stand on her.
so they opened a torpedo tube to sink
her mOrc quickly at the end.
'I should think we were hit about
thirty times above armor, and, al
though nothing vital was hit, we We're
q good deal damaged aboct the upper
works. The wardroom was complete
ly wrecked and an enormous hole
pierced in the deck. 1t was like a pep
per pot, all the bulkheads being I'D
died by fragments of shell. The more
one sees the greater marvel it is that
there is not a single casualty In this
ship except the commander, whose
foot Is very slightly damaged In all
about twelve were killed In the feet
and not many more wounded
Zone Of our guns, which @AS noz
manned, was shot righA m two. Fires
were promptly dealt with by the sto
kers' fire brigade. Owing to the great
range, none of their shells pierced our
armor and only just made a mark op
1t / was In the boiler room all che
time, and the men worked spA4ndidly.
although we heard shells hitting the
side oe the bunkers."
A Guides Escape.